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 longe siege and wynnynge of Cassilinum, with the deathe and distruction of the consull Posthumius and his host in the woode of Lytana by the craft of the Frenchemen. Cap. xxix. (Book 29)

VVhan it drewe towarde the sommer, Anniball remoued agayne to Cassilinum, where without assaute gyuynge but only by contynuall siege kepynge, he broughte the

inhabita••tes therof almoste to extreme ponertie and famyne. The dictatour in this season was gone to Rome, to serche by diuinations the fortune that shulde happen. Titus Sempro∣nius was left as ruler of the army. Marcellus being at Nola wolde haue succoured them of Cassilinum, saue that the cite∣zens of Nola wolde in no case suffer hym to go from theym, fearynge leste after his departure, the inhabitantes of Capua wolde haue inuaded theym. The ryuer alsoo of Vulturnus was rysen so hygh, that he coulde not well passe ouer, but in great ieopardy. Gracchus was lefte with a certayne men of warre, to lye about Cassilinum, who moued not, nor brought them any succour, bycause he hadde in commandement of the dictatour, that he shulde moue no battayle in his absence: yet hearde he suche newes from Cassilinum, whyche wolde haue moued a man to haue broken his commandement. For it was shewed hym, that some being not able to susteyne the greatte hungre and famine, without aduysement, distroid them selfes: And some desyryng the death, wold stand on the walles with∣out armour, to the intent they myght be slayn with the shotte of theyr ennemies. Gracchus seyng that he durste not helpe theym by battayle, bycause of the contrary cōmaundement of his dictatour, And there was no remedy to brynge them su∣stynance, for that in no case coulde be done without battayle. Than he gathered in the fieldes as many kyndes of corne as he could, and therwith fylled a great numbre of vessels or ba∣relles, and sent a messanger to the rulars of the citie, certify∣ing them, that he wolde the next nyght sende the vessels with grayne downe the water, warning them to be redy to receiue theym at the cōmyng of the tyde. The nyght folowyng, eue∣ry man went to the ryuer to tary the cōmyng of the grayn, ac∣cordyng to the promyse of Gracchus, at the laste they myght see the tounnes come swymmynge downe the myddell of the streame, whiche they receyued gladly and diuyded it equally among them. Thus they continued by the space of .iii. or .iiii. nyghtes, so longe they disceyued the watchemen of theyr en∣nemies: but at the laste the water arose moche hygher than it was wont, by the reason of a continuall rayne that fell, so that the streame was more swyft than it was wont to be, whereby the vessels were dryuen to lande on that part where the host of Anniball lay, and many were founde styckyng amonge the

wyllowes, that grew on the bankes of the ryuer, which was shewed vnto Anniball, who afterwarde, with greatter dily∣gence, watched the ryuer of Vulturnus, lest he shuld by such meanes be eftsones deceyued. Yet was there suche lyke de∣uyse made by sendyng of nuttes downe the streame, in barels tyll it was also espyed. At length they were brought to suche pouertie, that they were constrayned to take skynnes, stryn∣ges, and the couerynges of shieldes, whiche they made softe in warme water, and so eate them: nother refrayned they to eate myse and suche kynde of vermyn, and all kynde of herbes and rootes, whiche grewe without in the fielde adioyning to the walles. Thus also perceyued Anniball: wherfore he cau∣sed the grounde to be plowed vp, where all suche herbes and rootes dyd growe to his ennemies succour without the wall. In whiche newe plowed groundes the men of the towne so∣wed pasnepsede, wherat Anniball cried, Shall I tary at Cas∣silinum whyle these sedes be growen vp able for theyr foode and sustynance? Whervpon where before he wolde here of no cōmunication of truce, he than was contented to couenant with them for theyr redemption. The price of their redemp∣tion was .vii. ounces of golde for euery of theym. Whan the couenantes were made, they yelded them selues. And they were kepte in pryson, vntylle all the money was payde. And after sent with good leaue to Cumas. There came from Pre∣neste to the garyson of Cassilinū .v. C. and seuenty souldiors, of whiche the moste part were slayne and famyshed, the resi∣due went to Preneste with their capitayne Manicius: Cassi∣linum was giuen to the citezens of Capua, and kept with .vii. C. of Anniballes souldiours, leste whan they were departed from thens, the Romans shulde take it agayn. The senate of Rome appoynted double stypende to the souldiours of Pre∣neste, and also gaue them fiue yeres licence, to be absent from the warres, for theyr great fidelitie. Than were the Romans busy in chosyng newe souldiours, to supply theyr places that were slayne in the batayle before. Lucius Posthumius, and Titus Sempronius were chosen consulles. The dictatour, whan the offycers were chosen, went to Theanū, where the army wyntred: he left the maister of the horsemen at Rome: who anone after he had receyued the office, counsayled with the fathers, about chosing and ordeyning of their armies for

that yere. And whan they were mooste diligent aboute theyr bulines, tydynges was brought to the citie of a newe slaugh∣ter and losse, that was than happed vnto theym, oone euylle chaunce that yere commynge after an other. The truth was, that Lucius Posthumius and his armye was dystroyed in France by this meane. There was a great wyde woode, cal∣led by the Frenchemen Litana, through which he shuld leade his hoste, of the whiche woode the Frenchmen had so cutte all the trees on bothe sydes the waye, yf they were not mo∣ued, they wolde stande stylle: but beinge any thynge moued, they wolde anon fall. Posthumius had in his hoste fyue and twenty thousande men. The Frenchemen hadde bestowed their companye rounde aboute the compasse of the woode, and whan the armye of the Romaynes was welle entred the woode, they cast downe the farthest part of the trees, gro∣wynge in the borders of the woode, which whan they were moued fell one vpon an other through the woode, hauyng no stay, throwyng downe and sleing the Romans as they passed, bothe men and horses, so that scarsely tenne men escaped, the moste part were almoste paste breathe and deade of the hur∣tes of the trees fallynge on them, the residue, that escaped, & wolde haue fledde, beinge amased with the sodeyne chaunce, were slayne by the Frenchemen, who beinge armed, beset tho woode rounde about. There were a few taken, which sought to goo ouer a brydge, whiche the Frenchemen kepte, but a∣none they were compassed and beset about with the Frenche∣men. There the consull Posthumius, who in no wyse wolde be taken of his ennemyes, manfully and nobly dyed. They brought the ornamentes of his bodye, and his heade, beinge cut from the body, to the chiefe temple in that countrey, with syngyng and moche myrthe. They pourged and clensed the skull within and without, and couered the brayne panne ouer with golde, vsynge it to drynke therin, whan they dyd sacry∣fice at any solemne feast: and also it serued the priestes and bi∣shoppes of the temple, as a cuppe at the sacrifice. The praye was no lesse to the Frenchemen thanne the victorye, for al∣though the most parte of the cattall was slayne, with the fal∣lyng of the trees, yet they lost nothyng of the substance that they had about them.

¶Whan this slaughter was knowen at Rome, the citezens

were in suche sorowe and trouble for a great space, that they shutte their wyndowes and shoppes, as though it had ben in the nyght: but within short space the senatours charged the officers, to go about the citie, and cause the shoppes and doo∣res to be opened, & to cause the citezens to leaue their sorow.

¶Than Titus Sempronius called a senate or courte, in the which he exhorted and counsailed the fathers conscript, that they, whose hartes were not ouer come for the great distruc∣tion and losse of the battayle at Cannas, shulde not nowe suf∣fer them selues to be vanquyshed with this moche lesse sorow and calamitie: admonysshynge theym, that as concernynge the Carthaginenses and Anniball, all was (as he trusted it shuld be) very well. And as for the warres with the French∣men it myght be deferred for a season: for at all tymes the re∣uengynge of theyr harmes was in the power of the goddis and the Romayns. Furthermore he shewed theym, that they ought chiefly to counsayle and worke agaynst Anniball circū∣spectly, preparyng with what numbre of men he might be re∣sisted, and he fyrste reasoned what numbre of footemen and horsemen, of citezens and other theyr frendes of Italy, were in the host of the dictatour. Than Marcellus declared what nūbre was in his army, that he had charge of: And thus after they had ymagyned and decreed, what numbre shulde satisfye the two Consuls hostes, they agreed, that the warre agaynst the Frenchemenne shoulde be omytted vntyll an other tyme.