army, hearing this outrage, marched in all haste to the relief of the besieged. But the Gauls, having laid a strong ambush in a wood joining to the way, fell upon the prætor so opportunely, as he was utterly overthrown, and all his followers left dead in the place; a few excepted, that recovered, by fast running, a little village, but defensible, upon the river of Po. When this was heard at Rome, C. Attilius, another of the prætors, was hastily sent to relieve the besieged, with a legion and five thousand of the Roman associates; which forces were taken out of the consul's army, and supplied by a new levy.

As the Gauls were too rash and hasty, so were the Romans too slow, and indeed too ill-advised, in the beginning of this war. They were not persuaded, that Carthage, which had almost servilely endured so many indignities in time of the late peace, would be so brave and courageous on the sudden, as to attempt the conquest of Italy itself. Wherefore, they appointed one of their consuls to make war in Spain, the other in Africa, resting secure of all danger at home. Titus Sempronius took his way to wards Africa, with an hundred and sixty quinquere mes, or gallies, of five to an oar; which preparation may seem to threaten even the city of Carthage, to which it shall not come near. P. Cornelius Scipio, the other consul, made all possible haste, by way of Genoa, into Provence; and used such diligence, having the wind also favourable, as in five days he recovered Massilia. There he was advertised of Hannibal's having passed the river of Rhodanus, whom he thought to have found busy yet a while in Spain. Hannibal had also news of the consul's arrival; whereof he was neither glad nor sorry, as not meaning to have to do with him. Each of them sent forth scouts to discover the others number and doings; Hannibal about five hundred Numidians, Scipio three hundred of his better-appointed Roman

horse. These met and fought, and the Numidians were beaten; yet could not the Romans greatly brag, having slain only two hundred, and lost of their own one hundred and forty. But when Scipio drew near to have met with the Carthaginians, he found they were gone three days before; and that (as he then found assuredly true) with an intent to look upon the walls of Rome. This interrupted his intended voyage into Spain. Nevertheless, he sent away thi ther his brother Cn. Cornelius Scipio, with the greatest part of the fleet and army, to try what might be done against Asdrubal and the other Carthaginian lieutenants in that country. He himself, taking with him a few choice bands, returned by sea to Pisa; and so passing through Tuscany into Lombardy, drew together the broken troops of Manlius and Attilius, that lately had been beaten by the Gauls ; with which forces he made head against the enemy, thinking to find him over-laboured with travel of his painful journey.

SECT. IV.

Scipio, the Roman consul, overcome by Hannibal at Ticinum. Both of the Roman consuls beaten by Hannibal, in a great battle at Trebia.

FIVE months Hannibal had spent in his tedious journey from Carthagena; what great muster he could make, when he had passed the Alps, it is not easily found. Some reckon his foot at an hundred thousand, and his horse at twenty thousand; others report them to have been only twenty thousand foot and six hundred horse. Hannibal himself, in his monument which he raised in the temple of Juno Lucina, agreeth with the latter sum. Yet the Gauls,

Ligurians, and others that joined with him, are like. ly to have mightily increased his army in short space. But when he marched eastward from the banks of Rhodanus, he had with him eight and thirty thousand foot, and eight thousand horse; of which all, save those remembered by himself in the inscription of his altar in Juno's temple, are like to have perished by diseases, enemies, rivers, and mountains; which mischiefs had devoured each their several shares.

Having newly passed the Alps, and scarce refreshed his wearied army in the country of Piedmont; he sought to win the friendship of the Taurini', who lay next in his way. But the Taurini held war at that time with the Insubrians, which were his good friends; and refused (perhaps for the same cause) his amity. Wherefore he assaulted their town, and won it by force in three days. Their spoil served well to hearten his army; and their calamity, to ter rify the neighbour places. So the Gauls, without more ado, fell unto his side; many for fear, many also for good-will, according to their former inclination. This disposition ran through the whole country; which joined, or was all in readiness to join with the Carthaginians; when the news of Scipio, the consul's arrival, made some to be more advised than the rest. The name of the Romans was terrible in those quarters; what was in the Carthaginians, experience had not yet laid open. Since, therefore, the Roman consul was already gotten through the most. defensible passages, ere any speech had been heard of his approach; many sat still for very fear, who else would fain have concluded a league with these new-come friends; and some, for greater fear, offered their service against the Carthaginians, whom nevertheless they had wished well to speed.

1 These dwelt about Turin, a goodly city, now subject unto the Duke of Savoy which from them took the name of Augusta Taurinorum.

This wavering affection of the provinces whereinto they were entered, made the two generals hasten to the trial of a battle. Their meeting was at Ticinum, now called Pavia; where each of them wondered at the other's expedition: Hannibal thinking it strange that the consul whom he had left behind him on the other side of the Alps, could meet him in the face, before he had well warmed himself in the plains; Scipio admiring the strange adventure of passing those mountains, and the great spirit of his enemy. Neither were the senate at Rome little amazed at Hannibal's success and sudden arrival. Wherefore they dispatched a messenger in all haste unto Sempronius, the other consul, that was then in Sicily, giving him to understand hereof; and letting him further know, that whereas he had been directed to make the war in Africa, it was now their pleasure that he should forbear to prosecute any such attempt, but that he should return the army under his charge, with all possible speed, to save Italy itself. According to this order, Sempronius sent off his fleet from Lilybæum, with direction to land the army at Ariminum, a port town not far from Ravenna; quite another way from Carthage, whither he was making haste. In the meanwhile Scipio and Hannibal were come so near, that fight they must, ere they could part asunder. Hereupon both of them prepared the minds of their soldiers, by the best arguments they had unto which Hannibal added the rhetoric of a present example, that he shewed upon certain prisoners of the Savoyards, which he brought along with him, fitted for the purpose, into Italy. For these, having been no less miserably fettered and chained, than sparingly fed, and withal so often scourged on their naked bodies, as nothing was more in their desire, than to be delivered from their miseries by any kind of present death, were brought into the middle of the army; where it was openly VOL. V.

demanded, which of them would fight hand to hand with some other of his companions, till the one of them were slain, with condition, being the victor, to receive his liberty, and some small reward. This was no sooner propounded, than all of them together accepted the offer. Then did Hannibal cause his lots to be cast which of them should enter the list, with such weapons as the chieftains of the Gauls were wont to use in single combats. Every one of these unhappy men wished that his own lot might speed; whereby it should at least be his good fortune to end his miseries by death, if not to get a reward by victory. That couple whose good hap it was to be chosen, fought resolvedly; as rather desiring than fearing death, and having none other hope than in vanquishing. Thus were some few couples matched, it skilled not how equally; for all these poor creatures were willing, upon whatsoever uneven terms, to rid themselves out of slavery. The same affection that was in these combatants, and in their fellows which beheld them, wrought also upon the Carthaginians, for whom the spectacle was ordained; for they deemed happy, not only him that by winning had gotten his liberty, together with an horse and armour, but even him also who, being slain in fight, had escaped that miserable condition unto which his companions were returned. Their general perceiving what impression this dumb shew had wrought in them, began to admonish them of their own condition, speaking to this effect: That he had laid before them an example of their own estates, seeing the time was at hand, wherein they were all to run the same fortune that these slaves had done; all to live victorious and rich; or all to die; or (which these prisoners esteemed far more grievous) to live in a perpetual slavery: That none of them all, in whom was common sense, could promise to himself any hope of life by flight; since the mountains, the ri