50. 5020 What shall we say then? Was Hannibal, that famous Carthaginian, an enemy strong and powerful, before whom the fortunes of Rome trembled in doubt and uncertainty, and its greatness shook—was he driven from Italy by a stone? 5021 was he subdued by a stone? was he made fearful, and timid, and unlike himself by a stone? And with regard to Rome’s again springing to the height of power and royal supremacy, was nothing done by wisdom, nothing by the strength of men; and, in returning to its former eminence, was no assistance given by so many and so great leaders by their military skill, or by their acquaintance with affairs? Did the stone give strength to some, feebleness to others? Did it hurl these down from success, raise the fortunes of others which seemed hopelessly overthrown? And what man will believe that a stone taken from the earth, having 5022 no feeling, of sooty colour and dark 5023 body, was the mother of the gods? or who, again, would listen to this,—for this is the only alternative,—that the power 5024 of any deity dwelt in pieces of flint, within 5025 its mass, 5026 and hidden in its veins? And how was the victory procured if there was no deity in the Pessinuntine stone? We may say, by the zeal and valour of the soldiers, by practice, time, wisdom, reason; we may say , by fate also, and the alternating fickleness of fortune. But if the state of affairs was improved, and success and victory were regained, by the stone’s assistance, where was the Phrygian mother at the time when the commonwealth was bowed down by the slaughter of so many and so great armies, and was in danger of utter ruin? Why did she not thrust herself before the threatening, the strong enemy ? Why did she not crush and re pel assaults 5027 so terrible before these awful blows fell, by which all the blood was shed, and the life even failed, the vitals being almost exhausted? She had not been brought yet, says my opponent , nor asked to show favour. Be it so; 5028 but a kind helper never requires to be asked, always offering assistance of his own accord. She was not able, you say , to expel the enemy and put him to flight, while still separated from Italy 5029 by much sea and land. But to a deity, if really one, 5030 nothing whatever is remote, to whom the earth is a point, and by whose nod all things have been established. 5020     47 in Orelli. 5021     Lit., “did a stone drive,” etc. 5022     Lit. “moved by.” 5023     So the ms. and edd.; but, on account of the unnecessary repetition, Ursinus proposed to delete atri . Unger ( Anal. Propert. , p. 87) has suggested very happily arti —“of confined, i.e., small body.’” 5024     Vim , suggested by Orelli, and adopted by Hild. and Oehler. 5025     Lit., “subjected to.” 5026     So Hild. and Oehler, reading moli for the unintelligible ms. more . 5027     Lit., “so great assaults of war.” 5028     So Oehler, adding -o to the ms. est . The word immediately preceding is in the ms. pavorem —“panic,” which is of course utterly out of place, and is therefore corrected, as above, f- in all edd., except 1st, Ursinus, and Hild. 5029     So— ab Italia —Oehler has admirably emended the ms. habitabilia. 5030     Lit., “if he is.”