Fair and Just War ( Victory by Fraud or by Valor)

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“Quintus Marcius, the Roman legate in the war against Perseus, King of Macedon, to gain time wherein to reinforce his army, set on foot some overtures of accommodation, with which the king being lulled asleep, concluded a truce for some days, by this means giving his enemy opportunity and leisure to recruit his forces, which was afterwards the occasion of the king's final ruin. 

Yet the elder senators, mindful of their forefathers' manners, condemned this proceeding as degenerating from their ancient practice, which, they said, was to fight by valour, and not by artifice . . . 


This was, indeed, a procedure truly Roman, and nothing allied to the Grecian subtlety, nor to the Punic cunning, where it was reputed a victory of less glory to overcome by force than by fraud. Deceit may serve for a need, but he only confesses himself overcome who knows he is neither subdued by policy nor misadventure, but by dint of valour, man to man, in a fair and just war. 


It very well appears, by the discourse of these good old senators, that this fine sentence was not yet received amongst them. "Dolus, an virtus, quis in hoste requirat?" ["What matters whether by valour or by strategem we overcome the enemy?"—Aeneid, ii. 390]”


The Achaians, says Polybius, abhorred all manner of double-dealing in war, not reputing it a victory unless where the courage of the enemy was fairly subdued: "Eam vir sanctus et sapiens sciet veram esse victoriam, quae, salva fide et integra dignitate, parabitur."—["An honest and prudent man will acknowledge that only to be a true victory which shall be obtained saving his own good faith and dignity."—Florus, i. 12.]—Says another: "Vosne velit, an me, regnare hera, quidve ferat,

          fors virtute experiamur."

 ["Whether you or I shall rule, or what shall happen, let us

     determine by valour."—Cicero, De Offic., i. 12]”


— Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592) Essays, CHAPTER V “WHETHER THE GOVERNOR OF A PLACE BESIEGED OUGHT HIMSELF TO GO OUT TO PARLEY” 

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