§18.30.1ἐκ δὲ τούτου ῥᾴδιον ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν λαβεῖν τὴν τῆς ὅλης φάλαγγος ἔφοδον καὶ προβολήν, ποίαν τινʼ εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ τίνα δύναμιν ἔχειν, ἐφʼ ἑκκαίδεκα τὸ βάθος οὖσαν.
From this it is easy to visualize what the charge and the couched front of the whole phalanx is likely to be, and what power it has, when it is sixteen deep.
§18.30.2ὧν ὅσοι τὸ πέμπτον ζυγὸν ὑπεραίρουσι, ταῖς μὲν σαρίσαις οὐδὲν οἷοί τʼ εἰσὶ συμβαλέσθαι πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον· διόπερ οὐδὲ ποιοῦνται κατʼ ἄνδρα τὴν προβολήν, §18.30.3παρὰ δὲ τοὺς ὤμους τῶν προηγουμένων ἀνανενευκυίας φέρουσι χάριν τοῦ τὸν κατὰ κορυφὴν τόπον ἀσφαλίζειν τῆς ἐκτάξεως, εἰργουσῶν τῇ πυκνώσει τῶν σαρισῶν ὅσα τῶν βελῶν ὑπερπετῆ τῶν πρωτοστατῶν φερόμενα δύναται προσπίπτειν πρὸς τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας.
Of these, those who are beyond the fifth rank are unable to contribute anything to the fight with their sarissas; for which reason they do not even level them individually, but carry them slanting upwards over the shoulders of those in front, in order to secure the space overhead of the formation, since the density of the sarissas wards off all such missiles as, flying over the front-rank men, might fall upon those standing behind.
§18.30.4αὐτῷ γε μὴν τῷ τοῦ σώματος βάρει κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγωγὴν πιεζοῦντες οὗτοι τοὺς προηγουμένους βιαίαν μὲν ποιοῦσι τὴν ἔφοδον, ἀδύνατον δὲ τοῖς πρωτοστάταις τὴν εἰς τοὔπισθεν μεταβολήν.
By the sheer weight of their bodies, however, these men, pressing upon those in front of them during the advance, make the charge violent, while they make it impossible for the front-rank men to retreat.
§18.30.5τοιαύτης περὶ τὴν φάλαγγα διαθέσεως καὶ καθόλου καὶ κατὰ μέρος οὔσης, ῥητέον ἂν εἴη καὶ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων καθοπλισμοῦ καὶ τῆς ὅλης συντάξεως τὰς ἰδιότητας καὶ διαφορὰς ἐκ παραθέσεως.
Since such is the disposition of the phalanx both as a whole and in detail, we must now speak of the characteristics and differences of the Roman armament and of their whole formation, by way of comparison.
§18.30.6ἵστανται μὲν οὖν ἐν τρισὶ ποσὶ μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι· §18.30.7τῆς μάχης δʼ αὐτοῖς κατʼ ἄνδρα τὴν κίνησιν λαμβανούσης διὰ τὸ τῷ μὲν θυρεῷ σκέπειν τὸ σῶμα, συμμετατιθεμένους αἰεὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς πληγῆς καιρόν, τῇ μαχαίρᾳ δʼ ἐκ καταφορᾶς καὶ διαιρέσεως ποιεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην, §18.30.8προφανὲς ὅτι χάλασμα καὶ διάστασιν ἀλλήλων ἔχειν δεήσει τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐλάχιστον τρεῖς πόδας κατʼ ἐπιστάτην καὶ κατὰ παραστάτην, εἰ μέλλουσιν εὐχρηστεῖν πρὸς τὸ δέον.
Now the Romans also stand in a space of three feet with their arms; but since their combat requires individual movement, because they protect their bodies with the long shield, shifting its position continually to meet the threat of a blow, and fight with the sword by cutting and thrusting, it is manifest that the men must have interval and distance from one another of at least three feet, both in depth and in breadth, if they are to be effective for what is required.
§18.30.9ἐκ δὲ τούτου συμβήσεται τὸν ἕνα Ῥωμαῖον ἵστασθαι κατὰ δύο πρωτοστάτας τῶν φαλαγγιτῶν, ὥστε πρὸς δέκα σαρίσας αὐτῷ γίνεσθαι τὴν ἀπάντησιν καὶ τὴν μάχην, §18.30.10ἃς οὔτε κόπτοντα τὸν ἕνα καταταχῆσαι δυνατόν, ὅταν ἅπαξ συνάψωσιν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας, οὔτε βιάσασθαι ῥᾴδιον, μηδέν γε τῶν ἐφεστώτων δυναμένων συμβάλλεσθαι τοῖς πρωτοστάταις μήτε πρὸς τὴν βίαν μήτε πρὸς τὴν τῶν μαχαιρῶν ἐνέργειαν.
From this it will result that one Roman stands opposite two front-rank men of the phalangites, so that he has to confront and fight against ten sarissas, which one man can neither cut away and overcome, once they have come to close quarters, nor is it easy to force his way through them, since those standing behind him can contribute nothing to the front-rank men, neither in physical pressure nor in the action of their swords.
§18.30.11ἐξ ὧν εὐκατανόητον ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε μεῖναι κατὰ πρόσωπον τὴν τῆς φάλαγγος ἔφοδον οὐδέν, διατηρούσης τὴν αὑτῆς ἰδιότητα καὶ δύναμιν, ὡς ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἶπα.
From this it is easy to understand that nothing can withstand the charge of the phalanx face to face, as long as it preserves its own characteristic and power, as I said at the beginning.