taught, thinking to
curry favour with Camillus and the Romans, came forth from the town with
these boys, on pretence of giving them exercise, and bringing them into
the camp where Camillus was, presented them to him, saying, "_To ransom
these that city would yield itself into your hands._" Camillus, however,
not only rejected this offer, but causing the schoolmaster to be
stripped and his hands tied behind him, gave each of the boys a scourge,
and bade them lead the fellow back to the town scourging him as they
went. When the citizens of Falerii heard of this, so much were they
pleased with the humanity and integrity of Camillus, that they resolved
to surrender their town to him without further defence.

This authentic instance may lead us to believe that a humane and kindly
action may sometimes touch men's minds more nearly than a harsh
and cruel one; and that those cities and provinces into which the
instruments and engines of war, with every other violence to which men
resort, have failed to force a way, may be thrown open to a single act
of tenderness, mercy, chastity, or generosity. Whereof history supplies
us with many examples besides the one which I have just now noticed. For
we find that when the arms of Rome were powerless to drive Pyrrhus out
of Italy, he was moved to depart by the generosity of Fabritius in
disclosing to him the proposal which his slave had made the Romans to
poison him. Again, we read how Scipio gained less reputation in Spain by
the capture of New Carthage, than by his virtue in restoring a young and
beautiful wife unviolated to her husband; the fame of which action won
him the love of the whole province. We see, too, how much this generous
temper is esteemed by a people in its great men; and how much it is
praised by historians and by those who write the lives of princes,
as well as by those who lay down rules of human conduct. Among whom
Xenophon has taken great pains to show what honours, and victories, and
how fair a fame accrued to Cyrus from his being kindly and gracious,
without taint of pride, or cruelty, or luxury, or any other of those
vices which cast a stain upon men's lives.

And yet when we note that Hannibal, by methods wholly opposite to these,
achieved splendid victories and a great renown, I think I am bound to
say something in my next Chapter as to how this happened.

CHAPTER XXI.--_How it happened that Hannibal pursuing a course contrary
to that taken by Scipio,