Rome Saved by Luck
On this being known at Rome, the utmost confusion
note
and terror prevailed among the inhabitants,—
this movement of Hannibal's being as unexpected as it was sudden; for he had never
been so close to the city before. At the same time their
alarm was increased by the idea at once occurring to them,
that he would not have ventured so near, if it were not that
the armies at Capua were destroyed. Accordingly, the men
at once went to line the walls, and the points of vantage in the
defences of the town; while the women went round to the
temples of the gods and implored their protection, sweeping
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the pavements of the temples with their hair: for this is their
customary way of behaving when any serious danger comes
upon their country. But just as Hannibal had encamped,
and was intending to attempt the city itself next day, an
extraordinary coincidence occurred which proved fortunate
for the preservation of Rome.
For Gnaeus Fulvius and Publius Sulpicius, having already note
enrolled one consular army, had bound the men
with the usual oath to appear at Rome armed on
that very day; and were also engaged on that day
in drawing out the lists and testing the men for
the other army: note whereby it so happened that a
large number of men had been collected in Rome
spontaneously in the very nick of time. These troops the
Consuls boldly led outside the walls, and, entrenching themselves there, checked Hannibal's intended movement. For the
Carthaginians were at first eager to advance, and were not
altogether without hope that they would be able to take Rome
itself by assault. note But when they saw the enemy drawn up in
order, and learnt before long from a prisoner what had
happened, they abandoned the idea of attacking
the city, and began devasting the country-side
instead, and setting fire to the houses. In
these first raids they collected an innumerable amount of booty,
for the field of plunder upon which they were entered was
one into which no one had ever expected an enemy to set foot.
