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.

¶ Cneius Scipio fyghteth with Hasdruball and Himilco on the sea, vppon the costes of Spayne, dryueth theym to lande, taketh and distroyeth fyue and twenty shyppes, with a greatte noumber of the Carthaginenses. Capitu. xviii. (Book 18)

AFter this hard escape out of daunger, An∣niball ledde his army as though he wolde haue gone towarde Rome, by the fieldes of the Samnites, robbing and burning vn∣to the Pelignes, and from thens returned towarde Apulia. And Fabius set his ten∣tys betwene the citie of Rome and his en∣nemies, nother goyng from theym, nor gy∣uinge them battayle, tyll in short space after he was called to Rome, for bycause of the sacrifice that shulde be doone to the goddis. Before his departyng, he not only exhorted Minu∣tius, mayster of the horsemen, whom he lefte with his army, but also streyghtly commaunded hym, that he shuld in no wise haue to do with his ennemies, for any occasion that shulde be gyuen him: and that he shuld better trust to counsayle than to fortune: and that he shuld rather folowe his aduise, being his capytain, than vse the trade of Sēpronius and Flaminius, she∣wyng the dangers of it by examples. Also he declared to him ••e disceite of theyr ennemies. And whan he had gyuen hym these exhortations in vayne, he departed to Rome.

¶ In the begynnyng of sommer, whyles those thinges were done in Italye, great warre begunne in Spayne. Hasdruball deliuered vnto Himilco .xl. sayle, wel furnished for the warre, and hym selfe with a great numbre of shyppes, also departed from Carthage, and sayled into Spayne, where after he was arryued and landed his hoste, he set his shyppes at the shore, nere to the lande, and pitched his campe on the lande, beinge redy to fyght with his ennemies, where soo euer he founde them on lande or water. Scipio, after he came from the win∣trynge,

thought to haue gone on his enemies vpon the lande, but whan he hearde of theyr succours, that were comme to them, he durste not mete them on lande, but chose a noumbre of good sowldiours, and made redy .xxxv. sayle for to meete them on the water, thynkyng to assayle them sodeinly, er they shulde be able to ordeyne all thyng for their defence. Whan Hasdruball had knowlege of theyr commynge, by reason of hygh towers made in dyuers places of Spayne, from whens they may see farre of on the sea, there arose a great noise and feare amonge his hoste in theyr tentes. for suche as were on the land, and thought lytel to haue had battaile that day: He commaunded to make haste to theyr shippes, whiche they did obey, and hym selfe came hastyly after. And whan they came to the water, the sowldiours so troubled the shipmen, and the shypmen the souldiours, that none of them coulde aray them selues, and sette in order thynges necessaryly for theyr busy∣nes. Whyles this rumour lasted, the Romans not only were at hande, but also redy to fyghte. The Carthaginenses noo more troubled with theyr enemies than with theyr owne ru∣mour, were shortly ouercome and fledde: and at the first con∣flyct the Romans toke two shyppes, and drowned .iiii. And although the Romans sawe all the shoore occupied with men of armes, yet were they not aferde, but folowed their enne∣mies shyppes fleynge, in soo moche that of .xxx. sayle they toke and distroyde .xxv. And with this great pray went again to the sea, and landed at Tarracon, where Scipio taryed not longe, but that his brother P. Scipio arriued there also, sent by the senate with a great nauy, to the numbre of .xxxv. shyp∣pes, and .viii. M. souldiours, with great store of stuffe and or∣dynance.

¶ Whan the two bretherne were assocyate togyther, there was nothynge that dydde withholde the wylles and har∣tes of the people of Spayne from the frendshyppe of the Romans, sauing they feared the trespas shuld be reuenged on theyr chyldernes bloudde, whyche were lefte as pledges by Anniball at Sagunt.