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to Hannibal. And he, quickly departing from Neapolis, came to Capua, and having spoken with them, he said many other persuasive things and promised to give them the hegemony of Italy, so that, being filled with hopes that they would be toiling for themselves as well, they might fight more eagerly. 2.257 And when Capua had revolted, the rest of Campania was also in motion; and the Romans, learning of its defection, were vexed. Hannibal, however, marched against the Nucerini. And those being besieged, because of a lack of provisions, drove out their useless age-groups; whom Hannibal did not receive, but gave safe conduct only to those returning to the city. Therefore, the rest also agreed to depart from the town with a single garment. But when he became master of them, he shut the senators into bath-houses and suffocated them, and having told the others to go wherever they wished, he killed many of them on the road. Nevertheless, many of them survived by fleeing beforehand into the woods. After this, the rest, becoming afraid, no longer came to terms with him, but held out as long as they could. And the Nolans, who were planning to go over to him, when they saw what was done to those men, secretly brought in Marcellus, and after this they repulsed Hannibal when he attacked the city. And having been driven back from Nola, he took Acerrae by starvation on the same terms as the Nucerini, and he did the same things to them also. Then he also marched against Casilinum, where about a thousand Romans and allies had taken refuge together. They killed the local inhabitants who had planned to betray them, and they often repulsed Hannibal, and bravely endured against famine; and when their food failed them, they sent someone on a wineskin across the river to the dictator; and he would throw jars full of flour into the river at night, having instructed them to watch the current in the dark. And for some time he escaped notice supplying them with food in this way, then when a certain jar struck something and 2.258 was shattered, the Carthaginians learned what was happening, and stretched chains across the river. And when many had perished from famine and wounds, they abandoned one part of the city and held out in the remainder, having cut the bridge. Then they let down turnip seed from the wall into a certain piece of ground outside it. They did this in order to astonish the enemy, as if they would hold out for a long time. Wherefore Hannibal, thinking they had abundant food and marveling at their endurance, invited them to a conference, and ransomed them for a sum of money. For the Romans outside gladly ransomed them, and indeed honored them as well. While these things were happening, those who had been sent to Delphi returned, saying that the Pythia had delivered an oracle to them to cease from their idleness and apply themselves to the war. From this they were encouraged. And they caught up with Hannibal and encamped near him, so that they might observe what was being done by him. And Junius the dictator ordered the Romans to do likewise the things that were being commanded to the Carthaginians. And they took food and sleep at the same time, and they inspected their watches in the same way, and did the other things on an equal basis. Therefore Hannibal, having learned this, watched for a winter night, and announced a sortie for some of his soldiers from evening, and when Junius did the same, he ordered different men at different times to attack him in succession, so that they might be in continuous toil from the sleeplessness and the winter weather; while he himself rested with the remainder. But when day was 2.259 about to dawn, he pretended to recall his army, and when the Romans had laid aside their arms and turned to rest, he came upon them suddenly and killed many and took the abandoned entrenchment. And affairs in Sicily and Sardinia were in motion, but they did not receive any attention from the Romans. And Gracchus the master of horse and Postumius Albinus were elected consuls. And Albinus with his whole army was destroyed by the Boii, while marching through a wooded mountain and being ambushed; whose head the barbarians cut off and cleaned out and
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̓Αννίβᾳ. καὶ ος διὰ ταχέων ἀπαναστὰς ἐκ τῆς Νεαπόλεως ηλθεν εἰς τὴν Καπύην, καὶ διαλεχθεὶς αὐτοῖς αλλα τε πολλὰ ειπεν ἐπαγωγὰ καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν σφίσι τῆς ̓Ιταλίας δώσειν ὑπέσχετο, ιν' ἐν ἐλπίσι γενόμενοι ὡς καὶ ἑαυτοῖς πονήσοντες προθυμότερον ἀγωνίσωνται. 2.257 Μεταστάσης δὲ τῆς Καπύης καὶ ἡ αλλη Καμπανία κεκίνητο· καὶ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τὴν ἀπόστασιν αὐτῆς μαθόντες ηχθοντο. ο γε μὴν ̓Αννίβας ἐπὶ Νουκερίνους ἐστράτευσεν. οἱ δὲ πολιορκούμενοι τὴν αχρηστον σφῶν ἡλικίαν ἀπορίᾳ τροφῶν ἐξεώσαντο· ους ὁ ̓Αννίβας οὐ προσήκατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπιοῦσι μόνον ἀσφάλειαν εδωκε. διὸ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ μεθ' ἑνὸς ἱματίου ἐκχωρῆσαι τοῦ αστεος ὡμολόγησαν. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐγκρατὴς αὐτῶν ἐγένετο, τοὺς μὲν βουλευτὰς ἐς βαλανεῖα κατακλείσας ἀπέπνιξε, τοῖς δ' αλλοις ἀπελθεῖν εἰπὼν οπῃ βούλοιντο, πολλοὺς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ κἀκείνων ἐφόνευσε. συχνοὶ δ' ουν αὐτῶν καὶ περιεγένοντο εἰς υλας προκαταφυγόντες. ἐκ τούτου δὲ οἱ λοιποὶ φοβηθέντες οὐ συνέβαινον ετι αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἀντεῖχον εως ἠδύναντο. καὶ οἱ Νωλανοὶ βουλευόμενοι προσχωρῆσαι αὐτῷ, ἐπεὶ τὸ εἰς ἐκείνους ειδον πραχθέν, ἐπηγάγοντο λάθρᾳ τὸν Μάρκελλον, καὶ τὸν ̓Αννίβαν προσβαλόντα τῇ πόλει μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπώσαντο. ἀποκρουσθεὶς δὲ τῆς Νώλης ̓Ακερανοὺς ειλε λιμῷ ἐπὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς τοῖς Νουκερίνοις συνθήκαις, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ εἰργάσατο καὶ αὐτούς. ειτα καὶ ἐπὶ Βασιλίνας ἐστράτευσεν, ἐν ῳ ̔Ρωμαῖοί τε καὶ συμμάχων ὡσεὶ χίλιοι συγκατέφυγον. οι τοὺς μὲν ἐπιχωρίους προδοῦναι σφᾶς μελετήσαντας ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ τὸν ̓Αννίβαν πολλάκις ἀπώσαντο, καὶ πρὸς λιμὸν γενναίως διεκαρτέρησαν· ἐπιλιπούσης δὲ τῆς τροφῆς αὐτούς, ἐπ' ἀσκοῦ τινα διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ πρὸς τὸν δικτάτωρα επεμψαν· ὁ δὲ πίθους ἀλεύρων πλήρεις ἐνέβαλλεν εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν νυκτός, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτοῖς παρατηρεῖν ἐν τῷ σκότει τὸ ῥεῦμα. καὶ χρόνον μέν τινα ἐλάνθανεν ουτως τὰς τροφὰς αὐτοῖς χορηγῶν, επειτα πίθου τινὸς προσραγέντος ποι καὶ 2.258 συντριβέντος εγνων οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι τὸ γινόμενον, καὶ ἁλύσεσι τὸν ποταμὸν διειλήφασιν. ὡς δὲ τῷ λιμῷ καὶ τοῖς τραύμασι συχνοὶ διεφθάρησαν, τὸ ετερον τῆς πόλεως μέρος ἐξέλιπον κἀν τῷ λοιπῷ διεκαρτέρουν, τὴν γέφυραν διακόψαντες. ειτα σπέρμα γογγυλίδος ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους εις τι χωρίον εξωθεν αὐτοῦ κατέβαλον. ἐποίησαν δὲ τοῦτο ινα καταπλήξωσι τοὺς πολεμίους ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀνταρκέσοντες. οθεν ὁ ̓Αννίβας αφθονον αὐτοὺς εχειν τὴν τροφὴν οἰηθεὶς καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ καρτερίᾳ θαυμάσας εἰς ὁμολογίαν προεκαλέσατο, καὶ χρημάτων ἀπέδοτο σφᾶς. ἐλύσαντο γὰρ αὐτοὺς οἱ εξω ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἀσμένως, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἐτίμησαν. ̓Εν ῳ δὲ ταῦτα ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐκ ∆ελφῶν οἱ πεμφθέντες ἀνεκομίσθησαν, λέγοντες τὴν Πυθίαν χρῆσαι αὐτοῖς παύσασθαι τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας καὶ τῷ πολέμῳ προσέχειν. ἐντεῦθεν ἀνερρώσθησαν. καὶ κατέλαβον τὸν ̓Αννίβαν καί οἱ παρεστρατοπεδεύσαντο, οπως τὰ πραττόμενα παρ' αὐτοῦ παρατηρῶσι. καὶ ο γε ̓Ιούνιος ὁ δικτάτωρ τὰ τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις παραγγελλόμενα καὶ τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ποιεῖν ὁμοίως ἐκέλευε. καὶ σῖτα καὶ υπνον ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καιρῷ ᾑροῦντο, καὶ τὰς φυλακὰς ὁμοίως ἐπεσκόπουν, καὶ ταλλα ἐπ' ισης επραττον. καταμαθὼν ουν τοῦτο ὁ ̓Αννίβας χειμέριον ἐτήρησε νύκτα, καὶ τοῖς μὲν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπέξοδον ἀφ' ἑσπέρας ἀνεῖπε, τοῦ δὲ ̓Ιουνίου τὸ αὐτὸ ποιήσαντος ἐκ διαδοχῆς αλλοτε αλλους αὐτῷ προσβάλλειν ἐκέλευσεν, ιν' ἐν συνεχεῖ πόνῳ ἐκ τῆς ἀγρυπνίας καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος ειησαν· αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνεπαύετο. ἐπεὶ δ' ἡμέρα ἐπιλάμψειν 2.259 εμελλε, τὸ στράτευμά τε δῆθεν ἀνεκαλέσατο καὶ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων τὰ οπλα ἀποθεμένων καὶ πρὸς ἀνάπαυλαν τραπομένων ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς αφνω καὶ συχνοὺς ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τὸ τάφρευμα ἐκλειφθὲν ειλε. Τὰ δ' ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ καὶ τῇ Σαρδοῖ ἐκινεῖτο, οὐ μέντοι καὶ ἐπιστροφῆς τινος παρὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ετυχον. υπατοι δὲ ο τε Γράκχος ὁ ιππαρχος καὶ Ποστούμιος ̓Αλβῖνος ᾑρέθησαν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ̓Αλβῖνος μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν Βοουΐων ἐφθάρη, δι' ορους ὑλώδους πορευόμενος καὶ ἐνεδρευθείς· ου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμόντες οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ ἐκκαθάραντες καὶ