Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata

A certain Lucanian soldier was accused of wandering often from the camp at night for love of a young woman. Fabius, on hearing the accusation, ascertained that in other respects the man was an admirable man-at-arms, and he ordered that they secretly seize the man’s mistress and bring her to him. When she was brought, he sent for the man, and said to him, Your being away at night, contrary to the regulations, has not passed unnoticed, nor, on the other hand, your good service in the past. Therefore let your oifences be atoned for by your brave and manly deeds, and in future you will be with us, for I have a surety. And leading forward the girl he presented her to him. [*](Ibid. chap. xx. (186 A-C). Cf. also Valerius Maximus, vii. 3. 7.)

Hannibal kept the Tarentines in subjection by a garrison-all the city except the acropolis. Fabius drew him away a very long distance by a trick, and captured and sacked the city. When his secretary asked him what decision he had reached in regard to the sacred images, he said, Let us leave behind for the Tarentines their angered gods. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Fabius Maximus, chap. xxii. (187 A-C); Livy, xxvii. 16.)

Marcus Livius, who had all the time held the acropolis with his garrison, said that it was because of him that the city had been taken. The others laughed at him, but Fabius said, You are quite

When he was already an elderly man, his son was consul, and was attending to the duties of his office in public in the presence of a large number of people. Fabius, mounted, was advancing on horseback. When the young man sent a lictor, and ordered his father to dismount, the others were thrown into consternation, but Fabius, leaping from his horse, ran up more nimbly than his years warranted, and, embracing his son, said, Well done, my boy; you show sense in that you realize whose official you are, and what a high office you have taken upon you. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Fabius Maximus, chap. xxiv. (188 A); Livy, xxiv. 44; Valerius Maximus, ii. 2. 4; Aulus Gellius, ii. 2.)

Scipio the Elder used to spend on literature all the leisure he could win from his military and political duties, and he used to say that he was busiest whenever he had nothing to do. [*](Cf. Cicero, De officiis, iii. 1 numquam se minus otiosum esse quam cum otiosus . . . esset. )

When he captured Carthage [*](New Carthage in Spain, 210 B.C.; Polybius, x. 8-19; Livy, xxvii. 7 and xxvi. 42-51.) by assault, some of his soldiers, having taken captive a comely maiden, came to him with her, and offered to give her to him. I would gladly take her, said he, if I were a private and not a commander. [*](Cf. Polybius, x. 19; Polyaenus, Strategemata, viii. 16. 6; Livy, xxvi. 50; Valerius Maximus, iv. 3. 1; Frontinus, Strategemata, ii. 11. 5; Aulus Gellius.)

While he was besieging the city of Baria, [*](Baria, attested by inscriptions, is probably the right spelling (variants: Barea, Bareia, Badia, Batheia), if the same town is meant.) in which was visible a temple of Venus overtopping all else, he ordered that in giving sureties for appearance they should specify that place, since he purposed two days hence to hear litigants in this temple of Venus. And so he did, as he had foretold, after the city had been taken. [*](Cf. Valerius Maximus, iii. 7. 1; and Aulus Gellius, vi. 1.)

When somebody inquired in Sicily on what he placed his reliance in purposing to take his army across to Carthage, he pointed out to the inquirer three hundred men [*](As in Livy, xxix. 1; Valerius Maximus, vii. 3. 3.) in armour, who were drilling, and also a lofty tower which overlooked the sea. There is not one of these men, said he, who would not go up to the top of that tower and throw himself down head first at my command.

When he had crossed over, and was master of the land, and had burned the enemy’s camps, the Carthaginians sent to him and made a treaty of peace, agreeing to surrender their elephants and ships, and to pay an indemnity. [*](Polybius, xv. 18, and Livy, xxx. 16, indicate similar terms.) But when Hannibal had sailed back from Italy, they were sorry because of their agreement, since they did not now feel afraid. Scipio, learning this, said that, not even if they wished it, would he keep the compact unless they paid a million pounds more, because they had sent for Hannibal. [*](Not noted in Livy, xxx. 35, nor elsewhere, apparently.)

When the Carthaginians had been utterly overthrown, they sent envoys to him to negotiate a treaty of peace, but he ordered those who had come to go away at once, refusing to listen to them before

Terentius marched behind him in the triumphal procession, wearing a felt cap just like an emancipated slave. [*](Cf. Livy, xxx. 45; Valerius Maximus, v. 2. 5.)And when Scipio died, Terentius provided wine with honey for all who attended the funeral to drink their fill, and did everything else connected with his burial on a grand scale. But this, of course, was later. [*](Cf. Livy, xxxviii. 55.)

Antiochus the king, [*](Antiochus the Great.) after the Romans had crossed over to attack him, [*](In 190 B.C.) sent to Scipio to ask about terms of peace. This should have been done before, said Scipio, but not now, when you have taken the bit and the rider is in the saddle. [*](Cf. Polybius, xxi. 15; Livy, xxxvii. 36; Appian, Roman History, the Syrian Wars, vi. 29.)

The Senate voted that he should receive a sum of money from the treasury, but the treasurers were not willing to open it on that day; whereupon he said that he would open it himself, for the reason it was kept closed, he declared, was because he had fdled it with so much money. [*](Cf. Polybius, xxxiii. 14; and Valerius Maximus, iii. 7. 1.)

When Petillius and Quintus brought before the people many accusations against him, he remarked that on this very day he had conquered the Carthaginians and Hannibal, and he said that he himself, with a garland on, was on his way up to the Capitol to offer sacrifice, and he bade anyone who so

Titus Quintius, from the very first, was a man of such conspicuous talent that he was chosen consul without having been tribune, praetor, or aedile.[*](That is, without passing through the regular cursus honorum. Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. ii. (369 C).) He was sent in command of the army against Philip, and was prevailed upon to meet him in conference. Philip insisted that he ought to receive some Romans as a guarantee of his safety, since Quintius was accompanied by many of his countrymen and he all alone represented the Macedonians. The truth is, said Quintius, that it is you who have made yourself all alone by putting to death your friends and kindred. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. xvii. (378 D); Polybius, xviii. 7.)

Having vanquished Philip in battle, [*](At Cynoscephalae in 197 B.C.: see Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. viii. (372 F); Polybius, xviii. 20-27; Livy, xxxiii. 7-10.) he proclaimed at the Isthmian games that henceforth he left the Greeks free and independent. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. x. (374 D); Livy, xxxiii. 32.) Whereupon, all the Romans who had been taken captive in the days of Hannibal and were the slaves of Greek masters the Greeks purchased from their owners at twenty pounds for each man, and gave them as a present to Quintius; and these followed him in his triumphal procession wearing felt caps on their heads as is the custom for slaves that have been emancipated. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. xiii. (376 F); Livy, xxxiv. 52; Valerius Maximus, v. 2. 6.)

When the Achaeans were minded to send an army against the island of the Zacynthians, he bade them beware lest, if they extended their head, tortoise-like, outside of the Peloponnesus they should find themselves in danger. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. xvii. (378 D); Livy xxxvi. 32.)

When Antiochus the king, with a great force, arrived in Greece, and all were terror-stricken at the great numbers of the men and their armament, Flamininus told a story for the benefit of the Achaeans as follows: He said he was in Chalcis dining with a friend, and was amazed at the great number of the meats served. But his friend said that these were all pork, differing only in their seasoning and the way they were cooked. So then, he said, do not you, either, be amazed at the king’s forces when you hear the names: 4 pikemen, panoplied, foot-guards, archers with two horses. For all these are but Syrians differing from one another only in their paraphernalia. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Flamininus, chap. xvii. (378 E); Livy, xxxv. 49.)

He made a joke at the expense of Philopoemen, general of the Achaeans, who had plenty of horsemen and men-at-arms, but was not well off for money; Quintius said that Philopoemen had arms and legs but no belly. As a matter of fact, Philopoemen, in physical appearance, was something like this. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Philopoemen, chap. ii. (357 A).)

Gnaeus Domitius, whom Scipio the Great appointed in his stead as a colleague for his brother Lucius in the war against Antiochus, when he had inspected the battle-line of the enemy, and the officers of his