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Show 374+ The fift Bookeof the firkt part Cuar3§.6. one Ginfil being dead and the other too farreoff, the People tooke vpon them, as:hawing {uprenic authoritie,to giue the Dignitie by their election, to Q. Fabius 3MaxCon* the belt reputed man of warteinthe Citic.Neva fatlum, novwm cox filium Cxpetit imas, trarie windes,contrariccourfes. Q.Fabins chofe A4.Minatins Kufus Matterofthe Horfe: which Officer was cuftomarily, asthe Dictators Lieutenant; though this Minutins grew aftersvards famous, by taking more vpon him. . The fir a& ofFabiws,was the reformation of fomewhat amiffe in matter ofreligion ; a good beginning, and commendable; had the Religion beenealfogood. Butifit were true( as Lswie reports it) that the Bookes of Sybil we re con{ulted, and gaue diretion in this bufineile of deuotion; thenmuft we belecue,that thofe booksofSy4il,prefernedin Rome,were dictaced by aneuill {pirit, Forit was ordained, that ome Vow,;madeinthe ! beginning of this warre to' 4tars;thould be madeanew,andiamplified; as hauing notbin rightly made before: alfo that great Plaics fhould be vowedynto /apster,anda Temple to Venus; with fuchothertrumperie. This vehemencie of fuperftition,proceedsalwaies from vehemencicoffeare. And furely this was atime,when Rome was exceedingly diftempered with. pailion : whereofthatmemorable:accident, of two women that' fud- denly died,when they fawtheir fons returnealiuefrom Thrafjmene, mayferueto beare witnelfe ; chough iobe more properly anexampleof motherly loues The walls andtowersof the\City were nowrepaived and fortified : the bridges vpon Riuers were broken downe; andall care taken for defence ofRomeit felfe.In this tumult,when the Di@ator was newly-fer forthagaintt Haxaibal; word was brought thatthe Carthaginian fleet had 39 intercepted all the {upply that was going to Cu.Sefpioin Spaine,Againtt thefe Carthagi- niatis; Fabins commanded Sera:/iasthe Conful to putto Sea; andtaking vpall the {hips about Rome.and Oftia,to purfuethem: whilefthe, with the Legions, attended vpon Haznnibal.PFoure Legionshe had leuied in haft :and-from Ariminumhereceinedthe Ar mic, which Sereilas the Confull had conductedthither. i With thefe forth withhe followed apace after. Hatnibal .norto-fight, buttoafftont himyAndknowing well,whataduantage the Numidian horfe had)oner the Romans,he alwaies lodged himfelfeon high grounds, and of hard acceffe. ‘Hanmibalin the meane while, purfuing his victorie;hadranged ouerall the Countrie, and vfed all manner of cruelty towards the inhabirants ;efpecially to thofe ofthe Roman Nation,ofwhomhe did put tothe fword,allthat wereableta bearearms, Paffing bySpoletum& Antonashe incamped vponthe'Adriatick thores 5 refrefhed his difeafed, and ouer-trauailed'Companies;armedhis Africans. after thé manner ofthe Romans,and made his di{patches for Carthage, prefenting his friends,which were in effectall the Citizens, with partof the fpoiles that he had gotten.Hauing refrefhed his Army-fed his horfes;curedjhis wounded Souldiers; & (as Polybiws hathit)healed his horfe heels of the {cratches,by wafhing their pafternes in old wine : hee followed the coaft atthe Adriatick Sea towards Apulia, a Northerne Prouince ofthe Kingdome ofNaples.s{pailing the Marrucini, and allother Nationslying in his way.inall this groundthat heouer-ran, hee had not taken any-one City :.only hehadaffaicd Spoletum,.a Colonie ofthe Romans ;.andfinding it well de- 40 fended, prcfentlygaueit oucr. The malice ofa great Army is broken,and the forceofit {pent,in a great fiege. This the Proteftant Armie found true at Poidtiers, alittle before the battaileof Monconiiter;and their vidtoriousenemies,anonafteryat $.avd Atgeley, But Hannibal was more wife: He'would-not engagehimfelfeincany fich enterprize, # thould detaine him, and giue the Romans eane to take breath: Albhis care was tO we2kenthem in forceand-reputation: knowing,thatwhenionce he was/abfolureMafterof theficld,it would not be long ¢rethe\walled Cities would opentheirgaresy without expetting any engine ofbattery. Tothis end he prefented #abins wielrbattaile; as foone as he faw him ; and prouoked him with all mannerof brauado's...But Fabiws would aro bite: Hee well knew the differences, betweene Souldiers bred vp; eulerfince they were , Boyesin. warreandin bloud, traynedand hardenedin Spaine; made proud atid ado turous by manyvictoriesthere,S¢of late byfome notable adts:2gainit the Romans; #¢ fuchas had no oftnerfeenthe enemy,than bin vanquithed by: hime Therefore He arten: ded the Carthaginian fo néere, as hee kepthim fromftraggling too farre candpicleTec _the countrie fromvtter fpoyle.Heinured his men by dittleiand:litele;and made ~ acquainted with dangers by degrees, and:he brought them firftitalookeon the Lyon' ; fare off, that in theend they might fit om his taile. [noay Now ofthe Hiftorie ofthe World, Now Minatias hada'contraty difpofition, and wasas fiery as' Flaminise. taxing: Fa: bius with cowardife'andfeare. But all ftirred not this well-aduifed Commander. For wile men are no more moned with fuch noife, than with winde bruifed out of a blad. der. There is nothing ofmore indifctction,and danger, than to purfue misfortune: Ie wattethit felfe fooner by fufferance, than by oppoficion. It is the inuading Armiethat defires battaile:and this of Hawzibal,was both the inuading and viftorious.Fabiw thers fore fiuffered Hanmibalto croffethe Apennines,andto fallvpon the moftrich & pleafane Tetritorie of Campania; neither could he by any arguments be perfwaded; to aduens turethe Ronian Armieiin battailer bur being farre too weakein horfe, he alwayes kepr theHils & faft grounds.When Hannibal faw he could by no meansdrawthis warie Die Gatorto fight,that the Winter came on,é&that the Towns ttood firmefor the Romans; whole Legions werein fight,though a farreoff;herefoluedto reft his Armie, that was loaden'vvith fpoyle,in fomeplentifill and affared place, tillthe following Springs Bur erethis can be done, he mutt pafle along by the Didarors campe, that hung ouer his head vpon the hils of Callicula,and Cafilinum:for other vaythere was nene,by whiclr hemight iffue out ofthat goodly Gatden-countrie, vvhichhe had already watted, inte places tiore abundantof prouifion forhis vvintering, It was by meere ertour ofhis guide, that he firft encred wvithin thefeftreights. For he would hauebin direéted vate Caffinum; vvhencé he might both affay the faire citie of Capua; which had made him yo friendly promifes vader hand,&hindesthe Romans from comming ncerit to preuent hit. But his guide mif-vaderftood the Carthaginian pronunciation,jand conduéted him awry anothervvay,frony Caffinum to Cafilinum; vvhence Fabius hoped that he thould noteafily efcape. Now began the wifedomeof Fabiusto growinto credit, asif he had taken the Carthaginians ina trap,éwon the vidory,vvithout blowes. But Harnibal yee formed this opinion,and freed himfelfe,by a flight inuention, yet {eruing the:turne as wellasa better. Indriuing the country, he had'gotten about twothoufand Kine,vvhofe horneshie drefled vvith dry faggots, and fettingfire corhem in the darke night, caufed them tobe driuen vp the hils. The {pectacle vvas ftrange, andtherefore terrible; efpe= dally toithiofe,that knewitto be a'vvorke ofa tetrible enctiny: Whatit fhould mean, Fas iar could nor tell:but thought ita deuiceto circumuent him; and thereforekept vvith- inhis Trenches. They that keptthe hil-tops, vvere horribly afraid,vvhen fomeofthefe fiery Monftets vvere gotten beyond them; and ran therefore-haftily away,thinking that the enemies»were behind their backs,8¢fell amongthelight-armed Carthaginians, that wetenoleffeafraid of them:So Hanasbal,with his vvholeAcmie,recoueredfure ground withourmoleftation: vvhere he ftaied till the next m rning, and then. brought off his ight footmen,with fome flaughter ofthe Romans,that beganto holdtheminski:mith: Afterthis, rannibal made femblanceoftakinghis iourny towards Rome : &'the Diétas tor coafted him inthe wonted manner;: keeping ftillon high grounds, betweencihim and the ‘Citic,whileft the Carthaginian wafted all the Plaines. The Carthaginian tooke # Geryonsan oldruinous Town in Apulia, forfakem bythe Inhabitants; which he turned into Barnes and Store-houfes for wintér,and incamped vnderthebroken wall. Other matter'ofimportance he did none: but the time pafled idly, till the Dictator was cal» ledaway to Rome, about fome bufinefie of Religion,and left the Armicin charge with Mitutinsthe Matter of the horfe: t Minarids was glad ofthis good occafion to fhew his owne fufficiency. He was fully petfwaded,that his Romans,in plaine field,would be toohard forthe A fricatis é&Spaniards:by whom ifthey had been foiled already twice or thrice, it wasnot by open Stce.buttby fubtiltieand ambuth, which hethought himfelfe wife: enoughto prevent. $9 Allthe! Armiewas of his opinion; and thatfo carnéftly,'as\hevvas pteferred; bytidgMenvof the Souldiers,in worthineffe tocommand,beforethe cold and vvarie Fabintes Uthisiollity of conceit,he determined to: fight: Yet had he:beenperemptorily for idden fo.to doe; by the DiGtator;thebreach of whofe command was extreareperill OFdeath.. Burthe honourof the viGtory,whichhe held vndoubtedly his owne;andthe ouciof the Armies and the friendsthat he hadat home bearing office in Rome; were "hough tofaue him from the Dictators rods and axés, tooke he the matter neuerfo hais Rouflyt7¢mmibal onthe other fide was no lefle glad,thathe fhould play with amoread« mentutous gamelter,Therfore he drew'necr;8toprouoke the Romians,fent fortha eee yi par |
