OCR Text |
Show Thefift Bookeofibefirpart- Cuar.§.a7. Cas r39.8, he would worke,and.that he wouldaskedomore,thanonceto haue a fight ofttanniba/, doeas need. required, gainftany noble orredonbted Enemy} For Sacrifices, and folemne Vowes , wete-made vnto Lapiter; and thé reft of theingods;for good {ucsefle and viGorie: which- ing'per be - formed,the Generalsin warlike attité, with an-honorabletraine ofthe principall men; yo (ot onelyfuchas were oftheir kindredandalliance, or followed them'to the » arre;as Voluntaties, for lone, buta great number of others chat meant to abide at home,) -swere accompanied on their way, and difmiffed with friendly leane- taking , and good wiflits, trong in thefield, when the day came, which/arre had fo greatly: defired, of looking vpon Hanmnbal, on Hierocheold King ofSyracufe,as he had relieued:tthe Carthaginians,when they were diftreffed by their own Mercenaries; fodid he nowdend helpe to. Rome,athonfand Ar haps ) by. that meanes they mightdiuertthe warre from home. His gifts, and good aduice werelouingly accepted ; and inftruGions weregiuen to Tits Odlacilinsthe Preetor, which was togoeinto Sicil, that he fhould accordingly paffe:ouer into: Africk; if hee found itéxpedient. Atthis.cime, all che Fathers, and the whole Nobility, waited vpon e4miling Paplas; as theonely Man, whom they thoughteither womhy ofthis honour, orlikel y,to doe his countrie remarkeable ferice. Ter entins his Attendants were the wliole multit ude of the poorer Citizens ; atroupeno leffein greatneffe, than the other was.in dignity. .. At the patting Fatins the late Ditator,is {aid to haue exhorted the Confull Paulas, with ma- hy gtauevords, to.fhewhis magnanimitie,not onely in dealing withthe Car thagin ians; but (which he thought harder) in bridling. the gutragious follie ofhis fellow-Confull, 20 Theanfwer ofPaasus,was, That hemieant not againe to runneinto danger ofcondemna- tion, by offending tlie multitude 5 that he would doehis beft for his Countrie: but ifhe fawhis beft were likely to beill raken, he wouldthinkeit leffe rathneffe to aduenturey ponthe Enemics {word, than vponthe malice ofhis owne Citizens. The great Leuics, whichthe Romans madeatthis time, doe much more ferue todes clate theitpuiffance,than any,though larger accomptby Poll,offiich as were not eafily §. VILE drawneinto the field, and fitted for feruice. For befidesthefe Armies of the Confils, and that which wentinto Sicil cwentie fine thonfand, with ZL sPoffbumsins Albinus ano- ther of thePrators, went againftthe Gaules,toteclaime that Prouince, which the pal {age ofHannibal through it,had taken from them. ‘The contemplationofthis their at, {ent ftrength,might well embolden them to doe as they did.: They {ent Embaffadorsto Philip the fon of Demetrius, King of.Macedon,requiring him to deliuer into their hands Dewsetrine Pharins: who hauing benetheir fubieétyand rebels: was fled into his' Kingdome. Theyalfo fentto the Illyrians;todemandtheir tribute; whereoftheday ofpay taent was already paft.'What anfwerthey receined,it is not khowne:: onely'this is knowne,that,Demetrins Pharius was tiot fentvnto them 3 andthat Philip henceforth be- gan. fo hanéaneye vponthem,littleto their good. As forthe Bilyrian money bythe fhifts thatthey-were driuen:fooneafterto make; it willappeare, thacthe onehalfe of it chowlittle focuer.) would haue beene welcome to Rome,andaccepred, withoutaay ca40 uill aboutforfeiraxe for xo"-paiment ofthe whole. ; b| Whilft the Citic wasibufied in thefe cares, theold Confuls laya5 neere wnito: Hanni- éal,,'as pofibly, they could, without incurring the neceffity of 4 battaile.» Many se mifhes they, had with him,wherein their fiiccefle fot the molt part;was rather ones Sreat. Yet onemifchancenotonely blemifhed the honour of their other fernices, was indeed the occafion,to.draw onthe mifery following, Hanwibal, torthe moft ee ofthattimeymade bis abode at Geryon,whereday-albhis:ftore forthe Winter The s mans, tobe neere him,odged about'Cannufiam »and) thattheymightnot be ane j turneafidefor all neceflaries,to the loffe of good apportunitiesyhey beftowedmuc hid their prouifions in the Caftle ofCanna: for the rowie was razed theycere before: T 48° place Hennibalwan, and thereby not onely farnifhed himifelfey huecompelled his a mics to|wantimany needfull things,vnleffe they.wopld be rrotb led withfarre ogo Befides this,andmoretohis aduantageshe enabled hirhfelfe roabideinthatopen ind tric, fit forthe feruice ofhis horfe : Johger than thé Romans). Hauing fo many' omred toifted, couldwell.endureto tarry, without offering battaile,;whtichshe!moft chow Ofthis mithapwhen Sersilixs had informed the Senate; letting hem ‘vnderftan Goin this Peece,taken by Hsnnibal,would ferue him to coinmand nofinall part of the' adi ; tty adiacene); itthen {ented needfulljetien vnto theFathers them/elues;to weeer battaile withthe Carthaginian, ratherthan(ufferhim thus torake:xoore inthe' of s the field; thd two Gonfuls, wirhtheir Armie, fer, forth againlt Hannib al. This was kened to their-hands. Hewasalfo veryftrit.in hissMufters ; wherein the wholé Senate chers,and Slingers,with great quantity of Wheat;Barlie,and other prouifions:: fearing nothing more; thanthationeofthefe two mightie Cities fhould deftroy: the other, whereby his owneeftate would fall to ruine ; thatitbod vpright,by hauing them fomewhateucaly ballanced. He gauie them alfocounfaile;to fend forces into Africa jif(per-20 lhe alwaies done with gteat folemnitic s:cfpecially, whenfoener they went forthtowarreas findethe,foure old Legions well accuftomed to the Enemic, and the Enemie well -wea- vacertaine, Fourefcore thoufand foor;atthe leaftyand fixe thoufand horfe;: they. were e Wheivallichings wererdady.in the: Qitiesand-thefeafon ofthe yeere rcommodious to take toab{taine from hazard of the maine chance; butneuertheleffe,toplie the Catthagini. ans.with daily skirmifh,and weaken them by degrees : that when hee and his Colleague thould take the fickd,with the great Armieiwvhich thty. were now Jeuying, they might Terentive and his Adherents had burdened them. ‘What numberof menthey taifeditis of the Eliftorie of the World; of Iraly.; Neuerthelefe, anfwer was retiirned yato Sérniliws, that hee fhould haue patience yetawhile + forithatthe Con fulsiwould thortly, be there; witha power fuffici entto whom he.promifed.to vanquith the very firft day,pyet the providence and care of. Pay. 4s, trauailed more earneftly towardthe accomplifhnient of that, whereofhis fellow vainly boaftedsHe wrote ynto the rwo:old Confiils serailins andAtsiline ; defiringthem aflifted himfo carefully,as if in this AGion they mieahtto refute the flanders,with which !® a ee eree 30 Diffention betweene the two Roman Confils. whetherst beelikely, that Hannibal mas upon Point offring out of Italie; when the Romans preffedbim to fight. The great. battatle of Cannes Hefe new, Generals, arriuing at the Campe, difmiffed 44. 4tilius one of thelaft yeeres Confuls;requefting it becdufe ofhis age and: weaknefle + Seruilivs they _ wr tetained with them,as their, Affiftant... The. firft thing that e£milins thought Receflary, was, to hearten his Souldiers with good words; whoout of theirbad faccefle hitherto, hadgathered more caufe offeare, than ofcourage, He.willed them ‘to confi&t, Not onely now, theit victoriesin times paft againft-the Carthaginians, -and) other More warlike Nationsthan were the Carthaginians,buteuen their, ownegreat numbers: Which wereno leffe than all that Rome at the prefent was able to fet forth, Hee told themrin what danger their Countrie ftood ; how theftate and fafetie thereof, refted-y p450ntheir hands . vfirig fome fuch other common matterof per{wafion. But the moff effectuall part ofhis Oration,was,.T hat, Hannibal with this his terrible Army, had, not yetobtained one victoryby plaine forceand valour : but that onely by. deceit and,ams buth he had ftolne the honor,which he had gottenat Trebia& Thrafymene. Herewithall he taxed the inconfiderate tafhnefle of Sempronias and Flaminins; of whomthe one faw Rot his enemies, vntill hee was furrounded by them ; the,orher {carce-faw, them, When theyftruck off his head, by reafon ofthethick mift,through the darknefle avhereof he Went groping (as it were blinde- fold )into theirfhares., Finally, declaring what advantages they had againft the Enemie; and howdeftitute, the Enemie was ofthofe helpes.by which he had hitherto preuailed againft thems he exhorted themto play the $mensand doetheir belt; They wereeafily perfwaded : forthe contemplation of. theif Wne multitude, and confidence of the Roman vertue in matter of armes, gaue them caufe to thinke, that vader a Captaine fo well experienced, and euery way fufficient, aSeLmilias was knowne to bee, they fhould eafily preuaile:againft the Carthaginians : thatcamefhort of theminall thingselfe, faue craft; which would not:alwayes thriue, bt in onething they miftooke the meaning of their General, It was his defire that they thould haucheartto fight ; notthat they fhould lofethe patience of awaiting 2 Conuenicat feafon. Butthey, having preconceined a viGtorie, thought all delaiesto bee MMpediments : and thereby foughtto sobbe themfeles oftheir beft helpe; which was, Vvvv |