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 betwene Marcellus and Anniball before the citie of Nola, and of Annibals wyntryng in Ca∣pua, the delycate pleasures, wherby he withdrewe the hartes and courages of his men from all warrelyke fascion. Cap. xxviii. (Book 28)

AFter Anniball had taken Capua, he assayed many and dyuers ways to haue gotten Na∣ples, whiche whan he coulde not brynge to passe, he went from thens to the fieldes of the Nolans, assayeng by many ways to wyn the towne of Nola. The senate, and namely the chiefe, stacke surely to their olde fren∣des the Romaynes: The cōmunes being (as they are wont) desyrous of newes, inclyned all to Anniball. Wherfore the senate, fearyng to stryue with the commons openly (agaynste whose power, yfnede requyred, they were not able to resyst) priuyly dissemblyng, founde meanes to prolong the time, say∣ing, they were cōtent to be yelded to Anniball, but they knew not after what maner and condition they shuld yelde. During whiche tyme of delay, they sent ambassadours to Marcellus the pretor of Rome, being than at Cannusium, shewyng hym the circumstance of the matter: wylling him to come to them yf he intended that they shuld kepe the towne. Who percei∣uyng theyr stedfastnes, greately praysed the senate of Nola, desyrynge them to perseuere in theyr purpose: and vse suche subtiltie in prolonging of tyme, as they before had done, vntill his commyng to them, whych shuld be shortly: In the meane season, he willed them, not to be aknowen of any succour that was commynge. Than streyght he made hym redy, and with his army toke the way to Calacia, and ouer the riuer of Vul∣turnus, and so to Nola.

¶ Anniball before the Pretors comming, went from Nola to Naples, very desyrous to wynne some towne that laye on the

sea costes, to whyche the shyppes myght haue free and safe passage from Affrica. But whan he vnderstode Naples was defended by a Romane capytayne (the Neapolitans had got∣ten thyther M. Iunius Syllanus) and shulde as well be kept out there as he was at Nola: he went and layde siege to Nu∣ceria, whyche at last, vsynge many wayes, he caused them by famyne to yelde. Marcellus was by that tyme in the towne of Nola, and was no surer of his owne souldyours thanne he was of the pryncis of Nola: but he feared the commons, and aboue all other he dradde a yonge man, very hardye, and of a noble lygnage, whose name was Lucius Bantius, who was moche desyrous to yelde the towne to Anniball. for beynge founde amonge a heape of dead bodies and soore wounded in the battayle at Cannas, Anniball caused hym to be healed, and sent home with large gyftes: for which gentyll dede, he wold fayne that Nola shuld be yelded to Anniball. Marcellus per∣ceyued this Bantius to be troubled in his mynde with suche study, so that he must eyther with punyshement be refrained, orels by benefit reconciled: he sent for hym, and so beninglye with wordes, promyses, and gyftes entertayned hym, that there was none in the citie so sure after to the Romans as he.

¶ Whan Anniball was come from Nuceria (which he of late had taken) before the gates of Nola, Marcellus was entred the citie, not fearyng to kepe his campe abrode: but lest his taryinge without shulde be an occasyon of betraying and yel∣dyng vp the citie. Than beganne small skyrmyshyng betwene the citie and the Carthaginenses: at whiche time the pryncis of Nola shewed Marcellus, that the common people hadde secrete metynges and communication in the nyghte, with the Carthaginenses: in the whiche it was purposed, that whanne the Romans were gone out to fyght, they wolde take theyr stuffe and cariage, and shutte the gates: and so whan they had gotten bothe theyr stuffe and goodes, they wold receyue the Carthaginenses into the town in stede of the Romans. Whā they had shewed these conspiracies to Marcellus, he praised theyr fidelitie greatly, and thought to assaye what he myght do by battayle, before any suche trouble shoulde be within the citie. First he ordered his hoste being diuided in thre partes, at the .iii. gates, whyche opened agaynste his ennemyes. He commaunded the stuffe and baggage to folowe a prety space

after. And at the middel gate he set the strēgth of the Roman legions, the newe souldiours and other that cam to their suc∣cours, he sette at the two other gates, straightly commaun∣dyng, that the Nolans in no wyse shulde come on the walles, nor nere the gates. He sent also certayn souldiours to awaite on the cariage and stuffe, lest whan they were busy in battaile, the Nolanes myghte spoyle and take it. Whan all thynges were thus put in good order, they stode styll within the wal∣les, without makyng any shewe.

¶ Anniball standing in aray in the fieldes a longe space, as he was wont, meruailed that he sawe nother the hooste come to the fieldes, nor no man armed on the walles: Than he suppo∣sed, that theyr counsayle was knowen, and that for feare the cōmons of the towne were constrayned to forsake their pro∣myse. Wherfore he sent part of the souldiours to the tentes to fetche ordynaunce and all thynges necessary to assault the walles, thynkyng that if he went on them, whiles they abode in this stay, that the common people of the citie wolde make some rumour on the walles. Incontynent whyles euery man, as the cōmandement was, ranne to his busines, touchinge the assault, and the host wente to the walles: the gates were so∣deinly opened. Marcellus cōmanded to spreade the baners, and the trumpettes to blowe, and the footemen fyrst, and af∣ter the horsemen to runne on theyr ennemies. Some authors saye, that there were slayne at that skirmysshe .ii. M. iii. C. Carthaginenses, & but one man of the Romans: whetherthe victory were so great, or whether it were lesse, the acte was great, and the conduicte noble. Anniball hauynge no hope of opteynyng the towne, went than to Acerras, and Marcellus streyght caused the gates of Nola to be shutte, lest any manne shulde passe furthe: and made anon strayght and dilygent ex∣amination, who they were, that wolde haue betrayed the towne. He beheaded .lxxx. of them, and caused their goodes to be dystributed amonge the commons. And after he had committed the charge of kepyng of the towne to the senate, he remoued with his hole host beyonde Suessala.

¶ Anniball, after he hadde wonne Acerras, came to Cassi∣linum, where they so valyantlye defended theym selfes, that Anniball, beinge halfe ashamed, left the siege, and wente to wynter at Capua. And there he kepte his hooste in houses

for the most part of the wynter, who of long tyme before had endured agaynst all kyndes of peynes and trauayle, hauynge smalle knowlege of pleasure or ease. And they that could not before be ouercome with any kynde of misery or peyne, were than loste with vnmeasurable pleasures: wherein they were wholly drowned, so gredy they were therof, after theyr ac∣customed peynes. Thus toke they al theyr delite in slepe and wyne, in bankettes, hauntynge of harlottes and bathes, with dayly reste and ydelnes, whiche delycate fashion withdrewe bothe theyr courage, and also theyr strength from theyr bo∣dies and myndes: so that afterwarde theyr ioye comfort and strength was more by remembrance of the victories, whiche they had opteyned before, than in theyr present strength: In so moche that to lette his souldiours thus folow theyr lustes, was thought amonge expert warriours a greater hynderance vnto hym, than that he did not lead his host to Rome streight after the battayle of Cannas. For that tarienge and doubting was thought but only a prolongyng of the victorye, but this faute made theym vnable afterwarde to ouercome. Soo that whan he remoued from Capua after the winter, it semed that he ledde furthe a straunge army, other than he brought thy∣ther, they obserued none of theyr accustomed sort of warre, somme retourned to theyr harlottes: many other, as soone as they beganne to feele peyne, trauayle, and hardenesse of warre, and that they were fayne to be couered with skyn∣nes, they were so werye, and the warre semed to them so te∣diouse, that they wanted bothe theyr strength of bodye, and hardynesse of mynde, whyche they hadde before. A greatte parte of the hoste without theyr wages, stole from theyr ca∣pytaynes, nother hadde they any other denne or receptable but Capua.