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 Scipio and 〈…〉〈…〉, and fought togither, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 howe the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was hurt, 〈…〉〈…〉. Cap xii. (Book 12)

••Vhan by these exhortations the men of warre on bothe partes were kendled and stered to battayle, the Romaines pitched their tentes ••t Ticinus, where they beganne to make a bridge, and fyrst they made a towre vpon the same, for the safegarde of the bridge whiles it was workyng. But while they were occupied about theyr worke, Hanniball sent Maharball, with a wynge of the Nu∣midies of .v. C. horsemen, to destroye the fieldes of suche as were frendes to the Romayns, chargyng theym to spare the Frenchemen: and to stere the princis to forsake the Romans amitie. Whan the bridge was made, Scipio con••eied his ar∣my ouer, and pytched within .v. myles of Anniballes campe. And whan the Romaines hoste approched, Maharball was called backe. Wh••n Anniball (who coulde neuer inough stire his souldiours to battayle) had promised them gyftes, rewar¦des, ye and fredome, with landes also other in Affrica Spayn or Italy at theyr owne pleasures in case they myght obteyne the vpper hande, he dydde sacrifice vnto the goddis, holding a lambe in the lefte hande, and a ••••ynt stone in the ryght hand, desyrynge Iupyter and the goddis all, so to slea him as he did the lambe, yf he wolde weake promyse with them. And than euery of them receiuynge a sure hope, desyred the battayle. The Romans made no suche haste, bycause they were feared with strange tokens and fyghtes a lyttell before. For a wolfe was se••e to come into theyr campe, which rent and tore those that he mette, and hym selfe escaped without hurte. Dyuers other suche tokens very straunge, were shewed amonge the Romaynes. Whan Scipio had soughte deligently what they myght sygnifye: he went with certayne horsemen with hym, to a lytte••l hyll ••ere adioynyng, to viewe the number and de∣meanour of Annibals hoste: where by chance he mette An∣niball, and certayne horsemen with hym, that was also ridden forthe to viewe the countreys aboute. Whan they were al∣most mette, with great care and diligence they set them selfes in aray to fyghte. The battayle was stronge for a season and

doubtfull. But in a whyle the Romain fotemen fledde backe to their battayle, where beinge myngled with the horsemen, they caused great confusion: but whan the Numidian horse∣men, whiche were on the wynges, came on theym also, than fledde they on all partes to their campe. In this conflict was the consul Scipio soore wounded, whom with great peyn his horsemen caried out of the fielde to theyr great discomforte. Wherfore the nyght folowyng, the Romanes, makyng as li∣tell noyse as myght be, that theyr ennemies shulde haue noo knowledge, remeued from Ticinus to Padus: and came to Placentia, before that Anniball wyst that they were depar∣ted from Ticinus. Mago with the Spanyshe fotemen swam ouer the water quyckly, and Anniball by the hygher parte of the ryuer, passed ouer his hoste with as great spede as might be. And within a fewe days he came and pitched before Pla∣centia, and on the morowe after, in the syght of his enemies, he ranged his hoste, and sette them in aray redy to gyue bat∣tayle. The nyght folowyng by reason of a sedition that arose in the Romane army there were many Frenchemen slayne, of those that came to they raide, whervpon two thousand fote∣men and two hundred horsemen of the Frenchemen, sleinge the watchemen at the gates, fledde vnto Anniball, whome he gentilly entertained and kēdled with hope of exceding great rewardes, and sent euery man home to his owne citie, therby the more to allure and tourne the myndes of the commons of theyr countrey vnto hym. Scipio demyng this slaughter to be a token, that all the Frenchemen wolde forsake hym, and that they beinge touched with this yuell dede, as a madnesse were fallen vppon theym, wolde runne to harneys, not with∣standynge his wounde greued hym soore, yet as pryuily as he myght in the nyghte tyme, he remoued his hooste to the ryuer Trebia, and pytched in hygher places, and on lyttell hylles ylle for horsemen. Anniball hauynge knowlege ther∣of, sente fyrste certayne Numidians after, and thanne all the horsemen: whyche shulde haue putte the rerewarde to great trouble, hadde not the Numidians for couetousnes of pray, tourned to the voyde tentes of the Romanes, in which sea∣son they escaped.