a general engagement between two armies in a country sufficiently open for them to encounter in front and at the same time (see WAR). The word is also written battal, battell, and battail. It is formed from the French bataille, of the Latin verb battuere, to fence or exercise with arms; whence battalia and batalia, which properly denoted the action or exercise of those who learned to fence, and who were hence also denominated batauteurs.

The ancients never joined battle without much ceremony and preparation; as taking auguries, offering sacrifice, haranguing the soldiers, giving the word or a signa, &c. The signals of battle were, founding the claustrum or general charge, and displaying a peculiar flag called by Plutarch a purple robe. To which may be added, singing psalms, raising military shouts, and the like. A Roman legion, ranged in order of battle, consisted of hastati, placed in the front; of principes, who were all old experienced soldiers, placed behind the former; and of triarii, heavy armed with large bucklers, behind the principes. The hastati were ranked close; the ranks of the principes were much opener so that they could receive the hastati; and those of the triarii opener still, inasmuch that they could receive both the principes and the hastati within them, without any disorder, and fill facing the enemy. When therefore the hastati found themselves unable to stand the enemy's charge, they retired gently within the principes, where joining with them they renewed the combat. If these found themselves too weak to sustain the enemy, both retired among the triarii, where rallying, they formed a new corps, and charged with more vigour than ever. If these failed, the battle was lost: the Romans had no farther resource. The moderns are unacquainted with this method of inferring or embattling one company into another; without which the former cannot be well succoured or defended, and their places taken by others; which was a thing the Romans practised with great exactness. For the velites, and in later times the archers and slingers, were not drawn up in this regular manner, but either disposed of before the front of the hastati, or scattered up and down among the void spaces of the hastati, or Batte, sometimes placed in two bodies in the wings. These always began the combat, skirmishing in flying parties with the foremost troops of the enemy. If they were repulsed, which was usually the case, they fell back to the flanks of the army, or retired again in the rear. When they retired, the hastati advanced to the charge. As to the cavalry, it was posted at the two corners of the army, like the wings on a body; and fought sometimes on foot, sometimes on horseback. The auxiliary forces composed the two points of the battle, and covered the whole body of the Romans.—Other less usual forms of battle among the Romans were the cuneus, or wedge; globus, or round form; forfex, or pair of shears; turris; or an oblong square figure; ferra, or saw. The Greeks were inferior to the Romans in marshalling their armies for battle, as they drew up their whole army in a front, and trusted the success of the day to a single force. They had three forms of battle for the horse, viz., the square, the wedge, and the rhombus or diamond form. The first held best for the defensive; the latter for the offensive; the wedge being preferred as bringing most hands to fight.

The Greeks notified the places of their battles and victories by adding the word Nux; whence Nicomedia Nicopolis, Thessalonica, &c. The ancient Britons did the like, by adding the word mai; whence Malmesbury, Malmsbury, &c. The English by the word field.—The Romans had their particular days, called praelares dies, in which alone it was lawful to join battle, and others wherein it was unlawful, called dies atri. The Athenians, by the ancient laws of their country, were not to draw out their forces for battle till after the seventh day of the month: And Lucian relates of the Lacedemonians, that by the laws of Lycurgus, they were not to fight before full moon. Among the Germans, it was reputed an impiety to fight in the wane of the moon; and Cæsar tells us, that Ariovitus was beaten by him, because, contrary to the laws of his country, he had fought when the moon was in her wane. The German soldiers were intimidated with the apprehension, and afforded Cæsar an easy victory; acie commissa, impeditis religione hostes victi. It is well known that Jerusalem was taken by Pompey in an attack on the Sabbath-day, when by the Jewish superstitious notions, they were not allowed to fight, or even to defend themselves. The Romans did not carry their superstition so far: their atri dies were only observed in respect of attacking; no day was too holy for them to defend themselves in. Among the ancients, we find frequent instances of battles in the night; is was by the moonlight that Pompey beat Mithridates, and Scipio Africus and Syphax.

The first pitched battle, of which we have any distinct account, is that between Croesus and Cyrus, described by Xenophon, concerning which we have a dissertation expressly by M. Fréret, wherein several points of the ancient tactics are well explained. In the modern war, we find few pitched or set battles: the chief view of the great commanders of late days is rather to harass or starve the enemy by frequent alarms, cutting off his provisions, carrying off his baggage, seizing his posts, &c., than to join issue with him, and put the whole on the event of one day; a battle generally Battle-Axe generally deciding the fate of a campaign, sometimes of a whole war. Hence is a rule, never to venture a general battle, unless either you fight to advantage, or be forced to it. Joining or giving battle should always be by design; a general should never suffer himself to be forced to fight. All the measures, movements, encampments, he makes, are to lead to the execution of his great design, which is to fight to advantage, till by some mistake of the enemy, he at length find the favourable opportunity. It is in this that a superior genius will at length prevail over an inferior: in the course of a campaign, he will take a number of advantages over him, which together are equivalent to a battle, the event of which is ever doubtful.