Daily Orders and Watchwords
As to the construction of the foss and vallum,
1 two
sides fall to the lot of the socii, each division
taking that side along which it is quartered;
the other two are left to the Romans, one
to each legion. Each side is divided into portions according to the number of maniples, and the centurions stand
by and superintend the work of each maniple; while two
of the Tribunes superintend the construction of the whole
side and see that it is adequate. In the same way the
Tribunes superintend all other operations in the camp. They
divide themselves in twos, and each pair is on duty for two
months out of six; they draw lots for their turns, and the pair
on whom the lot falls takes the superintendence of all active
operations. The prefects of the socii divide their duty in the
same way.
At daybreak the officers of the
cavalry and the centurions muster at the tents
of the Tribunes, while the Tribunes go to that
of the Consul. He gives the necessary orders to the Tribunes,
they to the cavalry officers and centurions, and these last pass
them on to the rank and file as occasion may demand.
To secure the passing round of the watchword for the
night the following course is followed. One
man is selected from the tenth maniple,
which, in the case both of cavalry and infantry, is quartered at the ends of the road between the tents; this
man is relieved from guard-duty and appears each day
about sunset at the tent of the Tribune on duty, takes the
tessera or wooden tablet on which the watchword is inscribed,
and returns to his own maniple and delivers the wooden tablet
and watchword in the presence of witnesses to the chief
officer of the maniple next his own; he in the same way to
the officer of the next, and so on, until it arrives at the first
maniple stationed next the Tribunes. These men are
obliged to deliver the tablet (
tessera) to the Tribunes before
dark. If they are all handed in, the Tribune knows that the
watchword has been delivered to all, and has passed through
all the ranks back to his hands: but if any one is missing, he
at once investigates the matter; for he knows by the marks on
the tablets from which division of the army the tablet has not
appeared; and the man who is discovered to be responsible
for its non-appearance is visited with condign punishment.
