# CHAPTER XX —_How one humane act availed more with the men of Falerii,

CHAPTER XX.—_How one humane act availed more with the men of Falerii,
than all the might of the Roman Arms._


When the besieging army of the Romans lay round Falerii, the master of
a school wherein the best-born youths of the city were taught, thinking
to curry favour with Camillus and the Romans, came forth from the town
with these boys, on pretence of giving them exercise, and bringing them
into the camp where Camillus was, presented them to him, saying, “_To
ransom these that city would yield itself into your hands._” Camillus,
however, not only rejected this offer, but causing the schoolmaster to
be stripped and his hands tied behind him, gave each of the boys a
scourge, and bade them lead the fellow back to the town scourging him
as they went. When the citizens of Falerii heard of this, so much were
they pleased with the humanity and integrity of Camillus, that they
resolved to surrender their town to him without further defence.

This authentic instance may lead us to believe that a humane and kindly
action may sometimes touch men’s minds more nearly than a harsh and
cruel one; and that those cities and provinces into which the
instruments and engines of war, with every other violence to which men
resort, have failed to force a way, may be thrown open to a single act
of tenderness, mercy, chastity, or generosity. Whereof history supplies
us with many examples besides the one which I have just now noticed.
For we find that when the arms of Rome were powerless to drive Pyrrhus
out of Italy, he was moved to depart by the generosity of Fabritius in
disclosing to him the proposal which his slave had made the Romans to
poison him. Again, we read how Scipio gained less reputation in Spain
by the capture of New Carthage, than by his virtue in restoring a young
and beautiful wife unviolated to her husband; the fame of which action
won him the love of the whole province. We see, too, how much this
generous temper is esteemed by a people in its great men; and how much
it is praised by historians and by those who write the lives of
princes, as well as by those who lay down rules of human conduct. Among
whom Xenophon has taken great pains to show what honours, and
victories, and how fair a fame accrued to Cyrus from his being kindly
and gracious, without taint of pride, or cruelty, or luxury, or any
other of those vices which cast a stain upon men’s lives.

And yet when we note that Hannibal, by methods wholly opposite to
these, achieved splendid victories and a great renown, I think I am
bound to say something in my next Chapter as to how this happened.