At this time, moreover, Laevinus made friends with the AEtolians, who were allies of Philip; and when Philip had advanced as far as Corcyra he scared him away again so that the king returned to Macedonia with speed.

[Sidenote:  B.C. 210 (a.u. 544)] IX, 7.—­The people of Rome sent Gaius Claudius Nero with soldiers into Spain.  He followed the line of the coast with his fleet as far as the Iber, where he found the remainder of the Roman forces and confronted Hasdrubal before his presence had been made known.  He enclosed the Carthaginians securely but was then cheated out of the advantage gained.  Hasdrubal, seeing that he was cut off, sent heralds to Nero proposing to give up the whole of Spain and leave the country.  Nero gladly accepted the offer and his opponent postponed the settlement of the terms to the following day.  That night Hasdrubal quietly sent out a number of his men to various parts of the mountains, and they got safely away because the Romans, in expectation of a truce, were not keeping any guard.  The next day he held a conference with Nero but used up the whole time without fixing upon anything definitely.  That night he sent off other men in like manner.  This he did similarly on several other days while disputing about some points in the treaty.  When the entire infantry had gone in advance, he himself at last with the cavalry and elephants silently slipped away.  He reached a place of safety and managed to make himself a source of anxiety to Nero subsequently.

On learning this the people of Rome condemned Nero and voted to entrust the leadership to somebody else.  And they were at a loss whom to send, for the situation required no ordinary man and many were breaking away from allegiance on account of the untimely fate of the Scipios. [Sidenote:  FRAG. 56^37] THEREUPON THE FAMOUS PUBLIUS SCIPIO, WHO SAVED HIS WOUNDED FATHER, OFFERED HIMSELF VOLUNTARILY FOR THE WORK OF THE CAMPAIGN.  HE SURPASSED IN EXCELLENCE AND WAS ALSO RENOWNED FOR HIS EDUCATION.  He was chosen forthwith, but his supporters not long after regretted their action because of his youth (he was in his twenty-fourth year) and because his house was in mourning for the loss of his father and uncle.  Accordingly he made a second public appearance and delivered a speech; and his words put the senators to shame, so that they did not, to be sure, release him from his command, but sent Marcus Junius, an elderly man, to accompany him.

After these events matters progressed without catastrophes for the Romans and gradually grew better.  Marcellus after his acquittal before the court had set out against Hannibal and was making nearly everything safe, though he was afraid to risk an engagement with men driven to desperation.  At any time that he was forced into a combat he came out victorious as the result of prudence mingled with daring.  Hannibal now undertook to inflict injury upon those regions which he was unable to occupy, being influenced by the reasons aforementioned as also by the fact that the cities in his alliance had either abandoned him or were intending to do so, and by some other causes.  He hurt a great many and several towns deserted to the Romans for this reason.