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.

¶ The newes that Mago brought to Carthage of Annibals victories in Italy, and the oration of Hanno a senatour of Carthage m••••e vnto the same. Cap. xxvii. (Book 27)

WHyles these thynges were done in Italy, Mago the sonne of Amilcar, not sent from the army by his brother, but ocupied a cer¦tayn space, in receyuynge the cities of the Brusians, whiche yelded them selues wil∣lyngly to the Carthaginenses, brought ty∣dinges to Carthage of the victory at Can¦nas. Whan the senatours were for him as∣sembled, he declaryng the actes done by his brother in Italy, sayde: that he had foughten with six capitayns, of the whych iiii. were consuls, the fyste Dictatour, that is chiefe rular in the common welthe of the citie, and the syxte mayster of the horsemen. He sayd also, that he had ouercome .vi. consulles hostes: so that there was slayne by hym .ii. C. M. and aboue fyfty. M. taken. and also he had slayn .ii. of the foure consuls, and the thyrde was sore wounded: and the fourth hauing lost all his hoste, fledde scacely with .l. men. And that the master of the horsemen was ouercome and put to flyght: so that the Dictator, whiche at no tyme durste come to batayle, remained only their head and capitayne. Furthermore, that diuers pla∣ces in Italy were tourned to Anniball, as the Brucians, the Apulians, part of the Samnites, and the Lucanes. In so mo∣che as Capua, whiche was not onely the head of Campania, but also of all Italy, euer sens the Romaynes were so ouer∣throwen at Cannas, had yelded theym selues to Anniball.

And for the more credence of these so ioyfull newes, he cau∣sed rynges of gold to be powred before the senatours, which of many men were reported to be to the quantitie of thre bus∣shels, and a halfe: but moste authors wryte (and that semeth

to bemost agreable to veritie) that they were aboue the me∣sure of a busshell. And moreouer bycause it shuld be a token of a more notable slaughter, he sayd: that no man dyd weare any of the saydiewels, but horsemen, and men of iiobilitie.

The summe of his oration was, that the greatter the hoope was of the wholevyctory, so moche rather Anniball shuld be ayded with great helpe and succour, signifying to theym, that the warre was far from thens, in the myddel of theyr enmies lande: and that a great quantitie of grayne and moche money was spent. He sayd also, that as the numbre of their enemies with so many battailes were slayne and diminysshed, so theyr hoste also was partly mynyshed and slayne. Wherfore it was mete (he sayde) to sende money grayne and other necessaries to sowldiours that so well had sette furthe the name and ho∣nour of Carthage.

¶ For these tydinges of Mago, euery man being mery, Hi∣milco, a man of the faction of the Barchins, thought to finde an occasion to checke Hanno. What nowe Hanno (sayth he) dothe it forthynke the of the begynnynge of the warre with the Romans? Commaunde Anniball to be delyuered nowe vnto them: or forbydde in this so fortunate tyme thankes to be giuen to the immortall goddis. Nowe lette vs here a sena∣tour of Rome speke in the senate house of Carthage. Wher∣vnto Hanno answered.

¶ I was determined fathers conscripte, at this time, in your so great and cōmonioy, to haue holden my peace, and to haue spoken nothyng, whiche shulde haue bene displeasant to you: but I can nowe no lesse do, but answere the senatour that in∣quired of me, whether it forthinketh me of the warre enter∣prised agaynst the Romanes, or no. Therfore myne answere shalbe this to Himilco, that I forthynke me yet of the warre taken, and shall stylle repent it, nor shall at any tyme seace to forthynke it, and blame our victorious capytayne, vntyl I see the warre taken vp and ended by some tollerable way and cō∣dition, nother shall any other thynge cause me to seasse frome the desyre of the olde auncient peace, saue only a newe peace made. These goodly newes, whiche Mago hathe blased a∣brode, are very ioyfull to Himilco and other Annibals fren∣des and seruantes: yea they may be also ioyfull to me, for our prosperitie in warre, yf we take our good fortune whan it cō∣meth,

shall cause vs to haue better and more profitable peace. But if we let passe this time, in the which we may be thought rather to graunt peace, than to craue it: I doubte, leste this ioye wyll deceyue vs, and come to nothynge. Nowe lette vs discusse this matter seriously, and ye shall perceyue what this greate ioye is. He sayth, the army of our ennemies is slayne: yet he commaundeth souldiours to be sent hym. What other thynge wolde a man desyre, yf he were ouercome. He sayth also, that the Campes and tentes of bothe hostes of our en∣nemyes are taken, with a ryche praye and spoyle: yet he commaundeth, that we shall sende hym grayne and money. What other thynge coulde a manne desyre, yf he were rob∣bed and dryuen frome his owne tentes? But nowe I haue aunswered Himilco to his demaundes, I wolde that other Himilco or Mago wold answere me vnto that I shall aske of them. If the fielde fought at Cannas was to the vtter sub∣uertion of the Roman empyre, and deth of the hole host, and all Italy like yeld them, and forsake the Romans? Fyrst whe∣ther any of the people of Rome come fleinge to vs, and for∣sake the Romans? Moreouer, whether any of the .xxxv. tri∣bes haue fledde, and come to Anniball? Which both thinges whan Mago had denied to be done: It must than folow (said he) that we haue many enmies yet left at Rome. But I wold faine knowe, what courage and hope that multitude of our en¦nemies hath? Whan Mago had sayd, he could not tel. There is nothyng more easy (sayde Hanno) to be knowen. Dydde the Romaynes sende any legates to Anniball for peace? or whether hadde ye any knowledge, that the Romayns made any mention of peace at Rome? Whanne he also hadde de∣nyed that: Than haue we (sayde he) as greatte warre euen nowe in hande, as we hadde the fyrste daye that Anniball en∣tred into Italye. There be many of vs alyue, that doo re∣membre yet, howe varyable the vyctorye was in the fyrste warres that were betwyxt Carthage and Rome. Our war∣res and busynes (bothe by sea and lande) were thought neuer to be more prosperous, thanne before Caius Luctatius, and Appius Posthumius were Consuls: But yet in theyr tyme we were ouercomme at the Iles of Egates. Lykewyse nowe, yf Fortune do tourne (as she is always varyable) whi∣che I praye vnto the Goddis maye not happen: Wolde ye

than hope to haue peace, whan we are ouercome, the whiche nowe we can not gette, although we vanquysshe and ouer∣come the Romaynes? If any mention of peace were made, eyther to be gyuen to oure ennemyes, or elles to be taken of theym: I coulde telle thanne ryght well what to saye. But in case ye wylle onely commen of the demaundes of Mago, I thynke, yf our people haue soo vanquyshed our ennemyes as hathe bene declared, it is not nedefulle to sende theym that whyche Mago desyreth. And yf they wolde mocke vs with theyr vayne reporte of vyctorye, whanne none suche is hadde in dede: I thynke than they oughte lesse to be succou∣red at our handes.

¶ With this oration of Hanno very fewe were moued to be of his opynion. For the enuye and hatrede, that they bare vnto hym, and alsoo the greatte kynrede of the other, caused hym to be the worse heard. Agayne, they were soo reioy∣sed with the sodayne and presente ioye, that they wold heare noothynge, that shoulde hynder the same: Supposynge the warres shoulde soone be fynysshed, yf they dydde sende any helpe nowe at this tyme into Italye. Wherefore by the hole consente of the Senate it was concluded, to sende to Anni∣ball forty thousande Numydians, to his succours, and fortye elephantes, and a greatte summe of money. And the Dicta∣toure of Carthage was sente into Spayne, with Mago, to hyre twenty thousande footemen, and foure thousande hors∣menne, whyche shulde fournyshe agayne the armyes both in Spayne, and also in Italy. But these thinges were forslowed and done by leysure (as commonly it happeth in prosperitie. But besyde the naturall industry of the Romaynes, Fortune also wrought moche for them: for they hapned that yere vp∣pon a Consull, that sought all meanes possible, to further all suche thynges as shulde be thought necessary to be brought to passe by hym. And Marcus Junius, beyng Dictatour, be∣sydes the Legyons, whyche were appoynted before, and the bondemenne of the Cytie, with other succours suche as he coulde gather togyther of dyuerse countreyes adioy∣nynge, to fournysshe the armye: He lepte than besydes his horse, sayinge: All suche as haue commytted any maner of cryme worthye of deathe, and they that are condempned to pryson for money, yf they wolde be sowldyours with hym,

and go to the warre, he wold pay theyr dettes, and lose them from theyr handes and punyshement. Thus hadde he of that sort .vi. M. souldyours, whom he armed with the armor that C. Flamminius toke from the Frenchemen, and than he went out of the citie with .xxv. M. harneyst men.