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.

¶ Marcellus wynneth the citie of Syracusa in Sicilia. P. Scipio, and Cneius Scipio are slayne in Spayn, with a great numbre of Romaines. Cap. xli. (Book 41)

DVringe the busines of Capua, and the warres about the same, fortune also fauoured the Ro∣maines touching their affaires in Sicilia. For Marcellus, capitayne of the Romaines army there, so wisely & circūspectly gouerned him self and his people, that he wan the noble city of Syracusa. In whiche he had abundance of riches, as great as if he had taken the great citie of Carthage, with whyche (it was thought) in all thinges it might well as than haue ben compared. In the ende of the yere, whan the time of chosing of newe consuls was come, Marcus Marcellus, for his wel proued experience, was chosen consull, & appointed to match Anniball concerning the warres of Italy. And Marcus Va∣lerius Leuinus was elect the other consull: to whom thende of the warres of Sicilia were wholly cōmitted: who by his industry, and by the treason of certaine Numidians, wan the towne of Agrigentum, wherby he droue Hanno, Epicides, and all the army of Carthage out of Sicilia: and soone after brought the hole cuntrey into the subiection of the Romans.

¶ While the warres of Sicilia & about Capua were brought to this good passe, Cn. Scipio and Publius his brother, were as busy in Spayne, but not with like successe. They had coū∣sailed togither, the sommer folowing, so to folow the warres, that the Carthaginenses shuld be cleane driuen out of Spain. And to be stronge inough therfore, they hyred .xxx. thousand

men of warre of Celtiberia. The power of Carthage was di∣uided in .iii. armies, gouerned by thre capitaines, Asdruball, the sonne of Gysgon, and Mago, these two capitaines lay .v. dayes iourney from the Romaine legions: the thyrd, whiche was Asdruball, the sonne of Amilcar, the auncient capitayne of the Carthaginenses in that countreye, laye at Anniturgi∣um, more neerevnto the Romaines: and hadde in pourpose the sommer folowynge, to passe the mountaynes, to conueye his armye to Anniball. This his pourpose to lette, the two Scipios thought fyrste to assayle hym aloone from his com∣pany, not doubtyng, but they were stronge inough so to doo. Their greattest feare was, lest whan they had ouercome him, that the other Hasdruball and Mago, hearyng therof, wolde flee into the mountaynes and straytes with their power, and so prolonge the warres in Spayn. Wherfore to make an ende of all theyr trouble at ones, they concluded to part their ar∣mies in twayne, P. Cornelius with two partes shulde goo a∣gaynst the two capitaines that lay togither. And Cn. Scipio with the thyrde part of theyr olde army, and with the Celti∣berians shulde assaile the other Asdruball, the sonne of Amil∣car. With these mindes they set furth togither toward their ennemies. Cn. Scipio whan he came to Aniturgium, rested with his company in the syght of his enemies, hauyng a riuer betwene hym and them: his brother went furthe, as it was a∣greed betwene them. Asdruball perceiuing the numbre of the Romayns to be but small: and that all their strengthe was in strangers late hyred, knowing the faccion of the people, how vntrue and vnstable they were: by the meane of Spaniardes, that coulde speake the language, for great summes of money he corrupted the princis & rulars of them: so that they were agreed to departe home with theyr hole power. They were not desyred or hyred to vndertake the warres with Asdrubal against the Romaines, but onely to depart without fighting. Whervnto they were sone intreated, partly for that they had as large wages as though they shuld haue foughten: And a∣gayne for that they were gladde to retourne home to theyr cuntreys and frendes, auoyding the danger of warre. Ther∣fore sodaynely they with their baners and caryage departed. The Romaines meruayling what this sodaine chaunge ment, enquired of them the cause of their departure. They answe∣red,

they were sent for home to defende theyr owne cuntrey whiche was oppressed also with warre. Other answere could they none gette: nother were the Romaynes able to kepe them with force. Scipio knowyng, that without theym he was nothynge able to encounter Asdruball, and also seynge no waye howe he myghte recouer the companye of his bro∣ther: his ennemies beinge soo nere, and commynge on hym, was meruaylously astonied: yet he thought beste, in no wyse to meete with hym on euen grounde, he was soo farre ouer∣matched. Wherfore a lyttell and a lyttell he with drewe him backe, sekyng some place of strength, where he myghte suc∣cour hym selfe and his small company. That perceiuing Has∣druball passed the ryuer with his hooste, and folowed after, with as moche speede as he could.

¶ Nowe was P. Scipio his brother as moche troubled on his parte, by reason of Massanissa, a yong lusty prince of Nu∣midia, who beinge than a frende to the Carthaginenses, was comme with a good power of Numidians to the succour of Mago and Hasdruball the sonne of Gysgon, he was fiers and of a greatte courage, the Romaynes coulde nother goo a∣brode for vitayles, woode, or suche necessaries, but he with his Numidians was euer redy to oppresse them: and dyuers tymes in the nyght he wolde assayle theym in theyr campe, as people that were besieged. There was also tydinges brought to Scipio, that one Indibilis, with seuen thousande, and fyue hundred Suessanes, was at hande, commynge to the healpe of the Carthaginenses: whose army beinge ioyned to the other, he knewe he shulde be more straightly enclosed. Wherfore, compelled by necessitie to serche the compasse of his wytte, he determyned secretely to take the greatter part of his armye to meete with this Indibilis in the nyghte, in∣tendynge, where soo euer he mette with hym, to gyue hym battaylle, he lefte Titus Fonteius, with a certayne with hym, to keepe the campe. And goynge on his waye aboute mydnyght he met with Indibilis and sodaynly assayled hym. There was a fyerse conflycte for a season: And by the so∣dayne settynge on theym, the Romaynes hadde putte theym to flyghte with greatte slaughter, hadde not the Numidian horsemenne, who alwayes awayted on the Ro∣maynes

where soo euer they wente) on bothe partes so∣deynly assayled theym: yet Scipio soo pryuily was in the nyght departed, that he hadde thought therby to haue be∣giled the Numidians watchemen. Than the battail being re∣nued agayn, Mago and Asdruball with their hostes folowing after, were at theyr backes: so that the Romaynes knew not to whiche were best to tourne them. Scipio stille comforted and exhorted his men, and euer where the battaile was moste stronge, thyther went he lyke a noble and valiant gouernour, tyll at the last hym selfe was thyrst into the ryght syde with a speare, so that he fell dead from his hors. Whan the Cartha∣ginenses sawe the Romayne capitayne falle, incontinent they ranne abrode in all the partes of the fielde ioyfully cryinge, Scipio the capitayne of the Romaines is slayne. The fame wherof gaue hart to the Carthaginenses, and caused the Ro∣maynes to flee. but in the flyght there were mo slayne than in the batail. The Numidian horsmen were so fierse in the chase, and the footemen hauyng lyght harneis were almost as swyft as the horses. So that yf the nyght had not come on theym, fewe or none had escaped. The Carthaginenses after this vi∣ctory slept not nor stayde, but to folowe theyr good occasy∣on offered, incontinent toke theyr horses, and went to the o∣ther Hasdruball, the sonne of Amilcar, not doutyng of good spede there also. After that both theyr powers were mette togyther, there was great ioye made betweene the capitey∣nes bothe for theyr metynge, and also for the newes of theyr late victory.

¶ On the other syde the Romayns were stryken with feare∣ful pensifenes, not for any knowlege that they had of the losse of their company, for there was such spede made by theyren∣nemies, that worde thereof coulde not so soone be broughte them: but their feare was as it were through an inwarde and secrete iudgement in theyr hartes, of somme euyll chaunce that was happed vnto theym. Agayne Cn. Scipio seing the hoste of his ennemyes encreased, by the commynge of Ma∣go and Asdruball, meruailed howe they shulde conuey theyr armye thyther so soone without battayle, onlesse his brother were slayne. He meruayled alsoo, that his brother, nother dydde lette their commynge thyther, nother yet dydde ap∣pere folowynge theym. For he knewe, yf he were on lyne,

he wolde make haste to come and ioyne his army vnto his. In this great trouble of mynde, he thoughte to withdrawe hym as moche as he myght. Wherefore in the nyght he was gone a good space of grounde, but in the dawnyng of the daye, the Numidians were ware of their departing, and folowed with their horses, so that long before nyght they ouertoke theym, assayling them now on the one side, now on the other, and som¦tyme behynde them: but euer Scipio caused theym to keepe good aray, and to go euer forewarde in their fightynge, to be out of the daunger of the footemen of their enemies that fo∣lowed them: but the horsemen so vexed them on all partes, that they could not go farre. Wherfore Scipio gathered his small company vp to a lytell hyll, the best that he coulde there espy for his aduātage. There he toke this order. theyr stuffe and cariage was brought into the myddell of the host, and the horsemen sette about the same: without them were the foote men, who saued the other from the inuasion of the Numidian horsemen, tyl the rest of the Carthaginenses were come. But than Scipio seing hym selfe so vnable to resist .iii. capitaynes and their great hostes, began to diuise, howe he might by any meanes cast a trenche about his campe, or make some hedge to defende them from the inuasions of theyr enemies: but thā was the hyll so bare, and the grounde so stony, that no bushes or thornes coulde there be gathered, nor turues dygged, or any trenche made: and the hyll it selfe was so flatte, that they coulde by no maner of way let the commyng vp of their ene∣mies. Than Scipio to make some shewe of a defence aboute the campe, deuised to lay his packes and grosse cariage in cō∣passe of the campe one vpon an other, and thervppon he cau∣sed the packsaddels and other fardels to be tyed: wherby he raysed the walles of his campe of a good height.

¶ Whan the hostes of the Carthaginenses were come, they ascended that small hyll with lyttel peyne: but than seing that straunge kynde of fortifieng the campe, which they had neuer before sene, they were amased, and stayde for a season. The capitaynes perceiuyng theyr sodayne stoppe and wondryng, cried on al partes to them, saying, that it was great shame for them to be so longe or they coulde plucke downe and deface suche a fond deuise and mockery, wherwith children and wo∣men wold not so long haue ben stayed. Go to it therfore with

courage (sayd they) for your ennemies lye lurkyng behynde those packes. With these rebukes of the capitaines, they as∣sayed to enter on all partes. And though a greate whyle they were lette and troubled therabout, at the last in diuers partis they entred, so few in numbre could no longer endure against so many. The campe was wonne, and many were slain, wher∣of Cn. Scipio the noble capitayne was one, a good number sledde into the woodes, that were next vnto them, and so es∣caped, and came into the tentes of Publius Scipio, whyche than were kept by T. Fonteius. Thus were bothe the bre∣therne and capytaynes of the Romaynes in Spayne, slayne within the space of .xxx. dayes: whose death was greatly la∣mented, both at Rome and also in Spain. And it was thought at their death, that the hole army of the Romaines in Spayn was vtterly brought to confusyon, and that countrey thereby brought out of the Romaynes handes.