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to happen. For, to please her father Hasdrubal, she had bound him with spells, so that even unwillingly he did the Carthaginians' bidding; "but because I have been deceived by a woman, I have paid a just penalty; I have, however, some comfort in my misfortunes, that Masinissa married her; for she will surely destroy him in like manner." Scipio, suspecting these things concerning Masinissa, summoned him and accused him of marrying an enemy woman and a captive so quickly without his consent, and ordered him to hand her over to the Romans. And he, though greatly pained, rushed into his tent and said to Sophonisba, "If I were able by my own death to keep you free and uninsulted, I would have gladly died for you; but since this is impossible, I send you ahead to where I and all shall arrive." And having said these things, he offered her poison. 2.288 And she neither lamented nor groaned, but very nobly said, "If this seems best to you, husband, I too obey; for after you no one else shall be master of my soul; but if Scipio wants my body, let him take it dead." And so she died, and Scipio admired the deed. And those in Rome, when Laelius brought Syphax and his son Vermina there along with some of the other leaders, confined Syphax to Alba and buried him at public expense when he died, but to Vermina they confirmed his father's kingdom and granted him the captured Numidians. The Carthaginians, having sent heralds to Scipio about a truce, immediately gave money and returned all the captives, and sent an embassy to Rome concerning the remaining matters. The Romans, however, did not receive the ambassadors at that time, saying it was not their custom to receive an embassy from them and to transact business about peace while armies were in Italy. But later, after both Hannibal and Mago had departed, they granted them an audience and voted for the truce. And Hannibal and Mago withdrew from Italy not because of the treaty, but because they were hastening to the war at home. The Carthaginians in Libya, not having peaceful intentions even before, and having sent heralds about a truce for the sake of delaying things on account of Hannibal's arrival, took courage when they learned that Hannibal was approaching, and they attacked Scipio by both land and sea. and when he complained to them about this, 2.289 they neither gave a moderate reply to the ambassadors and they plotted against them as they sailed away; and if a wind had not chanced to help them, they would have perished. Wherefore Scipio, when the decree concerning the peace was brought at this time, no longer made it. The Carthaginians therefore sent Mago back to Italy, and appointed Hannibal general with full powers, having removed Hanno from his command. And they voted to kill Hasdrubal, and when he died voluntarily by poison, they mutilated his corpse. Hannibal, therefore, having taken full command, invaded the country of Masinissa and ravaged it and prepared to fight the Romans; and Scipio's men also prepared to meet him. Those in Rome regretted that they had not prevented Hannibal from sailing away; however, when they learned that he was organizing matters in Libya, they were again not moderately afraid. Therefore they sent Claudius Nero, the other of the consuls, against him, and assigned the defense of Italy to Marcus Servilius. But Nero was not able to go to Libya, having been delayed by a storm in Italy and in Sardinia. Then he did not proceed beyond Sicily, having learned that Scipio was victorious. For Scipio, fearing that Nero, by making haste, might usurp the glory of his labors, advanced against Hannibal at the beginning of spring, having learned that he had defeated Masinissa. And Hannibal, when he perceived that Scipio was approaching, went out to meet him. And having encamped opposite each other, they did not 2.290 immediately come to blows, but waited for many days, and each addressed his own army and for the battle it
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γενέσθαι. τῷ γὰρ πατρὶ τῷ ̓Ασδρούβᾳ χαριζομένην καταδῆσαι αὐτὸν μαγγανείαις, ωστε καὶ ακοντα τὰ τῶν Καρχηδονίων πρᾶξαι· "ἀλλ' οτι ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἠπάτημαι, ἀξίαν εδωκα δίκην· εχω δ' ουν τι ἐν κακοῖς παραμύθιον, οτι ὁ Μασινίσσας αὐτὴν εγημε· πάντως γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνον ὁμοίως διολέσει." ̔Ο δὲ Σκιπίων ὑποπτεύσας ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ Μασινίσσου ἐκάλεσέ τε αὐτὸν καὶ ᾐτιάσατο οτι γυναῖκα πολεμίαν καὶ αἰχμάλωτον ανευ τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώμης ουτω ταχέως εγημε, καὶ παραδοῦναι τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις αὐτὴν ἐκέλευσεν. ὁ δὲ περιαλγήσας μέν, εἰσπηδήσας δ' εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν εφη τῇ Σοφωνίδι "εἰ μὲν οιός τ' ην τῷ ἑαυτοῦ θανάτῳ ἐλευθέραν φυλάξαι σε καὶ ἀνύβριστον, προθύμως αν σου ὑπεραπέθανον· ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον, προπέμπω σε ενθα κἀγὼ καὶ απαντες ἀφιξόμεθα." καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν φάρμακον 2.288 αὐτῇ ωρεξεν. ἡ δὲ ουτ' ἀνωλοφύρατο ουτ' ἐστέναξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ γενναίως "εἰ τοῦτό σοι," εφη "ανερ, δοκεῖ, κἀγὼ πείθομαι· τῆς γὰρ ψυχῆς μου μετὰ σὲ οὐδεὶς αλλος κυριεύσει· εἰ δὲ τοῦ σώματός μου Σκιπίων δεῖται, νεκρὸν αὐτὸ λαβέτω." καὶ ἡ μὲν ουτως ἀπέθανε, Σκιπίων δὲ τὸ εργον ἐθαύμασεν. Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ, τοῦ Λαιλίου τὸν Σύφακα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκείνου Οὐερμίναν ἀγαγόντος ἐκεῖ καὶ τῶν αλλων τινὰς τῶν πρώτων, τὸν μὲν Σύφακα εἰς τὴν Αλβαν κατέθεντο καὶ τελευτήσαντα δημοσίᾳ εθαψαν, τῷ δὲ Οὐερμίνᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπεκύρωσαν καὶ τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας Νομάδας ἐχαρίσαντο. Οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι περὶ σπονδῶν ἐπικηρυκευσάμενοι τῷ Σκιπίωνι χρήματά τε εὐθὺς εδοσαν καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους πάντας ἀπέδωκαν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν λοιπῶν πρεσβείαν εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἀπέστειλαν. τοὺς δέ γε πρέσβεις οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τότε οὐ προσεδέξαντο, λέγοντες οὐκ ειναι πάτριον σφίσι στρατοπέδων ἐν τῇ ̓Ιταλίᾳ οντων τισὶ πρεσβείαν προσίεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ χρηματίζειν ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης. υστερον δέ, ἀπάραντος τοῦ τε ̓Αννίβου καὶ τοῦ Μάγωνος, λόγου σφίσι μετέδωκαν καὶ ἐψηφίσαντο τὰς σπονδάς. ἐξεχώρησαν δὲ τῆς ̓Ιταλίας ο τε ̓Αννίβας καὶ ὁ Μάγων οὐ διὰ τὴν σύμβασιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν οικοι πόλεμον ἐπειγόμενοι. Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ Καρχηδόνιοι οὐδὲ πρότερον εἰρηναῖόν τι φρονοῦντες, καὶ περὶ σπονδῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ χρόνου τριβῇ διὰ τὴν τοῦ ̓Αννίβου παρουσίαν ἐπικηρυκευσάμενοι, ὡς τὸν ̓Αννίβαν πλησιάζοντα εμαθον, ἀνεθάρσησαν, καὶ ἐπέθεντο τῷ Σκιπίωνι κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν. κἀκείνου περὶ τούτου 2.289 αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλέσαντος, ουτε μέτριόν τι τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἀπεκρίναντο καὶ ἐπεβούλευσαν αὐτοῖς ἀποπλεύσασι· καὶ εἰ μὴ πνεῦμα τυχαίως συμβὰν αὐτοῖς ἐβοήθησεν, ἀπώλοντο αν. οθεν καὶ ὁ Σκιπίων ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ψήφου τῆς περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης κομισθείσης οὐκέτι αὐτὴν ἐποιήσατο. οἱ ουν Καρχηδόνιοι τὸν μὲν Μάγωνα εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν ἀνέπεμψαν, τὸν δ' ̓Αννίβαν αὐτοκράτορα στρατηγὸν ἀπέδειξαν, τὸν Αννωνα τῆς ἀρχῆς παύσαντες. τὸν δ' ̓Ασδρούβαν καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι ἐψηφίσαντο, φαρμάκῳ δὲ ἑκουσίως φθαρέντα καὶ νεκρὸν ᾐκίσαντο. ̓Αννίβας μὲν ουν πᾶσαν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν λαβὼν εἰς τὴν Μασινίσσου χώραν ἐνέβαλε καὶ ἐκάκου αὐτὴν καὶ τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις μάχεσθαι ἡτοιμάζετο· ἀνθητοιμάζοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ τοῦ Σκιπίωνος. Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ μετεμέλοντο οτι μὴ ἐκώλυσαν τὸν ̓Αννίβαν ἐκπλεῦσαι· ὡς μέντοι τὰ ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ συγκροτοῦντα αὐτὸν εμαθον, οὐ μετρίως αυθις ἐδεδίεσαν. διὸ καὶ Κλαύδιον μὲν Νέρωνα τὸν ετερον τῶν ὑπάτων ἐπ' αὐτὸν επεμψαν, Μάρκῳ δὲ Σερουιλίῳ τὴν τῆς ̓Ιταλίας φυλακὴν ἐπεκλήρωσαν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠδυνήθη ὁ Νέρων εἰς τὴν Λιβύην ἐλθεῖν, ὑπὸ χειμῶνος ἐν ̓Ιταλίᾳ χρονίσας καὶ ἐν Σαρδοῖ. ειτα οὐδὲ περαιτέρω τῆς Σικελίας ἐχώρησε, κεκρατηκότα μαθὼν τὸν Σκιπίωνα. ὁ γὰρ Σκιπίων, δείσας μὴ ἐπειχθεὶς ὁ Νέρων τῶν αὐτοῦ πόνων τὴν ευκλειαν σφετερίσηται, τοῦ εαρος ἐπιλάμψαντος ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Αννίβαν ἐχώρησε, μαθὼν οτι τὸν Μασινίσσαν ἐνίκησε. καὶ ὁ ̓Αννίβας ὡς ῃσθετο προσιόντα τὸν Σκιπίωνα, προαπήντησεν αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀντιστρατοπεδευσάμενοι οὐκ 2.290 εὐθὺς εἰς χεῖρας ηλθον, συχνὰς δ' ἡμέρας διέτριψαν, καὶ εκαστος τῷ οἰκείῳ διειλέχθη στρατεύματι καὶ πρὸς τὴν μάχην αὐτὸ