Approach of Scipio
When he heard, while engaged on this design, that Publius
had already crossed the Padus with his army,
and was at no great distance, he was at first inclined to disbelieve the fact, reflecting that it was
not many days since he had left him near the passage of the
Rhone, and that the voyage from
Marseilles to Etruria was a
long and difficult one. He was told, moreover, that from the
Tyrrhenian Sea to the
Alps through Italian soil was a long
march, without good military roads. But when messenger after
messenger confirmed the intelligence with increased positiveness, he was filled with amazement and admiration at the
Consul's plan of campaign, and promptness in carrying it out.
The feelings of Publius were much the same: for he had not
expected that Hannibal would even attempt the passage of the
Alps with forces of different races, or, if he did attempt it,
that he could escape utter destruction. Entertaining such ideas
he was immensely astonished at his courage and adventurous
daring, when he heard that he had not only got safe across,
but was actually besieging certain towns in
Italy. Similar
feelings were entertained at
Rome when the news arrived
there. For scarcely had the last rumour about the taking of
Saguntum by the Carthaginians ceased to attract attention, and
scarcely had the measures adopted in view of that event been
taken,—namely the despatch of one Consul to
Libya to besiege
Carthage, and of the other to
Iberia to meet Hannibal there,—
than news came that Hannibal had arrived in
Italy with his
army, and was already besieging certain towns in it.
Tiberius Sempronius recalled. |
Thrown
into great alarm by this unexpected turn of affairs, the Roman
government sent at once to Tiberius at
Lilybaeum, telling him
of the presence of the enemy in
Italy, and
ordering him to abandon the original design
of his expedition, and to make all haste home
to reinforce the defences of the country. Tiberius at once
collected the men of the fleet and sent them off, with orders
to go home by sea; while he caused the Tribunes to administer an oath to the men of the legions that they would all
appear at a fixed day at
Ariminum by bedtime.
Ariminum
is a town on the Adriatic, situated at the southern boundary
of the valley of the
Padus. In every direction there was stir
and excitement: and the news being a complete surprise to
everybody, there was everywhere a great and irrepressible
anxiety as to the future.
