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and Gallick Infantry, and having drawn them out of the Line, advanc'd to begin the Battle, rounding his Front as he came nearer the Enemy, and ftretching his Flanks in the Shape of a Half-moon, that he might leave no Space between his main Body and the reft of the Line confifting of the heavy-armed Infantry which had remained without Motion.

THE Fight foon began, and the Roman Legions that were in the Wings, feeing their Center briskly attack'd, advanc'd to fall on the Enemy in Flank. Hannibal's main Body, after a brave Refiftance, finding themfelves prefs'd on all fides, gave way, being over-power'd by Numbers, and retired through the Space they had left in the Center of the Line. The Romans purfuing them thither with Confufion and Eagerness, the two Wings of the African Infantry which was frefh, well-arm'd, and in good Order, wheel'd about on a fudden towards that empty Space where the Romans, already fatigued, had thrown themselves in Disorder and Confufion, and vigorously attack'd them on both fides, without allowing them Time to recover themselves, or leaving them Ground to form themselves in. In the mean while the two Wings of the Cavalry having defeated thofe of the Romans which were much inferior to them; and having left to pursue the broken and scatter'd Squadrons no more than were neceffary to keep them from rallying, came and fell upon the Rear of the Roman Infantry; which being at once furrounded on all fides by the Enemies Horfe and Foot, was all cut in Pieces, after having fhewn prodigious Inftances of Bravery. Æmilius being cover'd with the Wounds he had received in the Fight, was afterwards killed by a Body of the Enemies to whom he was not known; and with him two Quæftors, one and twenty military Tribunes, many that had been Confuls or Prætors, Servilius, one of the laft Year's Confuls, Minucius the late Mafter of the Horfe to Fabius, and fourfcore Senators. Above feventy thousand Men

Men fell in this Battle; and the Cathaginians, fo great was their Eagernefs and Fury b, ceafed not to kill, till Hannibal, in the very Heat of the Slaughter, called out to them several times: Stop Soldiers Spare the vanquished. Ten thoufand Men that had been left to guard the Camp, furrendered themselves Prifoners of War after the Battle. Varro the Conful retired to Venufia attended only with feventy Horfe; and about four thoufand Men escaped into the neighbouring Cities. Thus Hannibal remained Master of the Field, being indebted for this, as well as for his former Victories, to the Superiority of his Cavalry over that of the Romans. He loft four thousand Gauls, fifteen hundred Spaniards and Africans, and two hundred Horse.

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22

Maharbal, one of the Carthaginian Generals, advifed Hannibal to march without Lofs of Time directly to Rome, promifing him that within five Days they fhould fup in the Capitol. To which Hannibal anfwering, that it was a Matter which required Time to confider of. "I fee, replied Maharbal, "that the Gods have not endowed the fame Man " with all Talents. You know, Hannibal, how to conquer, but not to make the best of a Victory c." THIS Delay, as fome pretend, faved Rome and the Empire. Many, and among the rest Livy, charge Hannibal, upon this Occafion, as guilty of a capital Error. Others, more referv'd, are not for condemning without evident Proofs fo famous a General, who in the rest of his Conduct never wanted Prudence to chufe the beft Means, or Readiness to put his Defigns in Execution. They are moreover

a Livy very much leffens the Number of the Slain, making them amount but to about fortythree thousand. But Polybius is rather to be believed.

Duo maximi exercitus cæfi ad hoftium fatietatem, donec

T

Annibal diceret militi fuo
Parce ferro.. Flor, l. 1. c. 6.
e Tum Maharbal: Non omn
nia nimirum
Vincere fcis,
ria uti nefcis,

eidem Dii dedere. Annibal, victo Liv. 1, 22, n. §16

difpofed

difpofed to a favourable Judgment of him, by the Authority, or the Silence at least of Polybius, who, when fpeaking of the memorable Confequences of this noted Battle, fays, That the Carthaginians were full of Hopes of becoming Masters of Rome at the firft Affault: But he doth not mention, how fuch a thing could have been poffibly done, confidering that this City was very populous, and warlike, strongly fortified, and defended with a Garrison of two Legions; and he do no where give the leaft Hint that fuch a Project was practicable, or that Hannibal was in the wrong for not attempting to put it in Execution.

AND indeed, if we examine Matters more clofely, we fhall find that upon the allowed Maxims of War it could not be undertaken. It is certain that Hannibal's whole Infantry before the Battle, amounted but to forty thousand Men; fix thoufand of thefe being flain in the Action, and many more undoubtedly either wounded or difabled, there could remain but fix or feven and twenty thousand Men fit for Action; now this Number was not fufficient to invest fuch a large City as Rome that had a River running through it, nor to attack it in Form, as having neither Engines, Ammunition, nor any other Things neceffary to carry on a Siege. For want of thefe, Hannibal, even after his Victory at ThraLiv. I. 22. fymenus, mifcarried in an Attempt upon Spoletum: And foon after the Battle of Canne, was forced to Liv. 1. 23 raife the Siege of a little mean City d.

n. 9.

n. 18.

It can't be denied, that if in the prefent Cafe he had mifcarried, nothing lefs could be expected but he must have been irrecoverably loft. But to judge rightly of this Matter, a Man ought to be a Soldier, and perhaps to have been upon the Spot; it is an old Difpute, upon which none but well-inform'd Judges fhould pretend to determine.

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SOON after the Battle of Canne, Hannibal difLiv. 1. 23° patch'd his Brother Mago to carry the News of his n. 11-14 Victory to Carthage, and to demand Succours to enable him to put an End to the War. Mago being arrived, made in full Senate a lofty Speech, wherein he extoll'a his Brother's Exploits, and difplay'd the great Advantages he had gain'd over the Romans. And to give a livelier Idea of the Greatnefs of the Victory, by fpeaking in fome Manner to the Eyes, he poured out in the middle of the Senate a Bufhel * of Gold Rings belonging to the Roman Nobility that fell in the Battle of Canna. He concluded with demanding Money, Victuals, and fresh Troops. All the Beholders were ftruck with an extraordinary Joy; upon which Imilco, a great Stickler for Hannibal, fancying he had a fair Opportunity of infulting Hanno, Head of the contrary Party, asked him, whether he was still diffatisfied with the War against the Romans, and whether he was for having Hannibal delivered up. Hanno, without any Emotion, replied, that he was ftill of the fame Mind, and that the Victories they so much boasted of, fuppofing them real,could not affect him with Joy, but in Proportion as they should be made fubfervient to an advantageous Peace: Then he undertook to prove that those mighty Exploits, which they fo much cried up, were only chimerical and imaginary. "I have cut in Pieces, "faid he, repeating Mago's Words, the Roman Ar"mies: Send me fome Troops. What more could

you ask, if you had been conquered? I have twice "made my self Mafter of the Enemies Camp, full, " 'tis likely, of all kinds of Provifions: Send me Pro"vifions and Money. Could you talk otherwise if e you had loft your own?" Then he asked Mago, whether any of the Latin Nations were come over

* Pliny,l. 33. c 1. faith that there were three Bubels fent to Carthage. Livy takes Notice that fome Authors made them

amount to three Bubels and a

half; but he thinks it moft pro-
bable that there was but one.
L. 33. n. 12. Florus 1.2. c. 16,
makes it two

I 2

to

to Hannibal, whether the Romans had made him any Proposals of Peace. To which Mago having answered in the Negative: "Then I perceive, replied Hanno, "That we are no further advanced, "than when Hannibal first fet Foot in Italy." His Conclufion from hence was, that there. ought to be fent neither Men nor Money. But Hannibal's Faction then prevailing, no Regard was paid to the Remonftrances of Hanno, which were considered only as the Effects of his Prejudice and Jealoufy; and Orders were given for levying the Supplies of Men and Money which Hannibal required. Mago fet out immediately for Spain to raise there twentyfour thousand Foot, and four thousand Horfe. But thefe Levies were afterwards ftopped, and fent another Way So eagerly bent was the contrary Facti on upon oppofing the Defigns of a General whom they could not indure. Whilft at Rome, a Conful, Evrem. who had fled, was thank'd for not having defpair'd of the Commonwealth: At Carthage, People were almoft angry with Hannibal for having obtain'd the Victory. Whatever Advantages he gain'd, Hanno could never forgive him for undertaking the War without his Advice. Being more jealous for the Honour of his own Opinions than for the Good of the State, and a greater Enemy to the Carthaginian General than to the Romans, he did all he could to hinder future, and to leffen paft, Succeffes.

De S.

HANNIBAL makes Capua his Winter Quarters.

Liv. 1. 23. n. 4. 18.

The Battle of Canna rang'd the most powerful Nations of Italy under the Standards of Hannibal, drew into his Party Græcia Magna 2 with the City of

2 Cæterum quum. Græci omnem fere oram maritimam Co

loniis fuis, e Græcia deductis, obfiderent, &c. But after the

Greeks

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