More elephants were killed by their drivers than by the enemy. They had a.carpenter's chisel and a mallet, and when the maddened beasts rushed among their own side the driver placed the chisel between the ears just where the head is joined to the neck and drove it home with all his might. This was the quickest .method that had been discovered of putting these huge animals to death when there was no hope of controlling them, and Hasdrubal was the first to int )duce it. Often had this commander distinzuished himself in other battles, but never more than in this one. He kept up the spirits of his men as they fought by words of encouragement and by sharing their dangers,.，，when, weary and dispirite d，hi they would no longer ngnt, he rexmaiea their courage s entreaties and reproaches; he rallied those in flight and .bo节 yft由 en revived the battle where it had been abandoned. At last en the fortune
sed to survive
by the magic of the day was decisively with the enemy he refuthat great army which had followed him, drawnof his name, and setting spurs to his horse dasRoman cohort. There he fell fighting -a dea hed against a
th worthy of Hamilcar's son and Hannibal's brother.
Never during the whole of the war had so many of the enemy perished in a single battle. The death of the commander and the destruction of his army were regarded as an adequate repaym ent for the disaster of Cannae. 56,ooo of the enemy were killed, 5400 taken prisoners, and a great quantity of plunder was secured, especially of gold and silver. Above 30oo Romans who had been uredbytheenemywererecovered,ured by the enemy were recovered.and this was some cons on for the losses incurred in the battle For the victory was by no means a bloodless one;about 8000 Romans and allies were killed. So satiated were the victors with bloodshed and carnage that when it was reported to Livius
Ly that the Cisalpine Gauls and Ligurians who had taken no part in the battle or had escaped from thefield were marching off in a body without general or standardsor any one to give the word of command, and that a singlesquadron of cavalry could wipe out the whole lot, the consul" Let some survive to carry the news of their defeat
The Greek stands ready in the workroom; the English is served. Both faces will read together.
battle of Cannae — a deed Hamilcar — a candidate entry Hannibal — a life Hasdrubal — a candidate entry
The History of Rome, Livy — translated by Rev. Canon Roberts, 1912
Apparatus shelf + pinned Wikisource — Livy, The History of Rome (Rev. Canon Roberts translation, Everyman's Library) · Rev. Canon Roberts, Everyman's Library (J. M. Dent & Sons / E. P. Dutton), first issue 1912; six volumes
license: public-domain (the Roberts translation's Everyman first issue is 1912, pre-1930; Wikisource dates the translation 1905 — either way decades inside the US public domain; digital-door text carries no additional rights)