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.

¶ Of the battayle of Trasimenus, with the deathe of the Consul Flamminius, and many o∣ther Romayns. Cap. xvi. (Book 16)

ANniball this whyle distroyed and wasted, by cruell warre, all the fieldes that were betwene the citie of Cortona, and the lake of Trasimenus, thynkynge the hartes of his enemies the sooner to be moued to re∣dresse the iniuries of theyr frendes: And they came to a place meete for treason and disceyte, where as the great lake or fenne of Trasimenus dydde almoste ioyne vnto the hylles of Cor∣tona. There was at that place one onely strayte and narowe waye to enter in, but afterwarde the fieldes waxed a lyttell broder and larger: Ouer that playne the hylles arose of a great heyght. In the same fayre and playne place Anniball pytched his campe, where he onely with the Affricanes and Spanyardes dyd reste. The rest of the lyght harneysed men of the army: he brought about the backe of the hylles. And he disposed the horsemen nere to the mouthe of the narowe entre, where the hylles myght secretly couer and hide them:

commaundyng, that as soone as the Romans were ones pas∣sed the straytes, the horsemen shuld appere at theyr backes, soo that they shoulde be inclosed and hemmed in on all par∣tes, hauynge no waye to escape, by reason of the hylles and greatte lake.

¶ Flamminius folowynge his ennemies, was come aboute the settyng of the sonne to the lake: And the next day early in the mornynge, whan it was scarcely day lyght, he with his hoste were passed the straytes. And whan his people began to stray abrode into the larger felde, they saw al the place be∣fore them occupied with theyr enemies: And than they aper ceyued treason bothe behynde them, and ouer theyr heades. Whan Anniball knowyng: his ennemies to be enclosed with the lake and hylles on the one syde, whyche he desyred, and also compassed about with his army on the other side, he gaue a signe to his men sodeinly, to inuade their ennemies: which his commandement they anon with all diligence executed, rū∣nyng downe from the hylle and assaylyng the Romanes on all partes. One thyng moche amased the Romaynes by the so∣dayne and straunge chaunge thereof: there arose frome the brode lake a myste thycker and darker than the hylles in ap∣parence, whyche letted theym of the syght and true know∣ledge of the maner of theyr ennemies inuasyon. The noyse of the sodayne affraye arose amonge theym, before they per∣ceyued theym selues to be betrayde and hemmed in: And the battayle was begonne bothe before and on bothe sydes, be∣fore that they coulde be put in good aray, or take theyr armor and drawe theyr swerdes.

¶ The Consull Flamminius, whan all his people were thus oppressed with feare, he hym selfe as a man of great courage and lyttell affrayde, ordered his troubled company, and sette them in order as well as the tyme and place wolde serue him, styll exhortyng them by all the meanes he myghte, to abyde and to fyghte, shewynge theym, that it booted theym not to praye and call on theyr goddis, or to make vowes theym for theyr delyuerance: There was nowe no waye to for theym to escape but by strengthe and hardynesse, there was no way than to be made, but with the swerd: and the lesse feare they dydde take, the lesse ieopardye and perylle shoulde they be in. But the noyse was soo greatte, that the wordes and

counsaylle of their Capitayne coulde not be hearde: And they were so dismayde, that they skarsely knewe theyr stan∣derdes and places to repayre vnto. They hadde scante har∣tes to drawe theyr weapons: theyr harneis was rather a bur∣then to them than a defence, They myght heare moche noyse and clamour of those that were wounded, but lyttell coulde they see. Some fled, and in the fleing hapned to fall into com∣panies of Romanes that fought earnestly, and by them were stayed from further fleinge. Some were commynge towarde the battayle, and by the discomfyture of suche as they mette, whyche fledde away, were discouraged and fledde also. But at the laste, whan they perceyued no way to escape, than felle they earnestly to fyghtyng, not kepyng order oraray, but by companyes, as it happed theym to falle togyther. Than be∣ganne the battayle to be fyerce in all partes, and endured al∣moste thre howres, and euery where very cruell, but moste daungerous about the consull. For the strengthe of the hoste folowed hym: And on what so euer parte he sawe his men in daunger, quyckly and diligently he rescued them: And he be∣inge very valiant, bothe myghtyly assayled his ennemies, and defended his citezens, vntyll one of Insubria, called Duca∣rius, knowyng bothe his horse and his face, sayd to his com∣pany: Here is the Consu••••▪ that not longe agone confoun∣ded our legyons, and distroyed bothe our cyties and fieldes: nowe shall I sende his sowle to the company of our frendes, that he all redy hath slayne: and hyttynge his hors with the spurres, he ranne violently through the thyckest of his en∣nemyes route, sleinge a squyre, whyche mette hym vnhap∣pyly in the way. And afterwarde with his speare, ranne the Consull through the body, and hadde spoyled hym, had not the stronge company of the Romayne knyghtes withstande hym. After his deathe beganne the Romans to flee on al par∣tes, and than nother hylles nor lake coulde lette theym: they wandred as blynd men through the straites and ouer the roc∣kes, some fallyng one ouer an other. And whan they coulde fynde none other waye, they toke the next way through the fennes, runnynge into the water ouer head and shulders, and were for the moste parte drowned. Thus was the daunge∣rous battayles at Trasymenus .xv. M. Romans were slayne in the bataile, and .x. M. sparkled abrode by diuers ways, cam

came to Rome. A. M. and .v. C. of the Carthaginenses were slayne in that battayle, and many died after by reason of theyr woundes, whiche they had. Anniball deliuered all the pryso∣ners of Italy without raunsome, but the Romans he kept in prison. Than commanded he the bodies of his company that were deade, to be disseuered from the other, and buried. He sought the body of Flaminius with greate diligence, to haue buried it, but he coulde not finde it. Whan the newes of this great slaughter was first knowen at Rome, the people assem∣bled with great feare and rumour in the market place, gathe∣ryng into companies, to knowe the trouth therof. And a litel before the sonne settyng, Marcus Pomponius pretor saide: With great bataile wear ouercome: and although the people herd him say no more of certainty, yet by receiuing the newes one of an other, they filled the hole city with tidingis, that the consul, with a great part of the host, was slayne, and that fewe were left on lyue, but were other chased abrode, or taken of theyr ennemies. The women chiefely made eyther great ioy for theyr frendes that escaped, or elles great sorowe for the deth and captiuitie of them that were slayn and taken. It was sayd, that one woman whan she herde sodeinly, that her sonne came home escaped from the battaile, for ioy dyed at the gate of the citie. And an other, to whome it was shewed falsely, that her chyld was slayne, she abode in her house very sorow∣full, but whan he came home to her sodaynly, she at the fyrst syght of hym for great ioye dyed. The Pretours kepte the Senate for certayne dayes frome the sonne rysynge, to the sonne sette, counsaylynge what capytaynes, and what hooste they myght haue to withstande the Carthaginenses: but be∣fore they had made any certayne determination of theyr bu∣synes, they had tydynges of an other newe slaughter, which was, that .iiii. thousand horsemen, which were sent by Serui∣lius the other consull to flamminius, vnder the gouernā••e of one C. Centronius. After they herde of the battaile of Tra∣symenus, they returned backe, and in Vmbria were betrayed by Anniball, and distroyed. Which thyng troubled the myn∣des of the people meruaylously. They were in great trouble and feare, the consulle and head officers beinge absent, vnto whom they scarsely durst sende theyr letters for feare of the Carthaginenses, who were almoste spredde ouer all Italy.

Wherfore they made Quintus Fabius Maximus Prodie∣tator, that was ruler of the commons, and Marcus Rufus Minutius mayster of the horsemen, to these it was gyuen in charge by the Senate, to establysshe and make sure the walles and towers of the cytie, and to fortifye suche places, as they shoulde thynke conuenient. Also to breake the brid∣ges, that were ouer the waters, and to prouide for the keping of theyr horses and citie, seing they coulde not defend Italy.