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But among all the disasters of the second Punic war, there occurred
none more lamentable, or calculated to excite deeper complaint, than
the fate of the Saguntines. This city of Spain, eminently friendly
to Rome, was destroyed by its fidelity to the Roman people. For
when Hannibal had broken treaty with the Romans, he sought occasion
for provoking them to war, and accordingly made a fierce assault upon
Saguntum. When this was reported at Rome, ambassadors were sent to
Hannibal, urging him to raise the siege; and when this remonstrance
was neglected, they proceeded to Carthage, lodged complaint against
the breaking of the treaty,and returned to Rome without accomplishing
their object. Meanwhile the siege went on; and in the eighth or ninth
month, this opulent but ill-fated city, dear as it was to its own
state and to Rome, was taken, and subjected to treatment which one
cannot read, much less narrate, without horror. And yet, because it
bears directly on the matter in hand, I will briefly touch upon it.
First, then, famine wasted the Saguntines, so that even human
corpses were eaten by some: so at least it is recorded.
Subsequently, when thoroughly worn out, that they might at least
escape the ignominy of falling into the hands of Hannibal, they
publicly erected a huge funeral pile, and cast themselves into its
flames, while at the same time they slew their children and themselves
with the sword. Could these gods, these debauchees and gourmands,
whose mouths water for fat sacrifices, and whose lips utter lying
divinations, could they not do anything in a case like this? Could
they not interfere for the preservation of a city closely allied to the
Roman people, or prevent it perishing for its fidelity to that
alliance of which they themselves had been the mediators? Saguntum,
faithfully keeping the treaty it had entered into before these gods,
and to which it had firmly bound itself by an oath, was besieged,
taken, and destroyed by a perjured person. If afterwards, when
Hannibal was close to the walls of Rome, it was the gods who
terrified him with lightning and tempest, and drove him to a distance,
why, I ask, did they not thus interfere before? For I make bold to
say, that this demonstration with the tempest would have been more
honorably made in defence of the allies of Rome, who were in danger on
account of their reluctance to break faith with the Romans, and had no
resources of their own, than in defence of the Romans themselves, who
were fighting in their own cause, and had abundant resources to oppose
Hannibal. If, then, they had been the guardians of Roman
prosperity and glory, they would have preserved that glory from the
stain of this Saguntine disaster; and how silly it is to believe that
Rome was preserved from destruction at the hands of Hannibal by the
guardian care of those gods who were unable to rescue the city of
Saguntum from perishing through its fidelity to the alliance of Rome.
If the population of Saguntum had been Christian, and had suffered
as it did for the Christian faith (though, of course, Christians
would not have used fire and sword against their own persons), they
would have suffered with that hope which springs from faith in Christ,
the hope not of a brief temporal reward, but of unending and eternal
bliss. What, then, will the advocates and apologists of these gods
say in their defence, when charged with the blood of these
Saguntines; for they are professedly worshipped and invoked for this
very purpose of securing prosperity in this fleeting and transitory
life? Can anything be said but what was alleged in the case of
Regulus' death? For though there is a difference between the two
cases, the one being an individual, the other a whole community, yet
the cause of destruction was in both cases the keeping of their plighted
troth. For it was this which made Regulus willing to return to his
enemies, and this which made the Saguntines unwilling to revolt to
their enemies. Does, then, the keeping of faith provoke the gods to
anger? Or is it possible that not only individuals, but even entire
communities, perish while the gods are propitious to them? Let our
adversaries choose which alternative they will. If, on the one hand,
those gods are enraged at the keeping of faith, let them enlist
perjured persons as their worshippers. If, on the other hand, men
and states can suffer great and terrible calamities, and at last perish
while favored by the gods, then does their worship not produce
happiness as its fruit. Let those, therefore, who suppose that they
have fallen into distress because their religious worship has been
abolished, lay aside their anger; for it were quite possible that did
the gods not only remain with them, but regard them with favor, they
might yet be left to mourn an unhappy lot, or might, even like
Regulus and the Saguntines, be horribly tormented, and at last
perish miserably.
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