A Revision of Two Letters from George Morley, Bishop of Winchester, to Jan van Vliet

they abounded in scythed chariots. And Judges 4:3, it is said that Jabin had nine hundred scythed chariots. And 1 Kings 13:5: The Philistines gathered to fight with 30,000 chariots, and 6,000 horsemen, and the rest of the multitude like the sand which is on the seashore. From which it is evident.

There were three orders of soldiers anciently: 1. Those who fought from a chariot. 2. The cavalry. 3. The infantry.

It is further concluded that not only heroes, but also many others, were placed in chariots to fight against the enemy: since it can hardly be believed that from royal families or heroic men so many could be found to fill 30,000 chariots, or even nine hundred. Therefore, just as in our military, whoever are the most warlike and readiest of hand are assigned to horses, so it was then to chariots. Nor do I approve your dream that poets placed their heroes in chariots for the sake of dignity, because it is something grander to fight sitting as if on a throne. For I do not believe that those who mounted chariots sat during the very heat of fighting. Standing is a more opportune position of the body, whether to direct care to all parts, which is the role of commanders, or to balance a spear, throw javelins, or brandish a sword, which is the role of soldiers. However much the logic of those sitting may flourish, their strength nonetheless languishes, and their sinews are relaxed; the strength of those standing is excited, and by the very contention of the sinews the whole man becomes inflamed, and with the management of the horses left to the charioteer, he who is carried in the chariot strikes the enemy with his eyes, voice, and both hands, and fights with his whole body.

Two things, however, rendered chariots either less useful or clearly useless.
1. A region rugged with mountains, through which they could not run. Hence the Tribe of Judah is read to have possessed the mountainous regions: yet not to have descended into the Valleys for fear of the scythed chariots. Hence also Barak, so that he might avoid the chariots of Jabin, King of Canaan, pitched camp on Mount Tabor.
2. The weapons of the soldiers, whether offensive or defensive. They could do nothing against the Macedonian Phalanx, which kept chariots at bay with very long spears. Nor against the Roman Legions, [which] were so protected by iron. Hence the British Esseda, although by the novelty of the combat, as Caesar says, they troubled the Roman soldier, yet here the soldier, covered by breastplates and ample shields, easily warded them off, things which enemies who were unarmed or semi-armed—such as those who were for the most part anciently Asiatic, and in Caesar’s time, the Britons—could hardly have resisted.