The historie of tvvo the moste noble capitaines of the worlde, Anniball and Scipio of theyr dyuers battailes and victories, excedyng profitable to reade, gathered and translated into Englishe, out of Titus Liuius, and other authoures, by Antonye Cope esquier.

¶ Howe and with what labour, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 great 〈…〉〈…〉 his army passed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the 〈…〉〈…〉 into Italye. Capit. ix. (Book 9)

HAnniball came from Druentia moste part by the playne fieldes and valeys (by the sufferance of the Frenchemen being inhabitauntes there) to the Alpes or high mountains: ••••d as the fame went, so it was found: The toppes of the high hilles were myngled with snowe, that almoste touched the sky, and full ••••de houses were set vpon the roc∣kes, the beastes and labourynge cattell beinge wethered for colde, the men naked, v••shanen, and vnrounded, all the bea∣stis and people werehardned and drawētogither with frost: with other thinges more fearefull and filthy to be seene than spoken, whiche whan the hooste sawe nere hande, dyd renue and increase theyr dr••de. As the army marched vp betwyxt the rockes, they myght perceyue the mountayne men assem∣bled on the hylles ouer them to defende the passage. Annibal caused his standerdes to stay there, and sent the Frenchmen to viewe the passage. And whan he vnderstoode, that there was no going that way, he pitched his tentes in the playnest valey that he could fynd among the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 stones & cragges.

And perceyuyng by the Frenchemen, who knew almost their language, that the besert passages were kept on the day time, and that on the nyght euery of them wolde repayre to theyr cotages or houses. The nexte mornyng he gatte vp on the hylles, makyng semblance as though•• he wolde attempte to wynne the passage by force. Thus he ••pent the hole day, dis∣semblyng to do one thing, and intendyng an other, tyll it was nyght: than he withdrue hym to his campe, where he before rested. But so soone as he wyst, that the mountayne men, and those that watched the passage, were gone to their rest: he made many great fyres, and leauyng all the cariage and stuffe, with the horsemen and moste part of the fotemen in his cāpe, hym selfe with a great numbre of lyght and valiant men, quik∣ly passed the straites, and gate the same hylles, that the other kepte before: The nexte day the hoste and stuffe beganne to come after. In the mornyng the mountayne men assembled to go to their places as they were wont to doo. But whan they sawe their enemies had gotten their castels and places aboue their heades, it feared them sore, and caused them to stay for a season. Afterwarde, whan they sawe so great feare amonge the hoste in the streites, and that they were almoste confoun∣ded with theyr owne noyse and trouble, the horses trembling for brede: they thought to put them to further trouble, and to worke them more displeasure. Wherfore they came down by the hylles syde along the rockes, being vsed therto, where none other coulde escape: And nowe here, nowe there, inua∣ded the army, so that what for the dangerousnes of the pas∣sage, and also by their ennemies they were meruaylously en∣cumbred. But aboue al other troubles the greatest was, that whan thay sawe them selues thus in danger by reason of their ennemies and of the passage: than stroue the one with the o∣ther, who shuld fyrst escape the daunger therof, by passynge fyrst the sayd straites, fyghtyng more with theyr owne com∣pany than with theyr ennemies. Theyr cattell being also stri∣ken and hurt by the derth of the mountayns, roryng and yel∣lyng, hurt and ouerthrewe many of the hooste, some armed, some vnarmed downe the hygh mountaynes, with stuffe and baggage, that pitie it was to beholde. Whan Anniball was in formed therof, he descended with a greate number with hym and at his fyrst commyng, he disparkled and put his enemies

to flight, so that afterward he had not only leis••re to conuey his army, but also sylence and quietnes. Th••n he toke the ca∣stell the chiefe place of all that region, and other theyr villa∣ges. And with the captiues cattell he founde his army thre dayes. Departyng from thense he came to an other sorte of mountayne people, whyche not by battayle, but being taught by the destruction of theyr neyghbours, with crafte subtilty and wyly deceytes, wrought hym moche displeasure. Certain of the eldest and chiefest of the castelles came to Anniball, shewynge hym, that they beyng admonyshed with the harme of theyr neyghbours, wolde rather haue his frendshyp and amitie, than prouoke the wrathe of the Carthaginenses, of∣feryng to obey his commaundementes, and to ayde him with vytailes, and to conducte hym and his people on theyr way, and for the assuraunce thereof, they offered to delyuer hym pledges. Anniball as wyse and taught in suche rusynes, ney∣ther gaue to theyr wordes ouer hasty credence, nor despysed theyr gentyll offer: lest therby he shulde haue made them his manyfest enemyes, but sobrely receyued theyr hostages, and vsed theyr ayde vpon the way: whose guides he folowed not neglygently, but in good order and araye. The elephantes and horsemen were set before, and Anniball hym selfe came after with the strengthe of his footemen in good aray, wyse∣ly ouerlokyng all thynge. Wh••n they came to a more narow waye, hauyng an hygh hylle on the one syde, the sayd barba∣ryke people sodaynly set vpon them bothe behynde and afore, rollyng downe great stones among the host: The rerewarde was by them soore troubled: so that yf it had not ben surely defended, many of them had bene destroyed. In this trou∣ble and peryll remayned they all the day: tyll the nyght cau∣sed the ennemyes to withdrawe. On the morowe they were nothyng so vexed as the day before. For theyr assaultes were but skyrmyshes, sometyme before, somtime behynde. Wher∣fore they passed the streytes, and came to the toppe of the mountaynes, within the space of .ix. days, not without great ieopardy and slaughter, but more of the beastes than of the men. There Anniball caused the army, beinge weryed with labour, trauayle, and fyghtynge, to reste theym the space of two dayes. Duryng whiche tyme there fell suche abundance of snowe, that it reuewed theyr sorowes, for the snowe fyl∣lyng

euery place as the armye shulde passe in the mornynge, made them almoste desperate. Anniball perceyuynge theyr great discourage, gotte before the s••anders, and went vp on a hylle, from whence he myghte see farre and wyde, where causyng his army to stay a lyttell, he shewed to them Italy, and the fayre fieldes that lay aboute the ryuer of Padus, ad∣ioynynge to the mountaynes: and he sayde vnto theym, that after they had passed these mountaynes, they had alredy sca∣led the walles not onely of Italy, but also of the verye citie of Rome, shewing them, that all other passages were plaine, easy, and nothynge daungerous: and that within two or thre battayles at the moste, they shoulde attayne Rome, whyche was the head of Italy. With that the hoste beganne to sette forewarde without any interruption, except it were by small inuasions, as it were of robbers, and such small skyrmyshing: But the way to descende was than more daungerous than it was at the ascendyng vp of the same: for it was so narowe, stipe, and slyppy, that they coulde not saue them selues from fallyng. And whan one slode, he ouerthrewe hym, that went before hym, so that men and cattell were in ieopardy of theyr lyues. After that came they to a moche more strayte rocke, the clysses therof were so hygh and stype, that with greatte peyne, the ligier souldyours, by takynge holde of the shrub∣bes and trees, that grewe on the rocke syde, coulde des∣cende downe. The place, whyche was before of his owne nature pytchelonge, by sodayne breakynge downe of the earthe, was made a thousande foote stype ryght downe to the bottome. The horsemen stayed there, as thought they hadde bene at theyr iourneyes ende. Whan Anniball inqui∣red, what caused theym to tarye, it was shewed hym, that noo manne coulde passe the daunger of the rocke. Than wente he to see the place hym selfe: and it seemed to hym, that by the pathes and wayes, whyche appeered to haue bene vnvsed, by leysure and longe compasse, he myght well ynoughe conuey his armye aboute the rocke, but all was in vayne, for vppon the olde yse and frosen snowe there was the nyghte before newe snowe fallen of a small thyckenesse, whyche after a lyttell goynge vppon, thawed and gaue some what agayne, and became soo slyppy, that skarsely vppon theyr handes and knees could they sustayne theym selues.

Theyr horse•• 〈…〉〈…〉 in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and were sore cut on theyr legges with the 〈…〉〈…〉: so that it was great pitie to here the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that the people made in euery parte. To appease all this noyse, and to comforte his people, Han∣niball caused the•• by palyc•• to make a place to pytche they•• tentes on. Fyrst he caused the snowe and vse to be digged vp and striken away, whiche was not done without great labour and trau••••le. Than had he inuented a propre diuise to breake the rockes, and through them to make a reasonable passage, he caused his company to cut downe a great numbre of trees that grewe on the hall ouer them, which he caused to be tum∣bled downe the hylle vnto the sayde troublesome rockes, and therof to make great pyles of wodde vppon the sayd greate rockes, and whan the wynde was bygge, he caused theym to be sette on fyre. Than caused he greate plentye of vineger to be powred on the stones that were before burned and wasted with the great heate of fyre, wherby they were made moche more gentyll to be broken and hewed, and than with barres of yron and other instrumētes they broke and brused the rockes and made them away so playne, that not only the cattal might passe throughe, but also their elephantes and their cariage. About this worke they continued .iiii. dayes, in whiche tyme theyr c••ttall was almoste f••••ished, for on the hylles was no∣thing but snowe to be gotten. Wherfore they sent theyr bea∣stes to the valeis partes to grase, wherethey also rested .iii. dayes, and than they came to the playne countreys, whiche were occupied with husbandry, and were fertile. After this maner they came into Italy, the fyft moneth after they sette forthe from newe Carthage: And as some wri∣ters say, they passed the mountaynes in .xv. dayes. What numbre of menne Anniball brought into Italy, the writers do not agree. Some say he had C. thousande fotemen, and .xx. thousande horsemen: somme wryte of more, and some of lesse.❧