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having gilded them, they used them for their sacred rites instead of bowls. And then portents occurred; for a cow gave birth to a horse and fire blazed forth in the sea. But the consuls Gracchus and Fabius, having encamped, were watching Hannibal who was in Capua to see what he would do, and were sending men in all directions, they both came to the aid of their allies, and tried to win back those who had revolted, and ravaged the lands of those who resisted. But Hannibal, as long as he was short of provisions and in danger, lived temperately with his army, but when they took Capua and wintered in idleness with abundant provisions, they were weakened in the strength of their bodies by not exerting themselves, and the vigor of their spirit was lessened by their good cheer, and having changed their ancestral way of life, they learned how to be defeated in battle. But when the war was now pressing, he moved to the mountains and was training the army. But they were not able to be strengthened in a short time. And when reinforcements, both other troops and elephants, came to him from home, he took courage. And he set out against Nola, intending either to capture it or to draw Marcellus, who was ravaging Samnium, away from there. But when 2.260 he accomplished nothing, he withdrew from the city, and laid waste the country, until he was soundly defeated in battle, at which he was also grieved. For many Iberians, and many of the Libyans as well, abandoned him and deserted to the Romans, something which he had not previously experienced. And from this, having lost confidence both in himself and in his soldiers, he abandoned all that land and withdrew to Capua; then he moved away from there also. But the Scipios crossed the Iberus river and began to ravage the country and win over cities, and they defeated in battle Hasdrubal, who came against them in haste on account of these things. But the Carthaginians, learning this, and thinking that Hasdrubal needed more help than Hannibal, and fearing that the Scipios might attempt to cross over into Libya, sent a small force to Hannibal, but dispatched the largest part with Mago to Iberia as quickly as possible, ordering that after the settlement of Iberia, Mago should remain to guard the possessions there, but Hasdrubal should be sent to Italy with a force. The Scipios, learning this, fought no more, so that Hasdrubal, should he perhaps be victorious, might not hasten to Italy. But as the Carthaginians were ravaging the territory friendly to the Romans, Publius for his part engaged at close quarters with those of the enemy who attacked him and prevailed, and Gnaeus, intercepting those of them who were retreating from the battle, destroyed them as well. And as a result of this disaster, and because many cities were changing their allegiance to the Romans and some of the Libyans had gone over to them, Hasdrubal remained longer than he had intended. The Scipios immediately sent the deserters to Italy, and they themselves 2.261 were setting in order the affairs in Iberia, and having captured the subjects of the Saguntines who had been for them the cause of both the war and the disaster, they both razed their town and sold the inhabitants, and after this, having recovered Saguntum, they restored it to its original citizens. And they dealt with the booty with such scrupulousness that they sent nothing home; for while they allowed their fellow-soldiers to do this, they themselves sent knuckle-bones to their children. Wherefore the senate, when Gnaeus asked for leave to go home to provide a dowry for his daughter, who was of marriageable age, voted that a dowry be given to her from the public treasury. At the same time both Sicily and Sardinia became open scenes of war. And affairs in the latter were settled in a short time; Hasdrubal, who was aiding them, was captured, and Manlius Torquatus recovered nearly the whole island. And at that time affairs in Sicily were quiet, but afterwards they were thrown into confusion. And Philip, the king of Macedonia, became a most open partisan of the Carthaginians. For wishing to become ruler of Greece besides, he made a treaty with Hannibal to wage war in common, on the condition that the Carthaginians should get Italy, and he should get Greece and Epirus along with the islands. The agreement, then, was made on these terms, but the herald sent by Philip to Hannibal

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περιχρυσώσαντες πρὸς τὰ ἱερὰ αὐτῶν ἀντὶ φιάλης ἐκέχρηντο. γεγόνασι δὲ τότε τέρατα· βοῦς τε γὰρ ιππον τέτοκε καὶ ἐν θαλάσσῃ ἐξέλαμψε πῦρ. οἱ δ' υπατοι Γράκχος καὶ Φάβιος στρατοπεδευσάμενοι τόν τε ̓Αννίβαν ἐν Καπύῃ οντα ἐπετήρουν ο,τι πράσσει καὶ διεπέμποντο ἑκασταχόσε, τοῖς τε συμμάχοις ἐπήμυνον, καὶ τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας οἰκειοῦσθαι ἐπειρῶντο, τά τε τῶν ἀνθισταμένων ἐκάκουν. ὁ δ' ̓Αννίβας εως μὲν τῆς τροφῆς ἐνδεῶς ηὐπόρει καὶ διακινδυνεύων, σωφρόνως μετὰ τοῦ στρατοῦ διῆγεν, ὡς δὲ τὴν Καπύην ελαβον καὶ πολλοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις ἐν ῥᾳστώνῃ διεχείμασαν, τήν τε ἰσχὺν τῶν σωμάτων μὴ πονούμενοι καὶ τὴν ῥώμην τῆς γνώμης ὑπὸ τῆς εὐθυμίας ἠλαττώθησαν, καὶ τὴν πάτριον ἀμείψαντες δίαιταν μετέμαθον ἡττᾶσθαι μαχόμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ πόλεμος ηδη ἐπέκειτο, ἐς ορη μετέστη καὶ ἐγύμναζε τὸ στράτευμα. οἱ δ' οὐχ οιοί τε δι' ὀλίγου ῥωσθῆναι γεγόνασι. βοηθείας δὲ αὐτῷ οικοθεν αλλης τε καὶ ἐλεφάντων ἐλθούσης ἀνεθάρσησε. καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Νῶλαν ὡς αἱρήσων αὐτὴν η τόν γε Μάρκελλον τὴν Σαυνίτιδα πορθοῦντα ταύτης ἀπάξων ωρμησεν. ὡς δ' 2.260 οὐδὲν ἐπέραινε, τῆς μὲν πόλεως ἀπέστη, τὴν δὲ χώραν εκειρε, μέχρις ου μάχῃ κατὰ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν ἡττήθη, ἐφ' ῳ καὶ ηλγησε. πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ Ιβηρες, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν Λιβύων ἐγκατέλιπον αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ηὐτομόλησαν, ο ουπω πρῴην επαθε. καταγνοὺς δ' ἐκ τούτου καὶ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην ἐξέλιπε καὶ εἰς τὴν Καπύην ἀνεχώρησεν· ειτα κἀκεῖθεν μετέστη. Οἱ δὲ Σκιπίωνες τόν τε Ιβηρα ποταμὸν διέβησαν καὶ τὴν χώραν ἐπόρθουν καὶ πόλεις προσήγοντο καὶ τὸν ̓Ασδρούβαν διὰ ταῦτα σπουδῇ ἐπελθόντα μάχῃ ἐνίκησαν. οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ ταῦτα μαθόντες, καὶ νομίσαντες πλείονος τὸν ̓Ασδρούβαν η τὸν ̓Αννίβαν δεῖσθαι βοηθείας, καὶ φοβηθέντες μὴ καὶ ἐς τὴν Λιβύην οἱ Σκιπίωνες διαβῆναι ἐπιχειρήσωσι, τῷ μὲν ̓Αννίβᾳ βραχεῖαν δύναμιν επεμψαν, τὴν πλείστην δὲ μετὰ τοῦ Μάγωνος εἰς τὴν ̓Ιβηρίαν τάχιστα ἀπεστάλκασι, κελεύσαντες μετὰ τὴν τῆς ̓Ιβηρίας κατάστασιν τὸν μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἐκεῖ φυλακῇ καταμεῖναι, τὸν δὲ ̓Ασδρούβαν ἐπὶ τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν σὺν δυνάμει σταλῆναι. ο γνόντες οἱ Σκιπίωνες οὐκέτ' ἐμαχέσαντο, ινα μὴ κρατήσας ισως ὁ ̓Ασδρούβας εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν ἐπειχθῇ. ὡς δὲ τὸ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων φίλιον ἐκάκουν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι, Πούπλιος μὲν ὁμόσε τοῖς προσπεσοῦσιν αὐτῷ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐχώρησέ τε καὶ ἐπεκράτησε, Γναῖος δὲ τοὺς ἀποχωροῦντας σφῶν ἐκ τῆς μάχης ὑπολαβὼν προσδιέφθειρεν. ἐκ δὲ τῆς συμφορᾶς ταύτης, καὶ οτι καὶ πόλεις συχναὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους μεθίσταντο καὶ τῶν Λιβύων τινὲς αὐτοῖς προσεχώρησαν, πλέον η διενοεῖτο ὁ ̓Ασδρούβας κατέμεινεν. οἱ δὲ Σκιπίωνες εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν εὐθὺς τοὺς προσχωρήσαντας εστειλαν, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὰ 2.261 ἐν τῇ ̓Ιβηρίᾳ καθίστων, καὶ τοὺς τῶν Ζακυνθίων ὑπηκόους τοὺς καὶ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς αἰτίους αὐτοῖς γενομένους ἑλόντες τό τε πόλισμα κατέσκαψαν καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπώλησαν καὶ τὴν Ζάκυνθον μετὰ τοῦτο κομισάμενοι τοῖς ἀρχαίοις πολίταις ἀπέδοσαν. τοσαύτῃ τε ἀκριβείᾳ περὶ τὴν λείαν ἐχρήσαντο ὡς μηδὲν οικοι πέμψαι· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ συστρατευομένοις ἐπέτρεπον τοῦτο ποιεῖν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀστραγάλους τοῖς τέκνοις επεμψαν. οθεν ἡ γερουσία, παραιτουμένου τοῦ Γναίου ιν' ἀπελθὼν οικαδε προῖκα τῇ θυγατρὶ ἐρανίσῃ ὡραίᾳ ουσῃ ἀνδρός, ἐψηφίσαντο ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου προῖκα δοθῆναι αὐτῇ. ̓Εν δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ καιρῷ καὶ ἡ Σικελία καὶ ἡ Σαρδὼ αντικρυς ἐπολεμώθησαν. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐν ταύταις δι' ὀλίγου κατέστη, καὶ ὁ ̓Ασδρούβας ἐπικουρῶν αὐταῖς ἑάλω, καὶ τὴν νῆσον μικροῦ πᾶσαν ἀνεκτήσατο Μάλλιος Τορκουάτος. καὶ τότε μὲν τὰ ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ ἡσύχασε, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐταράχθη. ὁ δὲ τῆς Μακεδονίας βασιλεὺς Φίλιππος φανερώτατος τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐγένετο σπουδαστής. τῆς γὰρ ̔Ελλάδος προσεπάρξαι θέλων συνθήκας πρὸς τὸν ̓Αννίβαν εθετο ωστε κοινῇ πολεμῆσαι, καὶ τὴν μὲν ̓Ιταλίαν τοὺς Καρχηδονίους λαβεῖν, τὴν δ' ̔Ελλάδα καὶ τὴν Ηπειρον μετὰ τῶν νήσων ἐκεῖνον. ἡ μὲν ουν ὁμολογία ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐγένετο, τοῦ κήρυκος δὲ τοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ Φιλίππου πεμφθέντος πρὸς τὸν ̓Αννίβαν