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.

¶ Fabius being at Rome in displesure. Minutius maister of the horsmen fighteth with Annibal, putteth him to the worse, & ther∣fore is made halfe rular of the hooste with Fabius, he fyghteth with him again, & is put to flight, & rescued by Fabi{us}, Ca. xx. (Book 20)

NOwe let vs returne to Fabius, who by his wyse absteining from battayl had saued ma∣ny of the Romans from death: Neuer the lesse it was thought at Rome by many, that his hart failed him, and that he trifled forth the tyme, onely to thintent his empire and rule myghte the longer contynue, and that he cared not, what coste the citie were at, infyndyng so great an army, so that he myght be at rest with honour. Thus had he gotten many enemies at Rome. And to encrease their ma∣lice towarde him, Anniball wrought a meruaylous subtyltie: he sente a numbre of his men to spoyle the cuntrey, and com∣maunded them in any wyse to do no hurt to the landes of Fa∣bius: of whiche he gate the knowledge by certayne that were fledde to hym from the Roman army. This did he, to the in∣tent it shuld be thought, that som secret bargayn or conspiracy was made betweene hym and Fabius. Whyche crafty act of Anniball caused Fabius to be the more suspect tothe senate of Rome. But to take awaye that suspection from hym, Fabius sent his sonne, and solde the grounde or feldes, whiche were not violated by Anniballes subtiltie. Nowe fortuned it also to encrease Fabius euyll wyll at Rome, that after his departing from the hoste, Minutius, the mayster of the horsemen, be∣inge lefte to guyde the armye, caused the campe and tentes, whiche were by Fabius sette safe in the hyghe hylles, to be broughte downe and pytched in the lowe valeys: And there they were disposed after the discretion of the capteyn, thyn∣kyng eyther to make a skyrmishe with them that went abrode to robbe, or els to inuade thē that were left behind in the tētis

¶ Anniball, knowing that he shuld kepe warre with a captein moche vnlyke the other, and that his ennemies wolde order their busynes more quyckly than wysely, and perceyuyng his enemies to draw more nere vnto him: he sent the thyrd part of his souldiors to robbe and wast the cuntreys, the other .ii. par¦tes he kept within theyr tentes. Than remoued he his campe

more nere to the Romās, & abode vpō a certain hyll, where as the Roman host might pceiue, that they were redy to succour their robbers, if any assaut were made on thē. This did he of purpose, to entise the Romans to batail. Than could Minu∣tius no lōger forbere, but sent a good nūber of horsmen, to as∣saile the robbers, who distroid many of them that were spark∣led abrode seking theyr pray. Than cam Annibal to the rescue of his men. But fortune so serued the Romanes, that as they wer•• most busy in fighting: One Numerius Decimus, a capy∣tain of the Samnites cam to the succour of the Romans with viii. M. fotemen, & .ii. C. horsmen, by whose help they bet An∣niball to his cāpe & slew .vi. M. of his men. which glad tydin∣ges Minuti{us} (although he had lost in the same batell v. M. of his owne men, sent in his bosting letters to Rome, wherwith the citie was moch cōforted. Not withstanding Fabius (whan all the citie was mery, wold nother beleue the newes, nor the letters. At the last he said, if al were trewe, he rather feared their prosperous aduenture, than reioysed therin. Whyche saying caused him greatly to be hated of the citezens, & Mar∣cus Metellus openly rebuked Fabius therfore, sayinge, that he kept his men in theyr campes, more lyke captiues and pri∣soners, than men of warre. Specially it was not to be suffred that he being present, wold not only suffer nothing to be done valyantly agaynst his enemies, but now also being absent, held against the thing that was well done by his master of horsmē. Fabius answered but fewe wordes, for he thought they shuld be euyll harde: but he sayd, that where .ii. yeres past, the citie had susteined great harmes and losse through the folishe har∣dynesse of the gouernours, he douted not, but yf he myght beare rule and haue his mynde, he wolde make it euident to all men, that fortune coulde lyttell do or worke against a good captain: but that wisdom & reason shuld haue the dominion o∣uer al her chances. He said further, that he had saued his host from a cruel enmy, in al this perillous time without harme or shame: which he thought, ought more to be praised, thā to kyl a great nūbre of enmies. But in conclusion, the determination of the senate was, that M. Attilius Regulus shuld be consull in the plabe of Flāminius: And that Minutius, the maister of the horsemen (who so nobly had gouerned his army) shuld be halfe ruler of the hoste with Fabi{us}, & the gouernāce therof to be parted betwene thē.

¶ With these displesant actes of the senate Fabius returned to his army, trustyng, that although Minutius shoulde haue halfe the rule with hym, yet shuld he want the policy and ma∣ner of ordryng his part of the army to him cōmitted: whiche policy by exercyse and great tranayle he had obteyned. Mi∣nutius perceyuyng hym selfe to be had in suche estymation at Rome, as wel with the senators as with the commons, where he was before a lyttell proude, he than beganne to take moch more on hym, bostyng hym selfe, that in theyr great calamitie, he alone was founde out a captayne able to matche Anniball. And than began he to diuise of the parting of their empyre or rule. He wold haue had it so parted, that one day or one weke he shulde haue ruled all: And one other day or weke, Fabius to rule al, and so to take the hole gouernance by tourne. That wolde Fabius none of: but wolde haue the army parted be∣twene them, with the ordynances and other necessaries. Say¦yng, that in case he coulde not by his counsayle saue the hole hoste: yet he wold assay to saue the halfe therof, as wel as he myght. And on that poynt they agreed, and thervpon deuy∣ded theyr companies or legions, and also theyr campes. This debate and order of the Romayn capytayns was knowen to Anniball by espyes, as were all other thinges that were done in the tentes of his ennemies, whyche tydynges brought to hym double ioye. One was, for that he thought to vanquishe the foolysshe hardynes of Minutius euen as he wolde hym¦selfe. The other was, for that halfe the strengthe of Fabius was dymynysshed, by reasone of the partynge of the hoste. Thanne was there a hylle betweene the hooste of Anniball, and the host of Minutius, which hyll who so euer had goten, shuld be able to do moche displeasure to his enemies. Annibal desyred not so moche to take it without batayle (although the occupation therof shuld be to hym very necessary) as to make it an occasion of batail to Minutius: whom, he wist wel, wold euer run to withstande his enterprise in the attaining therof. A fielde there was in the myddell betwene hym and the sayd hyll, whyche fielde was very playne and fayre, and appeered moche vnmete for treason, to hyde any embushement in, by∣cause it was nother couered with woode, shrubbes, nor bus∣shes. It semed therfore a place rather mete to descry treson than to hyde it, for that in a plaine and bare valey no suche de∣ceyte

myght be feared. But than Anniball espied, that in the bottome of the sayd hyll were diuers caues and holowe pla∣ces in the rockes, of whiche some were able to receyue and hyde .ii. C. souldiours armed. In these darke caues Anniball hydde .v. M. footemen and horsemen: not withstandyng lest the noyse or the bryghtnes of the harneys myghte happen to discouer his disceyte, he sent a fewe in numbre the next mor∣nyng to take the foresayd hyll, wherby he withdrew the eies of his ennemies from lokyng to that place of embusshement. Whan the company that went to the hyll, were apperceyued by the Romanes, to be so fewe in numbre, they set nought by them, and euery man coueted to go to dryue theyr ennemies from that hyll. And also the Capytayne no lesse foolyshe than they, called his men to harneys, thretenynge his ennemyes with vayne wordes. Fyrst he sent lyght harneysed yong men: than he sent forthe horsemen, whiche were a great company: laste of all, hym selfe commeth with his hole armye. And as Anniball sawe occasion, and the battayle encrease, he sent euer of his men bothe fotemen and horsemen, to succour his peo∣ple, so that the battayle was furnyshed on bothe partes, and waxed very stronge. The Romans were thought to be of a great boldnes and courage, and shulde haue done well, yf the battayle had ben equally handled, they were soo encouraged with theyr late victorye: but sodeynly came those that were hydde in the caues forthe on them, making great clamour and rumour on theyr sides and backes, so that they surprised with feare, had nother hartes to fyght, nor hope to flye. Than Fa∣bius fyrst hearyng the noise, and after seing the host troubled afarre of: Fortune (sayd he) hath caught theyr foly, no soner than I feared it wolde: nowe he that is ioyned with Fabius in the empire, hath found Anniball ouerhard for hym, both in power and also in Fortune. But it is not now tyme (sayd he) to chyde, I wyll referre that, tyll more oportunitie. Than caused he his men to display theyr baners beyonde the valey, and in good aray came forwarde to the helpe of his felowes, that some were fledde, and some redy to flee, so that they all thought, that he cam as it were one sent from heauen to their succours. And before he shulde come to the casting of dartes or to handestrokes, Anniball called backe his men from cha∣syng any further theyr ennemies that fled, and sodeinly with∣drewe

hym to his campe, saying, that he had ouercome Mi∣nutius, but that he was also ouercome of Fabius. Than ma∣ny of the Roman army, that by fleing were scatered and spar∣kled abrode, ranne to the hooste of Fabius: many other that dyd flee before theyr ennemies, tourned agayne to their com∣pany: so that there was almooste one battayle of them that were ouercome, and of them that ranne to theyr succours. Whan the moste part of the day was spent vnder the vari∣able standerde of Fortune, and that the hostes were come to theyr owne tentes, Minutius (his souldiours beynge gathe∣red about hym, sayd:

¶ I haue oftentymes, louing souldiours and frendes, hearde * 1.1 say, that he is moste wyse, that can gyue counsell, and tel what is to be done in his busynes. And that he is next wise, that can obey hym that gyueth good counsayl: but he that can not her gyue good counsaile hym selfe, nor obey other mens counsail, is of all other moste abiecte and foolishe. Nowe therfore, se∣ing that the fyrst of these giftes fortune hath denied vs, let vs kepe the seconde, and whyles we lerne to rule, let vs purpose with our selfes to obey theym that be wyse. Wherfore let vs ioyne our tentes with Fabius: And whan ye shall here me sa∣lute hym as my parent and father, you lykewyse shall salute his souldiours as your noble patrons, by whose strength and hardynes this day ye were preserued.

¶ Thus incontinent they remoued theyr campe, and went to the campe of Fabius, whereof he marueyled not a lyttell. Whan the two legyons were mette togither, and salutations had, after longe protestation made by Minutius to Fabius, they toke eyther other by the handes, and the souldyours lykewyse entertaynynge gentylly the one the other. There Minutius submytted him and his men to be vnder the prote∣ction of Fabius, resigning cleane the authoritie of the empire and rule into his handes, whyche he accompted to be to hym a burthen rather than an honour: desyryng him that he might be agayne in the office of the mayster of horsemen, as he was before. Whan this was knowen at Rome, and affirmed to be true, not only by the letters of the capitaynes, but also of the soudiours of both partis, the praise of Fabius was eleuate to the heauens, and he had no lesse praise of Annibal and his host who as than felt, that they had to do with the Romanes, and

that they kept warre in Italy. For the two yeres past, they so lyttell dyd esteme bothe the capytayne of Rome, and also the souldyours, that they could scarsely beleue, that they fought with those people, whome they had hearde of theyr fathers, were so moche to be doubted. And it was sayde, that Anni∣ball going from the battayle dyd say, that than at the lengthe the cloude, whyche satte so longe on the hyghe hylles, sente downe his peryllous storme.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Minutius oration.