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 oration of Scipio to his souldyours in Spayne, after his commyng thyther. Cap. xliiii. (Book 44)

IN. the spryng of the yere P. Scipio cōmanded all his shyppes, furnished with men vitailes and munimentes of warre, to mete hym at the mouthe of the ryuer of Iberus: where he with the rest of his hoste, cominge by lande from Tarracon, mette them. And there thinkyng it necessa∣ry to hym, to declare his mynde to the olde souldyours that were lefte in Spayne, after the laste great losse and slaughter of the Romaynes, he called them togyther, and made his ora∣tion as hereafter foloweth.

¶ There was neuer newe capitayn before me, that had cause to gyue thankes vnto his souldyours, before he hadde tryed theyr hardines and diligence in bataile: but fortune hath boūd me vnto you (louinge souldiours) before I knewe this coun∣treye, or sawe the place of our Campe. Fyrste for the loue and obedience that ye haue borne to my father and mine vncle

bothe quycke and deade: secundarily for that, whan the hole countrey was as loste, by reason of the greate distruction of our people: yet you by your noble vertue and myghte, haue obteyned the possession of the same agayne, bothe to the Ro∣maynes, and also to me theyr deputie here, and successour to my sayd father and vncle. But now, sens through the fauour of the goddis we intende to worke, not that we may dwell in Spayne styll our selues, but that the Carthaginenses shall haue no dwellyng here: Nother onely to restraine them, that they shall not come on this syde the bankes of the water of Iberus: but that we intend to passe the same floode with our army, to gyue them battayle. I feare, lest it shall be thoughte by you, that this my counsayle is more hardy (and spoken af∣ter myne age) than wyse, consyderynge the late losse that we haue had here, wherby the tyme shuld not serue vs to vnder∣take suche great enterpryses. There is noo manne hath more cause than I, to remembre our euyll fortune in batayle in Spayne, who haue had both my father and myne vncle slayne here, within the space of thyrty days, as ye wold say, to make here a heape of corps of our family one vpon an other. Neuer¦thelesse, as the losse and lacke of frendes is displeasant to the mynde of men, euen so doth fortune and noble vertuouse cou∣rage forbyd a man, in suche case to dispayre, specially sens tho¦rough fatall fortune our chaunce hath heretofore bene, that after we haue bene beaten and susteined great losses in the be∣ginning: yet at the last we haue euer ouercome our ennemies, that before suppressed vs. I wyll not reherse the olde hysto∣ries of our warres with Porsena, with the Frenchmen, and with the Samnites: I wyll onely remembre the warres with these our ennemies the Carthaginenses, how many nauies of shyppes, howe many capitaynes, and howe many armies lost we in the fyrst battayles, that we had with theym, before the tyme of this Anniball? And nowe in his tyme at Trebia, at Trasymenus, and at Cannas, what other thinges did appere, other than hole armyes with theyr capitaynes and Romayne Consuls slayne? Furthermore, howe great a parte of Italy, of Sardinia, and Sicilia haue forsaken the Romaynes, to fo∣lowe the amitie of Anniball? and how nigh the citie of Rome pytched he his campe? ye he hym self was sene almost to ride hard to the gates of Rome. In all the tyme of this great ru∣yne and hard fortune, the hertes, the vertue and courage of

of the Romaynes remayned styl stedfast hole and vnmouable: wherby they haue ben euer susteyned and set vp agayne. Af∣ter the cruell batayle of Cannas, Hasdruball, with a great ar∣mye was goynge ouer the mountaynes into Italye, to helpe his brother Anniball, and to ioyne theyr powers together: whych if he had done, accordynge to his intent, there hadde by thys day ben almost no memorye or name of the Romayns left. But then ye hardy souldyours, by the gouernaunce of my father, withstode theim, and by your good fortune so wel sped there, that therby the euel chaunces, which before hap∣ned vs, were wel releued, and nowe, through the goodnes of the goddes are dayly more ioyfull and prosperous. In Sici∣lia the great cities of Syracusa and Agrigentum, be wonne agayn, and the hole Ile brought vnto the obedience of the Romaines, and our ennemies clene expulsed. In Italy Capua is taken, & the Arpines brought again vnder the subiection of Rome. And Anniball in gret feare fleing frō Rome, is nowe bryuen into an angle of the countrey of the Brutians, where the dayly prayer that he maketh to the goddes aboue al thin∣ges is, that he may safe and sound escape without daunger out of the countrey of his ennemies. Wherfore frendes, there is nothyng more vnmete or more contrary to reason, then that you, who haue in al aduersitie and lowe ebbe, when the god∣des were them selues almost on Annibals partie, & yet by the guyding of my father and frendes, haue susteyned and borne vp the estate of the Romaynes: that ye nowe, when al thyn∣ges ar mery and prosperous, shoulde shrynke or suffre your hartes to fayle you. Nowe the immortall goddes, the gouer∣nours of the Romayne Empyre, who wylled the people of Rome, by one assent to elect me vnto this gret offyce and di∣gnitie, the same goddes by sundry presages signes and drea∣mes in the nyght haue shewed me, that all thynges hereafter shal haue prosperous successe. ye and that I most at this time do regarde, my harte giueth me, that ere it be long, al Spaine shalbe ours, so that as many as beare the name of a Carthagi∣nense, shall be gladde for feare to flee hens, both by lande and by sea. And reason also gyueth, that the same whiche in my herte is conceyued, must nedes be trewe. For dyuers of theyr frendes, whyche haue by theym ben euil intreted, haue of late sent embassadours to vs for socours. Agayne, there

be of them thre captaines, whiche can not agree among them selues. For whiche cause they haue deuided theyr armye in three partes, and are departed farre a sundre. Wherfore the same, fortune that skourged and distroyed vs, doth nowe come on theim. For their felowes and friendes, in whom they trust be gone from theim, euen as the people called Celtiberi, de∣parted and forsoke you, when y••hadde moste nede of theim. They also haue deuided and seuered theyr hostes, which was the cause of the destruction, bothe of my father & of myne vn∣cle. This discorde wyll not suffer theim to ioyne to gether a∣gaine. And be ye sure, no one armie of theim by it selfe is able to withstande you. Wherfore I moste hertely pray you good souldiours, loue and fauour nowe the name of the Scipions, whiche am I the sonne of your olde capitaine Scipio, an impe growen out (as ye woulde saye) of a stocke that is cut downe by the grounde. And ye olde knightes, so worke, that ye may brynge me a yonge capitaine, with my newe armie ouer Ibe∣rus into the countrey, which ye haue passed, after many great actes and prowes shewed: and I doubte not shortly to bringe to passe, that as ye nowe knowe in me to be a similitude or re∣semblaunce of my father and vncle, by my face, countenaunce, and features of my body, euen so shall ye see in me also an ex∣aumple of theyr witte faith and vertue: in suche wyse, that e∣uery one of you shall saye: Scipio our olde capitaine is alyue agayne.