27.7
At the
close of the year C. Laelius arrived in Rome, thirty-four days after leaving
Tarraco. His entrance into the City with his train of prisoners was watched
by a great crowd of spectators. The next day he appeared before the senate
and reported that Carthage, the capital city of Spain, had been captured in a
single day, whilst several revolted cities had been recovered and new ones
received into alliance. The information gained from the prisoners tallied with
that conveyed in the despatches of M. Valerius Messalla. What produced the
greatest impression on the senate was the threatened march of Hasdrubal
into Italy, which could hardly hold its ground against Hannibal and his arms.
When Laelius was brought before the Assembly he repeated the statements
already made in the senate. A day of solemn thanksgiving for P. Scipio's
victories was decreed, and C. Laelius was ordered to return as soon as
possible to Spain with the ships he had brought over. Following many
authorities, I have referred the capture of New Carthage to this year, though
I am quite aware that some writers place it in the following year. This,
however, appears improbable, as Scipio could hardly have spent a whole
year in Spain without doing anything. The new consuls entered office on
March 15th, and on the same day the senate assigned them their province.
They were both to command in Italy; Tarentum was to be the objective for
Fabius; Fulvius was to operate in Lucania and Bruttium. M. Claudius
Marcellus had his command extended for a year The praetors balloted for
their provinces; C. Hostilius Tubulus obtained the City jurisdiction; L.
Venturius Philo the alien jurisdiction together with Gaul; Capua fell to T.
Quinctius Crispinus, and Sardinia to C. Aurunculeius. The following was the
distribution of the armies. The two legions which M. Valerius Laevinus had
in Sicily were assigned to Fulvius, those which C. Calpurnius had
commanded in Etruria were transferred to Q. Fabius; C. Calpurnius was to
remain in Etruria and the City force was to form his command; T. Quinctius
was to retain the army which Quintus Fulvius had had; C. Hostilius was to
take over his province and army from the propraetor C. Laetorius who was
at the time at Ariminum. The legions who had been serving with the consul
were assigned to M. Marcellus. M. Valerius and L. Cincius had their term in
Sicily extended, and the army of Cannae was placed under their command;
they were required to bring it up to full strength out of any that remained of
Cn. Fulvius' legions. These were hunted up and sent by the consuls into
Sicily, where they were subjected to the same humiliating conditions as the
defeated of Cannae and those belonging to Cn. Fulvius' army who had
already been sent to Sicily as a punishment by the senate. The legions with
which P. Manlius Vulso had held Sardinia were placed under C.
Aurunculeius and remained in the island. P. Sulpicius retained his command
for another year with instructions to employ the same legion and fleet against
Macedonia which he had previously had. Orders were issued for thirty
quinqueremes to be despatched from Sicily to the consul at Tarentum, the
rest of the fleet was to sail to Africa and ravage the coast, under the
command of M. Valerius Laevinus, or if he did not go himself he was to
send either L . Cincius or M. Valerius Messalla. There were no changes in
Spain except that Scipio and Silanus had their commands extended, not for a
year but until such time as they should be recalled by the senate. Such were
the distribution of the provinces and the military commands for the year.
