prepared for defence, and still more the
confidence which she showed by despatching Marcellus with his legion to
Canusium instead of retaining him for the defence of the city, show a
national spirit and manliness worthy of the highest admiration. Varro
was ordered to hand over his command to Marcellus, and to return to Rome
to answer before the senate for his conduct.

Varro doubted not that his sentence would be death, for the Romans,
like the Carthaginians, had but little mercy for a defeated general. His
colleague and his army had undoubtedly been sacrificed by his rashness.
Moreover, the senate was composed of his bitter political enemies, and
he could not hope that a lenient view would be taken of his conduct.
Nevertheless Varro returned to Rome and appeared before the senate. That
body nobly responded to the confidence manifested in it; party feeling
was suspended, the political adversary, the defeated general, were alike
forgotten, it was only remembered how Varro had rallied his troops, how
he had allayed the panic which prevailed among them, and had at once
restored order and discipline. His courage, too, in thus appearing,
after so great a disaster, to submit himself to the judgment of the
country, counted in his favour. His faults were condoned, and the senate
publicly thanked him, because he had not despaired of the commonwealth.

Hannibal, in pursuance of his policy to detach the allies of Italy from
Rome, dismissed all the Italian prisoners without ransom. The Roman
prisoners he offered to admit to ransom, and a deputation of them
accompanied an ambassador to offer terms of peace. The senate, however,
not only refused to discuss any terms of peace, but absolutely forbade
the families and friends of the prisoners to ransom them, thinking it
politic neither to enrich their adversary nor to show indulgence to
soldiers who had surrendered to the enemy.

The victory of Cannae and Hannibal's clemency began to bear the effects
which he hoped for. Apulia declared for him at once, and the towns
of Arpi and Celapia opened their gates to him; Bruttium, Lucania, and
Samnium were ready to follow. Mago with one division of the army was
sent into Bruttium to take possession of such towns as might submit.
Hanno was sent with another division to do the same in Lucania. Hannibal
himself marched into Samnium, and making an alliance with the tribes,
there stored his plunder, and proceeded into Campania, and entered
Capua,