st obtained, and by the hopes of more; and it
reconciled all the principal persons of Carthage to Hannibal, by the large
presents he made to them out of the spoils.

Words could never express the grief and consternation with which the
melancholy news of the capture and cruel fate of Saguntum was received at
Rome.(719) Compassion for this unfortunate city, shame for having failed
to succour such faithful allies, a just indignation against the
Carthaginians, the authors of all these calamities; a strong alarm raised
by the successes of Hannibal, whom the Romans fancied they saw already at
their gates; all these sentiments caused so violent an emotion, that
during the first moments of their agitation, the Romans were unable to
come to any resolution, or do any thing but give way to the torrent of
their passion, and sacrifice floods of tears to the memory of a city which
fell the victim of its inviolable fidelity(720) to the Romans, and had
been betrayed by their unaccountable indolence and imprudent delays. When
they were a little recovered, an assembly of the people was called, and
war was decreed unanimously against the Carthaginians.

_War proclaimed._--That no ceremony might be wanting, deputies were sent to
Carthage, to inquire whether Saguntum had been besieged by order of the
republic, and if so, to declare war; or, in case this siege had been
undertaken solely by the authority of Hannibal, to require that he should
be delivered up to the Romans.(721) The deputies perceiving that the
senate gave no direct answer to their demands, one of them taking up the
folded lappet of his robe, "I bring here," says he, in a haughty tone,
"either peace or war; the choice is left to yourselves." The senate
answering, that they left the choice to him: "I give you war then," says
he, unfolding his robe. "And we," replied the Carthaginians, with the same
haughtiness, "as heartily accept it, and are resolved to prosecute it with
the same cheerfulness." Such was the beginning of the second Punic war.

If the cause of this war should be ascribed to the taking of Saguntum, the
whole blame, says Polybius,(722) lies upon the Carthaginians, who could
not, with any colourable pretence, besiege a city that was in alliance
with Rome, and, as such, comprehended in the treaty, which forbade either
party to make war upon the allies of the other. But, should the origin of
this war be traced higher, and carried back to the time when the
Carthagini