A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

742 SCIPIO. SCIPIO.
taking him, lie resolved to sail back to Italy, and porium in the preceding year, B. c. 218, mozt of
await his arrival in Cisalpine Gaul. But as the the chiefs on the sea-coast joined him, attracted by
Romans had an army of 25,000 men in Cisalpine his affability and kindness, which formed a striking
Gaul, under the command of the two praetors, contrast with the severity and harshness of the
Scipio resolved to send into Spain the army which Carthaginian commanders. In the course of the
he had brought with him, under the command of same year he gained a victory near the town of
his brother and legate, Cn. Scipio, and to take Scissis or Cissa, in which Hanno, the Carthaginian
back with him only a small portion of his forces to general, was taken prisoner, and which made hini
Italy. This wise resolution of Scipio probably master of nearly the whole of northern Spain
saved Rome; for if the Carthaginians had main- from the Pyrenees to the Iberus. Hasdrubal
tained the undisputed command of Spain, they advanced by rapid marches from the north of
would have been able to have concentrated all their Spain to retrieve the Carthaginian cause in the
efforts to support Hannibal in Italy, and might north, but arrived too late in the year to achave sent him such strong reinforcements after the complish any thing of importance, and accordingly
battle of Cannae as would have compelled Rome to recrossed the Iberus, after burning part of the
submit. Roman fleet. Scipio wintered at Tarraco. In the
After Scipio had landed at Pisae, he took the following year, B. c. 217, he defeated the Carthacommand of the praetor's army, and forthwith has- ginian fleet at the mouth of the Iberus, and thus
tened to meet Hannibal, before he might be able obtained for the Romans the command of the sea.
to collect reinforcements among the Cisalpine Gauls. Publius arrived shortly afterwards in the middle
He crossed the Po at Placentia, and then advanced of the summer, and the two brothers now advanced
along the left bank of the river in search of Han- against Saguntum, where Hannibal had deposited
nibal. Soon after crossing the Ticinus, over which the hostages, whom he had obtained from the
lie had thrown a bridge, his cavalry and light- various Spanish tribes. The treachery of a Spaarmed troops, which he was leading in person in niard of the name of Abelux or Abilyx surrendered
advance of the rest of his forces, fell in with the them to the Scipios, who restored them to their
cavalry of the Carthaginians, also commanded by own people, and thus gained the support of a large
Hannibal himself. An engagement took place, in number of the Spanish tribes.
which the Romans were defeated. The consul In the course of the next two or three years
himself received a severe wound, and was only Livy gives a description of several brilliant vicsaved from death by the courage of his young son, tories gained by the Scipios, but as these were
Publius, the futture conqueror of Hannibal; though, evidently followed by no results, there is clearly
according to other accounts, he owed his life to a great exaggeration in his account. Thus, they are
Ligurian slave (Liv. xxi. 46; Polyb. x. 3). Scipio said to have defeated Hasdrubal in B. c. 216 with
now retreated across the Ticinus, breaking the such loss, near the passage of the Iberus, that he
bridge behind him. He then crossed the Po also, escaped from the field with only a few followers.
and took up his quarters at Placentia. Here Han- This victory was gained after the battle of Cannae,
nibal, who had likewise crossed the Po, offered when Hasdrubal was attempting to march into
him battle, which was declined by Scipio, whose Italy to support his victorious brother Hannibal.
wound prevented him from taking the command of In the following year, B. c. 215, Hasdrubal,
his army, and who had moreover determined to having received reinforcements from Carthage,
wait the arrival of his colleague, Sempronius Lon- under the command of his brother Mago, laid siege
gus, who had been summoned from Sicily to join to the town of Illiturgi; but their united forces
him. Upon the arrival of Sempronius, Scipio was were defeated by the two Scipios, who are also
encamped upon the banks of the Trebia, having said to have gained another decisive victory over
abandoned his former position at Placentia. As them in the course of the same year near Intibili.
Scipio still continued disabled by his wound, the Next year, B. c. 214, another Carthaginian army
command of the army devolved upon Sempronius. arrived under Hasdrubal, the son of Gisco. The
The latter, who was anxious to obtain the glory of Roman accounts again speak of two successive
conquering Hannibal, resolved upon a battle, in victories gained by Cn. Scipio, but followed as
opposition to the advice of his colleague. The usual by no results. About this time Hasdrubal,'result was the complete defeat of the Roman army, Hannibal's brother, was recalled to Africa to
which was obliged to take refuge within the walls oppose Syphax, one of the Numidian kings, who
of Placentia. [HANNIBAL, p. 335, b.] was carrying on war against Carthage. The
In the following year, B. c. 217, Scipio, whose Scipios availed themselves of his absence to
imperium had been prolonged, crossed over into strengthen their power; they gained over new
Spain with a fleet of twenty ships and eight thou- tribes to the Roman cause, took 20,000 Celtisand foot-soldiers. Scipio and his brother Cneius berians into their pay, and felt themselves so
continued in Spain till their death in B. c. 211; strong by the beginning of B. c. 212 or 211, that
bat the history of their campaigns, though im- they resolved to cross the Iberus, and to make a
portant in their results, is full of such confusions vigorous effort to drive the Carthaginians out of
and contradictions, that a brief description of them Spain. They accordingly divided their forces.
is quite sufficient. Livy found great discrepancies P. Scipio was to attack Mago and Hasdrubal, the
in his authorities, which are in themselves not son of Gisco, who were supported by Masinissa
worthy of much confidence. It is even impossible and the Spanish chief Indibilis, while his brother
to state with certainty the years in which most of Cneius was to attack Hasdrubal the son of Barca,
the events occurred (Niebuhr, Lectures on Roman who had already returned from Africa, after
History, vol. i. pp. 206, 207). Upon the arrival bringing the war against Syphax to a successful
of Publius in Spain, he found that his brother termination. But the result was fatal. Publius
Cneius had already obtained a firm footing in the was destroyed, with the greater part of his forces,
country. Soon after Cneius had landed at Em- and Mago and Hasdrubal, son of Gisco, now joined