The Second Reason for the Revolutionary Army to Stay on French Soil

The directors believed an offensive in Italy might draw coalition resources away from Germany. Even if Napoleon was defeated, the aggressive campaign he planned to fight might cause enough casualties to serve as a temporary distraction. The conquests of 1794 and 5 had proved quite lucrative. French generals and politicians became fond of a famous saying of the Roman statesman Cato the Elder: Bellum, say, Ipsum, Allitt. War feeds itself.