Scipio's Training Regimen
Scipio himself stayed a certain time in New
note
Carthage and assiduously practised his fleet;
and drew up the following scheme for his
military Tribunes for training their men. The
first day he ordered the men to go at the double for thirty
stades in their full arms; and on the second all of them to rub
down, clean, and thoroughly examine their whole equipments;
on the third to rest and do nothing; on the fourth to have a
sham fight, some with wooden swords covered with leather and
with a button at the end, others with javelins also buttoned at
the end; on the fifth the same march at the double as on the
first. That there might be no lack of weapons for the
practises, or for the real fighting, he took the greatest pains with
the handicraftsmen. He had, as I have already stated, appointed
overseers over them in regular divisions to secure that this was
done; but he also personally inspected them every day, and
saw that they were severally supplied with what was necessary.
Thus while the legions were practising and training in the
vicinity of the town, and the fleet manœuvring and rowing in
the sea, and the city people sharpening weapons or forging
arms or working in wood, every one in short busily employed
in making armour, the whole place must have presented the
appearance of what Xenophon called "a workshop of war." note When he thought all these works
were sufficiently advanced for the requirements
of the service, he secured the town by posting garrisons and
repairing the walls, and got both his army and navy on the
move, directing his advance upon Tarraco, and taking the
hostages with him. . . .
