postremo, ut sui vulnere intacti tela in hostem ingererent, murum ab imo ad summum crebris cubitalibus fere cavis aperuit12, per 15 quae cava pars sagittis, pars scorpionibus modicis ex occulto, petebant hostem. Quia propius quaedam subibant naves, quo interiores ictibus" tormentorum essent, in eas tollenone super murum eminente ferrea manus firmae catenae illigata quum iniecta prorae esset gravique libramento plumbi recelleret ad 20 solum, suspensa prora navem in puppim statuebat; dein remissa subito velut ex muro cadentem navem cum ingenti trepidatione nautarum ita undae affligebat, ut, etiamsi recta reciderat, aliquantum aquae acciperet. Ita maritima oppugnatio est elusa, omnisque spes eo versa, ut totis viribus terra aggrede25 rentur 33. Sed ea quoque pars eodem omni apparatu tormentorum instructa erat. Ita consilio habito, quoniam omnis conatus ludibrio esset, absistere oppugnatione atque obsidendo13 tantum arcere terra marique commeatibus hostem placuit.

13

21

50

LIVY, XXIV. 34.

43

30

6. Romae hand minus terroris ac tumultus erat, quam fuerat triennio ante, quum castra Punica obiecta Romanis12 moenibus portisque fuerant. Neque satis constabat animis, tam audax iter consulis laudarent vituperarentne. Apparebat" 5 (quo nihil iniquius est) ex eventu famam habiturum. "Castra prope Hannibalem hostem 18 relicta sine duce cum exercitu, cui detractum foret omne, quod roboris, quod floris fuerit; et consulem in Lucanos ostendisse iter, quum Picenum et Galliam peteret, castra relinquentem 25 nulla alia re tutiora, quam errore 10 hostis, qui ducem inde atque exercitus partem abesse ignoraret Quid futurum, si id palam fiat ?" Veteres eius belli clades, duo consules proximo anno interfecti13 terrebant'. Et13 ea omnia accidisse, quum unus imperator, unus exercitus hostium in Italia esset nunc duo bella Punica facta, duos ingentes exercitus, 15 duos prope Hannibales in Italia esse. Quippe et Hasdrubalem, patre eodem Hamilcare genitum, aeque impigrum ducem, per tot in Hispania annos Romano exercitatum bello, gemina victoria insignem, duobus exercitibus cum clarissimis ducibus deletis 13. Nam itineris quidem celeritate ex Hispania et conad arma Gallicis gentibus multo magis, quam Hannibalem ipsum, gloriari posse. Omnia maiora etiam vero praesidia hostium, minora sua, metu interprete, semper in deteriora11 inclinato, ducebant 29. LIVY, XXVII.

20 citatis

33

struck down' with fatal aim by an enemy whom they could not see, and who shot his arrows in perfect security 36. If they still persevered', and attempted to fix their ladders, on a sudden enormous stones or huge masses of lead were dropped upon 15 them, by which their ladders were crushed to pieces, and their ships were almost sunk. At other times machines like cranes were thrust out over the wall; and the end of the lever, with an iron grapple affixed to it, was" lowered upon the ships. As soon as the grapple had taken hold, the other end of the lever 20 was lowered by heavy weights, and the ship raised out of the water, till it was made 28 almost to stand upon its stern; then the grapple was suddenly let go, and the ship dropped into the sea with a violence which either upset it, or filled it with water. With equal power was the assault on the land side repelled, 25 till Marcellus in despair1 put a stop to his attacks; and it was resolved merely to blockade the town, and to wait for the effect of famine upon the crowded population" within.

24

45

13

ARNOLD.

13

12

(6.) BEFORE THE BATTLE OF METAURUS. Meanwhile, at Rome, the news' 12 of Nero's expedition had caused the greatest excitement and alarm. All men felt 29 the full audacity of the enterprise", but hesitated" what epithet" to apply 28 to it. It was evident that Nero's conduct13 would be judged of by 5 the event, that most unfair criterion", as the Roman historian truly terms it. People reasoned 28 on the perilous state in which Nero had left the rest 13 of his army, without a general, and deprived of the core of its strength, in the vicinity of the terrible 18 Hannibal. They talked over the former dis- 10 asters of the war, and the fall of both the consuls of the last year. All these calamities" 43 had come on them while they had only one Carthaginian general and army to deal with in Italy. Now they had two Punic wars at a time. They had two Carthaginian armies; they had almost two 15 Hannibals in Italy. Hasdrubal was sprung from the same father; trained up in the same hostility to Rome; equally practised in battle against their legions; and, if the comparative speed and success with which he had crossed the Alps was a fair test, he was even a better general than his 20 brother. With fear for their interpreter of every rumour, they exaggerated the strength of their enemy's forces in every quarter, and criticised and distrusted their own. CREASY.

4

23

13

25

13

12

12

12

7. BATTLE OF METAURUS. Romae neuter animi habitus satis dici enarrarique potest, nec quo incerta exspectatione eventus civitas fuerat, nec quo victoriae famam accepit. Nunquam per omnes dies, ex quo" Claudium consulem profectum' 5 fama attulit, ab orto 13 sole ad occidentem, aut senator quisquam a curia atque ab magistratibus" abscessit, aut populus e foro, Matronae, quia nihil in ipsis opis erat, in preces obtestationesque versae, per 9 , per omnia delubra vagae suppliciis votisque fatigare deos. Tam sollicitae12 ac suspensae1 civitati fama incerta Io primo accidit, duos Narnienses equites in castra, quae in faucibus Umbriae opposita erant, venisse ex proelio, nuntiantes 25 caesos13 hostes. Et primo magis auribus, quam animis, id acceptum erat, ut11 maius laetiusque, quam quod mente capere, aut satis credere possent: et ipsa celeritas fidem impediebat, 15 quod biduo ante pugnatum dicebatur 29. Literae deinde ab L. Manlio Accidino missae ex castris afferuntur de Narniensium equitum adventu. Eae litterae per forum ad tribunal praetoris latae senatum curia exciverunt 28; tantoque certamine ac tumultu populi ad fores curiae concursum est, ut adire nuntius 20 non posset, sed traheretur a percontantibus 25 vociferantibusque, ut in rostris prius quam in senatu litterae recitarentur. Tandem summoti et coerciti a magistratibus, dispensarique laetitia inter potentes eius animos potuit 28. In senatu primum, deinde in contione litterae recitatae sunt; et pro cuiusque ingenio aliis 25 iam certum gaudium, aliis nulla ante futura fides erat, quam legatos consulumve 50 litteras audissent. Ipsos deinde appropinquare12 legatos allatum12 est. Tum enimvero omnis aetas currere" obvii, primus quisque oculis auribusque haurire tantum gaudium cupientes. Ad Mulvium usque pontem continens"1 30 agmen pervenit. Legati (erant L. Veturius Philo, P. Licinius Varus, Q. Cæcilius Metellus) circumfusi omnis generis hominum frequentia in forum pervenerunt, quum 25 alii ipsos, alii comites eorum, quae acta essent, percontarentur; et ut quisque audierat 29, exercitum hostium imperatoremque occisum, legiones 35 Romanas incolumes, salvos consules esse, extemplo aliis porro' impertiebant gaudium suum. Quum aegre in curiam perventum esset, multo aegrius summota turba, ne patribus misceretur, litterae in senatu recitatae sunt. Inde traducti in contionem legati. L. Veturius, litteris recitatis", ipse planius omnia, quae 40 acta erant, exposuit cum' ingenti assensu, postremo etiam clamore universae contionis, quum vix gaudium animis caperent. Discursum inde ab aliis circa templa deum, ut grates

12

8

50

25

28

13

43

18

IO

(7.) α. AFTER THE BATTLE. From the moment" that Nero's march 13 (from the south had been heard of at Rome, intense anxiety possessed 28 the whole city. Every day the senate sat 29 from sunrise to sunset; and not a senator was absent: every day the forum was crowded from morn-5 ing till evening, as each hour might bring some great tidings12; and every man wished to be among the first to hear them. A doubtful rumour arose, that a great battle12 had been fought, and a great victory won only two days before two horsemen of Narnia had ridden off from the ro field to carry the news 12 to their home; it had13 been heard and published in the camp of the reserve army, which was lying 28 at Narnia to cover the approach 13 to Rome. But men dared 29 not lightly believe what they so much wished to be true: and how, they said, could a battle fought in the ex- 15 tremity 13 of Umbria be heard of only two days after at Rome? Soon however it was known that a letter had arrived from L. Manlius Acidinus himself, who commanded the army a Narnia: the horsemen had certainly arrived there from the field of battle, and brought tidings 13 of a glorious victory". X The 20 letter was read first in the senate, and then in the forum from the rostra; but some still refused to believe: fugitives13 from a battle-field might" carry idle tales of victory to hide their own shame; till the account came directly from the consuls, it was rash to credit it.

12

12

25

11

25

30

b. At last, word" was brought that officers of high rank" in the consul's army were on their way12 to Rome; that they bore a despatch from Livius and Nero. Then the whole city poured out of the walls to meet them, eager to anticipate the moment' which was to confirm all their hopes. For two miles, as far as the Milvian bridge over the Tiber, the crowd formed 28 an uninterrupted mass; and when the officers appeared, they could scarcely make their way to the city, the multitude thronging around them, and overwhelming them and their attendants with eager questions. As each man learnt the 35 joyful answers", he made haste to tell them to others: "the enemy's army is destroyed**; the general slain; our own legions and both the consuls are safe." So the crowd re-entered the city; and the three officers, all men of noble names, L. Veturius Philo, P. Licinius Varus, and Q. Metellus, still followed' 40 by the thronging 18 multitude, at last reached the senate-house.

25

27

agerent, ab aliis domos, ut coniugibus liberisque tam laetum nuntium impertirent. Senatus, quod M. Livius et C. Claudius 45 con-ules incolumi exercitu ducem hostium legionesque occidissent, supplicationem in triduum decrevit. Eam supplicationem C. Hostilius praetor edixit; celebrata a viris feminisque est. Omnia templa per totum triduum aequalem turbam habuere, quum matronae amplissima veste cum liberis, perinde 50 ac si debellatum 12 foret, omni solutae metu deis immortalibus grates agerent. Statum quoque civitatis ea victoria firmavit, ut iam inde haud secus quam in pace res inter se contrahere2 vendendo, argentum creditum solvendo, auderent.

25

9

20

LIVY, XXVII. 50, 51.

28

8. Posito ubique bello magna pars senatus extremum discrimen adiit, profecta cum Othone ab urbe, dein Mutinae relicta. illuc adverso de proelio adlatum 12: sed milites ut falsum rumorem aspernantes, quod infensum Othoni senatum 5 arbitrabantur, custodire" sermones, voltum habitumque trahere in deterius: conviciis postremo ac probris causam et initium caedis quaerebant, cum alius insuper metus senatoribus instaret, ne praevalidis iam Vitellii partibus cunctanter 36 excepisse victoriam crederentur. ita trepidi1 et utrimque anxii 10 coeunt, nemo privatim expedito consilio, inter multos" societate culpae tutior 28 rediere omnes Bononiam, rursus consiliaturi; simul medio temporis plures nuntii sperabantur. Bononiae, divisis per itinera qui recentissimum" tur, interrogatus Othonis libertus causam digressus habere se quemque percontaren15 suprema eius mandata respondit; ipsum viventem quidem relictum, sed sola posteritatis cura et abruptis vitae blandimentis. hinc admiratio et plura interrogandi pudor, atque omnium animi in Vitellium inclinavere. intererat consiliis frater eius L. Vitellius seque iam adulantibus' offerebat, cum repente 20 Coenus libertus Neronis atroci mendacio universos perculit 12, adfirmans 25 superventu quartae decumae legionis, iunctis a Brixe.lo viribus, caesos victores, versam partium fortunam. fingendi fuit, ut diplomata Othonis, quae neglegebantur, laetiore nuntio revalescerent. et Coenus quidem rapide in urbem vectus 25 paucos post dies iussu Vitellii poenas luit: senatorum periculum auctum credentibus 12 Othonianis militibus vera esse quae adferebantur 29. nec ultra in commune congressi sibi11 quisque consuluere, donec missae a Fabio Valente epistulae demerent metum 30. et mors Othonis quo laudabilior”, eo velo30 cius audita. TAC. Hist. II. 52.

11

42

causa