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SILIUS ITALICUS
magnanimis regnata viris, clarum Ardea nomen.
libertas populis pacto servata decusque
maiorum, et Poenis urbi imperitare negatum. 295
Admovet abrupto flagrantia foedere ductor
Sidonius castra et latos quatit agmine campos.
ipse caput quassans circumlustravit anhelo
muros saevus equo, mensusque paventia tecta,
pandere iamdudum portas et cedere vallo 300
imperat, et longe clausis sua foedera, longe
Ausoniam fore, nee veniae spem Marte subactis ;
scita patrum et leges et iura fidemque deosque
in dextra nunc esse sua. verba ocius acer
intorto sancit iaculo figitque per arma 305
stantem pro muro et minitantem vana Caicum.
concidit exacti medius per viscera teli,
efFusisque simul praerupto ex aggere membris,
victori moriens tepefactam rettulit hastam.
at multo ducis exemplum clamore secuti 310
involvunt atra telorum moenia nube.
clara nee in numero virtus latet ; obvia quisque
ora duci portans, ceu solus bella capessit.
hie crebram fundit Baliari verbere glandem
terque levi ducta circum caput altus habena 315
permissum ventis abscondit in aere telum,
hie valido librat stridentia saxa lacerto,
" Daunia, properly a part of Apulia, is used here and elsewhere
by Silius as another name for Italy. Ardea was a
city in Latium, the capital of the Rutulians, and an important
place about the beginning of authentic history. Hence the
Saguntines are often called " Rutulians " by Silius.
" Here and often the " treaty " means the conditions of
peace dictated by Rome after the First Punic War.