---
title: "Seven Books of History against the Pagans"
author: "Paulus Orosius"
translator: "S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)"
title_ru: "История против язычников"
title_fr: "Histoires contre les païens"
title_de: "Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 81 of 177
url: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/81/
cite: "Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026), Seven Books of History against the Pagans, section 81. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/81/"
---

# Seven Books of History against the Pagans

*Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)*

Russian: История против язычников · French: Histoires contre les païens · German: Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden

Augustine's pupil tells the whole of world history to prove that the Christian times are not the worst.

## 81. Book 4 · Chapter 16

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/81/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/81/#p-N

[¶0] In the year 540 from the founding of the City, the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paulus and Publius Terentius Varro, sent against Hannibal, through the impatience of the consul Varro most unhappily lost, at Cannae, a village of Apulia, almost all the strength on which Rome’s hope rested.

> Latin: 1 Anno ab urbe condita DXL L. Aemilius Paulus et P. Terentius Varro consules contra Hannibalem missi inpatientia Varronis consulis infelicissime apud Cannas Apuliae uicum omnes paene Romanae spei uires perdiderunt.

*Note: The colleague of Aemilius Paulus at Cannae was Gaius Terentius Varro; Orosius gives the praenomen Publius.*

[¶1] For in that battle forty-four thousand Romans were killed, although a great part of Hannibal’s army was slain as well. Yet in no Punic war were the Romans brought so near to the utmost extremity of annihilation.

> Latin: 2 nam in ea pugna XLIIII milia Romanorum interfecta sunt, quamquam et de exercitu Hannibalis magna pars caesa est. nullo tamen Punico bello Romani adeo ad extrema internecionis adducti sunt.

[¶2] For in it the consul Aemilius Paulus perished; 20 men of consular or praetorian rank were killed; 30 senators were either captured or slain, along with 300 men of noble birth, 40,000 foot soldiers and 3,500 horsemen. The consul Varro fled with fifty horsemen to Venusia.

> Latin: 3 periit enim in eo consul Aemilius Paulus, consulares aut praetorii uiri uiginti interfecti sunt, senatores uel capti uel occisi sunt triginta, nobiles uiri trecenti, pedestrium militum XL milia, equitum tria milia quingenti. Varro consul cum quinquaginta equitibus Venusium fugit.

[¶3] Nor is there any doubt that that would have been the last day of the Roman state, had Hannibal pressed on immediately after the victory to invade the City.

> Latin: 4 nec dubium est ultimum illum diem Romani status futurum fuisse, si Hannibal mox post uictoriam ad peruadendam urbem contendisset.

[¶4] Hannibal, in testimony of his victory, sent to Carthage three modii of gold rings, which he had drawn from the hands of the slain Roman knights and senators.

> Latin: 5 Hannibal in testimonium uictoriae suae tres modios anulorum aureorum Carthaginem misit, quos ex manibus interfectorum equitum Romanorum senatorumque detraxerat.

[¶5] So utter was the despair for the commonwealth among the surviving Romans that the senators thought counsel must be taken about abandoning Italy and seeking new homes. And this would have been ratified, on the motion of Caecilius Metellus, had not Cornelius Scipio, then a military tribune — the same who was afterwards Africanus — deterred them with drawn sword, and compelled them instead to swear after his words to defend the fatherland.

> Latin: 6 usque adeo autem ultima desperatio reipublicae apud residuos Romanos fuit, ut senatores de relinquenda Italia sedibusque quaerendis consilium ineundum putarint. quod auctore Caecilio Metello confirmatum fuisset, nisi Cornelius Scipio tribunus tunc militum, idem qui post Africanus, destricto gladio deterruisset ac potius pro patriae defensione in sua uerba iurare coegisset.

[¶6] The Romans, daring to breathe again towards the hope of life as though from the underworld, appointed Decimus Junius dictator; holding a levy from the age of seventeen, he gathered from every quarter four legions of immature and undisciplined soldiery.

> Latin: 7 Romani ad spem uitae quasi ab inferis respirare ausi dictatorem Decimum Iunium creant: qui dilectu habito ab annis decem et septem immaturae inordinataeque militiae quattuor legiones undecumque contraxit.

*Note: The dictator appointed after Cannae was Marcus Junius Pera; Orosius gives the praenomen Decimus.*

[¶7] Then also he bound by the military oath slaves of proven strength and willingness, either offered by their masters or, where it was necessary, bought at public expense, under the title of freedom. The arms that were lacking they took down from the temples; private wealth was poured back into the needy treasury. So the equestrian order, so the frightened plebs, forgetting their partisan interests, took counsel for the common good.

> Latin: 8 tunc etiam seruos spectati roboris ac uoluntatis uel oblatos uel, si ita opus fuit, publico pretio emptos sub titulo libertatis sacramento militiae adegit. arma, quae deerant, templis detraxerunt, egenti aerario priuatae opes refusae sunt. ita equester ordo, ita plebs trepida oblita studiorum in commune consuluit.

[¶8] Junius the dictator, too, recalling an ancient deed of Roman misery, threw open, as it were, an asylum by edict to make up the army, and, promising impunity, enlisted in the army whatever men were liable for crimes and debts; their number came to some six thousand men.

> Latin: 9 Iunius quoque dictator antiquum Romanae miseriae factum recolens, pro supplemento exercitus edicto uelut asylo patefacto homines quicumque sceleribus ac debitis obnoxii essent impunitate promissa militiae mancipauit; quorum numerus ad sex milia uirorum fuit.

[¶9] But Campania, or rather all Italy, despairing utterly of the recovery of the Roman state, went over to Hannibal.

> Latin: 10 Campania uero uel potius omnis Italia ad Hannibalem desperata penitus Romani status reparatione defecit.

[¶10] After this the praetor Lucius Postumius, sent to fight against the Gauls, was slaughtered with his army.

> Latin: 11 post hoc L. Postumius praetor aduersus Gallos pugnare missus cum exercitu caesus est.

[¶11] Then, in the consulship of Sempronius Gracchus and Quintus Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus, appointed proconsul after his praetorship, routed the army of Hannibal in battle, and was the first, after such great ruins of the commonwealth, to give hope that Hannibal could be overcome.

> Latin: 12 Deinde Sempronio Graccho Q. Fabio Maximo consulibus Claudius Marcellus ex praetore proconsule designatus Hannibalis exercitum proelio fudit primusque post tantas reipublicae ruinas spem fecit Hannibalem posse superari.

[¶12] The Scipios, meanwhile, in Spain crushed in a most grievous war Hasdrubal, the general of the Carthaginians, who was assembling an army for Italy; for they reduced his army by thirty-five thousand soldiers, either slain or captured.

> Latin: 13 Scipiones autem in Hispania Hasdrubalem Poenorum imperatorem ad Italiam exercitum conparantem grauissimo bello oppresserunt; nam XXXV milia militum de exercitu eius uel caede uel captione minuerunt.

[¶13] Celtiberian soldiers — the first foreign band that the Romans began to have in their camps — they enticed with pay away from alliance with the enemy and brought into their own camp.

> Latin: 14 Celtiberos milites, quam primam externam manum Romani in castris habere coeperunt, pretio sollicitatos ab hostium societate in sua castra duxerunt.

[¶14] The proconsul Sempronius Gracchus was led into an ambush by a certain Lucanian, his host, and killed.

> Latin: 15 Sempronius Gracchus proconsule ab hospite suo Lucano quodam in insidias inductus occisus est.

[¶15] The centurion Centenius Paenula of his own accord asked that the war against Hannibal be assigned to him; he was slain by Hannibal together with the eight thousand soldiers whom he had led out into battle.

> Latin: 16 Centenius Paenula centurio decerni sibi ultro bellum aduersum Hannibalem petiit: a quo cum octo milibus militum, quos in aciem eduxerat, caesus est.

[¶16] After him the praetor Gnaeus Fulvius was defeated by Hannibal and, having lost his army, barely escaped.

> Latin: 17 post hunc Cn. Fuluius praetor ab Hannibale uictus amisso exercitu uix euasit.

[¶17] It is shameful to recall. For what shall I call it — the wickedness of the Romans, rather, or their misery? Nay, more truly, either a wicked misery or a miserable wickedness.

> Latin: 18 Pudet recordationis. quid enim dicam improbitatem magis an miseriam Romanorum? immo uerius uel improbam miseriam uel miseram improbitatem.

[¶18] Who would believe that at that time — when the treasury of the Roman people was begging a needy dole by private contribution; when the soldier in the camp was none other than a boy, a slave, a criminal or a debtor, and not even so sufficient in number; when the senate in the Curia seemed almost entirely new; when, finally, with everything so diminished and broken, there was such despair that a proposal to abandon Italy was entertained —

> Latin: 19 quis credat eo tempore, quo aerarium populi Romani egenam stipem priuata conlatione poscebat, miles in castris non nisi aut puer aut seruus aut sceleratus aut debitor et ne sic quidem numero idoneus erat, senatus in curia omnis paene nouicius uidebatur, postremo cum ita inminutis fractisque omnibus desperabatur, ut consilium de relinquenda Italia subiretur: -

[¶19] that at that time, when, as we have said, a single war at home could in no way be borne, three wars overseas were undertaken besides? One in Macedonia against Philip, the most powerful king of Macedonia; another in Spain against Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brother; a third in Sardinia against the Sardinians and the other Hasdrubal, a general of the Carthaginians; and besides these a fourth, that of Hannibal, by which they were hard pressed in Italy.

> Latin: 20 eo tempore, cum unum domesticum, ut diximus, bellum ferri nullo modo posset, tria insuper transmarina bella fuisse suscepta? unum in Macedonia contra Philippum potentissimum Macedoniae regem, alterum in Hispania contra Hasdrubalem Hannibalis fratrem, tertium in Sardinia contra Sardos et alterum Hasdrubalem Carthaginiensium ducem; extra hoc quartum Hannibalis, quo in Italia premebantur.

[¶20] And yet a despair resolute for either outcome advanced to better things: for in all these wars they fought in despair, and by fighting they conquered. From this it is clearly shown that the times then were not more tranquil with leisure, but that the men were braver amid miseries.

> Latin: 21 et tamen fortis in alterutrum desperatio in meliora profecit, nam in his omnibus desperando pugnarunt, pugnando uicerunt. ex quo euidenter ostenditur non tempora tunc fuisse tranquilliora otiis, sed homines miseriis fortiores.