SECT. XIV. The Romans win some towns back from Hannibal. Hannibal wins Tarentum. Two victories of Hannibal. nibal to the gates of Rome. Romans. The siege of Capua. As the people of Rome strained themselves to the utmost, for maintaining the war; so their generals abroad omitted no part of industry in seeking to recover what had been lost. The town of Casiline, Fabius besieged. It was well defended by the Carthaginian garrison; and likely to have been relieved by those of Capua, if Marcellus from Nola had not come to the assistance of his colleague. Nevertheless the place held out so obstinately, that Fabius was purposed to give it over; saying, that the enterprize was not great, yet as difficult as a thing of more importance. But Marcellus was of a contrary opinion. He said, that many such things as were not at first to be undertaken by great commanders, ought yet, when once they were taken in hand, to be prosecuted unto the best effect. So the siege held on; and the town was pressed so hard, that the Campans dwelling therein grew fearful, and craved parley; offering to give it up, so as all might have leave to depart in safety, whither they pleased. Whilst they were thus treating of conditions, or whilst they were issuing forth, according to the composition already made, (for it is diversly reported,) Marcellus, seizing upon a gate, entered with his army, and put all to the sword that came in their way. Fifty of those that were first gotten out, ran to Fabius the consul, who saved them, and sent them to Capua in safety; all the rest were either slain, or made prisoners.If Fabius deserved commendation, by holding his word good unto these fifty; I know not how the slaughter of the rest, or imprisonment afterward of such as escaped the heat of execution, could be excused by Marcellus. It may be that he helped himself, after the Roman fashion, with some equivocation; but he shall pay for it hereafter. In like sort was Mount Marsam, in Gascoigne, taken by the Marshal Monluc, when I was a young man in France. For whilst he entertained parley about composition, the besieged ran all from their several guards, upon hasty desire of being acquainted with the conditions proposed. The marshal, therefore, discovering a part of the walls unguarded, entered by scalado, and put all, save the governor, unto the sword. Herein that governor of Mount Marsam committed two gross errors; the one, in that he gave no order for the captains and companies to hold themselves in their places; the other, in that he was content to parley, without pledges for assurance given and received. Some such oversight the governor of Casiline seemeth to have committed; yet neither the advantage taken by Marcellus, or by Monluc, was very honourable. When this work was ended, many small towns of the Samnites, and some of the Lucans and Apulians, were recovered; wherein were taken, or slain, about five-and-twenty thousand of the enemies, and the country grievously wasted by Fabius, Marcellus lying sick at Nola. Hannibal, in the meanwhile, was about Tarentum, waiting to hear from those that had promised to give up the town. But M. Valerius, the Roman proprætor, had thrust so many men into it that the traitors durst not stir. Wherefore the Carthaginian was fain to depart, having wearied himself in vain with expectation. Yet he wasted not the country; but contented himself with hope that they would please him better in time following. So he departed thence toward Salapia, which he chose for his wintering place, and began to victual it when summer was but half past. It is said that he was in love with a young wench in that town. In which regard, if he began his winter more timely than otherwise need required, he did not like the Romans, whom necessity enforced to make their summer last as long as they were able to travel up and down the country. About this time began great troubles in Sicily, whither Marcellus the consul was sent, to take such order for the province as need should require. Of the doings there, which wore out more time than his consulship, we will speak hereafter, The new consuls, chosen at Rome, were Q. Fahius, the son of the present consul, and T. Sempronius Gracchus, the second time. The Romans found it needful for the public service to employ oftentimes their best able men; and therefore made it lawful, during the war, to recontinue their officers, and choose such as had lately held their places before, without regarding any distance of time, which was otherwise required. The old Fabius became lieutenant unto his son; which was perhaps the respect that most commended his son unto the place. It is noted, that when the old man came into the camp, and his son rode forth to meet him; eleven of the twelve lictors, which carried each an axe, with bundle of rods, before the consul, suffered him, in regard of due reverence, to pass by them on horseback, which was against the custom. But the son perceiving this, commanded the last of his lictors to note it; who thereupon bade the old Fabius alight, and come to the consul on his feet. The father cheerfully did so, saying, It was my mind, son, to make trial, whether thou didst understand thyself to be 'consul.' Cassius Altinius, a wealthy citizen of Ar pi, who, after the battle at Cannæ, had holpen the Carthaginian into that town, seeing now the fortune of the Romans to amend, came privily to this con sul Fabius, and offered to render it back unto him, if he might be therefore well rewarded. The consul purposed to follow old examples, and to make this Altinius a pattern to all traitors; using him, as Camillus and Fabricius had done those that offered their unfaithful service against the Falisci and king Pyrrhus. But Q. Fabius, the father, was of another opinion; and said it was a matter of dangerous consequence, that it should be thought more safe to revolt from the Romans than to turn unto them.' Wherefore it was concluded that he should be sent to the town of Cales, and there kept as prisoner, until they could better resolve what to do with him, or what use to make of him. Hannibal, understanding that Altinius was gone, and among the Romans, took it not sorrowfully; but thought this a good occasion to seize upon all the man's riches, which were great. Yet, that he might seem rather severe than covetous, he sent for the wife and children of Altinius into his camp; where, having examined them by torment, partly concerning the departure and intention of this fugitive; partly, and more strictly, about his riches, what they were, and where they lay; he condemned them, as partakers of the treason, to be burnt alive; and took all their goods unto himself. Fabius, the consul, shortly after came to Arpi, which he won by scalado in a stormy and rainy night. Five thousand of Hannibal's soldiers lay in the town; and of the Arpines themselves there were about three thousand. These were thrust foremost by the Carthaginian garrison, when it was understood that the Romans had gotten over the wall, and broken open the gate; for the soldiers held the townsmen suspected, and therefore thought it no wisdom to trust them at their backs. But, after some little resistance, the Arpines gave over fight, and entertained parley with the Romans; protesting, that they had been betrayed by their princes, and were become subject to the Carthaginians against their wills, In process of this discourse, the Arpine prætor went unto the Roman consul, and, receiving his faith for the security of the town, presently made head against the garrison. This notwithstanding, like it is, that Hannibal's men continued to make good resistance; for when almost a thousand of them, that were Spaniards, offered to leave their companions, and serve on the Roman side, it was yet covenanted that the Carthaginians should be suffered to pass forth quietly, and return to Hannibal. This was performed, and so Arpi became Roman again, with little other loss than of him that betrayed it. About the same time, Cliternum was taken by Sempronius Tuditanus, one of the prætors; and unto Cneius Fulvius, another of the prætors, an hundred and twelve gentlemen of Capua offered their service, upon no other condition than to have their goods restored unto them when their city should be recovered by the Romans. This was a thing of small importance; but considering the general hatred of the Campans toward Rome, it served to discover the inclination of the Italians in those times; and how their affections recoiled from Hannibal, when there was no appearance of those mighty succours that had been promised from Carthage. The Consentines also, and the Thurines, people of the Brutians, that had yielded themselves to Hannibal, returned again to their old allegiance. Others would have followed their example; but that one L. Pomponius, who of a publican had made himself a captain, and gotten reputation by petty exploits in foraging the country, was slain by Hanno, with a great multitude of those that followed him. |