sunrise, the enemy approached the rampart: before the second
hour, without hazarding any contest, they delivered up their arms and
themselves. Here is their military service for you during two days.
When they ought to have stood firm in array and fight on, then they
fled back into their camp; when they ought to have fought before their
rampart, they delivered up their camp: good for nothing, either in the
field or the camp. I redeem you. When you ought to sally from the
camp, you linger and hesitate; and when you ought to stay and protect
your camp in arms, you surrender the camp, your arms, and yourselves
to the enemy. I am of opinion, conscript fathers, that these men
should no more be ransomed, than that those should be surrendered to
Hannibal, who sallied from the camp through the midst of the enemy,
and, with the most distinguished courage, restored themselves to their
country."

61. After Manlius had thus spoken, notwithstanding the captives were
related to many even of the senators, besides the practice of the
state, which had never shown favour to captives, even from the
remotest times, the sum of money also influenced them: for they were
neither willing to drain the treasury, a large sum of money having
been already issued for buying and arming slaves to serve in the war,
nor to enrich Hannibal, who, according to report, was particularly in
want of this very thing. The sad reply, that the captives would not be
ransomed, being delivered, and fresh grief being added to the former
on account of the loss of so many citizens, the people accompanied the
deputies to the gate with copious tears and lamentations. One of them
went home, because he had evaded his oath by artfully returning to the
camp. But when this was known and laid before the senate, they all
resolved that he should be apprehended and conveyed to Hannibal by
guards, furnished by the state. There is another account respecting
the prisoners, that ten came first, and that, the senate hesitating
whether they should be admitted into the city or not, they were
admitted, on the understanding that they should not have an audience
of the senate. That when these staid longer than the expectation of
all, three more came, Scribonius, Calpurnius, and Manlius. That then
at length a tribune of the people, a relation of Scribonius, laid
before the senate the redemption of the captives, and that they
resolved that they should not be ransomed. That the three last
deput