Ab urbe condita

The triarii, meantime, were resting on one knee under their standards, their shields over their shoulders and their spears planted on the ground with the points upwards, giving them the appearance of a bristling palisade.

If the principes were also unsuccessful, they slowly retired to the triarii, which has given rise to the proverbial saying, when people are in great difficulty “matters have come down to the triarii.”

When the triarii had admitted the hastati and principes through the intervals separating their companies, they rose from their kneeling posture