But the battle was very like to a civil war; so very similar was every thing among the Romans and Latins, except with respect to courage.

The Romans formerly used targets; afterwards, when they began to receive pay, they made shields instead of targets; and what before constituted phalanxes similar to the Macedonian, afterwards became a line drawn up in distinct companies.

At length they were divided into several centuries.

A century contained sixty soldiers, two centurions, and one standard-bearer.

The spearmen (hastati) formed the first line in fifteen companies, with small intervals between them: a company had twenty light-armed soldiers, the rest wearing shields; those were called light who carried only a spear and short iron javelins.
This, which constituted the van in the field of battle, contained the youth in early bloom advancing towards the age of service.