[*] who by the immense spoils which he brought from thence, had long enriched the public [1] treasury, lett no other wealth to his children, than the ancient and moderate patrimonial estate, which he had received from his ancestors, without having increased it, says Plutarch, so much as by a single drachma. These were the entiments of the ancient Romans; nor was this noble disinterestedness the virtue of Paulus Æmilius alone, but that of his whole family, and, I might add, of almost all the great men of his time. When he had made himself master of the prodigious treasures which Perseus had scraped together, all the present he gave his son-in-law Tubero, was a silver cup of five ounces weight. Plutarch observes, that this cup was the first piece of silver plate that came into the Ælian family, and it was necessary that virtue and honour should introduce it at last. FABIUS MAXIMUS. [m] Polybius admirably describes the character of Fabius in few words; when relating what he thought of him after the great action by which he saved Minucius his rival and enemy, he says, that the Romans then evidently saw how great an advantage the prudence of a general, and a firm well grounded judginent have over the rashness and senseless presumption of a mere soldier. What indeed is principally to be admired in Fabius, and properly constitutes the general, are a prudent foresight, profound reasoning, a plan pursued, a design formed, not rashly, but upon fixed and certain principles, τρατηγική πρόνοια, καὶ λολισμὸς νενεχής; upon which quality [n] Polybius, in another place, makes the success of great actions to depend; ἐὰν οὖν νῷ τις πράτῃ τὸ προτεθὲν ; and which Fabius him [k] Bis millies centies HS. ærario contulit. Veil. Paterc. Liv. i. cap. 9. This sum might amount to five and twenty millions of the French money. [] The people of Rome were discharged from all taxes till the us. self says, ought to be the prevailing virtue in a general, [o] propediem effecturum, ut sciant homines, bono imperatori haud magni fortunam momenti esse, mentem rationemque dominari. "We ought so to "conduct ourselves, as to shew men, that no for"tune, but a sound mind and understanding are the "guides of a good general." To this first virtue Fabius added a second, still more peculiar to him, which was a firm adherence to the resolution he had once taken upon good reasons; a constancy which no future accident was capable of shaking, λογισμὸς ἐςώς. And Plutarch expresses himself almost in the same terms, by saying, that Fabius constantly persisted in his first designs and resolutions, nor could any thing alter his steadiness. Hannibal, who was a good judge of merit and military knowledge, soon did justice to Fabius, and began to fear, 1p] says Livy, when he saw that the Romans had sent a general against him, who made war not by accident, but by principle and rule; qui bellum ratione non fortunâ gereret. To comprehend aright the prudence of Fabius, we must take a view of the condition of the two armies. Hannibal had twice beaten the Romans. His troops, full of ardour and courage, were eager for battle. They were in an enemy's country, in want of money and provisions, their numbers daily decreasing, and all communication with Carthage cut off, so that they could have no supplies from thence. And thus their only refuge lay in victory. As for the Romans, the two preceding defeats had almost entirely discouraged them, and they were afraid to look the Carthaginians in the face. To lead them to battle in this disposition, was in effect to carry them to slaughter. It was neeessary by slight skirmishes to dispel their fears gradually; to restore their courage; to fill them with confidence; and enable them to support their ancient reputation. Besides, they wanted for neither provisions nor troops, and had supplies of every thing ready at [o] Liv. lib. xxii. n. 25. [p] Ib. n. 23. the the proper times. times. And this led Fabius to the wise resolution of not hazarding a, battle, spalnyin apóvoa xai λογισμός νυνεχής. But what steadiness of soul had he not occasion for in persevering constantly in this resolution! His enemies make a jest of him; his own officers and soldiers insult him; Rome in general declares against him by making the general of his horse equal to him, in authority in an unprecedented manner. Yet all does not move him. He continues firm as fate. Those railleries, insults, and injurious treatment, are no arguments, nor make any alteration in the situation of affairs; and before he changes his plan, he must be convinced by reason ; λογισμὸς ἐςὼς. The success fully justified his conduct. The justice his citizens, and his very enemies afterwards paid him, was a sufficient recompence for all the reports they had vented against him. And by consenting to pass but a small time for a coward, he has deserved to be considered by all succeeding times, as the wisest and most prudent general that Rome ever produced. Thus he made good the truth of what Livy says upon another occasion, that a seasonable contempt of glory is repaid with usury and advantage; [q] Spreta in tempore gloria etiam cumulatior redit. But what I think most admirable in Fabius, is the noble and generous manner of his behaviour towards a declared enemy, from whom he had received the most sensible affront: an action great indeed, as Plutarch observes, and wherein valour, prudence, and goodness were equally displayed. He might have let Minucius perish on the occasion in which his own rashness had engaged him, and have punished him by the hands of his enemies for the affront he had received from him. These would have been the sentiments of a little genius and a mean soul. Fabius flies to the assistance of his rival, and extricates him from his danger. Let us compare the glory which Fabius acquired by this action, the joy he felt in having saved the re[q] Liv. lib. ii. n. 47. public, public, the pleasure of seeing his enemy at his feet, acknowledging his fault, and the whole army saluting him their deliverer and father, with the base and shameful satisfaction of a revengeful person, who sacrifices every thing, and even the public, to his resentment. The conduct of Fabius towards Scipio does not appear so blameless and noble; and it is difficult to acquit his constant opposition to the design that young Roman had formed, of carrying the war into Africa, from all mixture of jealousy. There is reason to believe, says Plutarch, that he first opposed Scipio thro' an excess of prudence and precaution, as being alarmed at the danger to which he thought the republic was likely to be exposed; but that afterwards he too obstinately persisted in it, and went farther than he ought. instigated by an immoderate emulation to check the glory and greatness of a young general that gave him umbrage. There are several reasons to believe, that Fabius in this dispute acted more from passion than reason. He had at first used his utmost endeavours to engage Crassus, the colleague of Scipio, in the consulship, to insist upon his right of taking the provinces by lot, according to the custom; not voluntarily to give up to Scipio the command of the army in Sicily, and to be in readiness to pass himself into Africa, if it should be at last judged convenient. Not being able to succeed in his first attempt, he employed all his interest to prevent the funds necessary for the war from being assigned to Scipio; and when afterwards Scipio's enemies, whilst he was in Sicily laid their complaints against him before the senate, Fabius, without any examination, very injuriously and extravagantly advised to recat him immediately, and deprive him of the command. These complaints however were found to have no foundation. And lastly, when Scipio was passing into Africa, and Rome rung of his glorious actions and victories, the language and conduct of Fabius was still the saine, and he was not ashamed to demand that that a successor might be sent him, and for no other reason, says Plutarch, but this, That it was dangerous to confide matters of such consequence to the fortune of a single man, and that it was difficult for one, and the same general to be always alike successful. It cannot be denied but that Fabius was one of the greatest men that the Roman Republic ever produced, but these instances of jealousy and envy against the infant glory of a young warrior of such hopes, are a blot in his reputation, and a sensible proof of what we have elsewhere advanced, that nothing is more rare, nor at the same time more heroic, than to behold unmoved, or even with joy, the glorious actions and good successes of such as are engaged in the same pursuits with ourselves. A much greater degree of virtue was necessary in Fabius to defend himself against being jealous of a merit that might eclipse his own, than was necessary in the case of Minucius, for behaving with moderation towards his rival, over whom he found he had every advantage in point of merit. HANNIBAL AND SCIPIO. I have thought proper to join these two great men, and once more engage them in a war with each other, because both of them had virtues which were very much alike, by thus viewing them in the same light, it will be more easy to come at the knowledge of their characters, and to judge which of the two deserves the preference. I do not attempt however to make an exact comparison between them, but only to set down the principal circumstances relating to both. In this parallel I shall examine their military, moral, and political virtues; that which forms the great general, and that which makes the honest man.. I. MILITARY VIRTUES. 1. Extent of mind for forming and executing great Designs. I begin with this quality, because, properly speaking, it is that which makes great men, and has the largest |