288

of the Carthaginians to vote, and to divide in two both the consuls and the armies, and to send some to Iberia, and others to Libya, so that at the same time their country might be ravaged and their allies harmed, and they might be able neither to help Iberia nor be helped themselves from there. To this Quintus Fabius Maximus objected that they should not vote for the war in this way at all costs, but should first use an embassy, and if they should persuade them that they were doing no wrong, to keep the peace, but if they should be caught in wrongdoing, then to make war on them, so that we might shift the blame for the war onto them. Such, then, to speak in summary, were the opinions of both, but it seemed best to the senate to prepare for the battle, but to send ambassadors to Carthage 2.237 to accuse Hannibal, and if they did not approve of what had been done, to pass judgment, but if they referred these matters to him, to demand his extradition, and if they would not give him up, to declare war on them. When the ambassadors had departed, therefore, the Carthaginians considered what should be done. And a certain Hasdrubal, one of those prepared beforehand by Hannibal, advised them that they ought to recover their ancient freedom and to shake off the slavery resulting from the peace, being well-equipped with money and forces and allies, adding that "if you but permit Hannibal to do all that he wishes, things will turn out as they should and you yourselves will have no trouble." When he had said such things, Hanno the Great, opposing the words of Hasdrubal, introduced a motion not to draw war upon themselves lightly nor for the sake of small and foreign grievances, when it was possible to resolve some matters, and to turn others back upon those who had done them. And having said this, he ceased, and of the Carthaginians, the older men and those who remembered the former war agreed with him, but those in their prime, and especially those who were partisans of Hannibal, strongly opposed him. But when they gave no clear answer and held the ambassadors in contempt, Marcus Fabius, placing his hands under his robes and holding them up, said, "Here, O Carthaginians, I bring you both war and peace; choose whichever of them you wish." And when they answered that they chose neither, but would readily accept whichever they should leave, he at once declared war upon them. So, then, for these reasons the Romans and the Carthaginians went to war for the second time. And the divine power 2.238 foreshowed the things that were to be. For in Rome an ox spoke with a human voice, and another at a Roman festival threw itself from a house into the Tiber and was destroyed, and many thunderbolts were hurled, and blood was seen on some statues, and flowed from a soldier's shield, and a wolf snatched the sword of another from the camp itself. And for Hannibal, as he was crossing the Iberus, many unknown beasts went before him, and a vision of a dream appeared. For it seemed that once the gods, sitting in assembly, had summoned him and ordered him to march as quickly as possible into Italy and to receive from them a guide for the journey, and he was ordered by him to follow without turning back; and turning back he saw a great storm advancing and a huge serpent following it, and in wonder he asked the guide what these things were; and he said, "O Hannibal, these things are coming to help you lay waste to Italy." These things inspired good hope in Hannibal, but dreadful terror in the Romans. And the Romans, dividing their forces and consuls in two, sent Sempronius Longus to Sicily, and Publius Scipio to Iberia. But Hannibal, desiring to invade Italy as quickly as possible, advanced with haste, and passed through all of Gaul that is between the Pyrenees and the Rhone without a battle. And as far as the river Rhone no one came to blows with him, but there Scipio appeared, although his force was not present with him. Nevertheless, with the local inhabitants and their neighbors he destroyed in advance the 2.239 boats in the river and placed the stream itself under guard. He therefore

288

Καρχηδονίων ψηφίσασθαι, καὶ διχῇ διελεῖν καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα, καὶ τοὺς μὲν εἰς τὴν ̓Ιβηρίαν, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὴν Λιβύην πέμψαι, ιν' ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον η τε χώρα αὐτῶν πορθῆται καὶ οἱ σύμμαχοι κακουργῶνται καὶ μήτε τῇ ̓Ιβηρίᾳ βοηθῆσαι δύνωνται μήτ' ἐκεῖθεν αὐτοὶ ἐπικουρηθῶσι. πρὸς ταῦτα Κύιντος Φάβιος Μάξιμος ἀντέθετο μὴ ουτως ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τὸν πόλεμον δεῖν ψηφίσασθαι, ἀλλὰ πρεσβείᾳ χρήσασθαι πρότερον, καν μὲν πείσωσιν οτι οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦσιν, ἡσυχίαν αγειν, αν δ' ἀδικοῦντες ἁλῶσι, τότε πολεμῆσαι αὐτοῖς, ινα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ πολέμου ἐς αὐτοὺς ἀπωσώμεθα. αἱ μὲν ουν ἀμφοῖν δόξαι τοιαῦται ησαν ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ εἰπεῖν, τῇ δὲ βουλῇ παρασκευάζεσθαι μὲν εδοξε πρὸς τὴν μάχην, πρέσβεις δὲ εἰς τὴν Καρχηδόνα 2.237 στεῖλαι καὶ τοῦ ̓Αννίβου κατηγορῆσαι, καὶ εἰ μὲν μὴ ἐπαινοῖεν τὰ πραχθέντα, δικάσαι, εἰ δ' εἰς ἐκεῖνον αὐτὰ ἀναφέροιεν, ἐξαιτήσασθαι αὐτόν, καν μὴ ἐκδῶσι, τὸν πόλεμον ἐπαγγεῖλαι αὐτοῖς. Τῶν γοῦν πρέσβεων ἀπελθόντων οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι τὸ ποιητέον ἐσκόπουν. καί τις ̓Ασδρούβας, εις τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ̓Αννίβου προπαρεσκευασμένων, συνεβούλευσε σφίσι χρῆναι τήν τε ἀρχαίαν ἐλευθερίαν ἀνακτήσασθαι καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης δουλείαν ἀποτρίψασθαι καὶ χρήμασι καὶ δυνάμεσι καὶ συμμάχοις συγκεκροτημένοις, ἐπαγαγὼν οτι "καν τῷ ̓Αννίβᾳ μόνῳ οσα βούλεται πρᾶξαι ἐπιτρέψητε, καὶ τὰ προσήκοντα εσται καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτοὶ πονήσετε." τοιαῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος Αννων ὁ μέγας ἐναντιούμενος τοῖς τοῦ ̓Ασδρούβου λόγοις γνώμην εἰσήνεγκε μήτε ῥᾳδίως μήτε μικρῶν καὶ ἀλλοτρίων ἐγκλημάτων ενεκα τὸν πόλεμον ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπισπάσασθαι, παρὸν τὰ μὲν λῦσαι, τὰ δὲ ἐς τοὺς δράσαντας αὐτὰ τρέψαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπαύσατο, τῶν δὲ Καρχηδονίων οἱ μὲν πρεσβύτεροι καὶ τοῦ πρὶν μεμνημένοι πολέμου αὐτῷ συνετίθεντο, οἱ δ' ἐν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ μάλισθ' οσοι τὰ τοῦ ̓Αννίβου επραττον ἰσχυρῶς ἀντέλεγον. ὡς δ' οὐδὲν σαφὲς ἀπεκρίναντο καὶ ἐν ὀλιγωρίᾳ τοὺς πρέσβεις ειχον, ὁ Μάρκος ὁ Φάβιος τὰς χεῖρας ὑπὸ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑποβαλὼν καὶ ὑπτιάσας αὐτὰς εφη "ἐγὼ μὲν ἐνταῦθ', ω Καρχηδόνιοι, καὶ τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην φέρω, ὑμεῖς δ' ὁπότερον αὐτῶν βούλεσθε ελεσθε." ἀποκριθέντων δὲ μηδέτερον μὲν αἱρεῖσθαι, δέχεσθαι δ' ἑτοίμως ὁπότερον καταλείψουσιν, ἐπήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς αὐτίκα τὸν πόλεμον. Ουτω μὲν ουν καὶ διὰ ταῦτα οι τε ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι τὸ δεύτερον ἐπολέμησαν. καὶ τὸ δαι2.238 μόνιον τὰ γενησόμενα προεσήμηνεν. ἐν γὰρ τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ ἀνθρωπίνως ἐλάλησε βοῦς, καὶ ετερος ἐν τῇ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων πανηγύρει ἐξ οἰκίας εἰς τὸν Τίβεριν ἑαυτὸν ερριψε καὶ ἐφθάρη, κεραυνοί τε πολλοὶ ἐφέροντο, καὶ αιμα τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἀγαλμάτων ωφθη, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀσπίδος στρατιώτου ἐρρύη, ἑτέρου τε ξίφος ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ στρατοπέδου λύκος ηρπασε. τῷ δ' ̓Αννίβᾳ θηρία πολλὰ καὶ αγνωστα τὸν Ιβηρα διαβαίνοντι προκαθηγήσατο, καὶ οψις ὀνείρου ἐφάνη. εδοξε γάρ ποτε τοὺς θεοὺς ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ καθημένους μεταπέμψασθαί τε αὐτὸν καὶ στρατεῦσαι οτι τάχιστα εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν προστάξαι καὶ λαβεῖν παρ' αὐτῶν τῆς ὁδοῦ ἡγεμόνα, καὶ ἀμεταστρεπτὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κελευσθῆναι επεσθαι· μεταστραφῆναι δὲ καὶ ἰδεῖν χειμῶνα μέγαν χωροῦντα καὶ δράκοντα αὐτῷ ἐπακολουθοῦντα ἀμήχανον, καὶ θαυμάσαι ἐρέσθαι τε τὸν ἀγωγὸν τί ταῦτα ειεν· καὶ τὸν εἰπεῖν "ω ̓Αννίβα, ταῦτα συμπορθήσοντά σοι τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν ερχεται." Ταῦτα τῷ μὲν ̓Αννίβᾳ χρηστὴν ἐλπίδα, τοῖς δὲ ̔Ρωμαίοις δεινὴν ἐνεποίει ἐκφόβησιν. διχῇ δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι διελόντες καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους, Σεμπρώνιον μὲν Λόγγον ἐς Σικελίαν επεμψαν, ἐς δὲ τὴν ̓Ιβηρίαν Σκιπίωνα Πούπλιον. ὁ δὲ ̓Αννίβας εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν ὡς τάχιστα ἐπιθυμῶν εἰσβαλεῖν, σπουδῇ ἐχώρει, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Γαλατίαν τὴν μεταξὺ τοῦ Πυρηναίου καὶ τοῦ ̔Ροδανοῦ ουσαν ἀμαχεὶ διῆλθε. καὶ μέχρι μὲν τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ ̔Ροδανοῦ οὐδεὶς εἰς χεῖρας ηκεν αὐτῷ, ἐκεῖ δ' ὁ Σκιπίων ἐπεφάνη, καίπερ μὴ παρούσης αὐτῷ τῆς δυνάμεως. ομως μετὰ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων καὶ τῶν αὐτοῖς προσοίκων τά τε 2.239 πλοῖα τὰ ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ προδιέφθειρε καὶ τὸ ῥεῦμα αὐτοῦ διὰ φυλακῆς ἐποιήσατο. ὁ ουν