the whole of our youth, which, if at home, would keep us in safety, is serving under your banners.  We know nothing either of you or your army, but we know that it would be easy for the man who has routed and dispersed so many Roman armies, to put down these rambling freebooters of ours, who roam about in disorder to whatsoever quarter the hope of booty, however groundless, attracts them.  They indeed will be the prey of a few Numidians, and a garrison sent to us will also dislodge that at Nola, provided you do not think those men undeserving that you should protect them as allies, whom you have esteemed worthy of your alliance.”

43.  To this Hannibal replied, “that the Hirpini and Samnites did every thing at once:  that they both represented their sufferings, solicited succours, and complained that they were undefended and neglected.  Whereas, they ought first to have represented their sufferings, then to have solicited succours; and lastly, if those succours were not obtained, then, at length, to make complaint that assistance had been implored without effect.  That he would lead his troops not into the fields of the Hirpini and Samnites, lest he too should be a burthen to them, but into the parts immediately contiguous, and belonging to the allies of the Roman people, by plundering which, he would enrich his own soldiers, and cause the enemy to retire from them through fear.  With regard to the Roman war, if the battle of Trasimenus was more glorious than that at Trebia, and the battle of Cannae than that of Trasimenus, that he would eclipse the fame of the battle of Cannae by a greater and more brilliant victory.”  With this answer, and with munificent presents, he dismissed the ambassadors.  Having left a pretty large garrison in Tifata, he set out with the rest of his troops to go to Nola.  Thither came Hanno from the Bruttii with recruits and elephants brought from Carthage.  Having encamped not far from the place, every thing, upon examination, was found to be widely different from what he had heard from the ambassadors of the allies.  For Marcellus was doing nothing, in such a way that he could be said to have committed himself rashly either to fortune or to the enemy.  He had gone out on plundering expeditions, having previously reconnoitred, planted strong guards, and secured a retreat; the same caution was observed and the same provisions made, as if Hannibal were present.  At this time, when he perceived the enemy on the approach, he kept his forces within the walls, ordered the senators of Nola to patrol the walls, and explore on all hands what was doing among the enemy.  Of these Herennius Bassus and Herius Petrius, having been invited by Hanno, who had come up to the wall, to a conference, and gone out with the permission of Marcellus, were thus addressed by him, through an interpreter.  After extolling the valour and good fortune of Hannibal, and vilifying the majesty of the Roman people, which he represented as sinking into decrepitude with their