their Country with their Arms in their hands. But nothing more enflamed
the anger of the people, than the Mothers of the Hostages, whom they
might behold like Furies in a Tragedy, flie upon all they met with, reproach∣ing
them that they had robbed them of their Children, and demanding satis∣faction.
In conclusion, some more reserved than the rest, after having
barricadoed up the Gates, gathered Stones, and carried them upon the
Walls, to serve against the Enemy, instead of other Arms.
[ XL] The same day it was concluded in the Senate, that they should stand upon
their Defence, and Proclamation was made for the general freedom of Slaves.
They likewise nominated Generals, of which one was Asdrubal, whom
they had condemned to death, and who had already twenty thousand Men
in Arms, and to him they presently dispatched a Deputy to entreat him, that
now in his Countries extremity he would not remember the offence he had
received, which was only occasioned by the fear they had of the Romans.
Him they appointed to keep the Field; and for the City they chose another
Asdrubal, Grand-child to Masanissa, by one of his Daughters. This done,
they dispatched once more to the Consuls, to demand only thirty days time,
during which, their Deputies should go to Rome, which being refused, they
took a resolution to suffer all extremities, rather than abandon their City.
And now might be seen an universal change in mens minds; the Temples like∣wise,
and the Palace, and other spacious places were changed into publick
Shops, wherein men and women laboured night and day without respit, un∣less
so much time as necessity and nature required for food and sleep; so that
every day they made one hundred Bucklers, three hundred Swords, a thou∣sand
Arrows for the Cross-bow; five hundred Darts and Javelins, and as ma∣ny
Cross-bows as they could; and when they wanted strings to bend them
with, the Women cut off their Hair to make Cords of. Whilst the Cartha∣ginians
prepared for War with so much care and diligence, the Consuls were
not so pressing, whether it troubled them to resolve upon doing a thing so ex∣traordinary,
or that they thought they could, when ever they pleased, with
ease take by force a disarmed City. Besides they imagined that necessity
would soon take them off their courage, it being ordinary, that those who
in the extremity of Affairs are at first furiously opposite, after having more
closely considered the matter, grow fearful of displeasing those who have the
power of destroying them, which happened in effect in Carthage, where a
certain man perceiving his Fellow-Citizens already growing sensible of fear,
came into the Assembly under another pretence, and told them, that of many
evils the least was to be chosen, when they had not wherewithal to defend
themselves. Mean while Masanissa was not well satisfied, that he having
brought down the Power and Glory of the Carthaginians, the Romans
should come and snatch the Victory out of his hands, and had crossed the
Sea without first communicating their design to him, which they had used
to do in former Wars. However, when the Consuls, to sound his intenti∣ons,
demanded his assistance, he replyed, he would not be wanting, as soon
as he knew they stood in need of it, and indeed sometime after he sent one
to the Confuls, to know if they had any thing for him to do, but they not
enduring his Pride, and mistrusting him as a person grown angry, made an∣swer,
that when they stood in need of him, they would send him word, and
yet were they at present in some straits for Provisions, which were only
brought them from Adrumetum, Leptis, Saxa, Utica and Chella; for Asdrubal
held all the rest of Lybia, from whence he sent what he could to Carthage.
Some days being passed, the two Consuls drew their Army near the City,