25.41
Marcellus was of course intensely
indignant at the idea of the man who had turned Hannibal, flushed with his
victory at Cannae, aside from Nola now giving way before enemies whom he
had defeated by sea and land, and he ordered his men to seize their arms at
once and march out in order of battle. Whilst he was forming his lines, ten
Numidians from the opposing army galloped up to him at full speed with the
announcement that their countrymen would take no part in the fighting, first
because they sympathised with the three hundred mutineers who had gone to
Heraclea, and secondly because they saw that their leader had been got rid of
on the very day of battle by generals who wanted to cast a cloud on his
reputation. Deceitful as that nation usually is, they kept their promise on that
occasion. The news flew quickly through the ranks that the cavalry of whom
they stood in greatest fear had left the enemy in the lurch, and their courage
rose accordingly. The enemy, on the other hand, were in a great state of
alarm because, not only were they losing the support of their strongest arm,
but there was a chance of their being attacked by their own cavalry. So there
was not much of a conflict, the action was decided by the first battle shout
and charge. When the opposing lines met, the Numidians were standing
quietly on the wings; when they saw their own side turn tail they joined them
in their flight for a short distance, but when they saw them making in all
haste for Agrigentum they dispersed to all the neighbouring cities for fear of
having to stand a siege. Several thousand men were killed and eight
elephants captured. This was the last battle Marcellus fought in Sicily. After
his victory he returned to Syracuse. As the year was now almost at an end,
the senate decreed that the praetor P. Cornelius should send instructions to
the consuls at Capua for one of them, if they approved, to come to Rome to
appoint new magistrates while Hannibal was at a distance and no very
critical operations were going on at Capua. After receiving the despatch the
consuls came to a mutual arrangement that Claudius should conduct the
elections and Fulvius remain at Capua. The new consuls were Cn. Fulvius
Centimalus and P. Sulpicius Galba, the son of Servius, a man who had never
before filled a curule office. The election of praetors followed; those elected
were L. Cornelius Lentulus, M. Cornelius Cethegus, C. Sulpicius, and C.
Calpurnius Piso. Piso took over the urban jurisdiction, Sicily was allotted to
Sulpicius, Apulia to Cethegus, Sardinia to Lentulus. The consuls had their
commands extended for another year.
End of Book 25