![]() ![]() § 8.36.14 All men are by nature so constituted as to grieve more over insults offered them than they rejoice over benefits conferred upon them therefore they attack those who have injured them more readily than they requite those who have shown them kindness. And in order to make sure that the articles of the agreement were ratified also by the senate, they retained six hundred of the knights as hostages. They killed none of them, however, but took away their arms and horses and everything else they had save one garment, and released them, thus stripped of their possessions, under an agreement that they should leave Samnite territory and be their allies on an equal footing. The nature of the yoke has already been described by me above. For the Samnites, who were badly frightened and thought their failure to gain terms a calamity, fought with desperation and by planting an ambuscade in a rather narrow valley they both captured the camp and seized alive the whole force of the Romans, all of whom they sent under the yoke. Thus the Romans, expecting in their extreme arrogance to capture them all at the first blow, succumbed to a terrible disaster. Yet they did not obtain the desired peace, being accounted untrustworthy instead, the victors, though they had received the prisoners, voted for relentless war against them. They sent them all the captives that they had, and ascribed the responsibility for the war to Rutulus, a man of great influence among them and since he had anticipated their vengeance by destroying himself, they scattered abroad his bones. They were attacked anew by the dictator Aulus Cornelius, and being defeated, made proposals for peace to the men at Rome. But when he had resigned his command they again rose in arms. ![]() After this Papirius, as dictator, with Fabius Rullus, as master of the horse, was sent out against the Samnites and by defeating them compelled them to agree to such terms as he wished. One of these leaders was Lucius Papirius, also called Cursor from his physical prowess (he was a very fleet runner) and on account of his practising running. So great a reversal of fortune did they experience. ![]() The Romans, who were so extremely arrogant as to vote that they would not again receive a herald from the Samnites in the matter of peace and moreover expected to capture them all at the first blow, succumbed to a terrible disaster and incurred disgrace as never before while the enemy, who were badly frightened to begin with, and thought their failure to gain terms a great calamity, captured alive the entire Roman army, and sent them all under the yoke. § 8.36.10 Among the many events of human history that might give one cause for wonder must certainly be reckoned what occurred at this time. ![]()
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