[7] The consul Gaius Servilius, who had accomplished nothing that deserves mention in his province of Etruria and in Gaul —for he had advanced into that [p. 439]country as well-rescued from slavery after fifteen5 years his father Gaius Servilius and Gaius Lutatius,6 who had been captured near the village of Tannetum7 by the Boii. [8] Upon that he returned to Rome escorted by his father on one side and Catulus on the other, gaining distinction for an act that was personal rather than official. [9] A bill was brought before the people that it should not be a ground for charges against Gaius Servilius that while his father, who had occupied a curule chair,8 was still alive-a fact of which he was unaware-he had been tribune of the plebs and plebeian aedile, contrary to provisions of the laws.9 [10] This bill became a law, whereupon he returned to his province.
As for Gnaeus Servilius, the consul, who was in the land of the Bruttii, Consentia,10 Aufugum, Bergae, Baesidiae, Ocriculum, Lymphaeum, Argentanum, Clampetia and many other unimportant communities, came over to his side, seeing that the Punic war was failing. [11] The same consul engaged in battle with Hannibal in the territory of Croton. The story of that battle is not clear. Valerius Antias11 says five thousand of the enemy were slain-a victory on such a scale as to have been either shamelessly fabricated or else carelessly passed over. [12] What is certain is that nothing further was accomplished by Hannibal in Italy. For to him also came emissaries from Carthage to recall him to Africa just at the time, it [p. 441]chanced, that others came to Mago.