I. Lit., a Roman legion. It consisted of 10 cohorts of foot-soldiers and 300 cavalry, making together between 4200 and 6000 men. As a general rule, the legion was composed of Roman citizens; it was only on the most pressing occasions that slaves were taken into it. The standard was a silver eagle. The legions were usually designated by numerals, according to the order in which they were levied; “though sometimes they were named after the emperor who raised them, or after their leader, after a deity, after some exploit performed by them, etc.: cum legionibus secunda ac tertia,” Liv. 10, 18: “undevicesima,” id. 27, 14: “vicesima,” id. 27, 38: “Claudiana,” Tac. H. 2, 84: “Galbiana,” id. ib. 2, 86: “Martia,” Cic. Phil. 4, 2: “adjutrix,” Tac. H. 2, 43: “rapax,” id. ib.: “in legione sunt centuriae sexaginta, manipuli triginta, cohortes decem,” Gell. 16, 4, 6; cf. Inscr. Orell. Index rerum, s. v. legio.—
II. Transf.
A. Plur., of the troops of other nations, legions, soldiers: “Bruttiae Lucanaeque legiones,” Liv. 8, 24: “Latinae,” id. 6, 32; cf. “of the troops of the Samnites,” id. 10, 17; “of the Gauls,” id. 22, 14; “of the Carthaginians,” id. 26, 6: “Teleboae ex oppido Legiones educunt suas,” Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 62: “in quorum (i. e. Thebanorum) sulcis legiones dentibus anguis nascuntur,” Juv. 14, 241.—
B. In gen., an army, a large body of troops: legio rediit, Enn. ap. Non. 385, 17 (Ann. v. 535 Vahl.): “quia cotidie ipse ad me ab legione epistolas mittebat,” Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 56; 83; 2, 2, 22; id. Most. 1, 2, 48: “si tu ad legionem bellator cluis, at ego in culina clueo,” id. Truc. 2, 7, 53: “cetera dum legio campis instructa tenetur,” Verg. A. 9, 368: “de colle videri poterat legio,” id. ib. 8, 605; “10, 120: horruit Argoae legio ratis,” Val. Fl. 7, 573.—
C. Of a large body of men: “idem istuc aliis adscriptivis fieri ad legionem solet,” Plaut. Men. 1, 3, 2; cf.: “legio mihi nomen est, quod multi sumus,” Vulg. Marc. 5, 9; id. Luc. 8, 30; 36: “duodecim legiones angelorum,” id. Matt. 26, 53.—