found. Afterwards he put his Troops into Quarters to refresh themselves, and folemnized the Funerals of thirty of his Officers, who were flain in the Battle. He loft in all but fifteen hundred Men, and most of them Gauls. IMMEDIATELY after, Hannibal dispatch'd a Coutier to Carthage with the News of his good Success in Italy. This caufed an exceffive Joy for the prefent, rais'd wondrous Hopes for the future, and revived the Courage of all the Citizens. They applied themselves with incredible Zeal to take proper Measures for fending into Italy and Spain all neceffary Succours. * AT Rome, on the contrary, there was an univerfal Grief and Alarm, as foon as the Prætor had pronounced from the Tribune of Harangues these Words, We have loft a great Battle. The Senate, wholly taken up with the publick Good, thought that in fo great a Calamity and fo preffing a Danger, Recourfe must be had to extraordinary Remedies. They chose therefore for Dictator Quintus Fabius, a Perfon as eminent for his Wifdom as Birth. It was the Custom at Rome, that the Moment a Dictator was nam'd, all Authority ceased, except that of the Tribunes of the People. M. Minucius was appointed to be his General of Horfe. It was now the fecond Year of the War. Hannibal's Conduct with respect to Fabius. Polyb. 1. 23. p. 239-255. Liv. l. 22. n. 9-30. HANNIBAL, after the Battle of Thrafy menus, not thinking it yet proper to march directly to Rome, was fatisfied with fcouting about, and ravaging the Country. He croffed Umbria and Picenum, *So the Pulpit or Roftrum was called, from whence the Roman Draters barangued the People. and, and, after a ten Days March, came into the Territory of Adria a. In this March he got a very cone fiderable Booty. As he was an implacable Enemy to the Romans, he had given Orders that all fuch as were able to bear Arms, fhould be put to the Sword; and finding no Obstacle any where, he advanced as far as Apulia, plundering the Countries that lay in his Way, and carrying Defolation wherever he came, in order to compel the People to forfake the Alliance of the Romans, and to let all Italy fee that Rome quite difpirited, yielded him the Victory. FABIUS, accompanied with Minucius and four Legions, was gone from Rome in Queft of the Enemy, but with a firm Refolution not to give him the leaft Advantage, not to ftir without having viewed every Place, and not to hazard a Battle till he was fure of Success. As foon as both Armies were in Sight, Hannibal, to terrify the Roman Troops, offered them Battle, advancing very near the Entrenchments of their Camp. But finding there every thing quiet, he withdrew, blaming outwardly his Enemies Cowardife, whom he upbraided with having loft that Martial Valour fo natural to their Ancestors, but inwardly vexed to the Heart, to find he had to deal with a General fo different from Sempronius and Flaminius, and that the Romans, grown wifer by their Defeat, had at laft pitched upon a Commander capable of withstanding Hannibal. FROM that Moment he perceived it would not be brisk and daring Attacks he fhould have to fear from the Dictator, but a prudent and regular Conduct, which might throw him into very great Streights. It remained to know whether the new General had Firmness enough fteadily to purfue the Plan he feemed to have formed. He tried therefore to alter his Refolution by his frequent Removals from Place to • A Small Town which gave Name to the Adriatick Seg. $4 Place, Place, by plundering the Lands, pillaging the Cities, and burning the Towns and Villages. Sometimes he decamped with the utmost Precipitation, and fometimes ftop'd fhort in fome private Valley,to fee whether he could not come out and furprize him in the open Field But Fabius ftil kept his Troops on Eminencies, without however lofing Sight of Hannibal; never approaching the Enemy near enough for an Engagement, nor yet keeping at fuch a Distance as might give him an Opportunity to get away from him. He never fuffered his Soldiers to ftir out of his Camp but to forage, and then not without a numerous Convoy. If he engaged, it was only in flight Skirmishes, and with fo much Caution, that his Troops had always the Advantage. By this Mear he infenfibly revived the Courage of the Soldiers, whom the Lofs of three Battles had quite dishearten'd, and enabled them to rely as formerly on their Valour and good Succefs. HANNIBAL, haying got an immenfe Booty in Campania, where he had ftaid a confiderable time, departed from thence with his Army that he might not confume the Provifions he had gathered, and which he referved for the Winter-Seafon. Befides, he could no longer remain in a Country of Gardens and Vineyards, more agreeable to the Sight, than ufeful for the Subfiftance of an Army; where he would have been reduced to pass his Winter-Quarters among Marshes, Rocks and Sands, while the Romans would have drawn plentiful Supplies from Capua, and the richeft Countries of Italy. He therefore refolved to remove to fome other Parts. FABIUS rightly judg'd that Hannibal would be obliged to return the fame Way he came, and that it would be an eafy Matter to annoy him during his March. He begins with throwing a confiderable Body of Troops into, and thereby fecuring Cafilinum, a fmall Town fituated on the Vulturnus, which parted the Territories of Falernum and Capua After Afterwards he detaches four thousand Men to go and feize the only narrow Paffage through which Hannibal could come out; and then, according to his ufual Cuftom, pofts himself with the Remainder of the Army on the Eminencies adjoyning to the Road. THE Carthaginians come and encamp in the Plain at the Foot of the Mountains. For this once the crafty Carthaginian fell into the fame Snare he had laid for Flaminius at the Defile of Thrafymenus; and it feem'd impoffible for him ever to get out of this Difficulty, there being but one Paffage, which the Romans were Mafters of. Fabius, thinking himself fure of his Prey, was only contriving how to seize it. He flatter'd himself with the probable Hopes of putting an End to the War by this one Action. Nevertheless he thought fit to defer the Attack till the next Day. HANNIBAL perceived that a his own Artifices were put in Practice against him. In fuch Junctures it is that a General has need of a great Prefence of Mind, and an uncommon Firmnefs of Soul, to confider the Danger in its utmoft Extent without being terrified, and to find out fure and quick Expedients without tedious Deliberations. The Carthaginian General caufed immediately two thoufand Oxen to be got together, and ordered fmall Bundles of Vine-branches to be tied to their Horns. These he commanded to be fet on Fire in the middle of the Night, and the Oxen to be driven to the Top of the Hills where the Romans were encamped. As foon as thofe Creatures felt the Fire, the Pain putting them in a Rage, they difpers'd themselves on every fide, and communicated the Fire to the Shrubs and Bushes they met in their Way. This new kind of Squadron was fupported by a good Number of lightarmed Soldiers, who had Orders to gain the Top of the Mountain, and to fall upon the Enemies in cafe *Nec Annibalem fefellit fuis fe artibus peti. Liv. they they should meet them. Every thing fucceeded according as Hannibal had foreseen. The Romans that guarded the Defile, feeing the Fires fpread upon the Hills that were above them, and thinking that it was Hannibal making his Efcape by Torch-light, quit their Poft, and run up to the Mountains to oppofe his Paffage. The main Body of the Army not knowing what to make of all this Tumult, and Fabius himself not daring to stir for fear of a Surprize, ftand waiting for the Return of the Day. Hannibal takes hold of this Opportunity, gets his Troops and the Spoil through the narrow Defile which now remained unguarded, and rescues his Army out of a Snare in which a little more Brisknefs in Fabius i would either have deftroyed, or at leaft very much weakened it. 'Tis a noble Thing for a Man to know how to turn his very Errors to his Advantage, and make them fubfervient to his own Glory, THE Carthaginian Army returned to Apulia, still followed and harraffed by the Romans. The Dictator being obliged to take a Journey to Rome about fome religious Ceremonies earneftly intreated his General of Horfe, before his Departure, not to come to any Engagement during his Abfence. Minucius regarded neither his Advice nor Entreaties, but the very firft Opportunity he had, while part of Hannibal's Troops were gone out to forage, he fell up on the rest, and got fome Advantage. Of this he immediately fent Word to Rome, as if he had obtained a confiderable Victory. The News of this with what had juft before happened at the Paffage of the De. file, rais'd Complaints and Murmurings against the flow and timorous Circumfpection of Fabius. In fhort, the Matter came to that pafs that the People gave hi General of Horfe an equal Authority with him; a Thing unheard of before. He was upon the Road when he received Notice of this: For he had left Rome, that he might not be an Eye-witness of what was contriving against him. His Conftancy remained for |
