ly
yielded and again pressed forward no less than seven distinct times.
The king's exchange of armour too, though it saved his life, yet very
nearly lost him the victory: for many attacked Megakles, and the man
who first struck him down, who was named Decius, snatched up his cloak
and helmet, and rode with them to Laevinus, displaying them and
shouting aloud that he had slain Pyrrhus. The Romans, when they saw
these spoils carried in triumph along their ranks, raised a joyful
cry, while the Greeks were correspondingly disheartened until Pyrrhus,
learning what had taken place, rode along the line with his head bare,
stretching out his hands to his soldiers and telling them that he was
safe. At length he was victorious, chiefly by means of a sudden charge
of his Thessalian horse on the Romans after they had been thrown into
disorder by the advance of the elephants. The Roman horses were
terrified at these animals, and long before they came near, ran away
with their riders in panic. The slaughter was very great: Dionysius
says that of the Romans there fell but little short of fifteen
thousand, but Hieronymus reduces this to seven thousand, while on
Pyrrhus's side there fell, according to Dionysius, thirteen thousand,
but according to Hieronymus less than four thousand. These however,
were the very flower of Pyrrhus's army; for he lost all his most
trusty officers, and his most intimate personal friends. Still, he
captured the Roman camp, which was abandoned by the enemy, induced
several of their allied cities to join him, plundered a vast extent of
country, and advanced within three hundred stades (less than forty
English miles) of Rome itself. After the battle many of the Lucanians
and Samnites came up; these allies he reproached for their dilatory
movements, but was evidently well pleased at having conquered the
great Roman army with no other forces but his own Epirotes and the
Tarentines.

XVIII. The Romans did not remove Laevinus from his office of consul,
although Caius Fabricius is reported to have said that it was not the
Epirotes who had conquered the Romans, but Pyrrhus who had conquered
Laevinus; meaning that he thought that the defeat was owing not to the
greater force but the superior generalship of the enemy. They
astonished Pyrrhus by quickly filling up their ranks with fresh
levies, and talking about the war in a spirit of fearless confidence.
He decided to try whether they were disposed to make terms with