by Polybius
63. Having by this example made the impression he desired upon the minds of his troops, Hannibal then came forward himself and said, “that he had exhibited these captives in order that they might see in the person of others a vivid representation of what they had to expect themselves, and might so lay their plans all the better in view of the actual state of affairs. Fortune had summoned them to a life and death contest very like that of the two captives, and in which the prize of victory was the same. For they must either conquer, or die, or fall alive into the hands of their enemies; and the prize of victory would not be mere horses and military cloaks, but the most enviable position in the world if they became masters of the wealth of Rome: or if they fell in battle their reward would be to end their life fighting to their last breath for the noblest object, in the heat of the struggle, and with no sense of pain; while if they were beaten, or from desire of life were base enough to fly, or tried to prolong that life by any means except victory, every sort of misery and misfortune would be their lot: for it was impossible that any one of them could be so irrational or senseless, when he remembered the length of the journey he had performed from his native land, and the number of enemies that lay between him and it, and the size of the rivers he had crossed, as to cherish the hope of being able to reach his home by flight. They should therefore cast away such vain hopes, and regard their position as being exactly that of the combatants whom they had but now been watching. For, as in their case, all congratulated the dead as much as the victor, and commiserated the survivors; so they should think of the alternatives before themselves, and should, one and all, come upon the field of battle resolved, if possible, to conquer, and, if not, to die. Life with defeat was a hope that must by no means whatever be entertained. If they reasoned and resolved thus, victory and safety would certainly attend them: for it never happened that men who came to such a resolution, whether of deliberate purpose or from being driven to bay, were disappointed in their hope of beating their opponents in the field. And when it chanced, as was the case with the Romans, that the enemy had in most cases a hope of quite an opposite character, from the near neighbourhood of their native country making flight an obvious means of safety, then it was clear that the courage which came of despair would carry the day.”
When he saw that the example and the words he had spoken had gone home to the minds of the rank and file, and that the spirit and enthusiasm which he aimed at inspiring were created, he dismissed them for the present with commendations, and gave orders for an advance at daybreak on the next morning.
[1] Πόπλιος δὲ περὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ἡμέρας τὸν Πάδον ποταμὸν ἤδη πεπεραιωμένος, τὸν δὲ Τίκινον κρίνων εἰς τοὔμπροσθεν διαβαίνειν, τοῖς μὲν ἐπιτηδείοις γεφυροποιεῖν παρήγγειλε, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς δυνάμεις συναγαγὼν παρεκάλει. [2] τὰ μὲν οὖν πολλὰ τῶν λεγομένων ἦν περί τε τοῦ τῆς πατρίδος ἀξιώματος καὶ τῶν προγονικῶν πράξεων, τὰ δὲ τοῦ παρεστῶτος καιροῦ τοιάδε. [3] ἔφη γὰρ δεῖν καὶ μηδεμίαν μὲν εἰληφότας πεῖραν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τῶν ὑπεναντίων, αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο γινώσκοντας ὅτι μέλλουσι πρὸς Καρχηδονίους κινδυνεύειν, ἀναμφισβήτητον ἔχειν τὴν τοῦ νικᾶν ἐλπίδα, [4] καὶ καθόλου δεινὸν ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ παράλογον, εἰ τολμῶσι Καρχηδόνιοι Ῥωμαίοις ἀντοφθαλμεῖν, πολλάκις μὲν ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἡττημένοι, πολλοὺς δ᾽ ἐξενηνοχότες φόρους, μόνον δ᾽ οὐχὶ δουλεύοντες αὐτοῖς ἤδη τοσούτους χρόνους. [5] ὅταν δέ, χωρὶς τῶν προειρημένων, καὶ τῶν νῦν παρόντων ἀνδρῶν ἔχωμεν ἐπὶ ποσὸν πεῖραν ὅτι μόνον οὐ τολμῶσι κατὰ πρόσωπον ἰδεῖν ἡμᾶς, τίνα χρὴ διάληψιν ποιεῖσθαι περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος τοὺς ὀρθῶς λογιζομένους; [6] καὶ μὴν οὔτε τοὺς ἱππεῖς συμπεσόντας τοῖς παρ᾽ αὑτῶν ἱππεῦσι περὶ τὸν Ῥοδανὸν ποταμὸν ἀπαλλάξαι καλῶς, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς ἀποβαλόντας αὑτῶν φυγεῖν αἰσχρῶς μέχρι τῆς ἰδίας παρεμβολῆς, [7] τόν τε στρατηγὸν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν σύμπασαν δύναμιν ἐπιγνόντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῶν ἡμετέρων στρατιωτῶν φυγῇ παραπλησίαν ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἀποχώρησιν καὶ παρὰ τὴν αὑτῶν προαίρεσιν διὰ τὸν φόβον κεχρῆσθαι τῇ διὰ τῶν Ἄλπεων πορείᾳ. [8] παρεῖναι δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔφη τὸν Ἀννίβαν, κατεφθαρκότα μὲν τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως, τὸ δὲ περιλειπόμενον ἀδύνατον καὶ δύσχρηστον ἔχοντα διὰ τὴν κακουχίαν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν ἵππων τοὺς μὲν πλείστους ἀπολωλεκότα, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἠχρειωκότα διὰ τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὴν δυσχέρειαν τῆς ὁδοῦ. [9] δι᾽ ὧν ἐπιδεικνύειν ἐπειρᾶτο διότι μόνον ἐπιφανῆναι δεῖ τοῖς πολεμίοις. [10] μάλιστα δ᾽ ἠξίου θαρρεῖν αὐτοὺς βλέποντας εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ παρουσίαν: οὐδέποτε γὰρ ἂν ἀπολιπὼν τὸν στόλον καὶ τὰς ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ πράξεις, ἐφ᾽ ἃς ἀπεστάλη, δεῦρο μετὰ τοιαύτης ἐλθεῖν σπουδῆς, εἰ μὴ καὶ λίαν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ λόγον ἑώρα τὴν πρᾶξιν ταύτην ἀναγκαίαν μὲν οὖσαν τῇ πατρίδι, πρόδηλον δ᾽ ἐν αὐτῇ τὴν νίκην ὑπάρχουσαν. [11] πάντων δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ λέγοντος πίστιν καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν λεγομένων ἀλήθειαν ἐκθύμως ἐχόντων πρὸς τὸ κινδυνεύειν, ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν διαφῆκε, προσπαρακαλέσας ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς τὸ παραγγελλόμενον.
64. About the same day Publius Scipio, having now crossed the Padus, and being resolved to make a farther advance across the Ticinus, ordered those who were skilled in such works to construct a bridge across this latter river; and then summoned a meeting of the remainder of his army and addressed them: dwelling principally on the reputation of their country and of the ancestors’ achievements. But he referred particularly to their present position, saying, “that they ought to entertain no doubt of victory, though they had never as yet had any experience of the enemy; and should regard it as a piece of extravagant presumption of the Carthaginians to venture to face Romans, by whom they had been so often beaten, and to whom they had for so many years paid tribute and been all but slaves. And when in addition to this they at present knew thus much of their mettle, — that they dared not face them, what was the fair inference to be drawn for the future? Their cavalry, in a chance encounter on the Rhone with those of Rome, had, so far from coming off well, lost a large number of men, and had fled with disgrace to their own camp; and the general and his army, as soon as they knew of the approach of his legions, had beat a retreat, which was exceedingly like a flight, and, contrary to their original purpose, had in their terror taken the road over the Alps. And it was evident that Hannibal had destroyed the greater part of his army; and that what he had left was feeble and unfit for service, from the hardships they had undergone: in the same way he had lost the majority of his horses, and made the rest useless from the length and difficult nature of the
journey. They had, therefore, only to show themselves to the enemy.” But, above all, he pointed out that “his own presence at their head ought to be special encouragement to them: for that he would not have left his fleet and Spanish campaign, on which he had been sent, and have come to them in such haste, if he had not seen on consideration that his doing so was necessary for his country’s safety, and that a certain victory was secured to him by it.”
The weight and influence of the speaker, as well as their belief in his words, roused great enthusiasm among the men; which Scipio acknowledged, and then dismissed them with the additional injunction that they should hold themselves in readiness to obey any order sent round to them.
[1] τῇ δὲ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ προῆγον ἀμφότεροι παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς τὰς Ἄλπεις μέρους, ἔχοντες εὐώνυμον μὲν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, δεξιὸν δὲ τὸν ῥοῦν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι. [2] γνόντες δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ διὰ τῶν προνομευόντων ὅτι σύνεγγύς εἰσιν ἀλλήλων, τότε μὲν αὐτοῦ καταστρατοπεδεύσαντες ἔμειναν. [3] τῇ δ᾽ ἐπαύριον πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον ἀναλαβόντες ἀμφότεροι, Πόπλιος δὲ καὶ τῶν πεζῶν τοὺς ἀκοντιστάς, προῆγον διὰ τοῦ πεδίου, σπεύδοντες κατοπτεῦσαι τὰς ἀλλήλων δυνάμεις. [4] ἅμα δὲ τῷ πλησιάζειν αὑτοῖς καὶ συνιδεῖν τὸν κονιορτὸν ἐξαιρόμενον εὐθέως συνετάττοντο πρὸς μάχην. [5] ὁ μὲν οὖν Πόπλιος προθέμενος τοὺς ἀκοντιστὰς καὶ τοὺς ἅμα τούτοις Γαλατικοὺς ἱππεῖς, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐν μετώπῳ καταστήσας προῄει βάδην. [6] ὁ δ᾽ Ἀννίβας τὴν μὲν κεχαλινωμένην ἵππον καὶ πᾶν τὸ στάσιμον αὐτῆς κατὰ πρόσωπον τάξας ἀπήντα τοῖς πολεμίοις, τοὺς δὲ Νομαδικοὺς ἱππεῖς ἀφ᾽ ἑκατέρου τοῦ κέρατος ἡτοιμάκει πρὸς κύκλωσιν. [7] ἀμφοτέρων δὲ καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων καὶ τῶν ἱππέων φιλοτίμως διακειμένων πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον, τοιαύτην συνέβη γενέσθαι τὴν πρώτην σύμπτωσιν ὥστε τοὺς ἀκοντιστὰς μὴ φθάσαι τὸ πρῶτον ἐκβαλόντας βέλος, φεύγειν δ᾽ ἐγκλίναντας εὐθέως διὰ τῶν διαστημάτων ὑπὸ τὰς παρ᾽ αὑτῶν ἴλας, καταπλαγέντας τὴν ἐπιφορὰν καὶ περιδεεῖς γενομένους μὴ συμπατηθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιφερομένων ἱππέων. [8] οἱ μὲν οὖν κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀλλήλοις συμπεσόντες ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐποίουν ἰσόρροπον τὸν κίνδυνον: [9] ὁμοῦ γὰρ ἦν ἱππομαχία καὶ πεζομαχία διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν παρακαταβαινόντων ἀνδρῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ μάχῃ. [10] τῶν δὲ Νομάδων κυκλωσάντων καὶ κατόπιν ἐπιπεσόντων, οἱ μὲν πεζακοντισταὶ τὸ πρῶτον διαφυγόντες τὴν σύμπτωσιν τῶν ἱππέων τότε συνεπατήθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ τῆς ἐπιφορᾶς τῶν Νομάδων: [11] οἱ δὲ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐξ ἀρχῆς διαμαχόμενοι πρὸς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους, πολλοὺς μὲν αὑτῶν ἀπολωλεκότες, ἔτι δὲ πλείους τῶν Καρχηδονίων διεφθαρκότες, συνεπιθεμένων ἀπ᾽ οὐρᾶς τῶν Νομάδων, ἐτράπησαν, οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ σποράδες, τινὲς δὲ περὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα συστραφέντες.
65. Next day both generals led their troops along the river Padus, on the bank nearest the Alps, the Romans having the stream on their left, the Carthaginians on their right; and having ascertained on the second day, by means of scouts, that they were near each other, they both halted and remained encamped for that day: but on the next, both taking their cavalry, and Publius his sharp-shooters also, they hurried across the plain to reconnoitre each other’s forces. As soon as they came within distance, and saw the dust rising from the side of their opponents, they drew up their lines for battle at once. Publius put his sharp-shooters and Gallic horsemen in front, and bringing the others into line, advanced at a slow pace. Hannibal placed his cavalry that rode with bridles, and was most to be depended on, in his front, and led them straight against the enemy; having put the Numidian cavalry on either wing to take the enemy on the flanks. The two generals and the cavalry were in such hot haste to engage, that they closed with each other before the sharp-shooters had an opportunity of discharging their javelines at all. Before they could do so, they left their ground, and retreated to the rear of their own cavalry, making their way between the squadrons, terrified at the approaching charge, and afraid of being trampled to death by the horses which were galloping down upon them. The cavalry charged each other front to front, and for a long time maintained an equal contest; and a great many men dismounting on the actual field, there was a mixed fight of horse and foot. The Numidian horse, however, having outflanked the Romans, charged them on the rear: and so the sharp-shooters, who had fled from the cavalry charge at the beginning, were now trampled to death by the numbers and furious onslaught of the Numidians; while the front ranks originally engaged with the Carthaginians, after losing many of their men and inflicting a still greater loss on the enemy, finding themselves charged on the rear by the Numidians, broke into flight: most of them scattering in every direction, while some of them kept closely massed round the Consul.
[1] Πόπλιος μὲν οὖν ἀναζεύξας προσῆγε διὰ τῶν πεδίων ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Πάδου γέφυραν, σπεύδων φθάσαι διαβιβάσας τὰ στρατόπεδα. [2] θεωρῶν γὰρ τοὺς μὲν τόπους ἐπιπέδους ὄντας, τοὺς δ᾽ ὑπεναντίους ἱπποκρατοῦντας, αὑτὸν δὲ βαρυνόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ τραύματος, εἰς ἀσφαλὲς ἔκρινε δεῖν ἀποκαταστῆσαι τὰς δυνάμεις. [3] Ἀννίβας δὲ μέχρι μέν τινος ὑπέλαβε τοῖς πεζικοῖς στρατοπέδοις αὐτοὺς διακινδυνεύειν: συνιδὼν δὲ κεκινηκότας ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς, ἕως μὲν τοῦ πρώτου ποταμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τούτῳ γεφύρας ἠκολούθει, [4] καταλαβὼν δὲ τὰς μὲν πλείστας τῶν σανίδων ἀνεσπασμένας, τοὺς δὲ φυλάττοντας τὴν γέφυραν ἔτι περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ὑπολειπομένους, τούτων μὲν ἐγκρατὴς ἐγένετο, σχεδὸν ἑξακοσίων ὄντων τὸν ἀριθμόν: [5] τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἀκούων ἤδη πολὺ προειληφέναι, μεταβαλόμενος αὖθις εἰς τἀναντία παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν, σπεύδων ἐπὶ τόπον εὐγεφύρωτον ἀφικέσθαι τοῦ Πάδου. [6] καταλύσας δὲ δευτεραῖος καὶ γεφυρώσας τοῖς ποταμίοις πλοίοις τὴν διάβασιν Ἀσδρούβᾳ μὲν ἐπέταξεν διακομίζειν τὸ πλῆθος, αὐτὸς δὲ διαβὰς εὐθέως ἐχρημάτιζε τοῖς παραγεγονόσι πρεσβευταῖς ἀπὸ τῶν σύνεγγυς τόπων. [7] ἅμα γὰρ τῷ γενέσθαι τὸ προτέρημα πάντες ἔσπευδον οἱ παρακείμενοι Κελτοὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρόθεσιν καὶ φίλοι γίνεσθαι καὶ χορηγε
ῖν καὶ συστρατεύειν τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις. [8] ἀποδεξάμενος δὲ τοὺς παρόντας φιλανθρώπως καὶ κομισάμενος τὰς δυνάμεις ἐκ τοῦ πέραν προῆγεν παρὰ τὸν ποταμόν, τὴν ἐναντίαν ποιούμενος τῇ πρόσθεν παρόδῳ: κατὰ ῥοῦν γὰρ ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν, σπεύδων συνάψαι τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις. [9] ὁ δὲ Πόπλιος περαιωθεὶς τὸν Πάδον καὶ στρατοπεδεύσας περὶ πόλιν Πλακεντίαν, ἥτις ἦν ἀποικία Ῥωμαίων, ἅμα μὲν αὑτὸν ἐθεράπευε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τραυματίας, ἅμα δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς ἀσφαλὲς ἀπηρεῖσθαι νομίζων ἦγε τὴν ἡσυχίαν. [10] Ἀννίβας δὲ παραγενόμενος δευτεραῖος ἀπὸ τῆς διαβάσεως ἐγγὺς τῶν πολεμίων τῇ τρίτῃ παρέταξε τὴν δύναμιν ἐν συνόψει τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις. [11] οὐδενὸς δὲ σφίσιν ἀντεξάγοντος, κατεστρατοπέδευσε, λαβὼν περὶ πεντήκοντα στάδια τὸ μεταξὺ διάστημα τῶν στρατοπέδων.