Volume 4

General biography, or, lives, critical and historical of the most eminent persons of all ages, countries, conditions, and professions / chiefly composed by John Aikin and the late Rev. William Enfield.

  • Aikin, John, 1747-1822.
Date:
[1799-1851]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: General biography, or, lives, critical and historical of the most eminent persons of all ages, countries, conditions, and professions / chiefly composed by John Aikin and the late Rev. William Enfield. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    marched with a recruited army to meet the dreaded Carthaginian. It was, however, his plan to hazard nothing, but to hover round the enemy, watching all his motions, cutting off his convoys, and perpetually harassing him, while he himself with the main body remained in posts of safety. In this he steadily perse- vered, notwithstanding all the provocations of Hannibal, who became seriously alarmed at a mode of warfare which in the end must, he foresaw, prove his ruin. Fabius had at one time surrounded Hannibal in a narrow valley, the only outlet of which he had secured by a body of men placed in ambuscade; but that crafty general extricated himself by a stratagem, and afterwards poured upon the rich plains of Cam- pania, which he ravaged with merciless fury. In order, however, to throw suspicion upon Fabius, he carefully spared and protected his lands in the general devastation. The Romans now became highly dissatisfied with the dicta- tor’s conduct, imputing his extreme caution either to timidity or bad faith. They recalled him to Rome on the pretext of a solemn sacri- fice ; and they refused to ratify a convention for the mutual exchange and ransom of pri- soners which he had made with Hannibal. Fa- bius, who was a strict observer of his engage- ments, finding himself indebted to the Cartha- ginians for some released captives, sent orders to his son to sell his lands in order to raise the money. On departing from the army he had left peremptory orders with Minucius not to fight; but that officer, as soon as he was gone, sent out some strong detachments which were successful in cutting off a number of the ene- my’s foragers. The news of this advantage, in- dustriously spread and magnified at Rome, in- flamed the public discontent against Fabius, and one of the tribunes in a virulent harangue charg- ed him with treachery. The dictator made no other reply than saying with dignity, “ Fabius cannot be suspected by his country and he publicly declared his intention of punishing the master of the horse for his disobedience. In order to prevent this, the people passed an un- precedented order, confirmed by the senate, equalling Minucius in the command with Fabius. When the latter returned to the camp, Minu- cius proposed that they should command on al- ternate days; but Fabius would not consent thus to put the whole army to the hazard of rashness, and in consequence they divided the forces between them. Minucius was soon cir- cumvented by the arts of Hannibal, and would have been entirely cut off, had not Fabius de- scended from the mountains and rescued him. .On this occasion, whatever honour Minucius might lose as a general, he recovered as a man. At the head of his soldiers he returned Fabius thanks for his deliverance, called him father, declared his own incapacity for the command, and resigned his authority into the hands of the dictator. Fabius had too much magnanimity to upbraid him for his temerity, but embraced him, and continued him in the post of master of the horse. When the time of the dictator- ship was expired, he left his example and ad- vice to the consul Paulus AEmilius, who could not, however, restrain that rashness of his col* league Terentius Varro, which brought on the fatal battle of Cannae. ASmilius when expiring requested a friend to acquaint Fabius that he had never ceased to follow his counsel, and was in- nocent of this misfortune. This dreadful over- throw, as it justified the prudence and caution of Fabius, so it augmented his authority in Rome ; and all looked to him for direction in the measures proper to be pursued. He gave an admirable example of that steady fortitude which belongs to a calm temper, and is not af- fected by changes of fortune. Fie appeared in public with a firm and placid countenance, en- couraged the desponding, checked the public lamentations, and provided for the safety of the city. In the ensuing years of the war, he was- thrice created consul, and once served as lieu- tenant under his son when consul. In all his campaigns he pursued his original policy of de- fensive war, and thus contributed to wear out the foe, while the more adventurous Marcellus kept him in continual alarm, and gained fre- quent advantages over him. The Romans dis- tinguished the respective merits of their two great commanders, by calling one their shieldr and the other their sivord. The most consi- derable action of Fabius was his recovery of Tarentum, which had been betrayed to Flanni- bal. In this he was assisted by the treachery of the Bruttian commander in garrison, who ad- mitted the Romans into the place. The suc- cess was sullied by an indiscriminate slaughter of the defenders, and by great severity towards the inhabitants, who were sold for slaves, after being stripped of all their wealth. Fabius, who was a Roman of the old stamp, void of know- ledge and taste in the fine arts, while collecting with great care all the gold and silver for the public treasury, paid no attention to the ad- mirable pictures and statues which adorned that Grecian colony. When asked by his ques- tor what should be done with them, “ Let us leave,” said he, “ to the Tarentines their angry gods.” He carried away, however, a colossal