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esset, superior quidem haud dubie Romanus erat; sed, U. C. 540. quia equites non affuere in tempore, ratio composita reis A. C. 214. turbata est. Non ausus insequi cedentes Marcellus, vincentibus suis signum receptui dedit. Plus tamen duo millia hostium eo die cæsa traduntur: Romani minus quadringentis. Solis fere occasu Nero, diem noctemque nequicquam fatigatis equis hominibusque, ne viso quidem hoste rediens, adeo graviter est ab consule increpitus, ut per eum stetisse diceret, quo minus accepta ad Cannas redderetur hosti clades. Postero die Romanus in aciem descendit: Poenus tacita etiam confessione victus', castris se tenuit. Tertio die silentio noctis, omissa spe Nolæ potiundæ, rei nunquam prospere tentatæ, Tarentum ad certiorem spem proditionis proficiscitur.

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Nec minore animo res Romana domi, quam militiæ, gerebatur. Censores, vacui ab operum locandorum cura, propter inopiam ærarii, ad mores hominum regendos animum adverterunt, castigandaque vitia, quæ, velut diutinis morbis ægra corpora ex se gignunt, nata bello erant. Primum eos citaverunt, qui post Cannensem pugnam rempublicam deseruisse, Italiaque excessisse velle1 dicebantur. Princeps eorum L. Cæcilius Metellus quæstor tum forte erat. Jusso deinde eo ceterisque ejusdem noxæ reis causam dicere, quum purgari nequissent, pronuntiarunt, verba orationemque eos adversus rempublicam habuisse, quo conjuratio deserendæ Italiæ causa fieret. Secundum eos citati nimis callidi exsolvendi jurisjurandi interpretes1; qui captivorum, ex itinere regressi clam in castra Hannibalis,

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by chronic diseases, generate."

1 Excessisse velle.] The general rule for the tenses of the infinitive would perhaps lead us to expect here excedere voluisse; but the peculiar sense of excessisse, (" to have left," i. e. " to be out of,") justifies the sequence of the verbs as they stand; sc. they were represented as wishing (at that time) to be out of (to be after leaving) Italy."

2 Quum purgari (mid. verb) nequissent.] "As they could not clear themselves (prove their innocence)."

3 Verba orationemque &c.] "Úttered words and speeches against the state." Oratio, in a special sense, signifies "the style, or tone, or tendency," of spoken words.

4 Nimis callidi-interpretes.] "Too ingenious casuists."

18.

U. C. 540. solutum, quod juraverant, redituros, rebantur. His supeA. C. 214. rioribusque illis equi adempti', qui publicum equum habebant: tribuque moti, ærarii omnes facti'. Neque senatu modo aut equestri ordine regendo cura se censorum tenuit. Nomina omnium ex juniorum tabulis excerpserunt, qui quadriennio non militassent, quibus neque vacatio justa militiæ, neque morbus causa fuisset. Et ea supra duo millia nominum in ærarios relata, tribuque omnes moti. Additumque inerti censoriæ notæ triste senatusconsultum: ut ii omnes, quos censores notassent, pedibus mererent, mitterenturque in Siciliam ad Cannensis exercitus reliquias, cui militum generi non prius, quam pulsus Italia hostis esset, finitum stipendiorum tempus erat.

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Quum censores, ob inopiam ærarii, se jam locationibus abstinerent ædium sacrarum tuendarum, curuliumque equorum' præbendorum, ac similium his rerum; convenere ad eos frequentes, qui hastæ hujus generis assueverant: hortatique censores, ut omnia perinde agerent, locarent, ac si pecunia in ærario esset. Neminem, nisi bello con'fecto, pecuniam ab ærario petiturum esse.' Convenere deinde domini eorum, quos T. Sempronius ad Beneventum manu emiserat: arcessitosque se ab triumviris mensariis esse dixerunt, ut pretia servorum acciperent: ceterum non ante, quam bello confecto, accepturos esse. Quum hæc inclinatio animorum plebis ad sustinendam inopiam ærarii fieret; pecuniæ quoque pupillares primo, deinde viduarum, cœptæ conferri: nusquam eas tutius sanctiusque deponere credentibus, qui deferebant, quam in publica fide. Inde, si quid emptum paratumque pupillis ac viduis foret, a quæstore perscribebatur3. Manavit ea privatorum be

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A. C. 214.

nignitas ex urbe etiam in castra, ut non eques, non U. C. 540. centurio stipendium acciperent, mercenariumque increpantes vocarent, qui accepisset.

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Q. Fabius consul ad Casilinum castra habebat, quod duum millium Campanorum, et septingentorum militum Hannibalis tenebatur præsidio. Præerat Statius Metius, missus ab Cn. Magio Atellano: qui eo anno Medixtuticus erat, servitiaque et plebem promiscue armabat, ut castra Romana invaderet, intento consule ad Casilinum oppugnandum. Nihil eorum Fabium fefellit. Itaque Nolam ad collegam mittit, altero exercitu, dum Casilinum oppugnatur, opus esse, qui Campanis opponatur. Vel ipse, 'relicto Nolæ præsidio modico, veniret: vel, si eum Nola 'teneret, et necdum securæ res ab Hannibale essent, se 'Ti. Gracchum proconsulem a Benevento acciturum.' Hoc nuntio Marcellus, duobus militum millibus Nolæ in præsidio relictis, cum cetero exercitu Casilinum venit, adventuque ejus Campani, jam moventes sese, quieverunt. Ita a duobus consulibus Casilinum oppugnari cœptum. Ubi quum multa, succedentes temere moenibus, Romani milites acciperent vulnera, neque satis inceptis succederet; Fabius, omittendam rem parvam ac juxta magnis difficilem, abscedendumque inde censebat, quum res majores instarent. Marcellus, multa magnis ducibus sicut non aggredienda, 'ita semel aggressis non dimittenda esse,' dicendo, quia 'magna famæ momenta in utramque partem fierent,' tenuit, ne irrito incepto abiretur. Vineæ inde omniaque alia operum machinationumque genera quum admoverentur, Campanique Fabium orarent, ut abire Capuam tuto liceret ; paucis egressis, Marcellus portam, qua egrediebantur, occupavit, cædesque promiscue omnium circa portam primo,

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in effecting that the attempt should
not be given up as hopeless."

6 Cadesque promiscue.]
It is
fortunately but seldom that the his-
tories of nations, affecting to be
civilized, or indeed of any nations,
contain instances of this cruel and
unprincipled treachery. Hannibal
had certainly provoked it more than
once, but no provocation justifies
dishonourable retaliation. Retri-
bution should be open and candid.
The record of a similar act is one of
those blots that stain the chivalrous
character of Richard Cœur de Lion.
After the capture of Acre (Ptole-
maïs), he massacred in cold blood
2000 of the brave defenders of the
garrison, though negociations for

19.

U. C. 540. deinde, irruptione facta, etiam in urbe fieri cœpta est. A. C. 214. Quinquaginta fere primo egressi Campanorum, quum ad Fabium confugissent, præsidio ejus Capuam pervenerunt. Casilinum, inter colloquia cunctationemque petentium fidem, per occasionem captum est. Captivi, quique Campanorum, quique Hannibalis militum erant, Romam missi, atque ibi in carcere inclusi sunt: oppidanorum turba per finitimos populos in custodiam divisa.

20.

Quibus diebus a Casilino, re bene gesta, recessum est, iis Gracchus in Lucanis aliquot cohortes, in ea regione conscriptas, cum præfecto sociorum in agros hostium prædatum misit. Eos effuse palatos Hanno adortus, haud multo minorem, quam ad Beneventum acceperat, reddidit hosti cladem, atque in Bruttios raptim, ne Gracchus assequeretur, concessit. Consules, Marcellus retro, unde venerat, Nolam redit; Fabius in Samnium ad populandos agros recipiendasque armis, quæ defecerant, urbes processit. Caudinus Samnis gravius devastatus; perusti late agri, prædæ pecudum hominumque actæ. Oppida vi capta, Compulteria, Telesia, Compsa, Melæ, Fulfulæ et Orbitanium. Ex Lucanis Blanda: Apulorum Ecæ oppugnatæ. hostium in his urbibus viginti quinque capta, aut occisa: et recepti perfugæ trecenti septuaginta; quos quum Romam misisset consul, virgis in comitio casi omnes, ac de saxo dejecti. Hæc a Q. Fabio intra paucos dies gesta. Marcellum ab gerundis rebus valetudo adversa Nolæ tenuit. Et a prætore Q. Fabio, cui circa Luceriam provincia erat, Accua oppidum per eos dies vi captum: stativaque ad Ardoneas communita.

Millia

Dum hæc aliis locis ab Romanis geruntur, jam Tarentum pervenerat Hannibal, cum maxima omnium, quacunque ierat, clade. In Tarentino demum agro pacatum incedere agmen cœpit. Nihil ibi violatum, neque usquam via excessum est: apparebatque, non id modestia militum aut ducis, nisi ad conciliandos1 Tarentinorum animos, fieri.

their ransom were actually in pro-
gress. After that day, Saladeen,
who had always treated his prisoners
with the kindness and courtesy of
a noble mind, never spared a Chris-

tian.

7 Casilinum, inter colloquia &c.] "During the negociations and delay of their appeals to protection, Casilinum was taken by surprise."

8 Aliis locis.] (i. e. aliis atque aliis,)" in several places."

9 Jam Tarentum pervenerat Hannibal.] It appears that Hannibal's

devastating march, from Tifata to
the south, had been altogether un-
molested; and that Gracchus had
purposely kept out of his way. He
did not of course desolate the lands
of his allies; but the Latin colony
of Venusia, and the territories which
the Romans had taken from the
Samnites and Lucanians, and were
now occupied by Publicani, must
have suffered severely.
"But

1 Nisi ad conciliandos.]
merely to conciliate," &c. Nisi has
not in itself this adversative sense:

Ceterum quum propemodo muris accessisset, nullo ad con- U. C. 540. spectum primi agminis, ut rebatur, motu facto, castra ab A. C. 214. urbe ferme passus mille locat. Tarenti, triduo ante, quam Hannibal ad moenia accederet, a M. Valerio proprætore, qui classi ad Brundisium præerat, missus M. Livius, primore juventute3 conscripta, dispositisque ad omnes portas, circaque muros, qua res postulabat, stationibus, die ac nocte plurimum intentus, neque hostibus, neque dubiis sociis loci quicquam præbuit ad tentandum. Quare diebus aliquot frustra ibi absumptis, Hannibal, quum eorum nemo, qui ad lacum Averni adissent, aut ipsi venirent, aut nuntium literasve mitterent, vana promissa se temere secutum cernens, castra inde movit. Tum quoque, intacto agro Tarentino, quanquam simulata lenitas nihildum profuerat, tamen spe labefactandæ fidei haud absistens, Salapiam ut venit, frumentum ex agris Metapontino atque Heracleensi (jam media æstas exacta erat, et hibernis placebat locus) comportat. Prædatum inde Numidæ Maurique per Sallentinum agrum proximosque Apuliæ saltus dimissi: unde ceteræ prædæ haud multum, equorum greges maxime abacti; e quibus ad quattuor millia domanda equitibus divisa.

Romani, quum bellum nequaquam contemnendum in 21. Sicilia oriretur, morsque tyranni' duces magis impigros de

but the phrase implies an ellipsis, sc. nec nisi &c.

2 Muris accessisset.] Successisset would perhaps be the more appropriate phrase in connection with propemodo.

3 Primore juventute.] i. e. primoribus juventutis. The whole of this intricate sentence may be thus translated. "At Tarentum, three days before Hannibal's approach to the walls, M. Livius, having been sent by M. Valerius, who was in command of the fleet at Brundusium, enrolling the young nobles, posting sentries at all the gates and along the walls where circumstances required them, and exerting the utmost vigilance by day and night, afforded no opportunity of attack, either to the enemy, or to his wavering

allies.'

4 Simulata lenitas &c.] "His affectation (show) of indulgence had not yet produced any favourable result."

5 Salapiam.] (Now Salpe,) in

Apulia, near Cannæ and the Au-
fidus.

6 Metapontino atque Heracleensi.]
In Lucania on the Tarentine gulf.
Metapontum stood at the mouth of
the river Casuentum (now Basiento),
where an interview took place during
the civil war between Antony and
Octavian. All that now remains
of Metapontum are
a few (16)
columns of coarse marble.
The
plain belonging to the city extended
twenty-five miles, then level and
fertile, now only a marsh. Heraclea
was a colony from Tarentum, and
stood betwen the rivers Aciris and
Siris (now the Agri and Sinno).
It was there that the deputies from
the several Greek cities in Italy,
forming an assembly like the Panio-
nion of the Asiatic colonies, used

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