Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/98

72 72 italiajs wars. PART iiibal, ^^ ill a battle, which, though fought with far — ^ — greater numbers, was not so decisive in its con- sequences as that which the same scenes w^ere to witness in a few hours. The coincidence is cer- tainly singular ; and one might almost fancy that the actors in these fearful tragedies, unwilling to deface the fair haunts of civilization, had purposely sought a more fitting theatre in this obscure and sequestered region. Distress of Thc wcathcr, although only at the latter end of the troops. ' o ./ April, was extremely sultry ; the troops, notwith- standing Gonsalvo's orders on crossing the river Ofanto, the ancient Aufidus, had failed to supply themselves with sufficient water for the march ; parched with heat and dust, they were soon dis- tressed by excessive thirst ; and, as the burning rays of the noontide sun beat fiercely on their heads, many of them, especially those cased in heavy armour, sunk down on the road, fainting with exhaustion and fatigue. Gonsalvo was seen in every quarter, administering to the necessities of his men, and striving to reanimate their drooping 16 Neither Polybius (lib. 3, sec. the Aiifidus, the modern Ofanto, 24, et seq.), nor Livy (Hist. lib. 22, between three and four miles below cap. 43-50.), who give the most Canusiiim ; and notices the modern circumstantial narratives of the bat- hamlet of nearly the same name, tie, are precise enough to enable us Canne, where common tradition to ascertain the exact spot in which recognises the ruins of tlic ancient it was fought. Strabo, in his topo- town. (Italia Antiqna, lib. 4, cap. graphical notices of this part of 12, sec. 8.) D'Anville makes no Italy, briefly alludes to " the atlair difficulty in identifying these two, of Cannic"- (ra a-sfJ Ka'»vaj), witii- (G^ograpiiic Ancienne, Abr^g^e, out any description of ihe scene of torn. i. p. 208.) having laid down action. (Geog., lib. 6, p. 285.) the ancient town in Iris maps in the Cluverius fixes the site of the an- direct line, and abotit midway, be- cicnt Cannae on the right baid< of twecn Barleta and Ccrignola.