22.61
Although most of the senators had
relations among the prisoners, there were two considerations which weighed
with them at the close of Manlius' speech. One was the practice of the State
which from early times had shown very little indulgence to prisoners of war.
The other was the amount of money that would be required, for they were
anxious that the treasury should not be exhausted, a large sum having been
already paid out in purchasing and arming the slaves, and they did not wish
to enrich Hannibal who, according to rumour, was in particular need of
money. When the melancholy reply was given that the prisoners were not
ransomed, the prevailing grief was intensified by the loss of so many citizens,
and the delegates were accompanied to the gates by a weeping and
protesting crowd. One of them went to his home because he considered
himself released from his vow by his pretended return to the camp. When
this became known it was reported to the senate, and they unanimously
decided that he should be arrested and conveyed to Hannibal under a guard
furnished by the State. There is another account extant as to the fate of the
prisoners. According to this tradition ten came at first, and there was a
debate in the senate as to whether they should be allowed within the City or
not; they were admitted on the understanding that the senate would not
grant them an audience. As they stayed longer than was generally expected,
three other delegates arrived -L. Scribonius, C. Calpurnius, and L. Manlius -and a relative of Scribonius who was a tribune of the plebs made a motion in
the senate to ransom the prisoners. The senate decided that they should not
be ransomed, and the three who came last returned to Hannibal, but the ten
remained in Rome. They alleged that they had absolved themselves from
their oath because after starting on their journey they had returned to
Hannibal under the pretext of reviewing the list of the prisoners' names. The
question of surrendering them was hotly debated in the senate, and those in
favour of this course were beaten by only a few votes. Under the next
censors, however, they were so crushed beneath every mark of disgrace and
infamy that some of them immediately committed suicide; the others not only
avoided the Forum for all their after life, but almost shunned the light of day
and the faces of men. It is easier to feel astonishment at such discrepancies
amongst our authorities than to determine what is the truth.
How far that disaster surpassed previous ones is shown by one
simple fact. Up to that day the loyalty of our allies had remained unshaken,
now it began to waver, for no other reason, we may be certain, than that
they despaired of the maintenance of our empire. The tribes who revolted to
the Carthaginians were the Atellani, the Calatini, the Hirpini, a section of the
Apulians, all the Samnite cantons with the exception of the Pentri, all the
Bruttii and the Lucanians. In addition to these, the Uzentini and almost the
whole of the coast of Magna Graecia, the people of Tarentum Crotona and
Locri, as well as all Cisalpine Gaul. Yet, in spite of all their disasters and the
revolt of their allies, no one anywhere in Rome mentioned the word "Peace,"
either before the consul's return or after his arrival when all the memories of
their losses were renewed. Such a lofty spirit did the citizens exhibit in those
days that though the consul was coming back from a terrible defeat for
which they knew he was mainly responsible, he was met by a vast concourse
drawn from every class of society, and thanks were formally voted to him
because he "had not despaired of the republic." Had he been
commander-in-chief of the Carthaginians there was no torture to which he
would not have been subjected.
End of Book 22
