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Their circumspection and the reasonableness of Paulus defeated them. For Hannibal attempted to draw them into battle immediately, and approaching their fortification with a few men, when a sally was made, he willingly withdrew, so that by being thought to be afraid he might draw them more into a pitched battle; but when Paulus held back his own sol2.252 diers from the pursuit, Hannibal pretended to be afraid, and at night, packing up as if to depart, he left behind much equipment in the camp and ordered the rest to be carried away more carelessly, so that when the Romans turned to plunder them, he might attack them. And he would have brought his plan to fruition, if Paulus had not restrained his soldiers and Terentius, even against their will. Hannibal therefore, having failed in this too, arrived at Cannae by night. And knowing the place to be suitable for both ambushes and pitched battle, he encamped. And he plowed up the whole area, which was sandy, so that dust would be raised in the battle; for he contrived to have the wind, which in summer was accustomed to rise there around noon, at his back. The consuls, seeing his camp empty of men in the morning, first held back, thinking they were being ambushed, then during the day they arrived at Cannae. And each encamped separately by the river; for not being of like character, they avoided association with each other. And while Paulus remained quiet, Terentius wanted to engage; but seeing the soldiers were rather sluggish, he was checked. But Hannibal, provoking them to battle even against their will, both cut them off from watering and prevented them from scattering, and he threw the bodies of the slain up in front of the trenches, so that their drinking water might be fouled. And from this, the Romans also rushed to battle formation. But Hannibal, foreseeing this, set ambushes under the riverbanks, and drew up the rest of his army, and he ordered some men to feign desertion when he gave the signal, throwing away their shields and spears and the larger of their 2.253 swords, but secretly carrying daggers, so that when their opponents received them as unarmed men, they might attack them unexpectedly. The Romans, therefore, seeing Hannibal's forces drawn up from early morning, both armed themselves and formed their lines. And the trumpeters urged both sides on, and the standards were raised, and clashing together they fought in various ways. And until midday the victory had been awarded to neither side; but when the wind rose, and the feigned deserters, having been received as if stripped of their weapons, got behind the Romans, so that the Carthaginians supposedly would not attack them, then also the ambushing troops rose up on both sides, and Hannibal charged them from the front with his cavalry, and the enemy threw the Romans into confusion from all sides, and the wind and the dust, blowing violently into their eyes, distressed them and the continuous panting arising from their exhaustion blocked their breath, so that, deprived of sight and deprived of voice, they were destroyed in confusion and in no order. And so great a multitude fell that Hannibal did not even try to find out the number of the common soldiers, but concerning the knights and those of the senate, he did not write the number to the Carthaginians at home, but indicated it by means of their rings; for he sent them after measuring them out by the choenix. For only the senators and the knights had used rings. Nevertheless, many escaped even then, including Terentius; for Paulus died. But Hannibal did not pursue, nor did he hasten to Rome. For though he was able, either with his whole army or with part of it, to press on to Rome at once and quickly finish the war, he did not do so, even though 2.254 Maharbal approved of doing this. For this reason he also got the reputation of being able to win, but not knowing how to use his victories. And since they delayed then, they did not hasten again thereafter. Therefore Hannibal, as one who had erred, repented, continually crying out, "O Cannae, Cannae." But the Romans, having come within a little of perishing, gained the upper hand in turn through Scipio; who was the son of

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ἀπερίοπτον καὶ τὸ τοῦ Παύλου ἐπιεικὲς ηττησεν αὐτούς. ὁ γὰρ ̓Αννίβας ἐπεχείρησε μὲν καὶ παραχρῆμα πρὸς μάχην αὐτοὺς ὑπαγαγέσθαι, καὶ σὺν ὀλίγοις προσπελάσας αὐτῶν τῷ ἐρύματι, ἐπεὶ ἐκδρομὴ ἐγένετο, ἑκὼν ὑπεχώρησεν, οπως δεδιέναι νομισθεὶς ἐπισπάσαιτο μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς εἰς παράταξιν· τοῦ δὲ Παύλου τοῖς οἰκείοις στρα2.252 τιώταις ἐπισχόντος τὴν δίωξιν ὁ ̓Αννίβας προσεποιήσατο φοβεῖσθαι, καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς ἀνασκευασάμενος ὡς ἀπιὼν σκεύη τε συχνὰ κατέλιπεν ἐν τῷ χαρακώματι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἀμελέστερον κομίζεσθαι ἐνετείλατο, ινα τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐφ' ἁρπαγὴν αὐτῶν τραπομένων ἐπίθηται σφίσι. καὶ εἰς εργον αν τὸ βούλευμα ηγαγεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Παῦλος καὶ ακοντας κατεσχήκει τοὺς στρατιώτας καὶ τὸν Τερέντιον. ̔Ο ουν ̓Αννίβας καὶ τούτου διαμαρτὼν νυκτὸς πρὸς τὰς Κάννας ἀφίκετο. καὶ γνοὺς τὸ χωρίον καὶ πρὸς ἐνέδρας καὶ πρὸς παράταξιν ἐπιτήδειον, ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. καὶ προήροσε πάντα τὸν τόπον ὑπόψαμμον οντα, ινα κονιορτὸς ἐν τῇ μάχῃ ἀρθῇ· τὸν γὰρ ανεμον, ος ἐν θέρει ἐκεῖσε περὶ τὴν μεσημβρίαν εἰώθει γίνεσθαι, κατὰ νώτου εχειν ἐμηχανήσατο. οἱ δ' υπατοι εωθεν κενὸν ἀνδρῶν ἰδόντες αὐτοῦ τὸ χαράκωμα, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπέσχον, ἐνεδρεύεσθαι δόξαντες, ειτα μεθ' ἡμέρας πρὸς τὰς Κάννας ἀφίκοντο. καὶ παρὰ τῷ ποταμῷ ἑκάτερος ἰδίᾳ ηὐλίσατο· οὐκ οντες γὰρ ὁμοήθεις τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους συνουσίαν ἐξέκλινον. καὶ ὁ μὲν Παῦλος ἡσύχαζεν, ὁ δέ γε Τερέντιος ηθελε συμβαλεῖν· ἀμβλυτέρους δὲ τοὺς στρατιώτας ὁρῶν ἀνεκόπτετο. ὁ δὲ ̓Αννίβας καὶ ακοντας αὐτοὺς εἰς μάχην παρακινῶν τῆς τε ὑδρείας ειργε καὶ ἀποσκεδάννυσθαι σφᾶς ἐκώλυε καὶ τὰ σώματα τῶν φονευομένων ανω πρὸ τῶν ταφρευμάτων ἐνέβαλλεν, οπως σφίσι τὸ ποτὸν δυσχεραίνηται. κἀντεῦθεν καὶ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι πρὸς παράταξιν ωρμησαν. τοῦτο δὲ προγνοὺς ὁ ̓Αννίβας λόχους μὲν ὑπὸ τοὺς οχθους ἐκάθισε, τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν στρατιὰν συνέταξε, καί τινας ψευδαυτομολῆσαι οταν σημήνῃ ἐκέλευσε, τὰς μὲν ἀσπίδας καὶ τὰ δόρατα καὶ τὰ μείζω τῶν 2.253 ξιφῶν ἀπορρίψαντας, τὰ δ' ἐγχειρίδια κρύφα φέροντας, ινα δεξαμένων αὐτοὺς τῶν ἀντικαθεστηκότων ὡς ἀόπλους ἐπίθωνται αὐτοῖς ἀπροσδοκήτως. Οἱ δὲ δὴ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἰδόντες πρωίθεν τοὺς περὶ τὸν ̓Αννίβαν παρατεταγμένους ὡπλίζοντό τε καὶ παρετάττοντο. καὶ οἱ σαλπιγκταὶ ἀμφοτέρους ἐξώτρυναν, καὶ τὰ σημεῖα ηρθη, καὶ συμπεσόντες πολυτρόπως ἠγωνίσαντο. καὶ μέχρι τῆς μεσημβρίας οὐδετέροις τὸ κράτος ἀπονενέμητο· ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπῆλθε, καὶ οἱ ψευδαυτόμολοι δεχθέντες ὡς οπλων γυμνοὶ οπισθεν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐγένοντο, ινα μὴ σφίσιν ἐπιτιθῶσι δῆθεν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι, τότε καὶ οἱ λόχοι ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπανέστησαν, καὶ ὁ ̓Αννίβας κατὰ πρόσωπον σὺν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι προσέμιξε, καὶ οι τε πολέμιοι τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους πανταχόθεν ἐθορύβουν, καὶ ὁ ανεμος ο τε κονιορτὸς ἐς τὰς οψεις αὐτῶν βιαίως ἐμπίπτων ἐτάραττε καὶ τὸ ασθμα γινόμενον συνεχὲς ἐκ τοῦ καμάτου ἀπέφραττεν, ωστ' ἀπεστερημένοι μὲν τῆς οψεως, ἀπεστερημένοι δὲ καὶ φωνῆς, φύρδην καὶ ἐν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ἐφθείροντο. καὶ τοσοῦτον επεσε πλῆθος ωστε τὸν ̓Αννίβαν τῶν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ὁμίλου μηδὲ πειραθῆναι ἐξευρεῖν ἀριθμόν, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἱππέων καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς ἀριθμὸν μὲν μὴ γράψαι τοῖς οικοι Καρχηδονίοις, διὰ δὲ τῶν δακτυλίων ἐνδείξασθαι τοῦτον· χοίνιξι γὰρ σφᾶς ἀπομετρήσας ἀπέστειλε. μόνοι γὰρ οἱ βουλευταὶ καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς δακτυλίοις ἐκέχρηντο. συχνοὶ δ' ουν ομως καὶ τότε διέφυγον καὶ ὁ Τερέντιος· ὁ γὰρ Παῦλος ἀπέθανεν. ὁ δ' ̓Αννίβας οὐκ ἐπεδίωξεν οὐδ' εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἠπείχθη. δυνάμενος γὰρ η παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι η καὶ μέρει τούτου πρὸς τὴν ̔Ρώμην παραυτίκα ὁρμῆσαι καὶ ταχέως διαπολεμῆσαι, οὐκ ἐποίησε τοῦτο, καίτοι τοῦ 2.254 Μαάρβου συναινοῦντος τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. διὸ καὶ αἰτίαν εσχεν ὡς νικᾶν μὲν δυνάμενος, χρῆσθαι δὲ ταῖς νίκαις οὐκ ἐπιστάμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τότε ἐμέλλησαν, οὐκέτι οὐδ' αυθις ἠπείχθησαν. διὸ καὶ ὁ ̓Αννίβας ὡς ἁμαρτὼν μετεμέλετο, συνεχῶς ἀναβοῶν "ω Κάνναι Κάνναι." Οἱ δὲ δὴ ̔Ρωμαῖοι παρὰ βραχὺ κινδυνεύσαντες ἀπολέσθαι ἀντεπεκράτησαν διὰ τοῦ Σκιπίωνος· ος υἱὸς μὲν ην τοῦ