Cicero, Paradoxa Stoicorum; Paradox VI, 49ÅŒ dÄ« immortālÄ“s! nōn intellegunt hominÄ“s, quam magnum vectÄ«gal sit parsimōnia.O immortal gods! People do not understand how great a revenue parsimony can be

Another, not less powerful, is that
more wars are lost by coiintries with more money, and
excessive love of It, than countries with less. Wealth
impoverishes the spirit of those who have it because it
brings avarice with it; and wars require anything but
excessiveparsimony.

Trade money for life:

These
have believed they could find others, who would expose
themselves to the risk of losing their lives, simply by
relinquishing a small part of their riches and, thus,
protect themselves from loss of the remainder.

Venice, Holland ( the Dutch, Amsterdam)— foreign mercenary armies.

Carthage — North Africa,

This is
why Carthage, Venice, and Holland have found it con­
venienttomaintainforeignmercenaryarmies.

Merchants make poor soldiers

merx-

Experienceisnotcontrarytoreason. Therichare
always less exposed to peril than the poor. For them,
life is sweeter the more dear- it is. Nor, are good
soldiers ever found among mercantile people.