A. C. 218.

U. C. 536.nibal hic sit æmulus itinerum Herculis, ut ipse fert, an vectigalis stipendiariusque et servus populi Romani a patre relictus: quem nisi Saguntinum scelus agitaret, respiceret profecto, si non patriam victam, domum certe, patremque, et foedera Hamilcaris scripta manu: qui, jussus a consule ' nostro, præsidium deduxit ab Eryce: qui graves impositas 'victis Carthaginiensibus leges fremens moerensque accepit: qui decedere Sicilia, qui stipendium populo Romano dare 'pactus est. Itaque vos ego, milites, non eo solum animo, quo adversus alios hostes soletis, pugnare velim; sed cum 'indignatione quadam atque ira: velut si servos videatis vestros arma repente contra vos ferentes. Licuit ad Erycem clausos, ultimo supplicio humanorum, fame interficere: 'licuit victricem classem in Africam trajicere, atque intra paucos dies sine dies sine ullo certamine Carthaginem delere. Veniam dedimus precantibus: emisimus ex obsidione: pacem cum victis fecimus: tutelæ deinde nostræ duximus3, quum Africo bello urgerentur. Prohis impartitis", furiosum 'juvenem sequentes, oppugnatum patriam nostram veniunt. Atque utinam pro decore tantum hoc vobis, et non pro 'salute, esset certamen. Non de possessione Siciliæ ac Sardiniæ, de quibus quondam agebatur, sed pro Italia vobis est pugnandum: nec est alius ab tergo exercitus, qui, nisi nos vincimus, hosti obsistat; nec Alpes aliæ sunt, quas dum superant, comparari nova possint præsidia. Hic est obstandum, milites, velut si ante Romana mœnia ( pugnemus. Unusquisque se non corpus suum, sed con'jugem ac liberos parvos armis protegere putet: nec 'domesticas solum agitet curas, sed identidem hoc animo reputet, nostras nunc intueri manus senatum populumque Romanum: qualis nostra vis virtusque fuerit, talem deinde ' fortunam illius urbis ac Romani imperii fore.'

42.

Hæc apud Romanos consul. Hannibal, rebus prius, quam verbis, adhortandos milites ratus, circumdato ad spectaculum exercitus, captivos montanos vinctos in medio

and seven pence of our money. Sci-
pio alludes of course to the ransom
of the Carthaginian prisoners at the
close of the first Punic war. They
were obliged to release the Roman
prisoners, and pay for their own.

2 Quem nisi Saguntinum scelus,
&c.]
"Whom if his crimes at Sa-
guntum were not maddening or be-
wildering." In English we would
say, "who, if his crimes at Saguntum
were not maddening him, would
certainly," &c.

3 Tutela nostræ duximus.] "We
considered them under our protec-

statuit; armisque Gallicis ante eorum pedes projectis, inter- U. C. 536. rogare interpretem jussit, ecquis, si vinculis levaretur, arma- A. C. 218. que et equum victor acciperet, decertare ferro vellet? Quum ad unum omnes ferrum pugnamque poscerent, et dejecta in id sors' esset, se quisque eum optabat, quem fortuna in id certamen legeret. Ut cujusque sors exciderat, alacer, inter gratulantes gaudio exsultans, cum sui moris tripudiis arma raptim capiebat. Ubi vero dimicarent, is habitus animorum non inter ejusdem modo conditionis homines erat, sed etiam inter spectantes vulgo, ut non vincentium magis, quam bene morientium, fortuna laudaretur.

6

Quum sic aliquot spectatis paribus affectos dimisisset, concione inde advocata, ita apud eos locutus fertur: 'Si, quem animum in alienæ sortis exemplo paullo ante habuistis, eundem mox in æstimanda fortuna vestra 'habueritis, vicimus, milites: neque enim spectaculum modo illud, sed quædam veluti imago vestræ conditionis erat. 'Ac nescio, an majora vincula majoresque necessitates vobis, quam captivis vestris, fortuna circumdederit. Dextra lævaque duo maria claudunt, nullam, ne ad effugium qui

• Ecquis, si vinculis, &c.] "Who was willing to accept wager of battle, on condition of being released from bonds, and of receiving, if victorious, arms and a horse."

1 Dejecta in id sors, &c.] "Lots were cast for that purpose.'

2 Cum sui moris tripudiis ] "With their characteristic (peculiar, na. tional) dance." The Pyrrhic dance is a very ancient oriental institution. It is ascertained, that the practice began with and arose out of that of wearing armour. The several kindred tribes, known in different countries as Corybantes, Idæi Dactyli, Telchines, Cyclopes, &c. were branches of an ancient Asiatic nation, who first employed metal for warlike purposes; and at their festivals, danced in armour, and beat time upon their shields. To this sort of dancing belonged the march of the Dorians, performed to the Anapæstic music of the raiâves eußarnpioi; the military movement to which Homer alludes in the phrases, iπаστidía Tроποδίζειν, and μελπέσθαι ἀρήϊ, and the sword dances of the ancient and modern Celts, noticed by Tacitus, (Germ.) It may not perhaps be generally known, that the fashion

able polka (or Polish dance) of the
present day, the tune of which is
Anapæstic, (like the La Volta of
our ancestors,) is merely a very sub-
dued modification of the war-step of
eastern Europe.

3 Ubi vero dimicarent, &c.] "And
even when they actually engaged,
such was the tone of sentiment, not
only among men of the same class,
(i. e. the other prisoners,) but the
spectators in general."

Aliquot spectatis paribus.] "By the exhibition of several pairs (or duels)." It must be understood, that the prisoners were called out to fight with each other in pairs, on the terms above specified; sc. arma et equum victor acciperet. The object of this tournament appears to have been to restore the former morale of the army, which their recent hardships might probably have impaired.

In alienæ sortis exemplo, &c.] "If you entertain, respecting your own success, the sentiments which you have just evinced in the instance or exhibition) of the vicissitudes of others," &c.

6 Quædam veluti imago.] "A sort of type;" a type, so to speak.

43.

U. C. 536.
A. C. 218.

dem, navem habentibus: contra Padus' amnis, major Padus ac violentior Rhodano; ab tergo Alpes urgent, vix integris ' vobis ac vigentibus transitæ. Hic vincendum aut morien'dum, milites, est, ubi primum hosti occurristis. Et eadem fortuna, quæ necessitatem pugnandi imposuit, præmia ' vobis ea victoribus proponit, quibus ampliora homines ne 'ab diis quidem immortalibus optare solent. Si Siciliam 'tantum ac Sardiniam, parentibus nostris ereptas, nostra 'virtute recuperaturi essemus, satis tamen ampla pretia 'essent. Quicquid Romani tot triumphis partum congestumque possident, id omne vestrum cum ipsis dominis 'futurum est. In hanc tam opimam mercedem, agite, cum 'diis bene juvantibus arma capite. Satis adhuc in vastis 'Lusitaniæ Celtiberiæque1 montibus, pecora consectando, ' nullum emolumentum tot laborum periculorumque vestro'rum vidistis: tempus est jam, opulenta vos ac ditia stipen'dia facere, et magna operæ pretia mereri, tantum itineris per tot montes fluminaque et tot armatas gentes emensos. 'Hic vobis terminum laborum fortuna dedit: hic dignam 'mercedem, emeritis stipendiis, dabit. Nec, quam magni ' nominis bellum est, tam difficilem existimaritis victoriam 'fore. Sæpe et contemptus hostis cruentum certamen edidit, et incluti populi regesque perlevi momento victi sunt. Nam, dempto hoc uno fulgore3 nominis Romani, quid est, cur illi vobis comparandi sint? Ut viginti anno'rum1 militiam vestram cum illa virtute, cum illa fortuna 'taceam; ab Herculis columnis, ab Oceano terminisque

6

7 Contra Padus.] As the Carthaginians lay at the foot of the Alps, the Po, with its branches and tributaries, formed a sort of irregular semicircle in front.

8 Ab tergo Alpes urgent.] "Close behind you are the Alps."

9 Lusitaniæ.] "Under this name Portugal was originally an integral part of Spain, and continued so until A.D. 1139, when it was erected into a separate kingdom under the following circumstances. During the Crusade proclaimed by Innocent III. against the Moors of Spain, one of the French Princes, Henry of Burgundy, distinguished himself so eminently, that Alphonso VI. of Castile gave him his daughter in marriage, with the feudal ownership of Portugal, as a county. Alphonso, the son of Henry and this Princess, was afterwards proclaimed King of Portugal on the field, where he inflicted a decisive defeat upon the

Mohammedans. It lost its independence again, during a short`interval, in the time of the unfortunate Don Sebastian. The name Portugal is derived from Portus Calle, the old name of Oporto.

1 Celtiberiæque.] This district was as nearly as possible identical in extent with the kingdom of Arragon, and new and old Castile, (Castilla nueva y vieja.)

2 Nec, quam magni nominis, &c.] "Nor are you to suppose victory as arduous as the name of the war is imposing."

3 Dempto hoc uno fulgore.] "With the single exception of this prestige."

4 Ut viginti annorum, &c.] "Not to mention your twenty years' campaign, with all its (illa) heroism and all its successes.'

5 Ab Herculis columnis.] The Carthaginians and other Phoenicians had been from a very early period trading to Spain. Gades was an

A. C. 218.

'ultimis terrarum, per tot ferocissimos Hispaniæ et Galliæ U. C. 536. 'populos vincentes huc pervenistis: pugnabitis cum exer'citu tirone, hac ipsa æstate cæso, victo, circumsesso a Gallis, ignoto adhuc duci suo, ignorantique ducem. An 'me, in prætorio patris, clarissimi imperatoris, prope 'natum, certe eductum, domitorem Hispaniæ Galliæque, 'victorem eundem non Alpinarum modo gentium, sed ipsa'rum, quod multo majus est, Alpium, cum semestri hoc 'conferam duce, desertore exercitus sui'? Cui si quis, demptis signis, Poenos Romanosque hodie ostendat, ignoraturum certum habeo, utrius exercitus sit consul. Non ego illud parvi æstimo, milites, quod nemo vestrum est, 'cujus non ante oculos ipse sæpe militare aliquod ediderim 'facinus; cui non idem ego, virtutis spectator ac testis, 'notata temporibus locisque referre sua possim decora. 'Cum laudatis a me millies donatisque, alumnus prius om'nium vestrum, quam imperator, procedam acie adversus 'ignotos inter se ignorantesque. Quocunque circumtuli oculos, plena omnia video animorum ac roboris; veteranum 'peditem, generosissimarum gentium equites frenatos et infrenatos, vos socios fidelissimos fortissimosque, vos Carthaginienses, quum ob patriam, tum ob iram justissimam, 'pugnaturos. Inferimus bellum, infestisque signis1 descendimus in Italiam, tanto audacius fortiusque pugnaturi, 'quanto major spes, major est animus inferentis vim, quam 'arcentis. Accendit præterea animos et stimulat dolor, 'injuria, indignitas. Ad supplicium depoposcerunt me ' ducem primum, deinde vos omnes, qui Saguntum oppug'nassetis: deditos ultimis cruciatibus affecturi fuerunt. Crudelissima ac superbissima gens sua omnia suique arbitrii 'facit. Cum quibus bellum, cum quibus pacem habeamus, 'se modum imponere æquum censet: circumscribit inclu

to

older colony than Carthage itself. Their inducement, however, establish more recent settlements, was the possession of the gold and silver mines of the Sierra Morena which the natives could not work.

6 Victorem eundem.] "And the conqueror also."

"Desertore exercitus sui.] Scipio's own army was in Spain. See his address, chap. xl.

8 Notata temporibus locisque.] "With all particulars of (specified by) times and places."

Frenatos et infrenatos.] It was the practice of several Nomad nations to ride without bridles, guiding their horses by the voice and the pressure

44.

U. C. 536. ditque nos terminis montium fluminumque, quos ne exceA. C. 218. damus': neque eos, quos statuit, terminos observat. Ne 'transieris Iberum: ne quid rei tibi sit cum Saguntinis. Ad 'Iberum est Saguntum5: nusquam te vestigio moveris. Parum est, quod veterrimas provincias meas Siciliam et Sar'diniam adimis: etiam Hispanias? et inde cessero, in Africam 'transcendes. Transcendes autem, dico? Duos consules 'hujus anni, unum in Africam, alterum in Hispaniam miserunt. Nihil usquam nobis relictum est, nisi quod armis 'vindicarimus. Illis timidis et ignavis licet esse, qui respectum habent', quos suus ager, sua terra, per tuta ac pacata itinera fugientes, accipient: vobis necesse est fortibus viris esse, et, omnibus inter victoriam mortemve certa 'desperatione abruptis, aut vincere, aut, si fortuna dubitabit, in prælio potius, quam in fuga, mortem oppetere. Si hoc 'bene fixum omnibus destinatumque in animo est, iterum dicam, vicistis: nullum momentum ad vincendum homini 'ab diis immortalibus acrius datum est.'

45.

6

His adhortationibus quum utrimque ad certamen accensi militum animi essent, Romani ponte Ticinium jungunt', tutandique pontis causa castellum insuper imponunt. Poenus, opere occupatis hostibus, Maharbalem cum ala Numidarum, equitibus quingentis, ad depopulandos sociorum populi Romani agros mittit. Gallis parci quam maxime jubet,

4 Quos ne excedamus.] "Which we are not to transgress." This phrase is elliptical: we must understand a verb before ne; sc. " which (they command) that we," &c.

5 Ad Iberum est Saguntum.] This is sometimes understood interrogatively; as a reply on the Carthaginian side.

6 Veterrimas provincias meas.] The Carthaginians had been in possession of Sardinia, and had contested the possession of Sicily with the kings of Syracuse and Agrigentum, for about 250 years before the commencement of the first Punic

war.

The term provincia, according to Niebuhr, is a modification of proventus, which is used by Cicero and others in the sense of "revenue." This theory accords with the actual relation in which the Roman provinces stood to the government, and which was exclusively financial. Their connexion merely involved the payment of a revenue, as an equivalent for civil administration: they af

forded, originally, no military assistance, except on extraordinary occasions, and then only as mercenaries.

7 Qui respectum habent.] "Who have a resource left-an alternative;" literally, "something to look back upon.'

8 Omnibus inter victoriam, &c.] "All (compromises or alternatives) between," &c.

9 Vicistis.] "You are already victorious: never has a stronger incentive to be conquerors been given to man by the immortal gods." Momentum acrius, which is Drakenborch's reading, is rejected by other critics, in consequence of the incongruity of adjective and substantive. Telum, which agrees better with the adjective, has been substituted.

1 Ponte Ticinum jungunt.] "Spanned the Ticinus with a bridge." The scene of this battle at the Ticinus is a few miles to the west of the village of Marengo, memorable for the defeat of the Austrians by Napoleon I.