42.8
After the
battle the Ligurians rallied from their scattered flight and collected together.
When they became aware that the number of those lost was greater than that
of the survivors -there were not more than 10,000 men -they made their
surrender and made it unconditionally in the hope that the consul would not
treat them with greater severity than former generals had done. However, he
deprived them all of their arms, sacked their town and sold them and their
property. He forwarded a report of what he had done to the senate. As the
other consul, Postumius, was occupied with the survey of the fields in
Campania, the despatch was read in the House by A. Atilius. The senators
regarded it as an act of gross cruelty that the Statellati, who alone of all the
Ligurians had refused to take up arms against Rome, should actually have
been attacked without any provocation, and after trusting themselves to the
good faith of the Roman people have been tortured to death with every form
of cruelty. That so many thousands of freeborn persons, guiltless of any
crime, should have been sold into slavery, in spite of their appeals to the
honour of Rome, is a terrible example and warning against any one
henceforth making a surrender, and sharing the fate of those who have been
dragged off to various places to be the slaves of men who were formerly the
enemies of Rome and are hardly even now at peace with her. Moved by
these considerations the senate determined that M. Popilius should restore
the Ligurians to liberty and return the purchase-money, and see that as much
of their property as could be recovered should be given back to them; their
arms also were to be restored. All this was to be done as soon as possible;
the consul was not to leave his province till he had replaced the surrendered
Ligurians in their homes. He was reminded that the glory of victory was won
by overcoming the enemy in fair fight, not by cruelty to those who cannot
defend themselves.
