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seemed to be afraid. But rising up at night, he found a suitable place for the battle and remained there. And he ordered the greater part of the infantry to lie in ambush along the mountains, and commanded all the cavalry to lie in wait unseen outside the narrow passes, and he himself encamped on the hill with a few men. But Flaminius, being full of pride, and seeing him on high ground with a few men, and thinking that he had sent the rest of his army somewhere far away, hoped to capture him easily, isolated as he was, and entered the narrow pass without due consideration, and there, since it was late, he made camp. And around the middle of the night, the Carthaginians surrounded them all at once from every side as they were sleeping unguarded out of contempt, and from a distance, with javelins and slings and arrows, they killed some while they were still in their beds, and others as they were taking up their arms, suffering no harm themselves in return. For the Romans, with no one engaging them in close combat, and with darkness and fog, were unable to use their valor. And so great a clamor arose and such a confused panic seized them that they did not even perceive the earthquakes that occurred at that time, although many buildings were thrown down, and many of the mountains were split apart, while others collapsed, so as to block the ravines, and rivers, blocked from their ancient outlets, turned to another course. Such earthquakes gripped Tyrrhenia, yet the combatants were not aware of them. 2.245 So Flaminius himself and very many others fell, and a good number went up to a certain hill; but when day came, they set out to flee, and being overtaken, they surrendered their arms and themselves on condition of safety. Hannibal, however, paid little heed to his oaths, and of all who were captured in the camp, he released the subject and allied peoples of the Romans, but the Romans themselves he bound and kept under guard. After doing these things, he hastened toward Rome, and advanced as far as Narnia, ravaging the land and winning over the cities, except Spoletium, and there he surrounded and destroyed Gaius Centenius, a general, who was lying in ambush; but when he attacked Spoletium and was repulsed, and saw that the bridge over the Naerus had been destroyed, and learned that this had happened to the other rivers which it was necessary to cross, he checked his advance on Rome and turned towards Campania, hearing that the country was most excellent and the city of Capua very great, he thought that if he could seize them first, he would soon acquire the rest as well. But those in Rome, learning of the defeat, were grieved, lamenting both for those men and for themselves, and were at a loss, and they tore down the bridges over the Tiber except for one and hastily repaired the walls, which were in poor condition in many places. And wishing to appoint a dictator, they themselves proclaimed him in the assembly. And being content if they alone could be saved, they did not send aid to their allies. But when they learned that Hannibal had set out for Campania, then they decided to help their allies as well. And against Hannibal they set the dictator Fabius and the master of the horse Marcus 2.246 Minucius. These men, coming against him, did not join battle with him, but followed along, watching if an opportunity for battle might somewhere arise; for Fabius was unwilling to risk a battle with soldiers who were terrified and defeated, against superior numbers who had been victorious, and at the same time he hoped that the more they ravaged the country, the sooner they would lack provisions. Using such reasoning, he defended neither any other territory nor Campania. For these reasons, therefore, he shut up the entire enemy force in Campania; for by surrounding them from all sides, he had them under guard without their knowing it. For he himself was well supplied with provisions both from the sea and from the allied territory, while he knew that for them there were only the things available from the land they were ravaging. And for this reason he held back and did not mind the delay. Therefore he was also blamed by the citizens, so that he was even nicknamed the Delayer. But Hannibal, since winter was approaching, and he was not able to winter where he was due to a lack of necessities, and having tried in many ways to get out of Campania he had been prevented,
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φοβεῖσθαι δόξῃ. τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς ἐξαναστάς, ἐπιτήδειόν τι χωρίον πρὸς τὴν μάχην εὑρὼν εμεινε. καὶ τοῦ μὲν πεζοῦ τὸ πλεῖον κατὰ τὰ ορη λοχᾶν εταξε, τὸ δ' ἱππικὸν σύμπαν εξω τῶν στενῶν ἀφανῶς ἐφεδρεύειν ἐκέλευσε, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ γηλόφου μετ' ὀλίγων ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. ὁ δὲ Φλαμίνιος ἐν φρονήματι ων, καὶ ἐπὶ μετεώρου σὺν ὀλίγοις αὐτὸν ἰδών, τήν τε λοιπὴν στρατιὰν πόρρω ποι πεπομφέναι νομίσας, ῥᾳδίως μεμονωμένον αἱρήσειν ηλπισε, καὶ ἐς τὸ στενὸν ἀπερισκέπτως εἰσῆλθε, κἀνταῦθα, ὀψὲ γὰρ ην, ηὐλίσατο. καὶ ὑπὸ μέσας νύκτας ὑπὸ καταφρονήσεως αὐτοὺς ἀφυλάκτως καθεύδοντας πανταχόθεν ὁμοῦ περιέσχον οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι, καὶ πόρρωθεν ἀκοντίοις καὶ σφενδόναις καὶ τοξεύμασι τοὺς μὲν εὐναζομένους ετι, τοὺς δὲ τὰ οπλα λαμβάνοντας εκτεινον, αὐτοὶ μή τι δεινὸν ἀντιπάσχοντες. οἱ γὰρ ̔Ρωμαῖοι, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς συμπλεκομένου, σκότους τε καὶ ὁμίχλης ουσης, οὐκ ειχον τῇ σφετέρᾳ χρήσασθαι ἀρετῇ. τοσοῦτος δ' ἐγένετο θόρυβος καὶ τοιαύτη ταραχώδης εκπληξις κατέσχεν αὐτοὺς ὡς μηδὲ τῶν σεισμῶν τῶν τότε γενομένων αἰσθέσθαι, καίπερ πολλὰ μὲν οἰκοδομήματα κατερράγη, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τῶν ὀρῶν τὰ μὲν διέσχε, τὰ δὲ καὶ συνέπεσεν, ὡς καὶ τὰς φάραγγας ἐμφράξαι, καὶ ποταμοὶ δὲ τῆς ἀρχαίας ἐξόδου ἀποκλεισθέντες αλλην ἐτράποντο. τοιοῦτοι μὲν σεισμοὶ τὴν Τυρσηνίδα κατέσχον, οὐ μέντοι καὶ οἱ μαχόμενοι ἐν ἐννοίᾳ σφῶν ἐγένοντο. 2.245 αὐτός τε ουν ὁ Φλαμίνιος καὶ αλλοι παμπληθεῖς επεσον, συχνοὶ δὲ ἐπί τινα λόφον ἀνέβησαν· ἐπεὶ δ' ἡμέρα ἐγένετο, εἰς φυγὴν ωρμησαν, καὶ καταληφθέντες τά τε οπλα καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπ' ἀδείᾳ παρέδοσαν. ο γε μὴν ̓Αννίβας βραχὺ τῶν ὀμωμοσμένων ἐφρόντισε, πάντων δὲ τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἁλόντων τὸ μὲν ὑπήκοον τό τε συμμαχικὸν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀφῆκεν, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἐκείνους δήσας ἐφύλασσε. πράξας δὲ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἠπείγετο, καὶ μέχρι μὲν Ναρνίας τήν τε γῆν τέμνων καὶ τὰς πόλεις προσαγόμενος πλὴν Σπωλητίου προῆλθε, Γάιόν τε ἐνταῦθα Κεντήνιον στρατηγὸν ἐνεδρεύοντα περισχὼν εφθειρεν· ὡς δὲ τῷ Σπωλητίῳ προσβαλὼν ἀπεκρούσθη, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ναείρου γέφυραν καθῃρημένην ειδε, καὶ περὶ τοὺς αλλους ποταμοὺς ους ἀναγκαῖον ην διελθεῖν τοῦτο γεγονὸς ἐπύθετο, τῆς μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ̔Ρώμην ὁρμῆς ἐπέσχεν, ἐς δὲ τὴν Καμπανίαν ἐτράπετο, τήν τε χώραν ἀρίστην καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν Καπύην μεγίστην ουσαν ἀκούων, ἐνόμιζεν, εἰ σφᾶς προκαταλάβοι, καὶ ταλλα δι' ὀλίγου προσκτήσασθαι. Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ πυθόμενοι περὶ τῆς ηττης ηλγησαν, καὶ δι' ἐκείνους καὶ δι' ἑαυτοὺς ὀδυρόμενοι, καὶ ἐν ἀπόρῳ ησαν, τάς τε γεφύρας τοῦ Τιβέριδος πλὴν μιᾶς καθεῖλον καὶ τὰ τείχη πολλαχῇ πεπονηκότα σπουδῇ ἐπεσκεύαζον. δικτάτωρά τε προχειρίσασθαι βουληθέντες αὐτοὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτὸν ἀνεῖπον. ἀγαπῶντες δὲ εἰ αὐτοὶ μόνοι σωθεῖεν, οὐκ εστειλαν τοῖς συμμάχοις βοήθειαν. πυθόμενοι δὲ τὸν ̓Αννίβαν ἐς Καμπανίαν ὁρμηθῆναι, τότε καὶ τοῖς συμμάχοις ἐπικουρῆσαι εγνωσαν. τῷ δ' ̓Αννίβᾳ τὸν δικτάτωρα τὸν Φάβιον καὶ τὸν ιππαρχον τὸν Μάρκον 2.246 τὸν Μινούκιον ἀντικατέστησαν. οι ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον ἐλθόντες ἐς μὲν χεῖρας αὐτῷ οὐκ ῃεσαν, παρεπόμενοι δὲ ἐπετήρουν ει που καιρὸς μάχης παραπέσοι· ἀποκινδυνεῦσαι γὰρ ὁ Φάβιος κατεπτηχόσι στρατιώταις καὶ ἡττημένοις πρὸς πλείους καὶ νενικηκότας οὐκ ηθελε, καὶ αμα οσῳ μᾶλλον τὴν χώραν κακώσειαν, τοσούτῳ θᾶσσον ἀπορῆσαι τροφῆς αὐτοὺς ηλπισε. τοιούτοις χρώμενος λογισμοῖς ουτ' αλλῃ χώρᾳ ἐπήμυνεν ουτε τῇ Καμπανίᾳ. κατέκλεισεν ουν διὰ ταῦτα πᾶν τὸ πολέμιον εἰς τὴν Καμπανίαν· περισχὼν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἁπανταχόθεν οὐκ εἰδότας ἐν φυλακῇ ἐποιήσατο. αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ κἀκ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐκ τῆς συμμαχίδος τῶν ἐπιτηδείων εὐπόρει, ἐκείνοις δὲ μόνα τὰ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ην εκειρον ὑπάρχοντα ῃδει. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀνεῖχε καὶ τῆς μελλήσεως οὐκ ἐφρόντιζε. διὸ καὶ παρὰ τῶν πολιτῶν αἰτίαν ειχεν, ὡς καὶ μελλητὴς ἐπονομασθῆναι. ̔Ο δ' ̓Αννίβας, ἐπεὶ πρὸς χειμῶνα ἐγίνετο, καὶ ουτε κατὰ χώραν χειμάσαι σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἠδύνατο καὶ πολλαχῇ πειράσας ἐξιέναι τῆς Καμπανίας κεκώλυτο,