CARTHAGE. 
844. 
the Alps. Nothing could have happened more favourable 
to Hannibal’s views; for the Boii bore an implacable en¬ 
mity to the Romans, and had come to an open rupture 
with them, upon the fir ft news that Sicily was threatened 
with an invalion from Carthage. 
It was not known with certainty where Hannibal began 
to afcend the Alps. As foon as his route was known, the 
petty kings of the country affembled their forces, and taking 
pofiTeflion of the eminences over which the Carthaginians 
in 11 ft neceflkriiy pafs, they continued harralling them, 
difputing every foot of land. Hannibal, however, hav¬ 
ing found means to polfefs hintfelf of an advantageous 
poft, defeated and difperfed the enemy; and foon after 
took their capital city, where he found the prifoners, 
horfes, &c, that had fallen into their hands.; and hkewife 
a large fnpply of corn and other provifions. It was, 
moreover, in the deptli of winter when this aflonifhing 
projefl was undertaken. The feafon added new horrors 
to a fcene which nature had already crowded with objeCts 
of difmay. The prodigious height and tremendous fteep- 
nefs of the mountains, capped with fnow ; the rude cot¬ 
tages that feemed to hang upon the lides of the precipices ; 
the cattie, and even the wild beafts, (lift’ with cold, or en¬ 
raged with famine ; the people barbarous and fierce, died 
led in (kins, with long fliaggy hair: prefented a piClure 
that imprefted the beholders with aftoniftunent and terror. 
They had not vain fears alone to combat. The intenfe- 
nefs of the cold, the height of the precipices, the fmootli- 
nefs of the ice, and above all, the oppofition of the rude 
inhabitants, rolling down huge rocks upon them in their 
march, were among the number of their calamities. But 
nothing was capable of fubduing the courage of the Car¬ 
thaginian general. After nine days painful fatigue through 
thefe untrodden paths, he gained the top of the moun¬ 
tains, where he animated his foldiers by alluring them, 
that they had fcaled, not the walls of Italy, but of Rome; 
and by (hewing them the large and fertile vales of Kubria, 
where the Gauls were waiting to join them. After two 
days refpite, he prepared to defcend ; but the difficulties 
they now met with were much greater than thofe they had 
already encountered. Every new advance feemed but to 
increafe the danger, till they arrived at the verge of a per¬ 
pendicular precipice, which feemed utterly impa(fable. It 
was then that defpair appeared in every face but Hanni¬ 
bal’s; his firft effort was to endeavour, by making a cir¬ 
cuit, to find a more commodious pallage. This only in- 
creating his difficulty, he ordered a great number of large 
trees to be felled, and fet on fire. The rock being thus 
heated, fays Livy, was foftened by vinegar, and a way 
opened through which the men, horfes, and elephants, 
might fafely defcend. This work was accomplifhed with 
incredible labour, but Hannibal fucceeded ; having fpent 
only nine days in afeending, and fix in defeending, the Alps. 
On his entry into Ifubria, he reviewed his army ; when 
he found that of the 50,000 foot, with whom he left New 
Carthage five months and fifteen days before, he had but 
20,000, and that his 9000 liorfe were reduced to 6000. 
-His firft care was to retrefli his troops, and to alleviate the 
toils they had undergone upon fo arduous a march. He 
then addrefted them in the following manner: “ I know 
not, foldiers, whether you or your prifoners be encom- 
paffed by fortune with the ftribter bonds and neceffities. 
Two feas inclofe you on the right and left; not a fhip to 
fly to for efcaping. Before you is the Po,a river broader 
and more rapid than the Rhone: behind you are the Alps, 
over which, even when your numbers were undiminiflted, 
you were hardly able to force a paffage. Here then, fol¬ 
diers, you nuift either conquer or die, the very firft hour 
you meet the enemy. But the fame fortune which has 
thus laid you under the neceffity of fighting, lias fet before 
your eyes thofe rewards of victory, than which no men are 
ever wont to wifti for greater from the immortal gods. 
Should we, by our valour, recover only Sicily and Sardi- 
8jwhich were ravilhed from our fathers, thofe would 
« no inconfiderable prizes. Yet, what are thofe ? The 
wealth of Rome, whatever riches (lie has heaped together 
in the fpoils of nations, all thefe, with the mailers oflliem, 
will be vour’s. You have been long enough employed in 
driving the cattle upon the vaft mountains of Ltrfitania 
and Celtiberia ; you have hitherto met with no reward 
worthy of the labours and dangers you have undergone. 
The time is now come to reap the full recompence of your 
toilfome marches over fo many mountains and rivers, and 
through fo many nations, all of them in arms. This is the 
place which fortune has appointed to be the limits of 
your labour; it is here that you will finifh your glo¬ 
rious warfare, and receive an ample recompence of your 
completed fervice. For I would not have you imagine 
that victory will be as difficult as the name of a Roman 
war is great and founding. It has often happened that a 
defpifed enemy has given a bloody battle ; and the mod 
renowned kings and nations have, by a fmall force, been 
overthrown. And, if you but take away the glitter of the 
Roman name, what is there wherein they may ftand in 
competition with you ? For (to fay nothing of your fer¬ 
vice in war, for twenty years together, with fo much va¬ 
lour and fuccefs) from the very pillars of Hercules, from 
the ocean, from the utmoft bounds of the earth, through fo 
many warlike nations of Spain and Gaul, are you not come 
hither Victorious ? And with whom are you now to fight ? 
With raw foldiers, an undifeiplined army, beaten, van- 
quidied, befieged by the Gauls the very laft fumnter; an 
army, unknown to their leader, and unacquainted with 
him. Or (hall I, who was born I might almoft fay, but 
certainly brought up, in the tent of my father, that moft 
excellent general ; fhall I, the conqueror of Spain and 
Gaul, and not only of the Alpine nations, but, which is 
ftill greater, of the Alps themfelves ; (hall I compare my- 
felf with this half-year captain ? a captain, before whom 
fhould one place the two armies, without their enfigns, I 
am perfuaded he would not know to which of them he is 
conful. I efteem it no fmall advantage, foldiers, that there 
is not one among you, who has not often been an eye-wit- 
nefs of my exploits in war, not one of whofe Valour I my- 
felf have not been a fpeftator, fo as to be able to name 
the times and places of his noble atchievements; that 
with foldiers whom I have a thoufand times praifed and 
rewarded, and whofe pupil I was before I became their ge¬ 
neral, I (hall march againft men, (h angers.to one another. 
“ On what fide foever I turn my eyes, I behold all full 
of courage and ftrengtli. A veteran infantry, a moft gal¬ 
lant cavalry; you, my allies, moft faithful and valiant; 
you, Carthaginians, whom not only your country’s caufe, 
but the jufteft anger, impels to battle. The hope, the 
courage of aflailants is always greater titan of thofe 
who a6t upon the defenfive. With hoftile banners dis¬ 
played, you are come down upon Italy : you bring the 
war. Grief, injuries, indignities, fire your minds, and 
fpur you forward to revenge. Firft, they demanded me ; 
that I, your general, fhould be delivered up to them ; next, 
all of you w’ho had fought at the fiege of Saguntuvn : and 
we were to be put to death by the extremeft tortures. 
Proud and cruel nation ! every tiling mud be yonr’s, and 
at your difpofal! you are to preferibe to us with w>hom 
we (hall make war, with whom we dial 1 make peace. You 
are to fet us bounds, to (hut us up within hills and rivers; 
but you, you are not to obferve the limits which your- 
felves have fixed! 1 Pafs not the Iberus.' What then? 
‘ Touch not the Saguntines. Saguntum is upon the Ibe- 
rus ; move not a ftep towards that city.’ Is it a fmall 
matter, then, that you have deprived us of eur ancient 
polfefiions, Sicily and Sardinia ? you would have Spain 
too. Well, we (hall yield Spain, and then—you will 
pafs into Africa. Will pafs, did I fay?—This very 
year they ordered one of their confuls into Africa, 
the other into Spain. No, foldiers, there is nothing left 
for us but what we can vindicate with our fwords. Come 
on, then. Be men. The Romans may, with more fafety, 
be cowards : they have their own country behind them, 
have places of refuge to fly to, and are fecure from danger 
