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Hannibal for some time was occupied making both rafts and boats and also dugouts, but he managed, through having many hands, to prepare everything necessary for the crossing before Scipio's own army arrived. And he sent his brother Mago with the cavalry and some light-armed troops to cross where the river spreads out widely and is broken up by islands, while he himself ostensibly proceeded at the visible crossing, so that the Gauls might be deceived, drawing up against him, and might post their guard more carelessly in other parts of the river; which is what also happened. And Mago crossed the river, while Hannibal and his men were crossing at the ford. And when they were in the middle they raised a war-cry, and the trumpeters also sounded together; and Mago fell upon the rear of those who were resisting. And thus both the others and the elephants crossed without danger. And just as they had crossed, Scipio's own force also arrived. Both, therefore, having sent cavalry on reconnaissance, met with such an end to the cavalry battle as the whole war had: for the Romans, though getting the worst of it at first and losing many men, were victorious. From there Hannibal, hastening to go towards Italy, but suspecting the more direct routes, passed them by, and going by another he toiled mightily. For those mountains are very steep and much snow having fallen and filled the ravines by the winds and the ice having frozen very hard distressed them terribly; and many 2.240 of his soldiers perished from both the winter weather and the lack of grain, and many also returned home. And the story goes that he himself would have turned back, if the road already traversed had not happened to be longer and more difficult than what remained. For this reason, then, he did not turn back, but appearing suddenly outside the Alps, he struck wonder and fear into the Romans. And he advanced, taking possession of the things in his path, while Scipio sent his brother Gaius Scipio, his subordinate commander, to Iberia to seize it or to bring Hannibal back, while he himself marched against Hannibal. And for some days they held back, then both rushed into battle. But before coming to grips, Hannibal called together his soldiers, brought forward the prisoners whom he had taken on the way, and asked them whether they wished to be bound and serve miserably or to fight in single combat with each other, so that the victors might be released without ransom. And when they chose the second, he pitted them against each other. And after they had fought he addressed the people, encouraging his own soldiers and whetting their appetite for war; and on the other side Scipio did this as well. Then they came together intending to fight with their whole armies, but Scipio, having engaged first with the cavalry and been defeated, losing many men and being wounded himself, and he would have died, if Scipio his son, although being seventeen years old, had not come to his aid, became afraid lest he should also fail with the infantry, and he immediately led them back and withdrew during the night. But Hannibal, learning of his withdrawal after 2.241 daybreak, came to the Po, and finding neither rafts nor boats, for they had been burned by Scipio, he ordered his brother Mago with the cavalry to swim across and pursue the Romans, while he himself, proceeding upstream towards the sources of the river, commanded the elephants to cross downstream. And so, with the water being checked and scattered by the bulk of the animals, his men crossed more easily below them. Scipio therefore, being overtaken, remained in position, and would have fought, if the Gauls with him had not deserted during the night. Scipio, then, disturbed by this and distressed by his wound, broke camp again under cover of night and made his entrenchment on high ground; but there was no pursuit of him. After this the Carthaginians also arrived, and putting the river between them, they encamped. Scipio, therefore, on account of his wound and the events that had occurred, remained inactive and was sending for reinforcements, while Hannibal many

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̓Αννίβας ετριψε μέν τινα χρόνον καὶ σχεδίας καὶ σκάφη αλλα τε καὶ μονόξυλα κατασκευάζων, εφθη δ' ουν ὑπὸ πολυχειρίας τὰ πρὸς περαίωσιν ἀναγκαῖα πάντα, πρὶν τῷ Σκιπίωνι τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀφικέσθαι στράτευμα, προετοιμασάμενος. καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Μάγωνα σὺν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι καὶ ψιλοῖς τισιν, ῃ σκεδάννυται ὁ ποταμὸς ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ νήσοις διαλαμβάνεται, διαβησόμενον επεμψεν, αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ τὸν ἐμφανῆ πόρον ἐχώρει δῆθεν, ιν' οἱ Γαλάται ἀπατηθεῖεν, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀντιταττόμενοι, καὶ ἀμελέστερον ἐν αλλοις τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν φυλακὴν θῶνται· ο καὶ γέγονε. καὶ ὁ Μάγων διέβη τὸν ποταμόν, ὁ δὲ ̓Αννίβας καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸν πόρον ἐπεραιοῦντο. καὶ γενόμενοι κατὰ τὸ μέσον ἠλάλαξαν, καὶ οἱ σαλπιγκταὶ δὲ συνήχησαν· καὶ ὁ Μάγων κατὰ νώτου τοῖς ἀνθεστηκόσι προσέπεσε· καὶ ουτως οι τε αλλοι καὶ οἱ ἐλέφαντες ἀκινδύνως ἐπεραιώθησαν. αρτι δὲ περαιωθέντων αὐτῶν καὶ τῷ Σκιπίωνι ἡ οἰκεία ἀφίκετο δύναμις. πέμψαντες ουν εἰς προσκοπὴν ἱππέας ἀμφότεροι τοιούτῳ τέλει τῆς ἱππομαχίας ἐχρήσαντο ὁποῖον ὁ σύμπας εσχηκε πόλεμος· οἱ γὰρ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ ελαττον τὴν πρώτην ἐνεγκάμενοι καὶ συχνοὺς ἀποβαλόντες ἐνίκησαν. ̓Εντεῦθεν ̓Αννίβας ἀπιέναι πρὸς ̓Ιταλίαν σπεύδων, ὑποπτεύων δὲ τὰς ἐπιτομωτέρας τῶν ὁδῶν, ἐκείνας μὲν παρεξῆλθεν, ἑτέραν δὲ πορευθεὶς ἰσχυρῶς ἐπόνησε. τά τε γὰρ ορη ἐκεῖνα ἀποτομώτατά ἐστι καὶ ἡ χιὼν πολλὴ γενομένη καὶ τὰς φάραγγας ὑπ' ἀνέμων πληρώσασα καὶ ὁ κρύσταλλος ἰσχυρότατα παγεὶς δεινῶς σφᾶς ἐταλαιπώρησε· καὶ πολλοὶ 2.240 τῶν αὐτοῦ στρατιωτῶν ὑπό τε τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ ὑπὸ σιτοδείας ἀπώλοντο, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ οικαδε ἀνεχώρησαν. εχει δὲ λόγος οτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέστρεψεν αν, εἰ μὴ πλείων καὶ ἀπορωτέρα ἡ προδιηνυσμένη ὁδὸς τῆς λειπομένης ἐτύγχανε. διὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀπετράπετο, ἐξαπίνης δὲ ἐκτὸς τῶν Αλπεων ἐκφανεὶς θαῦμα καὶ δέος τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐνέβαλε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν προεχώρει τὰ ἐν ποσὶ προσποιούμενος, Σκιπίων δὲ τὸν μὲν ἀδελφὸν Γάιον Σκιπίωνα ὑποστρατηγοῦντα αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν ̓Ιβηρίαν επεμψεν ὡς καταληψόμενον αὐτὴν η τὸν ̓Αννίβαν ἐπανάξοντα, αὐτὸς δ' ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Αννίβαν ηλασε. καὶ ἡμέρας μέν τινας ἐπέσχον, επειτα αμφω πρὸς τὴν μάχην ωρμησαν. πρὶν δὲ δὴ εργου εχεσθαι, συγκαλέσας τοὺς στρατιώτας ὁ ̓Αννίβας παρήγαγε τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους, ους κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν εἰλήφει, καὶ ηρετο αὐτοὺς πότερον δεδέσθαι καὶ δουλεύειν κακῶς βούλοιντο η μονομαχῆσαι ἀλλήλοις, ωστ' ἀφεθῆναι προῖκα τοὺς νικήσαντας. καὶ ὡς τὸ δεύτερον ειλοντο, συνέβαλεν αὐτούς. καὶ μαχεσαμένων ἐδημηγόρησε, τοὺς οἰκείους στρατιώτας ἐπιρρωννὺς καὶ παραθήγων εἰς πόλεμον· τοῦτο δ' ἑτέρωθεν καὶ ὁ Σκιπίων ἐποίησεν. ειτα συνῆλθον μὲν ὡς ολοις τοῖς στρατοπέδοις μαχούμενοι, ὁ Σκιπίων δέ, προσυμμίξας τῷ ἱππικῷ καὶ ἡττηθεὶς συχνούς τε ἀποβαλὼν καὶ αὐτὸς τρωθείς, ἀποθανών τ' αν, εἰ μή περ αὐτῷ Σκιπίων ὁ υἱὸς καίπερ ων ἑπτακαιδεκαέτης ἐπήμυνε, κατέδεισε μὴ καὶ τῷ πεζῷ σφαλῇ, καὶ αὐτίκα τε ἐπανήγαγε καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς ὑπεχώρησεν. ̓Αννίβας δὲ μεθ' ἡμέραν τὴν ἀποχώρησιν αὐτοῦ 2.241 μαθὼν πρὸς τὸν ̓Ηριδανὸν ηλθε, καὶ μήτε σχεδίας η πλοῖα εὑρών, ἐνεπέπρηστο γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Σκιπίωνος, τὸν μὲν ἀδελφὸν Μάγωνα σὺν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι διανήξασθαι καὶ ἐπιδιῶξαι τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ἐκέλευσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ανω πρὸς τὰς πηγὰς χωρήσας τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοὺς ἐλέφαντας κατὰ τὸν ἐπίρρουν διαβῆναι προσέταξε. καὶ ουτω τοῦ υδατος περὶ τοῖς ογκοις τῶν ζῴων ἐμποδιζομένου καὶ σκεδαννυμένου, ῥᾷον κάτω σφῶν διεπεραιώθη. καταληφθεὶς ουν ὁ Σκιπίων κατὰ χώραν εμεινε, καὶ ἐμαχέσατ' αν, εἰ μὴ νυκτὸς οἱ Γαλάται οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ ηὐτομόλησαν. ὁ δ' ουν Σκιπίων ἐπὶ τούτῳ ταραχθεὶς καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ τραύματος ταλαιπωρήσας ὑπὸ νύκτα αυθις ἐξανέστη καὶ ἐπὶ μετεώρου τὸ τάφρευμα ἐποιήσατο· δίωξις δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐγένετο. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀφίκοντο καὶ οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι, καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν διὰ μέσου ποιησάμενοι ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο. ̔Ο μὲν ουν Σκιπίων διά τε τὸ τραῦμα καὶ διὰ τὰ συμβεβηκότα ἀνεῖχε καὶ δύναμιν μετεπέμπετο, ̓Αννίβας δὲ πολλὰ