had made at Cannæ. But all this while, and long after this, their treasury was so poor, that no industry nor art could serve to help it. The fruits of their grounds did only (and perhaps hardly) serve to feed their towns and armies, without any surplusage that might be exchanged for other needful commodities. Few they were in Italy that continued to pay them tribute; which also they could worse do than before; as living upon the same trade, and subject to the same inconveniences, which enfeebled Rome itself. Sicily and Sardinia, that were wont to yield great profit, hardly now maintained the Roman armies that lay in those provinces, to hold them safe and in good order. As for the citizens of Rome, every one of them suffered his part of the detriment which the commonwealth sustained, and could now do least for his country, when most need was; as also the number of them was much decreased; so as if money should be raised upon them by the poll, yet must it be far less than in former times. The senate therefore, diligently considering the greatness of the war within the bowels of Italy, that could not be thence expelled without the exceeding charge of many good armies; the peril wherein Sicily and Sardinia stood, both of the Carthaginians, and of many among the naturals declining from the friendship or subjection of Rome; the threats of the Macedonian, ready to land in the eastern parts of Italy, if they were not at the cost to find him work at home; the greater threats of Asdrubal, to follow his brother over the Alps, as soon as he could rid himself of the Scipios in Spain; and the poverty of the commonwealth, which had not money for any one of these mortal dangers, were driven almost even to extreme want of counsel. But being urged by the violence of swift necessity, signified in the letters of the two Scipios from Spain, they resolved upon the only course, without which the city could not have subsisted.

They called the people to assembly; wherein Q. Fulvius the pretor laid open the public wants; and plainly said, that in this exigent there must be no taking of money for victual, weapons, apparel, or the like things needful to the

soldiers; but that such as had stuff, or were artificers, must trust the commonwealth with the loan of their commodities and labours, until the war were ended. Hereunto he so effectually exhorted all men, especially the publicans, or customers, and those which in former times had lived upon their dealing in the common revenues, that the charge was undertaken by private men, and the army in Spain as well supplied as if the treasury had been full. Shortly after this, M. Atilius Regulus and P. Furius Philus, the Roman censors, taking in hand the redress of disorders within the city, were chiefly intentive to the correction of those that had misbehaved themselves in this present war. They began with L. Cæcilius Metellus; who, after the battle at Cannæ, had held discourse with some of his companions about flying beyond the seas, as if Rome and all Italy had been no better than lost. After him, they took in hand those, that having brought to Rome the message of their fellows made prisoners at Cannæ, returned not back to Hannibal, as they were bound by oath; but thought themselves thereof sufficiently discharged, in that they had stepped once back into his camp, with pretence of taking better notice of the captives' names. All these were now pronounced infamous by the censors; as also were a great many more; even whosoever had not served in the wars after the term which the laws appointed. Neither was the note of the censors at this time (as otherwise it had used to be) hurtful only in reputation; but greater weight was added thereunto by this decree of the senate following; "That all "such as were noted with infamy by these censors should "be transported into Sicily, there to serve until the end of "the war, under the same hard conditions that were im"posed upon the remainder of the army beaten at Cannæ." The office of the censors was, to take the list and account of the citizens, to choose or displace the senators, and to set notes of disgrace (without further punishment) upon those whose unhonest or unseemly behaviour fell not within compass of the law. They took also an account of the Roman gentlemen; among whom they distributed the public horses of

service, unto such as they thought meet, or took them away for their misbehaviour. Generally, they had the oversight of men's lives and manners; and their censure was much reverenced and feared; though it extended no further than to putting men out of rank, or making them change their tribe; or (which was the most that they could do) causing them to pay some duties to the treasury from which others were exempted. But besides the care of this general tax, and matters of morality, they had the charge of all public works; as mending of highways, bridges, and watercourses; the reparations of temples, porches, and such other buildings. If any man encroached upon the streets, highways, or other places that ought to be common, the censors compelled him to make amends. They had also the letting out of lands, customs, and other public revenues, to farm; so that most of the citizens of Rome were beholding unto this office, as maintaining themselves by some of the trades thereto belonging. And this was no small help to conserve the dignity of the senate; the commonalty being obnoxious unto the censors; which were always of that order, and careful to uphold the reputation thereof. But the commonweal being now impoverished by war, and having small store of lands to let, or of customs that were worth the farming, Regulus and Philus troubled not themselves much with perusing the temples, or other decayed places, that needed reparations; or if they took a view of what was requisite to be done in this kind, yet forbore they to set any thing in hand, because they had not wherewith to pay. Herein again appeared a notable generosity of the Romans. They that had been accustomed, in more happy times, to undertake such pieces of work, offered now themselves as willingly to the censors as if there had been no such want; promising liberally their cost and travail, without expectation of any payment before the end of the war. In like sort, the masters of those slaves that lately had been enfranchised by Gracchus, were very well contented to forbear the price of them, until the city were in better case to pay. In this general inclination of the multitude to relieve,

as far forth as every one was able, the common necessity, all the goods of orphans, and of widows living under patronage, were brought into the treasury; and there the questor kept a book of all that was laid out for the sustenance of these widows and orphans, whilst the whole stock was used by the city. This good example of those which remained in the town, prevailed with the soldiers abroad; so that (the poorer sort excepted) they refused to take pay; and called those mercenaries that did accept it, when their country was in so great want.

The twelve hundred talents, wrongfully extorted from the Carthaginians, nor any injuries following, done by the Romans in the height of their pride, yielded half so much commodity as might be laid in balance against these miseries whereinto their estate was now reduced. Nevertheless, if we consider things aright, the calamities of this war did rather enable Rome to deal with those enemies whom she forthwith undertook, than abate or slacken the growth of that large dominion whereto she attained, ere the youngest of those men was dead, whose names we have already mentioned. For by this hammering, the Roman metal grew more hard and solid; and by paring the branches of private fortunes, the root and heart of the commonwealth was corroborated. So grew the city of Athens, when Xerxes had burnt the town to ashes, and taken from every particular citizen all hope of other felicity than that which rested in the common happiness of the universality. Certain it is, (as sir Francis Bacon hath judiciously observed,) that a state whose dimension or stem is small, may aptly serve to be foundation of a great monarchy; which chiefly comes to pass, where all regard of domestical prosperity is laid aside, and every man's care addressed to the benefit of his country. Hereof I might say, that our age hath seen a great example in the united provinces in the Netherlands; whose present riches and strength grew chiefly from that ill assurance, which each of their towns, or almost of their families, perceived itself to hold, whilst the generality was oppressed by the duke of Alva; were it so, that the

people had thereby grown as warlike, as by extreme industry, and straining themselves to fill their public treasury, they are all grown wealthy, strong at sea, and able to wage great armies for their services by land. Wherefore, if we value at such a rate as we ought, the patient resolution, conformity to good order, obedience to magistrates, with many other virtues, and, above all other, the great love of the commonweal, which was found in Rome in these dangerous times, we may truly say, that the city was never in greater likelihood to prosper. Neither can it be deemed otherwise, than that if the same affections of the people had lasted, when their empire, being grown more large and beautiful, should in all reason have been more dear unto them, if the riches and delicacies of Asia had not infected them with sensuality, and carried their appetites mainly to those pleasures wherein they thought their well-being to consist; if all the citizens and subjects of Rome could have believed their own interest to be as great, in those wars which these latter emperors made for their defence, as in these which were managed by the consuls; the empire, founded upon so great virtue, could not have been thrown down by the hands of rude Barbarians, were they never so many. But unto all dominions God hath set their periods; who, though he hath given unto man the knowledge of those ways by which kingdoms rise and fall; yet hath left him subject unto the affections, which draw on these fatal changes in their times appointed.

SECT. XIV.

The Romans win some towns back from Hannibal. Hannibal wins Tarentum. The siege of Capua. Two victories of Hannibal. The journey of Hannibal to the gates of Rome. Capua taken by the Romans.

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