Sextus Iulius Frontinus, vir consularis de re militari

Agesilaus the Lacedaemonian, when returning from Phrygia laden with spoils, and the enemy was pursuing and harassing his column at advantageous locations, placed lines of captives on both sides of his army. While these were spared by the enemy, the Lacedaemonians had space to pass through. The same man, when the Thebans were holding the narrow passes through which he had to go, turned his march as if he were aiming for Thebes. When the Thebans were terrified and departed to defend their walls, he retraced his path and traversed the ground he had intended, with no one resisting. Nicostratus, leader of the Aetolians, when his access into the territory of the Epirotes became narrow against them, showed that he would break through via another route. While the entire multitude of Epirotes rushed to stop him there, he left a few of his own men to present the appearance of a remaining army, and he himself, with the rest of his band, entered the pass where he was not expected. Authophrates the Persian, when he was leading his army into Pisidia and the Pisidians occupied certain narrow passes, feigned a weariness from crossing and decided to retreat. When the Pisidians believed this, he sent his strongest force by night to occupy the same place, and the next day he moved the entire army across. Philip, King of the Macedonians, aiming for Greece, when he heard that Thermopylae was occupied and envoys of the Aetolians had come to him to discuss peace, detained them while he himself marched quickly to the passes. With the guards secure and expecting the return of their envoys, he crossed Thermopylae unexpectedly. Iphicrates, leader of the Athenians, against Anaxibius the Lacedaemonian in the Hellespont near Abydos, when he had to lead his army across, through places that were held by outposts—with steep mountains pressing on one side of his crossing and the sea washing the other—waited for some time. When a day colder than usual arrived, and because of this was suspected by no one, he chose his firmest men. Having warmed them with oil and wine, he commanded them to wait for the very hour of the tide and swim across the steeper parts, and thus he unexpectedly overwhelmed the guards of the narrows from the rear. Gnaeus Pompeius, when he could not cross a river because of the enemy army opposite him, made it a practice to lead his troops out and back into camp repeatedly. Then, having lulled the enemy into the same conviction so that they held no strategy for the Romans' progress, he suddenly made an attack and seized the crossing. Alexander of Macedon, when prevented by the King of the Indians from crossing the river Hydaspes, ordered his men to run along opposite the water continually. When he achieved this by way of exercise, because the enemy was guarding the further bank, he suddenly transported his army across via a higher point. The same man, being prevented from crossing the Indian river by the enemy, ordered his cavalry to be sent into the river at different places, and...