U. C. 538. apparebat. Præcipue convertit omnes' substratus Numidæ A. C. 216. mortuo superincubanti Romanus vivus, naso auribusque laceratis: quum, manibus ad capiendum telum inutilibus, in rabiem ira versus, laniando dentibus hostem exspirasset. 52. Spoliis ad multum diei lectis, Hannibal ad minora ducit castra oppugnanda, et omnium primum, brachio objecto9, flumine eos excludit. Ceterum ab omnibus', labore, vigiliis, vulneribus etiam fessis, maturior ipsius spe deditio est facta. Pacti, ut arma atque equos traderent, in capita Romana trecenis nummis quadrigatis, in socios ducenis, in servos centenis, et ut, eo pretio persoluto, cum singulis abirent vestimentis, in castra hostes acceperunt; traditique in custodiam omnes sunt, seorsum cives sociique. Dum ibi tempus teritur, interea quum ex majoribus castris, quibus satis virium aut animi fuit, ad quattuor millia hominum et ducenti equites, alii agmine, alii palati passim per agros, quod haud minus tutum erat, Canusium perfugissent, castra ipsa ab sauciis timidisque eadem conditione, qua altera, tradita hosti. Præda ingens parta est: et, præter equos virosque, et si quid argenti, (quod plurimum in phaleris equorum erat; nam ad vescendum facto perexiguo, utique militantes, utebantur) omnis cetera præda diripienda data est. Tum sepeliendi causa conferri in unum corpora suorum jussit. Ad octo millia fuisse dicuntur fortissimorum virorum. Consulem quoque Romanum' conquisitum sepultumque, quidam auctores sunt. Eos, qui Canusium perfugerant, mulier Apula, nomine 5 Præcipuè convertit omnes.] "The principal object of general attraction was," &c. 6 Brachio objecto.] ing up a mound.” 66 By throw 7 Ceterum ab omnibus, &c.] Some commentators take omnibus in apposition with the ablatives following, SC. “but, exhausted as they were by every thing, fatigue, want of sleep, and wounds, a surrender was made sooner than" &c. It would be more in accordance, however, with the Latin idiom to join omnibus to fessis; and Crevier, adopting this view of the sentence, would read hominibus for omnibus. 8 Nummis quadrigatis.] These were denarii; so called from the figure of a chariot which they bore. For a similar reason they are elsewhere called bigati. (1. xxiii. 15.) 9 Ad vescendum facto (sc. argento) perexiguo.] "Very little wrought silver for the table," (plate). Consulem quoque Romanum &c.] The habitual cruelty with which Hannibal is charged, appears in all cases to have been softened by the death of a rival. He performed, in the course of this campaign, the funeral rites of Flaminius, Gracchus, and Marcellus. The sight of the latter especially, who was killed by an ambuscade, seems to have moved him to gentleness. According to Plutarch, he looked steadily and mournfully on the dead body for some time: and then taking a ring from one of the fingers, ordered it to be burned, and the ashes sent home. 53. Busa, genere clara ac divitiis, moenibus tantum tectisque a U. C. 538. Canusinis acceptos, frumento, veste, viatico etiam juvit; A. C. 216. pro qua ei munificentia postea, bello perfecto, ab senatu honores habiti sunt. Ceterum, quum ibi tribuni militum quattuor essent, Fabius Maximus de legione prima, cujus pater priore anno dictator fuerat, et de legione secunda L. Publicius Bibulus et P. Cornelius Scipio, et de legione tertia Ap. Claudius Pulcher, qui proxime ædilis fuerat; omnium consensu ad P. Scipionem, admodum adolescentem, et ad Ap. Claudium summa imperii delata est. Quibus consultantibus inter paucos de summa rerum nuntiat P. Furius Philus, consularis viri filius, Nequicquam eos per'ditam spem fovere: desperatam comploratamque rem esse 'publicam. Nobiles juvenes quosdam, quorum principem L. Cæcilium Metellum, mare ac naves spectare, ut, deserta 'Italia, ad regum aliquem transfugiant.' Quod malum, præterquam atrox3, super tot clades etiam novum, quum stupore ac miraculo torpidos defixisset, et, qui aderant, consilium advocandum de eo censerent; negat consilii rem esse Scipio juvenis, fatalis dux hujusce belli. 'Audendum atque agendum, non consultandum,' ait, in tanto malo 6 esse. Irent secum extemplo armati, qui rempublicam 'salvam vellent. Nullo verius, quam ubi ea cogitentur, 'hostium castra esse.' Pergit ire, sequentibus paucis, in hospitium Metelli: et, quum concilium ibi juvenum, de quibus allatum erat, invenisset, stricto super capita consultantium gladio, 'Ex mei animi sententia,' inquit, ut ego rempublicam populi Romani non deseram neque alium 'civem Romanum deserere patiar. Si sciens fallo, tum me, 'Jupiter optime maxime, domum, familiam, remque meam 'pessimo leto afficias! In hæc verba, L. Cæcili, jures, postulo, ceterique, qui adestis: qui non juraverit, in se 'hunc gladium strictum esse sciat.' Haud secus pavidi, 6 U. C. 538. quam si victorem Hannibalem cernerent, jurant omnes : A. C. 216. custodiendosque semet ipsos Scipioni tradunt. 54. Eo tempore, quo hæc Canusii agebantur, Venusiam ad consulem ad quattuor millia et quingenti pedites equitesque, qui sparsi fuga per agros fuerant, pervenere. Eos omnes Venusini per familias benigne accipiendos curandosque quum divisissent, in singulos equites togas et tunicas et quadrigatos nummos quinos vicenos, et peditibus denos, et arma, quibus deerant, dederunt: ceteraque publice ac privatim hospitaliter facta, certatumque, ne a muliere Canusina populus Venusinus officiis vinceretur. Sed gravius onus Busæ multitudo faciebat, et jam ad decem millia hominum erant. Appiusque et Scipio, postquam incolumem esse alterum consulem acceperunt, nuntium extemplo mittunt, quantæ secum peditum equitumque copiæ essent: sciscitatumque simul, utrum Venusiam adduci exercitum, an manere juberet Canusii? Varro ipse Canusium copias traduxit. Et jam aliqua species consularis exercitus erat; moenibusque se certe, si non armis, ab hoste videbantur defensuri. Romam, ne has quidem reliquias superesse civium sociorumque, sed occidione occisos cum duobus exercitibus consules, deletasque omnes copias, allatum fuerat. Nunquam, salva urbe, tantum pavoris tumultusque intra moenia Romana fuit. Itaque succumbam oneris, neque aggrediar narrare, quæ edissertando minora vero fecero. Consule exercituque ad Trasimenum priore anno amisso, non vulnus super vulnus, sed multiplex clades, cum duobus consulibus duo consulares exercitus amissi nuntiabantur: nec ulla jam castra Romana, nec ducem, nec militem esse: Hannibalis Apuliam, Samnium, ac jam prope totam Italiam factam. Nulla profecto alias gens1 tanta mole cladis non obruta esset. 6 Sed gravius onus Busæ.] “The number, however-and there were by this time ten thousand menwas making Busa's task too heavy." 7 Mænibus se certè, si non armis.] "By walls at least, if not" &c. These clauses are generally found in the reverse and more natural order; si non, or, si minus, preceding certè. 8 Succumbam oneri, &c.] "I shall decline the task, and not attempt to describe what I should by detailing it, only bring short of the reality." 9 Non vulnus super vulnus.] "It was not wound after wound (blow upon blow) merely that was announced, but a manifold (complicated) calamity-the loss of two consular armies, with their two consuls." Nulla profecto alia gens, &c.] The causes to which we are to attribute the recovery of Rome from so severe a blow, are believed by Dr. Arnold to have been, the power of the aristocratic interest in the several towns of Italy, an interest every where and always more or less conservative of existing institutions; the existence of the numerous Latin and Roman colonies, which may be regarded as so many garrisons; and, Hannibal's want of A. C. 216. Compares cladem ad Ægates insulas Carthaginiensium, U. C. 538. proelio navali acceptam, qua fracti Sicilia ac Sardinia cessere, hinc vectigales ac stipendiarios fieri se passi sunt; aut pugnam adversam in Africa, cui postea hic ipse Hannibal succubuit: nulla ex parte comparandæ sunt, nisi quod minore animo latæ sunt. venturum. P. Furius Philus et M'. Pomponius prætores senatum in curiam Hostiliam vocaverunt, ut de urbis custodia consulerent. Neque enim dubitabant, deletis exercitibus, hostem ad oppugnandam Romam, quod unum opus belli restaret, Quum in malis, sicut ingentibus, ita ignotis', ne consilium quidem satis expedirent, obstreperetque clamor lamentantium mulierum, et, nondum palam facto3, vivi mortuique per omnes pæne domos promiscue complorarentur; tum Q. Fabius Maximus censuit, equites expedi'tos et Appia et Latina via mittendos, qui obvios percunc'tando (aliquos profecto ex fuga passim dissipatos fore) re an efficient artillery, which checked his progress from the moment when the war became a series of sieges. All these circumstances, together with his hesitation on this and on a subsequent occasion, when he might be said to have Rome in his power for the moment, gave the Romans time to recall the obstinate spirit of the old republic. 2 Compares &c.] "Can one compare it (or, can I compare it-if we read comparem) with the defeat sustained by the Carthaginians in the sea fight at the gates, &c.; or the fatal battle in Africa (Zama) under which this same Hannibal subsequently sank? In no particular (in no feature) do they admit of comparison, except in their having been borne with less firmness.' The great difference was, that these were decisive battles, followed by important political results; while that of Cannæ, in consequence of the blow not having been immediately followed up, involved no more than the loss of so many troops. The battles, of which a different result would have changed the subsequent course of history, are, according to Dr. Hallam, Marathon, Arbela, the Metaurus, Tours, Châlons, Leipsig. Many others might be added, e. g. Hastings, Vienna, Pultowa, Waterloo, &c. Y 6 This and some other similar in- 4 Sicut ingentibus, ita ignotis.] 5 Nondum palam facto.] (Græcism.) "In the absence of certain information." 6 Qui, obvios percunctando, &c.] Many old editions read forte joined to referunt, sc. "In order that, by questioning such of the fugitives from the defeat as they may meetfor they were dispersed every where they may probably obtain intelligence" &c. With Gronovius we read fore to be joined with dissipatos, which imparts a more consecutive and logical form to the sentence; sc. "that by questioning all whom they may meet- inasmuch as several fugitives must be scattered abroadthey may bring intelligence," &c. 55. A. C. 216. U. C. 538. ferant, quæ fortuna consulum atque exercituum sit; et si quid dii immortales, miseriti imperii, reliquum Romano 'nomini fecerint: ubi eæ copiæ sint: quo se Hannibal 'post prælium contulerit: quid paret, quid agat', acturusque sit. Hæc exploranda noscendaque per impigros 'juvenes esse. Illud per Patres ipsos agendum, quoniam 'magistratuum parum sit, ut tumultum ac trepidationem in 'urbe tollant, matronas publico arceant, continerique intra 'suum quamque limen cogant: comploratus familiarum 6 coerceant: silentium per urbem faciant: nuntios rerum 'omnium ad prætores deducendos curent: suæ quisque 'fortunæ domi auctorem exspectent, custodesque præterea 'ad portas ponant, qui prohibeant, quemquam egredi 'urbem cogantque homines, nullam, nisi urbe ac moni'bus salvis, salutem sperare. Ubi conticuerit tumultus, ' recte tum in curiam Patres revocandos, consulendumque 'de urbis custodia esse.' 56. Quum in hanc sententiam pedibus' omnes issent, summotaque foro per magistratus turba, Patres diversi ad sedandos tumultus discessissent; tum demum literæ a Terentio consule allatæ sunt; L. Æmilium consulem exercitumque 6 cæsum; sese Canusii esse, reliquias tantæ cladis velut ex naufragio colligentem. Ad decem millia militum 6 Pœnum 'ferme esse incompositorum inordinatorumque. |