prudence of Fabius was ill understood at Rome, and Minucius, his master of the horse, who had gained some slight advantages when he was absent, was made equal to him in power, and had half the army given him. Minucius was soon led by his rashness into an ambuscade, from which he was rescued by Fabius, to whom he now surrendered his authority. The year after, B. c. 216, a Roman army of twice the usual force, under the consuls C. Æmilius Paullus and C. Terentius Varro, a butcher's son, encamped on the Aufidus, near Cannæ, in Apulia. It was not, however, until the beginning of August that Varro risked an engagement. Hannibal, whose skill made up for his inferiority in numbers, now gained so complete a victory that Æmilius Paullus and more than 40,000 Romans were slain, and most of the survivors taken prisoners. Instead of marching against Rome, which was too distant to be taken by surprise, and which he would have had to besiege in the unhealthy season, Hannibal began to detach its allies. The Romans soon recovered from their consternation; and though Postumius, the consul elect, lost his army and his life in the north of Italy against the Gauls, and most of the Samnites, Bruttians, and Lucanians rose against them, while famine and distress were severely felt at Rome, they raised fresh troops, and made war on a greater scale than ever. So high was their spirit, that they refused to ransom the prisoners taken at Cannæ, not even to save them from being sold for slaves; and when Terentius Varro returned home, he was met by the senate, and publicly thanked for not having despaired of the commonwealth. B. C. 216. Hieronymus succeeds Hiero. 215. Hannibal repulsed at Nola. Treaty between Hannibal and Philip. Success of the Scipios in Spain. 214. Marcellus lays siege to Syracuse. E 212. Marcellus takes Syracuse. The Scipios slain in Spain. 211. Siege of Capua. Scipio is sent to Spain. 210. Scipio takes New Carthage. 208. Marcellus slain. 207. Battle of the Metaurus. 204. Scipio invades Africa. 203. Syphax taken prisoner. Death of Sophonisba. 201. End of the Second Punic War. Hannibal, after being foiled by M. Claudius Marcellus in an attempt on Nola, wintered at Capua, the chief city of Campania, which had basely leagued itself with him. The luxuries of Capua are said to have enervated his troops; but the truth is, that as their numbers were lessening fast, and few reinforcements were sent him by the jealous government of Carthage1, he was obliged to fill up the vacancies with raw recruits: while, on the other hand, the Roman soldiery were quickly acquiring the habits and discipline of a standing army. The fickle Gauls in the north were not to be trusted; his Campanian allies were cowards; and it was only in the south of Italy that he could find a firm footing. In the year 215 B. C., the Romans were alarmed by the detection of a correspondence between Hannibal and Philip king of Macedon. They had also lost their old ally in Sicily, king Hiero, after whose death' Syracuse fell into a state of anarchy, and joined itself with Carthage. At this crisis, the candidates for the consulship were set aside by the advice of Fabius, as being only commonplace men, and himself and Marcellus chosen, B. c. 214. Marcellus undertook the war against Syracuse: it ended in the capture and pillage of the city after a long siege, on which occasion 1 With Spain, Gaul, and Africa, from which his best soldiers had been collected, he had now little communication. 2 The defection from Rome began under his profligate grandson Hieronymus, who was soon assassinated. the great mathematician, Archimedes, by whose engineering skill the Romans had been long baffled, was killed by a soldier 3. The next year, B. c. 211, Capua was closely blockaded; and though Hannibal tried to make a diversion in its favour by marching against Rome, it was forced to surrender at discretion. Some of the inhabitants killed themselves, and the rest were either put to death or sold for slaves. A proconsul was also sent to Spain, where P. Scipio and his brother Cnæus, after gaining several victories, had both perished. P. Cornelius Scipio, the son of the late P. Scipio, being the only candidate, was chosen at the early age of twenty-four; who took New Carthage, and, notwithstanding a dangerous mutiny of the Italian soldiers in the Roman service, gained a complete ascendency in Spain. A great obstacle was removed out of his way by the departure of Hasdrubal, who had been ordered by the Carthaginians to march to Italy in aid of his brother. Hasdrubal, when he reached Placentia, lost time in the siege of the place; and his letters unfortunately fell into the hands of the Roman consul, C. Claudius Nero, who had to oppose Hannibal, while his colleague, M. Livius Salinātor, was to encounter Hasdrubal, who was again moving southwards. Nero, a man of great energy, hastened, in the most secret manner possible, with a detachment of his troops to the support of Livius. The sagacious Hasdrubal found out that the enemy had been reinforced, and tried to retreat behind the Metaurus; but he failed, owing to the desertion of his guides, and, being overtaken by the Romans, he was killed, and his army cut to pieces, B. c. 207. Nero, when he returned, cruelly caused his head to be flung into the camp of Hannibal, who now despaired of success, 3 Marcellus, "the sword of Rome," of which Fabius was shield," was eventually slain by an ambuscade in Apulia, B. c. 208. "the and retired into Bruttium, where he kept on the defensive. Scipio returned to Rome at the end of the following year, and was unanimously chosen consul, though under the legal age. In spite of the opposition of Fabius and the senate, by threatening to appeal to the people, he obtained Sicily for his province, with leave to invade Africa; which design, after spending some time in preparations, he carried into effect, B.c.204. He was joined by Masinissa, a Numidian prince, who betrayed and deserted the Carthaginians; and was opposed by Hasdrubal, the son of Gisco, and by Syphax, king of the Massylians, who had married Sophonisba, Hasdrubal's daughter, and renounced the alliance of Rome. These he repeatedly defeated'; and when the unfortunate Syphax was wounded and taken prisoner, Masinissa took possession of Cirta his capital, and married Sophonisba. Scipio, however, dreading the influence of this woman, took the part of the injured husband, and ordered Masinissa to give her up; who, in his rage and despair, sent her a bowl of poison, which she drank, and thus died. The Carthaginians, greatly alarmed, recalled Hannibal from Italy, and began to treat with Scipio. The latter, being afraid that a successor would have the glory of ending the war, granted terms, which though hard, were accepted; and a suspension of arms took place. But owing to the folly and violence of the popular party, the truce was broken; nor could Hannibal himself on his arrival bring them to reason. After a fruitless conference with Scipio, this great man fought his last battle near Zama, B. c. 202, where, though he did all that a hero and a general could for his country, 4 He was guilty of atrocious treachery, when he pretended to negotiate with them during the winter, that he might send spies into their camps, which he afterwards managed to set on fire. his army was destroyed. As the Carthaginians had no resources left, he hastened to his native city, which he had not seen since his childhood, and urged the necessity of making peace. It was agreed that they should give up their elephants, and all their ships of war but ten; that they should surrender all prisoners and deserters, and pay a heavy contribution during fifty years; and that they should recognize Masinissa, and undertake no war without leave from Rome, B. c. 2015. SECTION V. THE MACEDONIAN, THIRD PUNIC, AND NUMANTINE WARS. B. C. 200. Renewal of the War with Philip. 197. Battle of Cynocephala. 196. Greece proclaimed free. Carthage. Hannibal flees from 191. War with Antiochus. Battle of Thermopyla. 190. Antiochus defeated at Magnesia. 185. Scipio exiled. 183. Death of Scipio and Hannibal. The power of Rome was next directed against Philip of Macedon, with whom she had lately made peace: she now attacked him on pretence of avenging the wrongs of her allies, especially the Athenians, B. c. 200. The Ætolians and Achæans took part with Rome, and the war was brought to a close by the victory gained over Philip at Cynocephalæ by T. Quinctius Flaminīnus, B. c. 197. The peace which followed released the dependent states from their subjection to Macedon; and at the Isthmian games, Flaminīnus proclaimed that Greece was free. The restless Etolians, however, were not satisfied with 5 Scipio was surnamed Africānus from this victory. |