tomed themfelves hitherto to fatten upon the fpoils of their country, exclaimed vehemently against thefe regulations, as if their own property had been forced out of their hands, and not the fums they had plundered from the publick. The retreat and death of HANNIBAL. (c) This double reformation of abuses raised great clamours against Hannibal. His enemies were writing inceffantly to the chief men, or their friends, at Rome, to inform them, that he was carrying on a fecret intelligence with Antiochus king of Syria; that he frequently received couriers from him; and that this prince had privately difpatched agents to Hannibal, to concert, with him, the meafures for carrying on the war he was meditating: That as fome animals are fo extremely fierce, that it is impoffible ever to tame them; in like manner this man was of fo turbulent and implacable a fpirit, that he could not brook cafe, and therefore would, fooner or later, break out again. Thefe informations were liftened to at Rome; and as the tranfactions of the preceding war had been begun and carried on almoft folely by Hannibal, they appeared the more probable. However, Scipio ftrongly oppofed the violent menfures which the fenate were going to take, on their receiving this intelligence, by reprefenting it as derogatory to the dignity of the Roman people, to countenance the hatred and accufations of Hannibal's enemies; to fupport, with their authority, their unjuft paffions; and obftinately to pursue him even to the very heart of his country; as though the Romans had not humbled him fufficiently, in driving him out of the field, and forcing him to lay down his arms. Eut notwithstanding thefe prudent remonstrances, the fenate appointed three commiflioners to go and make their complaints. to Carthage, and to demand that Hannibal fhould be delivered up to them. On their arrival in that city, though other things were fpeciously pretended, yet Hannibal was perfectly fenfible that himfelf only was aimed at. The evening being come, he conveyed himfelf on board a fhip, which he had fecretly provided for that purpofe; on which occafion he bewailed his country's fate more than his own. Sæpius patriæ quam ↑ fuo- · rum eventus miferatus. This was the eighth year after the conclufion of the peace. The first place he landed at was Tyre, where (e) Liv, 1. xxxiii. n. 45-49. Tum vero ifti quos paverat per aliquot annos publicus peculatus, veInt bonis ereptis, non furto corum manibus extorto, infenfi & irati, Ro manos in Annibalem, & ipfos caufamm where he was received as in his fecond country, and had all the honours paid him which were due to his exalted merit. (f) After ftaying fome days here, he fet out for Antioch, which the king had lately left, and from thence waited upon him at Ephefus. The arrival of fo renowned a general gave great pleasure to the king; and did not a little contribute to determine him to engage in war against Rome; for hitherto he had appeared wavering and uncertain on that head. (g) In this city a philofopher, who was looked upon as the greatest orator of Afia, had the imprudence to harangue before Hannibal, on the duties of a general, and the rules of the art-military. The fpeech charmed the whole audience. But Hannibal being afked his opinion of it, "I have seen, fays he, many old do"tards in my life, but this exceeds them all *." The Carthaginians, jufly fearing that Hannibal's escape would certainly draw upon them the arms of the Romans, fent them advice that Hannibal was withdrawn to Antiochus +. The Romans were very much disturbed at this news, and the king might have turned it extremely to his advantage, had he known how to make a proper use of it. (b) The first counsel that Hannibal gave him at this time, and which he frequently repeated afterwards, was, to make Italy the feat of the war. He required an hundred fhips, eleven or twelve thousand land-forces, and offered to take upon himself the command of the fleet; to cross into Africa, in order to engage the Carthaginians in the war; and afterwards to make a defcent upon Italy, during which the king himself should be ready to cross over, with his army, into Italy, whenever it should be thought convenient. This was the only thing proper to be done, and the king approved very much the propofal at first. (i) Hannibal thought it would be expedient to prepare his friends at Carthage, in order to engage them the more strongly (ƒ) A. M. 3812. A. Rom. 556. (b) Liv. 1. xxxiv. n. 60. (i) Ib. n. 61. man was the only general, laughed, as thinking it impoffible for a man to barve any skill in war, without being long practifed in it. Hic Poenus libere refpondiffe | fertur, multos fe deliros fenes fæpe vidiffe: Sed qui magis quam Phormio deliraret vidiffe neminem. Sto bæus, Serm lii. gives the follow- †They did more, for they fent two ing account of this matter. Avvicas Jhips to pursue Hannibal, and bring him ἀκάσας Στοϊκό τίνων ἐπιχειρῶντα, ὅτι back ; they fold of bis goods, rafed bis ὁ σοφὸς μόνω τρατηγὸς ἐςὶν, ἐγέλασε, boufe; and, by a publik decrce, deνομίζων ἀδύνατον εἶναι ἐκτὸς τῆς δι' ἔργων \ clared bim an exile. Such wors the graἐμπειρίας τὴν ἐν τέτοις ἐπις ήμην ἔχειν. \ titude the Carthaginians jewed to the i. e. Hannibal bearing a Stoick philofo greatest general they ever bad. Corn. pber undertake to prove that the wife | Nep. in vita Hannib. c. 7. in his intereft. The tranfmitting of particulars, by letters, is not only unfafe, but also give an imperfect idea of things, and are never fufficiently particular. He therefore dispatched a trufty person with ample inftructions to Carthage. This man was fcarce arrived in the city, but his bufinefs was fufpected. Accordingly, he was watched and followed; and, at laft, orders were iffued for his being feized. However, he prevented the vigilance of his enemies, and escaped in the night; after having fixed, in feveral publick places, papers, which fully declared the occafion of his coming among them. The fenate immediately fent advice of this to the Romans. (k) Villius, one of the deputies who had been fent into Afia, to enquire into the ftate of affairs there, and, if poffible, to difcover the real defigns of Antiochus, found Hannibal in. Ephefus. He had many conferences with him, paid him feveral vifits, and fpeciously affected to fhew him a particular, esteem on all occafions. But his chief aim, by all this artificial behaviour, was to make him be fufpected, and to leffen his credit with the king, in which he fucceeded but too well *. (1) Some authors affirm, that Scipio was joined in this embaffy; and they even relate the converfation which that general had with Hannibal. They tell us, that the Roman having asked him, who, in his opinion, was the greateft captain that had ever lived; he answered, Alexander the Great, because, with a handful of Macedonians, he had defeated numberless armies, and carried his conquefts into countries fo very remote, that it feemed fcarce poffible for any man only to travel fo far. Being afterwards asked, to whom he gave the fecond rank; he answered, to Pyrrhus: For this king, fays Hannibal, firft understood the art of pitching a camp to advantage; no commander had ever made a more judicious choice of his pofts, was better fkilled in drawing up of his forces, or was more happy in winning the affection of foreign foldiers; infomuch that even the people of Italy were more defirous to have him for their governor than the Romans themselves, though they had fo long been fubject to them. Scipio proceeding, afked Liv. 1. xxxv. n. 14. (*) A. M. 3813. A. Rom. 557. Polyb. 1. iii. p. 166, 167. (7) Liv. I. xxxv. n 14. Plutarch, in vira Flamin, &c, Polybius reprefents this application | for a very obvious reason, ano:ber turn of Villius to Hannibal, as a premeditated 10. this converfation, and fays, that no defign, in order to render bim fufpected more was intended by it, iban to found to Antiochus, because of bis intimacy Hannibal, and to remove any fears or with a Roman. Livy owns, that the apprehenfions be might be under from the affair fucceeded as if it bad been de- Romans. figned; but, at the fame time, be gives, asked him next, whom he looked upon as a third captain; on which decifion Hannibal made no fcruple to give the preference to himself. Here Scipio could not forbear laughing; "But what would you have faid, (continued Scipio) had you "conquered me?""" I would, replied Hannibal, have ranked "myself above Alexander, Pyrrhus, and all the generals the "world ever produced." Scipio was not infenfible of fo refined and delicate a flattery, which he no ways expected; and which, by giving him no rival, feemed to infinuate, that no captain was worthy of being put in comparifon with him. The answer, as told by (m) Plutarch, is lefs witty, and not fo probable. In this author, Hannibal gives Pyrrhus the first place, Scipio the fecond, and himself the third. (n) Hannibal, fenfible of the coldnefs with which Antiochus received him, ever fince his conferences with Villius or Scipio, took no notice of it for fome time, and feemed infenfible of it. But at laft he thought it advifeable to come to an eclairciffement with the king, and to open his mind freely to him." The hatred (fays he) which I bear to the Romans, "is known to the whole world. I bound myfelf to it by an "oath, from my most tender infancy. It was this hatred "that made me draw the fword against Rome during thirty"fix years. It was that, even in times of peace, drove me "from my native country, and forced me to feek an asylum " in your dominions. For ever guided and fired by the fame "paffion, fhould my hopes be eluded, I will fly to every part "of the globe, and roufe up all nations against the Romans. "I hate them, will hate them eternally; and know that they "bear me no lefs animofity. So long as you shall continue "in the refolution to take up arms against that people, you may rank Hannibal in the number of your best friends. "But if other counfels incline you to peace, I declare to you, once for all, addrefs yourself to others for counsel, and not "to me." Such a fpeech, which came from his heart, and expreffed the greateft fincerity, ftruck the king, and feemed to remove all his fufpicions; fo that he now refolved to give Hannibal the command of part of his fleet. (0) But what havock is not flattery capable of making in courts and in the minds of princes? Antiochus was told, "that it was imprudent in him to put fo much confidence in "Hannibal, an exile, a Carthaginian, whofe fortune or ge"nius might fuggeft, in one day, a thousand different pro"jects to him: That befides, this very fame which Hannibal B 4 "had (m) Plut. in Pyrrho, p. 687. (m) Ibid, n. 19. (0) Liv, 1. xxxv. a. 42, 43. "had acquired in war, and which he confidered as his pecu"liar inheritance, was too great for a man who fought only "under the enfigns of another: That none but the king "ought to be the general and conductor of the war; and that "it was incumbent on him to draw upon himself only the "eyes and attention of all men; whereas, fhould Hannibal "be employed, he (a foreigner) would have the glory of all "victories afcribed to him." · No minds, fays Livy, on this occafion, are more fufceptible of envy, than those whofe merit is below their birth and dignity; fuch perfons always abhorring virtue and worth in others, for this reafon only, because they are frange and foreign to themselves. This obfervation was fully verified on this occafion. Antiochus had been taken on his weak fide; a low and fordid jealoufy, which is the defect and characteristick of little minds, extinguifhed every generous fentiment in that monarch. Hannibal was now flighted and laid afide; however, the latter was greatly revenged on Antiochus, by the ill fuccefs this prince met with; and fhewed, how unfortune that king is whofe foul is acceffible to envy, and his ears open to the poisonous infinuation of flatterers. (p) In a council held fome time after, to which Hannibal, for form fake, was admitted, he, when it came to his turn to speak, endeavoured chiefly to prove, that Philip of Macedon ought, on any terms, to be invited into the alliance of Antiochus, which was not fo difficult as might be imagined. "With regard, fays Hannibal, to the operations of the war, "I adhere immoveably to my firft opinion; and had my "counfels been liftened to before, Tufcany and Liguria "would now be all in a flame; and Hannibal (a name that "ftrikes terror into the Romans) in Italy. Though I should "not be very well killed as to other matters, yet the good "and ill fuccefs I have met with, muft neceff rily have taught "me fufficiently how to carry on a war against the Romans. I have nothing now in my power, but to give you my "counfel, and offer you my fervice. May the gods give "fuccefs to all your undertakings." Hannibal's fpeech was received with applaufe, but not one of his counfels were put in execution. (9) Antiochus, impofed upon and lulled afleep by his flatterers, remained quiet at Ephefus, after the Romans had drove him out of Greece; not once imagining that they (p) Liv. 1. xxxvi. n. 7. Nulla ingenia tam prona ad invidiam funt, quam eorum qui genus ac fortunam fuam animis non æ (q) Ib, I. xxxvi. 4T. would quam: Quia virtutem & bonum alie. num oderunt. Methinks it is better to read, ut bonum alienum. |