Speaker 1: Chapter ten of Hannibal. This is a LibriVox recording. All
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Speaker 1: Shane Nolan. Hannibal by Jacob Abbott, Chapter ten. The true
Speaker 1: reason why Hannibal could not be arrested in his triumphant
Speaker 1: career seems not to have been because the Romans did
Speaker 1: not pursue the right kind of policy toward him, but
Speaker 1: because thus far they had no general who was his equal.
Speaker 1: Whoever was sent against him soon proved to be his inferior.
Speaker 1: Hannibal could out maneuver them all in stratagem, and could
Speaker 1: conquer them on the field. There was, however, now destined
Speaker 1: to appear, a man capable of coping with Hannibal. It
Speaker 1: was young Scipio, the one who saved the life of
Speaker 1: his father at the Battle of Tysinius. This Scipio, though
Speaker 1: the son of Hannibal's first great antagonist of that name,
Speaker 1: is commonly called in history the elder Scipio, for there
Speaker 1: was another of his name after him, who was greatly
Speaker 1: celebrated for his wars against the Carthaginians in Africa. These
Speaker 1: last two received from the Roman people the surname of
Speaker 1: Africanus in honor of their African victories, and the one
Speaker 1: who now comes upon the stage was called Scipio Africanus,
Speaker 1: the Elder, or sometimes simply the elder Scipio. The deeds
Speaker 1: of the Scipio who attempted to stop Hannibal at the
Speaker 1: Rhone and upon the po were so wholly eclipsed by
Speaker 1: his son and by the other Scipio who followed him,
Speaker 1: that the former is left out of view and forgotten
Speaker 1: in designating and distinguishing the others. Our present Scipio first
Speaker 1: appears upon the stage in the exercise of military command.
Speaker 1: After the Battle of Cane. He was a subordinate officer,
Speaker 1: and on the day following the battle he found himself
Speaker 1: at a place called Canusium, which was a short distance
Speaker 1: from Cana, on the way towards Rome, with a number
Speaker 1: of other officers of his own rank, and with the
Speaker 1: broken masses and detachments of the army coming in from
Speaker 1: time to time, thanked, exhausted and in despair. The rumor
Speaker 1: was that both consuls were killed. These fragments of the
Speaker 1: army had therefore no one to command them and unanimously
Speaker 1: agreed to make Scipio their commander in the emergency until
Speaker 1: some superior officer should arrive or they should get orders
Speaker 1: from Rome. An incident here occurred which showed in a
Speaker 1: striking point of view the boldness and energy of the
Speaker 1: young Scipio's character at the very meeting in which he
Speaker 1: was placed in command, and when they were overwhelmed with
Speaker 1: perplexity and care, an officer came in and reported that
Speaker 1: in another part of the camp there was an assembly
Speaker 1: of officers and young men of rank, headed by a
Speaker 1: certain Metallus, who had decided to give up the cause
Speaker 1: of their country in despair, and that they were making
Speaker 1: arrangements to proceed immediately to the sea coast, obtained ships,
Speaker 1: and sail away to seek a new home in some
Speaker 1: foreign lands. Considering their cause in Italy as utterly lost
Speaker 1: and ruined, the officer proposed that they should call a
Speaker 1: council and deliberate what was best to do. Deliberate, said Scipio,
Speaker 1: This is not a case for deliberation, but for action.
Speaker 1: Draw your swords and follow me, so saying, he pressed
Speaker 1: forward at the head of the party to the quarters
Speaker 1: of Metalus. They marched boldly into the apartment where he
Speaker 1: and his friends were in consultation. Scipio held up his
Speaker 1: sword and in a very solemn manner, pronounced an oath
Speaker 1: binding himself not to abandon his country in this hour
Speaker 1: of her distress, nor to allow any other Roman citizen
Speaker 1: to abandon her if he should be guilty of such treason.
Speaker 1: He called upon Jupiter by the most dreadful imprecations to
Speaker 1: destroy him utterly, house, family, fortune, soul and body, and
Speaker 1: now metalus. I call up on you, said he, and
Speaker 1: all who are with you, to take the same oath.
Speaker 1: You must do it, otherwise you have got to defend
Speaker 1: yourselves against these swords of ours, as well as those
Speaker 1: of the Carthaginians. Medallas and his party yielded. Nor was
Speaker 1: it holy to fear that they yielded. It was to
Speaker 1: the influence of hope quite as much as to that
Speaker 1: of fear. The courage, the energy, and the martial ardor
Speaker 1: which Scipio's conduct evinced awakened a similar spirit in them
Speaker 1: and made them hope again that possibly their country might
Speaker 1: yet be saved. The news of the awful defeat and
Speaker 1: destruction of the Roman army flew swiftly to Rome and
Speaker 1: produced universal consternation. The whole city was in an uproar.
Speaker 1: There were soldiers in the army from almost every family,
Speaker 1: so that every woman and child throughout the city was
Speaker 1: distracted by the double agitation of inconsolable grief at the
Speaker 1: death of their husband or their father slain in the battle,
Speaker 1: and of terrible fear that Hannibal and his raging followers
Speaker 1: were about to burst into the gates of the city
Speaker 1: to murder them. The streets of the city, and especially
Speaker 1: the Forum, were thronged with vast crowds of men, women
Speaker 1: and children, who filled the air with loud lamentations and
Speaker 1: with cries of terror and despair. The magistrates were not
Speaker 1: able to restore order. The Senate actually adjourned that the
Speaker 1: members of it might go about the city and use
Speaker 1: their influence and their power to produce silence, at least
Speaker 1: if they could not restore composure. The streets were finally cleared,
Speaker 1: the women and the children were ordered to remain at home.
Speaker 1: Armed patrols were put on guard to prevent tumultuous assemblies forming.
Speaker 1: Men were sent off on horseback on the road to
Speaker 1: Canusium and Canai to get more accurate intelligence, and then
Speaker 1: the Senate assembled again and began to consider with as
Speaker 1: much calmness as they could command, what was to be done.
Speaker 1: The panic at Rome was, however, in some measure, a
Speaker 1: false alarm, for Hannibal, contrary to the expectation of all Italy,
Speaker 1: did not go to Rome. His generals urged him very
Speaker 1: strongly to do so. Nothing could prevent they said, his
Speaker 1: gaining immediate possession of the city, but Hannibal refused to
Speaker 1: do this. Rome was strongly fortified and had immense population.
Speaker 1: His army, too, was much weakened by the Battle of Canai,
Speaker 1: and he seemed to have thought it most prudent not
Speaker 1: to attempt the reduction of Rome until he should have
Speaker 1: received reinforcements from home. It was now so late in
Speaker 1: the season that he could not expect such reinforcements immediately,
Speaker 1: and he accordingly determined to select some place more accessible
Speaker 1: than Rome and make it his headquarters for the winter.
Speaker 1: He decided in favor of Capua, which was a large
Speaker 1: and powerful city one or two hundred miles southeast of Rome.
Speaker 1: Hannibal in fact conceived the design of retaining possession of
Speaker 1: Italy and making Capua, the capital of the country, leaving
Speaker 1: Rome to its to decline, as under such circumstances it
Speaker 1: inevitably must to the rank of a second city. Perhaps
Speaker 1: he was tired of the fatigues and hazards of war,
Speaker 1: and having narrowly escaped ruined before the Battle of Canai,
Speaker 1: he now resolved that he would not rashly incur any
Speaker 1: new dangers. It was a great question with him whether
Speaker 1: he should go forward to Rome or attempt to build
Speaker 1: up a new capital of his own at Capua. The
Speaker 1: question which of these two he ought to have done,
Speaker 1: was a matter of great debate then, and it has
Speaker 1: been discussed a great deal by military men in every
Speaker 1: age since his day. Right or wrong, Hannibal decided to
Speaker 1: establish his own capital at Capua, and to leave Rome
Speaker 1: for the present undisturbed. He however, sent immediately to Carthage
Speaker 1: for reinforcements. The messenger whom he sent was one of
Speaker 1: his general's named Mago. Maugel made the best of his
Speaker 1: way to Carthage with his tile of victory and his
Speaker 1: bushel of rings collected. As had been already said, from
Speaker 1: the field of Canai, the city of Carthage was greatly
Speaker 1: excited by the news which he brought. The friends and
Speaker 1: patrons of Hannibal were elated with enthusiasm and pride, and
Speaker 1: they taunted and reproached his enemies with the opposition to
Speaker 1: him they had manifested when he was originally appointed to
Speaker 1: the command of the army of Spain. Malgam met the
Speaker 1: Carthaginian Senate, and with very spirited and eloquent speech, he
Speaker 1: told them how many glorious battles Hannibal had fought, and
Speaker 1: how many victories he had won. He had contended with
Speaker 1: the greatest generals that the Romans could bring against him,
Speaker 1: and had conquered them. All he had slain, He said,
Speaker 1: in all over two hundred thousand men. All Italy was
Speaker 1: now subject to his power, Capule was his capital, and
Speaker 1: Rome had fallen. He concluded by saying that Hannibal was
Speaker 1: in need of considerable additional supplies of men and money,
Speaker 1: and provisions, which he did not doubt the Carthaginians would
Speaker 1: send without any unnecessary delay. He then produced before the
Speaker 1: Senate the great bag of rings which he had brought,
Speaker 1: and poured them upon the pavement of the Senate house
Speaker 1: as a trophy of the victories which he had been announcing.
Speaker 1: This would perhaps have been very well for Hannibal if
Speaker 1: his friends had been contented to have left the case
Speaker 1: where Mago left it. But some of them could not
Speaker 1: resist the temptation of taunting his enemies, and especially Hanno, who,
Speaker 1: as will be recollected, originally opposed his being sent to Spain.
Speaker 1: They turned to him and asked him triumphantly what he
Speaker 1: thought now of his facetious opposition to so brave a warrior.
Speaker 1: Anna arose. The Senate looked toward him, and were profoundly silent,
Speaker 1: wondering what he would have to reply. Anne, with an
Speaker 1: air of perfect ease and composure, spoke somewhat as follows.
Speaker 1: I should have said nothing, but should have allowed the
Speaker 1: Senate to take what action they pleased on Mago's proposition.
Speaker 1: If I had not been particularly addressed as it is,
Speaker 1: I will say that I think now, just as I
Speaker 1: have always thought, we are plunged into a most costly
Speaker 1: and most useless war, and are as I conceive no
Speaker 1: nearer the end of it now than ever. Notwithstanding all
Speaker 1: these boasted successes, the emptiness of them is clearly shown
Speaker 1: by the inconsistency of Hannibal's pretensions as to what he
Speaker 1: has done with the demands that he makes. In respect
Speaker 1: to what he wishes us to do, he says he
Speaker 1: has conquered all his enemies, and yet he wants us
Speaker 1: to send more soldiers. He has reduced all Italy, the
Speaker 1: most fertile country in the world, is subjection, and reigns
Speaker 1: over it at Capua, and yet he calls upon us
Speaker 1: for corn and then to crown all. He sends us
Speaker 1: bushels of gold rings as a specimen of the riches
Speaker 1: he has obtained by plunder, and accompanies the offering with
Speaker 1: a demand for new supplies of money. In my opinion,
Speaker 1: his success is all elusive and hollow. There seems to
Speaker 1: be nothing substantial in his situation except his necessities and
Speaker 1: the heavy burdens upon the state which these necessities impose.
Speaker 1: Notwithstanding Hanno's sarcasms, the Carthaginians resolved to sustain Hannibal and
Speaker 1: to send him the supplies that he needed. There were, however,
Speaker 1: long in reaching him. Various difficulties and delays occurred. The Romans,
Speaker 1: though they could not dispossess Hannibal from his position in Italy,
Speaker 1: raised armies in different countries and waged extended wars with
Speaker 1: the Carthaginians and their allies in various parts of the world,
Speaker 1: both by sea and land. The result was that Hannibal
Speaker 1: remained fifteen or sixteen years in Italy, engaged during all
Speaker 1: this time in a lingering struggle with the Roman power,
Speaker 1: without ever being able to accomplish any decisive measures. In
Speaker 1: his period, he was sometimes successful and victorious, and sometimes
Speaker 1: he was very hard pressed by his enemies. It is
Speaker 1: said that his army was very much enervated and enfeebled
Speaker 1: by the comforts and luxuries they enjoyed at Capua. Capua
Speaker 1: was a very rich and beautiful city, and the inhabitants
Speaker 1: of it had opened their gates to Hannibal of their
Speaker 1: own accord, preferring, as they said, his alliance to that
Speaker 1: of the Romans. The officers, as the officers of any army,
Speaker 1: almost do, when they find themselves established in a rich
Speaker 1: and powerful city after the fatigues of a long and
Speaker 1: honorable campaign, gave themselves up to festivities and rejoicing, to gains,
Speaker 1: shows and entertainments of every kind, which they soon learned
Speaker 1: infinitely to prefer to the toil and danger of marches
Speaker 1: and battles. Whatever may have been the cause, there is
Speaker 1: no question about the fact that from the time Hannibal
Speaker 1: and his army got possession of their comfortable quarters in Capua,
Speaker 1: the Carthaginian power began to gradually decline, as Hannibal determined
Speaker 1: to make that city the Italian capital, and said of Rome, he,
Speaker 1: of course, when established there, felt in some degree settled
Speaker 1: and at home, and was less interested than he had
Speaker 1: been in plans for attacking the ancient capital. Still, the
Speaker 1: war went on, many battles were fought, many cities were besieged,
Speaker 1: the Roman power gaining ground all the time, though not however,
Speaker 1: by any very decisive victories. In these contests, there appeared
Speaker 1: at length a new Roman general named Marcellus, and, either
Speaker 1: on account of his possessing a bolder and more active temperament,
Speaker 1: or else in consequence of the change in the relative
Speaker 1: strength of the two continuing powers, he pursued a more
Speaker 1: aggressive policy than Fabius had thought it prudent to attempt.
Speaker 1: Marcellus was, however, cautious and wary in his enterprises, and
Speaker 1: he laid his plans with so much sagacity and skill
Speaker 1: that he he was almost always successful. The Romans applauded
Speaker 1: very highly his activity and ardor without, however, forgetting their
Speaker 1: obligations to Fabius for his caution and defensive reserve. They
Speaker 1: said that Marcellus was a sword of their commonwealth, as
Speaker 1: Fabius had been its shield. The Romans continued to prosecute
Speaker 1: this sort of warfare, being more and more successful the
Speaker 1: longer they continued it, until at last they advanced to
Speaker 1: the very walls of Capua and threatened it with a siege.
Speaker 1: Annibal's intrenchment and fortifications were too strong for them to
Speaker 1: attempt to carry the city by sudden assault, nor were
Speaker 1: the Romans even powerful enough to invest the place entirely
Speaker 1: so as completely to shut their enemies in. They, however,
Speaker 1: encamped with a large army in the neighborhood and assumed
Speaker 1: so threatening an attitude as to keep Hannibal's forces within
Speaker 1: a state of continual alarm. And besides the alarm, it
Speaker 1: was very humiliating and mortifying to Carthaginian pride to find
Speaker 1: the very seat of their paswers as it were, shut
Speaker 1: up and over awed by an enemy over whom they
Speaker 1: had been triumphing themselves so short a time before. By
Speaker 1: a continued series of victories. Annabel was not himself in
Speaker 1: Capua at the time that the Romans came to attack it.
Speaker 1: He marched, however, immediately to its relief, and attacking the
Speaker 1: Romans in his turn, endeavored to compel them to raise
Speaker 1: the siege, as it is technically termed and retired. They had, however,
Speaker 1: so intrenched themselves in the positions that they had taken,
Speaker 1: and the assaults with which he encountered them had lost
Speaker 1: so much of their former force that he could accomplish
Speaker 1: nothing decisive. He then left the ground with his army
Speaker 1: and marched himself towards Rome. He encamped himself in the
Speaker 1: vicinity of the city and threatened to attack it. But
Speaker 1: the walls and castles and towers with which Rome, as
Speaker 1: well as Capule, was defended, were too formidable, and the
Speaker 1: preparations for defense too complete, to make it prudent for
Speaker 1: him toulyus sail the city. His object was to alarm
Speaker 1: the Romans and compel them to withdraw their forces from
Speaker 1: his capital, that they might defend their own. There was,
Speaker 1: in fact some degree of alarm awakened, and then the
Speaker 1: discussions which took place among the Roman authorities the withdrawal
Speaker 1: of their troops from Capua was proposed, but this proposal
Speaker 1: was overruled. Even Fabius was against it. Annibal was no
Speaker 1: longer to be feared. They ordered back a small detachment
Speaker 1: from Capua and added to it such forces as they
Speaker 1: could raise within the city, and then advance to give
Speaker 1: Hannibal battle. The preparations were all made, it is said,
Speaker 1: for an engagement, but a violent storm came on, so
Speaker 1: violent as to drive the combatants back to their respective camps.
Speaker 1: This happened, the great Roman historian Gravely says, two or
Speaker 1: three times in succession, the weather immediately becoming serene again,
Speaker 1: each time as soon as the respective generals had withdrawn
Speaker 1: their troops from the us intended fight. Something like this
Speaker 1: may perhaps have occurred, though the fact, doubtless was that
Speaker 1: both parties were afraid each of the other, and were
Speaker 1: disposed to avail themselves of any excuse to postpone a
Speaker 1: decisive conflict. There was a time when Hannibal had not
Speaker 1: been deterred from attacking the Romans, even by the most
Speaker 1: tempestuous storms. Thus, though Hannibal did, in fact, in the
Speaker 1: end get to the walls of Rome, he did nothing
Speaker 1: but threaten when he was there, and his encampment near
Speaker 1: the city can only be considered as bravado. His presence
Speaker 1: seems to have had excited very little apprehension within the city.
Speaker 1: The Romans had, in fact, before this time lost their
Speaker 1: terror of the Carthaginian arms. To show their contempt of Hannibal,
Speaker 1: they sold at public auction the land on which he
Speaker 1: was encamped while he was upon at besieging the city,
Speaker 1: and it brought the usual price. Their bidders were perhaps
Speaker 1: influenced somewhat by a patriotic spirit and by a desire
Speaker 1: to taunt Hannibal, with the very expression of their opinion
Speaker 1: that his occupation of the land would be very temporary encumbrance. Hannibal,
Speaker 1: to revenge himself for this taunt, put up for sale
Speaker 1: at auction in his own camp the shops of one
Speaker 1: of the principal streets of Rome, and they were bought
Speaker 1: by his officers with great spirit. It showed that a
Speaker 1: great change had taken place in the nature of the
Speaker 1: contest between Carthage and Rome. To find these vast powers,
Speaker 1: which were a very few years before grappling each other
Speaker 1: with such destructive and terrible fury on the Poe and
Speaker 1: that Canine, now satisfying their declining animosity with such wibbling
Speaker 1: as this. When the other modes by which Hannibal attempted
Speaker 1: to obtain reinforcements failed, he made an attempt to have
Speaker 1: a second army brought over the Alps, under the command
Speaker 1: of his brother Hasdrubl. It was a large army, and
Speaker 1: in their march they experienced the same difficulties, though in
Speaker 1: a much lighter degree that Hannibal himself had encountered. And
Speaker 1: yet of the whole mighty mass which had sat out
Speaker 1: from Spain, nothing reached Hannibal except his brother's head. The
Speaker 1: circumstances of the unfortunate termination of Hastruble's attempts were as followed.
Speaker 1: When Hastrubl descended from the Alps, rejoicing in the successful
Speaker 1: manner in which he had surmounted those formidable barriers, he
Speaker 1: imagined that all his difficulties were over. He despatched couriers
Speaker 1: to his brother Hannibal, informing him that he had scaled
Speaker 1: the mountains and that he was coming on as rapidly
Speaker 1: as possible to his aid. The two consuls in office
Speaker 1: at this time were named the one Nero and the
Speaker 1: other Livius to each of these, as was usual with
Speaker 1: the Roman consuls, was assigned a particular province and a
Speaker 1: certain portion of the army to defend it, and the
Speaker 1: laws enjoined upon them very strictly not to leave their
Speaker 1: respective provinces on any pretext whatever withou authority from the
Speaker 1: Roman legislature. In this instance, Livius had been assigned to
Speaker 1: the northern part of Italy, and Nero to the southern.
Speaker 1: It devolved upon Livius therefore, to meet and give battle
Speaker 1: to Hastruble on his descent from the Alps, and to
Speaker 1: Nero to remain in the vicinity of Hannibal, to thwart
Speaker 1: his plans, oppose his progress, and if possible, conquer and
Speaker 1: destroy him, while his colleague prevented his receiving the expected
Speaker 1: reinforcements from Spain. Things being in this state, the couriers
Speaker 1: whom Hastrubles sent with his letters had the vigilance of
Speaker 1: both consuls to allude before they could deliver them into
Speaker 1: Hannibal's hands. They did succeed in passing Livius, but they
Speaker 1: were insucepted by Nero. The patrols who seized these messengers
Speaker 1: brought them to Nero's tent Nero opened and read the letters.
Speaker 1: All Hastruble's plans and arrangements were detailed in them very fully,
Speaker 1: so that receive that if he were at once to
Speaker 1: proceed to the northward with such a strong force, he
Speaker 1: could render his colleagues such aid, as with the knowledge
Speaker 1: of Hastruble's plans, which he had obtained from the letters,
Speaker 1: would probably enable them to defeat him. Whereas if he
Speaker 1: were to leave Livia's in ignorance and alone, he feared
Speaker 1: that Hastrubul would be as successful in breaking his way
Speaker 1: through and in ultimately effecting his junction with Hannibal. Under
Speaker 1: these circumstances, he was, of course very earnestly desiris of
Speaker 1: going northward to render the necessary aid. But he was
Speaker 1: strictly forbidden by law to leave his own province to
Speaker 1: enter that of his own colleagues without an authority from Rome,
Speaker 1: which there was not now time to obtain. The laws
Speaker 1: of military discipline are very strict and imperious, and in
Speaker 1: theory they are never to be disobeyed. Officers and soldiers
Speaker 1: of all ranks and graduations must obey the orders which
Speaker 1: they received from the authority above them, without looking at
Speaker 1: the consequences or deviating from the line marked out on
Speaker 1: any pretext whatever. It is, in fact the very essence
Speaker 1: of military subordination and efficiency that a command, once given,
Speaker 1: suspends all exercise of judgment or discretion on the part
Speaker 1: of one to whom it is addressed. And a good
Speaker 1: general or a good government would prefer generally that harm
Speaker 1: should be done by a strict obedience to commands, rather
Speaker 1: than a benefit secured by an unauthorized deviation from them.
Speaker 1: It is a good principle not only in war, but
Speaker 1: in all those cases in social life where men have
Speaker 1: to act in concert and yet wish to secure efficiency
Speaker 1: in action. And yet there are cases of exception, cases
Speaker 1: where the necessity is so urgent, or the advantages to
Speaker 1: be derived so great, where the interest involved are so
Speaker 1: momentous and the success so sure, that a commander concludes
Speaker 1: to disobey and take the responsibility. The responsibility is, however,
Speaker 1: very great, and the danger in assuming it extreme. He
Speaker 1: who incurs it makes himself liable to the severest penalties,
Speaker 1: from which nothing but clear proof of the most imperious necessity,
Speaker 1: and in addition to it, the most triumphant success can
Speaker 1: save him. There is somewhere in English history a story
Speaker 1: of a naval commander in the service of an English
Speaker 1: queen who disobeys the orders of his superiors at one
Speaker 1: time in a case of great emergency at sea, and
Speaker 1: gain by doing so a very important victory. Immediately afterwards,
Speaker 1: he placed himself under arrest and went into port as
Speaker 1: a prisoner accused of a crime, instead of a commander
Speaker 1: triumphing in his victory. He surrendered himself to the queen's
Speaker 1: officers of justice, and sent word to the Queen herself
Speaker 1: that he knew very well that death was the penalty
Speaker 1: for his offense, but that he was willing to sacrifice
Speaker 1: his life in any way in the service of her majesty.
Speaker 1: He was pardoned. Nero, after much anxious deliberation, concluded that
Speaker 1: the emergency in which he found himself placed was one
Speaker 1: requiring him to take the responsibility of disobedience. He did not, however,
Speaker 1: dare to go northward with all his forces, for that
Speaker 1: would be to leave southern Italy wholly. At the mercy
Speaker 1: of Hannibal. He selected therefore, from his whole force, which
Speaker 1: consisted of forty thousand men, seven or eight thousand of
Speaker 1: the most deficient and trustworthy, the men on whom he
Speaker 1: could most securely rely, both in respect to their ability
Speaker 1: to bear the fatigues of a rapid march and the
Speaker 1: courage and energy with which they would meet Hastruble's forces
Speaker 1: in the battle. At the end of it. He was,
Speaker 1: at the time when Hastrubule's letters were intercepted, occupying a
Speaker 1: facious and well situated camp. This he enlarged and strengthened,
Speaker 1: so that Hannibal might not suspect that he intended any
Speaker 1: diminution of the forces within. All. This was done very promptly,
Speaker 1: so that in a few hours after he received the
Speaker 1: intelligence on which he was acting, he was drawing off
Speaker 1: secretly at night a column of six or eight thousand men,
Speaker 1: none of whom knew at all where they were going.
Speaker 1: He proceeded as rapidly as possible to the northward, and
Speaker 1: when he arrived in the northern province, he contrived to
Speaker 1: get into the camp of Livius as secretly as he
Speaker 1: could get out from his own. Thus, of the two armies,
Speaker 1: the one where an accession of force was required was
Speaker 1: greatly strengthened at the expense of the other. Without either
Speaker 1: of the Carthaginian generals. Having suspected the change, Livius was
Speaker 1: rejoiced to get so and opportune a reinforcement. He recommended
Speaker 1: that the troops should all remain quietly in camp for
Speaker 1: a short time until the new learrived troops could rest
Speaker 1: and recruit themselves a little after their rapid and fatiguing march.
Speaker 1: But Nero opposed this plan and recommended an immediate battle.
Speaker 1: He knew the character of the men that he had brought,
Speaker 1: and he was besides unwilling to risk the dangers which
Speaker 1: might arise in his own camp in southern Italy by
Speaker 1: too long an absence from it. It was decided accordingly
Speaker 1: to attack Hastrubule at once, and the signal for battle
Speaker 1: was given. It is not improbable that Hastrubule would have
Speaker 1: been beaten by libyas alone, but the additional force which
Speaker 1: Nero had brought made the Romans altogether too strong for him. Besides,
Speaker 1: from his position in the front of the battle, he
Speaker 1: perceived from some indications that his watchful eye observed that
Speaker 1: a part of the troops attacking him were from the southward,
Speaker 1: and he inferred from this that Hannibal had been defeated
Speaker 1: and that in consequence of this, the whole united force
Speaker 1: of the Roman army was arrayed against him. He was
Speaker 1: disheartened and discouraged, and soon ordered a retreat. He was
Speaker 1: pursued by the various divisions of the Roman army, and
Speaker 1: the retreating columns of the Carthaginians were soon thrown into
Speaker 1: complete confusion. They became entangled among rivers and lakes, and
Speaker 1: the guides, who had undertaken to conduct the army, finding
Speaker 1: that all was lost, abandoned them and fled, anxious only
Speaker 1: to save their own lives. The Carthaginians were soon pent
Speaker 1: up in a position where they could not defend themselves
Speaker 1: and from which they could not escape. The Romans showed
Speaker 1: them no mercy, but went on killing their wretched and
Speaker 1: despairing victims until the whole army was almost totally destroyed.
Speaker 1: They cut off Hasdrubal's head, and Neroll set out that
Speaker 1: very night after the battle to return it with triumph
Speaker 1: to his own encampment. When he arrived, he sent a
Speaker 1: troop of horse to throw the head over into Hannibal's camp,
Speaker 1: a ghastly and horrid trophy of his victory. Annibal was
Speaker 1: overwhelmed with disappointment and sorrow at the loss of his army,
Speaker 1: bringing with it, as it did, the destruction of all
Speaker 1: its hopes. My fate is sealed, said he all is lost.
Speaker 1: I shall send no more news of victory to Carthage
Speaker 1: and losing hastruble. My last hope is gone. When Annibal
Speaker 1: was in this condition in Italy, the Roman armies, aided
Speaker 1: by their allies, were gaining gradually against the Carthaginians various
Speaker 1: parts of the world under the different generals who had
Speaker 1: been placed in command by the Roman Senate. The news
Speaker 1: of these victories came continually home to Italy and the
Speaker 1: encouraged and animated Romans, while Hannibal and his army, as
Speaker 1: well as the people who were in alliance with him,
Speaker 1: were disheartened and depressed by them. Scipio was one of
Speaker 1: these generals commanding in foreign lands. His province was Spain.
Speaker 1: The news which came home from his army became more
Speaker 1: and more exciting as he advanced from conquest to conquest,
Speaker 1: until it seemed that the whole country was going to
Speaker 1: be reduced to subjection. He overcame one Carthaginian general after
Speaker 1: another until he reached New Carthage, which he besieged and conquered,
Speaker 1: and the Roman authority was established fully over the whole land.
Speaker 1: Scipio then returned in triumph to Rome. The people received
Speaker 1: him with acclamations. At the next election they chose him
Speaker 1: consul on the allotment of provinces Cecily fell to him,
Speaker 1: with power to cross into Africa if he pleased. It
Speaker 1: evolved on the other consul to carry on the war
Speaker 1: in Italy more directly against Hannibal. Scipio levied his army,
Speaker 1: equipped his fleet, and sailed for Sicily. The first thing
Speaker 1: that he did on his arrival in his province was
Speaker 1: to project an excit condition into Africa itself. He could, not,
Speaker 1: as he wished, faced Hannibal directly by marching his troops
Speaker 1: into the south of Italy, for this was the work
Speaker 1: allotted to his colleague. He could, however, make an incursion
Speaker 1: into Africa and even threaten Carthage itself, and this, with
Speaker 1: the boldness and ardor which marked his character, he resolved
Speaker 1: to do. He was triumphantly successful in all his plans,
Speaker 1: his army imbibing the spirit of enthusiasm which animated their commander,
Speaker 1: and confident of success went on as his forces in
Speaker 1: Spain had done, from victory to victory. They conquered cities,
Speaker 1: they overran provinces, they defeated and drove back all armies
Speaker 1: which the Carthaginians could bring against them, And finally they
Speaker 1: awakened in the streets and dwellings of Carthage the same
Speaker 1: panic and consternation which Hannibal's victorious progress had produced in Rome.
Speaker 1: The Carthaginians, being now in their turn reduced to despair,
Speaker 1: sent ambassadors to Scipio to beg for peace and to
Speaker 1: ask them what terms he would grant it and withdraw
Speaker 1: from the country. Scipio replied that he could not make peace.
Speaker 1: It rested with the Roman Senate, whose servant he was.
Speaker 1: He specified, however, certain terms which he was willing to
Speaker 1: have proposed to the Senate, and if the Carthaginians would
Speaker 1: agree to them, he would grant them a truce, that is,
Speaker 1: a temporary suspension of hostilities until the answer of the
Speaker 1: Roman Senate could be returned. The Carthaginians agreed to the terms,
Speaker 1: they were very onerous. The Romans say that they did
Speaker 1: not really mean to abide by them, but is seated
Speaker 1: for the moment in order to gain time to send
Speaker 1: for Hannibal. They had great confidence in his resources and
Speaker 1: military power, and thought that if he were in Africa,
Speaker 1: he could save them. At the same time, therefore that
Speaker 1: they sent their ambassadors to Rome with their propositions for peace,
Speaker 1: they dispatched expresses to Hannibal, ordering him to embark his
Speaker 1: troops as soon as possible and abandoning Italy to hasten
Speaker 1: home to save, if it was not already too late,
Speaker 1: his native city from destruction. When Hannibal received these messages,
Speaker 1: he was overwhelmed with disappointment and sorrow. He spent hours
Speaker 1: in extreme agitation, sometimes in a moody silence, interrupted now
Speaker 1: and then by groans of despair, and sometimes uttering loud
Speaker 1: and angry curses prompted by the exasperation of his feelings. He, however,
Speaker 1: could not resist. He made the best of his way
Speaker 1: to carthage the Roman Senate. At the same time, instead
Speaker 1: of deciding on the question of peace or war, which
Speaker 1: Scipio had submitted to them, referred the question back to him.
Speaker 1: They sent commissioners to Scipio, authorizing him to act for
Speaker 1: them and to decide himself alone whether the war should
Speaker 1: be continued or closed, and if it to be closed,
Speaker 1: on what conditions. Hannibal raised a large force at Carthage,
Speaker 1: joining with it such remains of former armies as had
Speaker 1: been left after Scipio's battles, and he went forth at
Speaker 1: the head of these troops to meet his enemy. He
Speaker 1: marched five days, going perhaps seventy five or one hundred
Speaker 1: miles from Carthage. When he found himself approaching Scipio's camp,
Speaker 1: he sent out spies to reconnoiter. The patrols of Sipio's
Speaker 1: army seized these spies and brought them to the general's
Speaker 1: tent as they supposed for execution. Instead of punishing them,
Speaker 1: Scipio ordered them to be led around his camp and
Speaker 1: to be allowed to see everything they desired. He then
Speaker 1: dismissed them that they might return to Hannibal with the
Speaker 1: information they had obtained. Of course, the report which they
Speaker 1: brought in respected the strength and resources of sipio army
Speaker 1: was very formidable to Hannibal. He thought it best to
Speaker 1: make an attempt to negotiate a peace rather than to
Speaker 1: risk a battle. He accordingly sent word to Scipio requesting
Speaker 1: a personal interview. Sippio acceded to this request, and the
Speaker 1: place was appointed for the meeting between the two encampments.
Speaker 1: To this spot, the two generals repaired at the proper time,
Speaker 1: and with great pomp and parade, and with many attendants.
Speaker 1: They were the two greatest generals of the age in
Speaker 1: which they lived, having been engaged for fifteen or twenty
Speaker 1: years in performing at the head of vast armies exploits
Speaker 1: which had filled the world with their fame. Their field
Speaker 1: of action had, however, been widely distant, and they met
Speaker 1: personally now for the first time. When introduced into each
Speaker 1: other's presence, they stood for some time in silence, gazing
Speaker 1: upon and examining one another with intense interest and curiosity,
Speaker 1: but not speaking a word. At length, however, the negotiation
Speaker 1: was opened. Hannibal made Scipio proposals for peace. They were
Speaker 1: very favorable to the Romans, but Sipio was not satisfied
Speaker 1: with them. He demanded still greater sacrifices than Hannibal was
Speaker 1: willing to make. The result after a long and fruitless negotiation,
Speaker 1: was that each general returned to his camp and prepared
Speaker 1: for battle. In military campaigns, it's generally easy for those
Speaker 1: who have been conquering to go on to conquer, so
Speaker 1: much depends upon the expectations with which the contending armies
Speaker 1: go into battle. Scipio and his troops expected to conquer,
Speaker 1: the Carthaginians expected to be beaten. The result corresponded. On
Speaker 1: the close of the day in which the battle was fought,
Speaker 1: forty thousand Carthaginians were dead and dying upon the ground,
Speaker 1: as many more were prisoners in the Roman camp, and
Speaker 1: the rest in broken masses, were flying from the field
Speaker 1: in confusion and terror on all the roads which led
Speaker 1: to Carthage. Annibal arrived at the city with the rest,
Speaker 1: when to the Senate announced his defeat and said that
Speaker 1: he could do no more. The fortune which once attended me, said,
Speaker 1: he is lost forever, and nothing is left to us
Speaker 1: but to make peace with our enemies, on any terms
Speaker 1: that they may think fit to impose. End of Chapter ten.