CART 
tor releafed from prifonall criminals, and perfons confined 
for debt, vvljo were willing to enlift themfelves. Ot thefe 
he formed a body of 6006 foot, armed with the broad 
fwords and bucklers taken from the Gauls; and an army 
of 40,000 frefli troops were Icon ready to take the field.^ 
Thus the Roman forces were greatly fuperior to thofe of 
Hannibal; yet they faw the necefiity of following the exam¬ 
ple of Fabuis Maximus, and no engagement of any conle- 
quence happened the firll year after the battle of Canute. 
Hannibal made a fruitlefs attempt upon Nola, expecting it 
would be delivered up to him ; but this was.prevented by 
Marcellas, who had entered that city, and, fallying unex¬ 
pectedly from three gates upon the Carthaginians, obliged 
them to retire with thelofs of 5000 men. This was the rirft 
advantage ever gained by the Romans, where Hannibal 
commanded in perfon, and of courle very much railed their 
fpirits. They w ere, however, as much dejected,on hearing 
that tiie conl'ul Pofthumius Albina*, with his whole army, 
had been cut off by the Boii, as lie was eroding a fore ft. 
Upon this it was.refolved to draw all the Roman forces out 
of Gaul, and turn them againft Hannibal; fo that tiie Car- 
thiginians (tood daily more in need of tiiofe (applies which 
yet never arrived from Cartilage. He reduced, however, 
the cities of Nuceria, Caiilinuni, Petelia, Confentia, Cro¬ 
ton, Loct'i, and feveral others in Greece, before tiie Ro¬ 
mans gained any advantage over him. Tiie Campanians, 
who had efpoufed the Carthaginian caufe, railed an army 
of 14,000 of their own nation in favour of Hannibal, and 
put Marius Aldus at tiie head of it ; but lie was furprized 
by the conful Sempronius, who defeated and killed him, 
with 2000 of his men. It was now difeovered, that .Han¬ 
nibal had concluded a treaty of alliance with Philip king 
of Macedon; hut, to prevent any co-operation from that 
quarter, a Roman army was Cent to Macedon. Soon after 
this, Marcellus defeated Hannibal in a pitched battle, 
having'armed his men with long pikes, generally it fed at 
fea in boarding of fhips ; by which means tiie Carthagi¬ 
nians.were pierced through, while they were totally unable 
to reach their adverfaries with the Ihort javelins they car¬ 
ried. Marcellus purfued them dole, killed 5000, and 
took 600 prifoners, lofing himfelf about 1000 men, who 
were moftly trod down by tiie Numidian horfe, commanded 
by Hannibal in perfon. After this defeat, Hannibal found 
himfelf deferted by 1200 of his bed horfe, partly Spani¬ 
ards, and partly Numidians, who had eroded tiie Alps 
with him. This touched him fo fenfibly, that lie left 
Campania, and retired into Apulia. 
The Romans, upon every advantage gained, dill in- 
creafed their forces; whild Hannibal, not having tiie fame 
refources, found it impolfible to aft againd fomany armies 
at once. Fabius Maximus advanced into Campania, whi¬ 
ther Hannibal was obliged to return, in order to fave Ca¬ 
pua. He ordered Hanno, at tiie head of 17,000 foot, and 
1700 horfe, to feize Beneventum ; but lie was utterly de¬ 
feated, fcarcely 2000 of his men being left alive. Hanni¬ 
bal, in the mean time, advanced to Nola, where lie was 
again defeated by Marcellus. He now began to lofe 
ground : the Romans retook Cadlinum, Accua in Apu¬ 
lia, Arpi, and Aternum. Tiie Romans then entered Cam¬ 
pania, and ravaged tiie whole country, threatening Capua 
with a liege. The inhabitants acquainted Hannibal with 
their danger; but he was fo intent upon reducing the ci¬ 
tadel of Tarentum, that he could not be prevailed upon to 
come to their abidance. In tiie mean time, Hanno'was 
again defeated by Fulvius, his camp taken, and himfelf 
forced to fly into Brutium with a fmall body of horfe. 
The confuls then advanced to beflege Capua, which was 
foon inverted on all ddes ; and tiie bedeged once more fent 
to Hannibal, who came to their adidance with his horfe, his 
light-armed infantry, and 33 elephants. He found means 
to inform tiie bedeged of the time lie defigned to attack 
tiie Romans, ordering them to make a vigorous Tally at 
tiie fame time. The Roman generals Appius and Ful- 
viuSj upon thefirft information of the enemy’s approach, 
H A G E. 847 
divided their troops, Appius taking upon him to redd the 
garrifon, and Fulvius to defend tiie intrenchiiients againft 
Hannibal. The former found no difficulty in repulfing 
the garrifon, and would have, entered the city with them, 
had he not been wounded at tiie gate, which prevented 
him from purfuing his dedgn. Fulvius found it more 
difficult to with mind Hannibal, whole troops behaved with 
extraordinary rel’olution. A body of Spaniards and Nu¬ 
midians had the boldriefsto pads tiie ditch, and-i.11 fpite of 
all oppofition, climbing tiie ramparts, penetrated into the 
Roman camp ; but, not being properly feeonded, were cut 
to pieces. Hannibal was fodifheartened, that lie founded 
a retreat, which was .made in good order. His next at¬ 
tempt for the relief of Capua was to march towards Rome, 
where lie hoped his approach would (trike fo much terror, 
that tiie armies would be called from before Capua to fol¬ 
low him : and, that tiie Capuans might not be diilieartened 
by his hidden departure, lie found means to acquaint them 
with his dedgn. Fulvius was in confequence called off, 
with 15,000 foot and 1000 horfe; upon which Hannibal 
returned before Capua fo fuddenly, that lie furprized Ap¬ 
pius in his camp, drove him out of it with the 1 0 fs of a 
great number of men, and obliged him to entrench himfelf 
upon tiie eminences, where he expected to be foon joined 
by Fulvius. As Hannibal, however, now expected to 
have all the Roman forces upon him, he could do nothing 
more for the relief of Capua, which was obliged to iubmit 
to the Romans. 
A little before the furrender of Capua, Hannibal came 
up with a Roman army commanded by Centenius Penul.i, 
who had dgnaltzed himfelf on many occalions as a centu¬ 
rion. This rafli man, being introduced to tiie fenate, hud. 
the confidence to tell them, that,, if they would truft him 
with a body of only 5000 men, he would give a good ac¬ 
count of Hannibal. They gave him 8ooo, and his army 
was foon increaf’ed to double that number. He engaged 
the Carthaginians ; and, after an action of two hours, was 
defeated, himfelf andal! his men being (lain, except about 
1000. Soon after, Hannibal found means to’draw the pras- 
tor Cneius Fulvius into an.ambnfeade, and cut in pieces 
almoft his whole army, confiding of 18,000 men. But in 
the mean time, Marcellus was making great progress in 
Samnium : the city of Salapia was betrayed to him, and 
he took others by 'aflault. In one of thefe he found 3000 
Carthaginians, whom he put to tiie fword; and-earned 
off 240,000 bufliels of wheat, and 110,000 of barley. This, 
however, was not a compenfation for the defeat which 
Hannibal foon after gave the proednful Fulvius Centuma- 
lus, whom he furprifed arid cut off, with 13,000 of his men. 
And now Marcfjius advanced with the flower of Rome 
to oppo'fe Hannibal. Various engagements happened, with¬ 
out any tiling decifive. J11 one of them tiie Romans are 
faid to have been defeated, and in another, Hannibal; but 
it was neither in the power of Marcellus, nor any other 
Roman general, totally to defeat or difperfe the army 
commanded by Hannibal in perfon. Inflead of this, Han¬ 
nibal found means to decoy into an ambnfeade, and cut 
off, the brave Marcellus ; and tiie Romans were obliged 
to raife tiie fiege of Locri, with the lof's of all their mili¬ 
tary implements. 
Hitherto tiie Carthaginians, though not fo much, the fa¬ 
vourites of fortune, had lofi but little ground ; bur now 
they met with a blow which totally ruined their affairs, 
Tills was the defeat of Afdrubal, Hannibal’s brother, who 
had left Spain,. and was marching to his aflifhmce. He 
eroded tiie Pyrenees without any difficulty ; and, as the 
lilver mines h.ad fupplied him with a very confiderabfe 
treafure, he not only prevailed upon the Gatiis to grant 
him a paffage through their ter : ritories r but likewife to fur- 
nifh him witlv a conliderable number of recruits. Meet¬ 
ing with many favourable circumfiances to expedite h is 
march, he arrived at Placentia fooner than tiie Romans, 
or even Hannibal, expected. Had' he continued to life 
the fame expedition with which he let out, and haftened to 
join. 
