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 Hannibals fyrst warres and victory. Cap. ii. (Book 2)

VVHAN THIS YONG capitayn had thus exercysed hym selfe vnder Asdruball the space of .iii. yeres, it chaunced that one of that countrey (whose mayster Asdruball before had slayne) sodeynly ranne on hym, and slewe hym. Whervpon beinge taken he nother changed countenance nor feared any punyshement that shuld come to hym therfore: but with smi∣lyng countenance receyued his deathe. Than the souldiours of the army after the losse of Asdruball immediately by one consent chose Hanniball to be theyr gouernour. And he ap∣poynting to warre agaynst the Romayns, and Italy to be his prouince, thought he wold not long stay or tracte the tyme in ouermoch deliberating theron: lest therby it myght chance vn¦to hym, as it dyd vnto his father & Hasdrubal, to be oppressed by some other myschance, intēded to moue warre to the Sa∣guntines before rehersed. And to colour his intent, he fyrste led his army into the costes of Olcades, a people of Spayne beyonde the ryuer of Iberus, neighbour to the Saguntines, to thende it shuld seme, that he of purpose or by any pretence of warre dyd not seke to inuade the Saguntines, but wynning the countreys adioynyng togyther, he shulde also take Sa∣gunt with hym as it laye in his way in order with the other. Amonge these he wanne the citie called Carteia that was ve∣ry riche, whiche citie beinge subdued, the smalle townes ad∣iacent wyllyngly submitted them selues to be vnder tribute. This done he for the wynter tyme withdrue his armye to a citie in Spayne called newe Carthage. And with distributing largely to his souldiours the pray before gotten, and welpay∣ing of euery mans wages that was behynde, he wonne the hartes of all the hoste. So that they holly agreed the nexte sommer folowynge to warre vppon the Vacceis. Whiche warres brought to passe and ended, as they retourned, not farre from the ryuer of Tagus, the banysshed people of the coun∣treys

aforesayde, assembled togyther, and reysed the Carpe∣tanes, by whose helpe they were to the numbre of a hundred thousande, and trustyng to theyr great multitude, came new∣ly vpon the Carthaginenses. Anniball perceyuing that great power commyng vpon hym, absteyned from batayle, and pri∣uily in the nyght conueyed his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ouer a fourde, and from thense withdrue his people a good space of: so that his ene∣mies myght haue place to come ouer the ryuer. Than set be xl. elephantes alonge the ryuer syde, that they myght be re∣dy to oppresse them at the entryng of the water. Also he cō∣maunded his horsemen, that as soone as the footemen were entred the water, they shulde fiersly assayle them. The Car∣petanes with the Vacceis and Carteians thynkyng theyr en∣nemies for feare to be fledde from theym, and intendynge to pursue them, without any foresyght or order, with all spede, makyng great clamour, euery man rashely toke his next way through the water. Hannibals horsmen perceyuing that they were entred the fourde, violently ranne on them, and with li∣tell peyne ouerthrewe a great number of their fotemen in the water, whiche thyng was easy to doo, for a footeman in the strength of the streame coulde in no wyse susteyne the force of a horseman, onely the rushe of the horse, though the ry∣der be vnarmed, is able to ouerthrowe any foteman: so feble is the stay of his fote in the water. Thus some were drow∣ned, and some other that passed ouer the ryuer, were oppres∣sed with the elephantes, so that in shorte space they were all vtterly discomfyted and ouercome. For before that those, whiche last entred the ryuer (though they escaped the dan∣ger of the horsemen) coulde recule backe agayn tolande, and assemble togyther, and set them selfe in aray, Annibal with a freshe band of men entred the water, and so quyckly folowed and chased them, that fewe escaped. Whervpon shortly after he conquered al the Carpetanes, and broughtthem vnder sub¦iection of Carthage. And thāall the borderers beyonde the water Iberus, holly became tributaries to Carthage, sauyng only the Sagūtmes, with whom as thāthey had not medled, but diuers quarels were pycked by their neyghbours, to get some occasion to warre ageyuste them. And that perceiued well the Sagantines. Wherfore to preuent the matter, they sent messangers to Rome, to require succours in the warres that they vndoutedly loked for.