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 Anniball ordered his busynes after the battayle, and howe yonge Scipio vsed hym selfe, for the sa∣uynge of the commen wealthe. Capit. xxiii. (Book 23)

THe battayle thus ended, diuers of the army came to Anniball, and wylled him to rest all that day, and the nyght after his greate la∣bour: but Maharball was therewith no∣thinge contented, saying: You shuld nowe incontinent with your horsemen, folowe the Romans to Rome in suche spede, that they shall knowe ye be alredy come, before they heare of your cō∣myng: And thus doing, the conclusyon wyll be, that within fyue dayes ye shall lyke a conquerour dyne in the capytoll of Rome. Than sayd Anniball: The way is longe, and we had nede of counsayle or we vndertake so great an enterpryse. At lengthe he allowed the harte and noble courage of Mahar∣ball: but he sayd, he wolde deliberate vppon that enterpryse. Than answered Maharball: The goddis haue not gyuen all thynges to one man: thou canste well ouercome thyne enne∣mies, Anniball, but whan the vyctorye is gyuen to the, thou canste not vse it. And it was thought, that the same one days reste and slacknes, was the cause of the sauegarde of the city of Rome, and also of all the whole empire.

¶ Anniball, after that he had rested the fyrst nyght, sente his people to the fielde, to see whether any of theyr ennemyes shulde reuyue agayne, and as they sawe or perceiued any like to recouer, he was incontinent slayne: and he proceded and toke the campes, and all theym that were in them. Wherein was a great numbre of men, for beinge afrayde to folow their company, they remayned styll in theyr campes. And he was contented, that the captines shulde be raunsomed, euery one

after his degree, the Romans .iii. C. peces of syluer: other that came to theyr succours and of Italy. ii: C. and theyr ser∣uantes for .i. C. Whiche money beinge ones payde for theyr redemption, they shuld haue libertie to go to theyr cuntreis. This done, he caused the deade bodyes of his owne host to be searched and buried, whyche were to the numbre of .viii. M. amonge whyche he caused the body of the Consulle to be buryed.

¶ There was a certayn woman of a noble kynred called Bu∣sa, whyche succoured the Romans that were fledde to Cam∣musium, bothe with meate, drynke, clothe, and other necessa∣ries, for whyche dede, the warre beynge fynysshed, she was had with the Romaynes in great honour. There were that timein Cannusium .iiii. Tribunes, whiche were Fabius Ma∣ximus the yonger, and Lucius P. Bibulus. P. Cornelius Scipio, and Appius Claudius Pulcher, they al, by the assent also of the other souldyours, gaue the whole rule and gouer∣nance of the whole company of the Romanes, whyche were there, to P. Scipio, beyng than very yonge, and to Appius Claudius: To whome, whan they were consultyng amonge other for the profyte of the common welth, P. Furius Phi∣lius sayd, that theyr counsell was but in vayne, for to restore and brynge agayne that, whyche was vtterly loste: And that the common wealthe was deserte and cleane subuerted: ad∣uysyng the noble yonge men to folow the purpose of Lucius Cecilius Metellus, and to take hym as theyr gouernoure, who was redy, with many other with hym, to depart the city in haste, takynge theyr shyppes, whiche were purposely or∣deyned for theym, and by the sea to flee ouer to some prynce or kyng for succour. Whyche cruell counsell sodeynly gyuen after theyr great losse and mysfortune, made them very feare∣full and in great doubte what they shulde do: in so moche that many, beinge there present, thought to deliberate on the mat∣ter. Whyche deliberation yonge Scipio (elect by desteny to fynyshe the same warres agaynst the Carthaginenses) denied and dispised. We must (sayth he) be bolde, and valyantly en∣terpryse thynges in so great a myschiefe, and not stande longe consultyng vpon them. Wherfore he commaunded, that soo many as wolde haue the common welthe safe, shulde go with hym armed. And than he with a fewe folowyng hym, went to

Metellus lodgynge, where fyndynge an assemble of yonge men in coniuration vppon the dyuise of Furius Philus, be∣fore declared, he helde his naked swearde ouer theyr hea∣des, and sayde: With my whole mynde and wyll, I sweare that I shall neuer leaue the common wealthe of the cytie of Rome, nor shall suffer any citezen of Rome to leaue it. And if I wyllyngly be false, than I pray the mighty and omnipotent Iupyter, to distroy my house, my familye, and all my goodes, with mooste vylest destruction. Whiche othe I requyre of the Lucius Cecilius, and of all other that are here presente. And he that wyll not sweare the same, lette hym knowe, that my naked swerde shall passe through hym. All they beyng no lesse feared with his wordes, than yf Anniball had bene pre∣sent, toke the same othe, and commytted theym selues to the tuition of Scipio.

¶ While these thinges were done at Cannusium, there were gathered togither about .iii. M. horsemen and fotemen, and were come to Venusia, where the consulle Varro was, with whyche company the consul came to Cannusiū, and hauyng so great a numbre about hym, thought hym selfe able to defend them selues and the citie from Anniball.

¶ Of this great losse in the batayle newes was broughte to Rome, without any mencion of sauyng of the sayde number, that were with the consull: but that euery man was slayn, and no Roman left on lyue. Whyche newes caused as great feare and rumour in the cytie, as euer was hearde there before: In soo moche that it was bruted abroode, that nother capi∣tayn nor souldiour was left in the Roman campes, and that al∣mooste all Italy was yelded to Anniball. Wherefore they loked euery howre, whan theyr ennemies wolde come to be∣siege the cytie of Rome. Whervppon the senatours prepa∣red at Rome all thynges necessary for the succours of the ci∣tie. Than they ordeyned theyr legyons and offycers. Mar∣cus Iunius, by the whole consent of the Senate, was cho∣sen Dictator, and Titus Sempronius mayster of the horse∣mē. There was also by the same auctorite chosen. 4. legions, and a thousande horsemen of yonge men, of the age of .xvii. yeres, besydes that they sente to theyr frendes in other pla∣ces of Italye, that they also shoulde prepare sowldyours of the same sorte, with horse, harneys, and all other necessaries.

¶ The cytie thus beinge in extreme feare, letters came from the Consull Terentius to Rome, certifyenge the Senate of the losse of the battayle, and of his felowe the other Consul. And howe he with the leauynges of the hooste, that es∣caped at the battayle, were at Cannusium, to the noumbre of tenne thousand men. Whych newes somwhat comforted the hartes of the citezens.

¶ Howe lette vs retourne to Anniball, who beynge busyed about his prysoners, suffered tenne of the Romayn captiues, in the name of all the other, to go to Rome, to see yf the fa∣thers conscript, or any of theyr frendes wolde redeme them, and theyr company that were prysoners: desyrynge of these tenne messangers none other suerties for theyr retourne, sa∣uynge theyr othe. With whom he sent a noble baron of Car∣thage, to the intent, that yf it shulde happe theym to intreate of peace, he myghte brynge the condycions thereof with hym: The pryce of the redemption of a Romayne horse∣man was fyue hundred peces of syluer, called Quadrigati, so named for that the coygne bare in it the prynt of a charyote: The pryce of a Romane cytezen was thre hundred: the price of a seruaunt was one hundred. All other prysoners of Ita∣ly, that camme to the helpe of the Romayns, he lette go free to theyr countreys without raunsome. And whan it was she∣wed the councell, that they were come to Rome, a messan∣ger mette this baron of Carthage, whose name was Cartha∣bo, and shewed hym, that the Dictator commaunded, that he shulde depart from the boundes of Rome, before the nyght.

¶ Sone after the Senate or parlyament was holden for the captyues messangers, where one of theym, that was of most authoritie, thus began to say & openly pronounce his oracion.