Enemy. The reft of the Horfes fwam on both Sides of the Boats, from which one fingle Man held the Bridles of three or four. The Foot cross'd the River either on Floats of Timber, or in small Boats, and a kind of Gondolas, which were no other than the Trunks of Trees hollow'd by themselves. The great Boats were placed in a Line high up in the Current, to break the Force of the Waves, and render the Paffage more fecure and eafy to the small Fleet below. When the Gauls faw it failing upon the River, they, according to their Cuftom, made a terrible Noise and Howling, and clashing their Bucklers rais'd above their Heads, discharg'd a Tempest of Darts. But they were fufficiently aftonifhed, when they heard a Noife behind them, faw their Tents on Fire, and themselves attack'd Front and Rear. No Way was now left to 'em, but that of Flight, and a precipitate 'Retreat into their own Towns. The reft of the Troops pafs'd the River quietly, and without any Refiftance.

THE Elephants ftill remain'd behind, and caused great Trouble. This was the Method of wafting them over, which was not till the following Day. From the Bank of the River was thrown a Float of Timber two hundred Fit in Length, and fifty in Breadth, which was ftrongly tied to the Bank by large Ropes, and all cover'd over with Earth, fo that the Elephants deceiv'd with this Appearance, thought themselves upon firm Ground. From this firft Float proceeded a fecond, built in the fame Fafhion, but only a hundred Feet long, and fix'd to the firft by Chains eaf to unbind. The Females were first put upon the Float, and, the others following, when they were got upon the fecond Float, it was difengaged from the firft, and by the help of fmall Boats tow'd to the oppofite Shore. Then it was fent back to fetch thofe that were behind. Some fell into the Water, but at laft got fafe to Shore without the Lofs of one fingle Elephant.

The

The March which followed the Paffage of the Rhône. Polyb. 1. 3. p. 274, &c. Liv. l. 21. n. 31, 32.

THE two Roman Confuls had in the Beginning of the Spring each of them departed from his own Province. P. Scipio for Spain with fixty Veffels, two Roman Legions, fourteen thoufand Foot, twelve hundred Horfe of the Allies; Tiberius Sempronius for Sicily, with a hundred fixty Veffels, two Legions, fixteen thoufand Foot, and eighteen hundred Horfe of the Allies. The Roman Legion then made four thousand Foot and three hundred Horfe. Sempronius had made extraordinary Preparations at Lilybeum, a Town and Port in Sicily, in the View of paffing over at once into Africk. Scipio was equally confident of finding Hannibal ftill in Spain, and ma king that Nation the Theatre of the War. But he was fufficiently aftonish'd when on his Arrival at Marseilles he was inform'd that Hannibal was upon the Banks of the Rhône, and preparing to pass it. He detach'd three hundred Horfe to view the Pofture of the Enemy, and Hannibal on his Side detach'd for the fame Purpose five hundred Numidian Horfe, while fome of his Men were employ'd in wafting over the Elephants.

AT the fame time in the Prefence of his Army he gave an Audience to a Gaulish Prince near the Po, who by an Interpreter affur'd him in the Name of his Nation, that his Arrival was impatiently expected; that the Gauls were ready to jon him in his March against the Romans; that himself would conduct his Army through Places where it would find a plentiful Supply of Provifions. When the Prince was withdrawn, Hannibal in a Speech to his Troops magnify'd extremely this Deputation from the Gauls, extoll'd with juft Praises the Bravery which they had hitherto fhewn, and exhorted them to fuftain to the laft

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their Reputation and Glory. The Soldiers, full of Ardour and Courage, with uplifted Hands teftify'd their Readiness to follow wherever he led the Way. He appointed the next Day for his March, and, after Vows offer'd for the Safety of all his Soldiers, he difmifs'd them with Orders to take care of themselves by a neceffary Refreshment.

IN this Article the Numidians return'd. They had met with and attack'd the Roman Detachment. The Dispute was obftinate and the Slaughter great confidering the Number. A hundred fixty of the Romans were left dead upon the Spot, and more than two hundred of the Enemies. The Honour of the Action fell to the Romans, the Numidians having withdrawn and left them the Field of Battle. This firft Action was interpreted as a Prefage of the Fate of the whole War, and feem'd to promise a happy Iffue to the Romans, but with great Lofs to them, and not till after an obftinate Dispute. On both fides, those who furviv'd the Action, and the Scouts return'd to carry the News to their Generals.

HANNIBAL decamp'd the next Day as he had declared, and crofs'd the middle of Gaul moving Northward; not that this was the fhortest Way to the Alps, but in removing him at a Distance from the Sea, it remov'd him likewise fo much farther from Scipio, and favour'd his Design of bringing all his Forces, undiminish'd by any Action, into Italy.

SCIPIO with all the Speed he us'd reach'd not the Place where Hannibal pafs'd the Rhône, till three Days after his Departure. Defpairing to overtake him he return'd to his Fleet, and reimbark'd resolute to wait for Hannibal at the Foot of the Alps. But not to leave Spain defenceless, he fent thither his Brother Cneius with the greatest Part of his Army, to make head against Afdrubal, and himself fet forward for Genoa, with design to oppose the Army which was in Gaul near the Po to that of Hannibal.

HE

HE after a March of four Days arriv'd at a fort of an Island form'd by the Conflux of two Rivers joyning their Streams at this Place. Here he arbitrated betwixt two Brothers in a Difpute concerning the Succeffion of the Kingdom. He to whom Hannibal adjudg'd it, furnish'd all his Army with Provifions, Cloaths, and Arms. This was the Country of the Allobroges: So were the People call'd which at present inhabit the Dioceses or Jurifdictions of Geneva, Vienna, and Grenoble. His March was pretty quiet till he arriv'd at Durance, and from thence he reach'd the Foot of the Alps without any Oppofition.

The Paffage over the Alps.

Polyb. l. 3. p. 203-208. Liv. l. 21. m. 32-37.

THE Sight of these Mountains that seem'd to touch the Heavens with their Heads, all cover'd with Snow, where nothing appear'd to the Eye but a few fhapeless Cottages fcatter'd here and there on the tops of inacceffible Rocks,nothing but meager and ftarv'd Flocks and hairy Men of a wild and fiery Afpect; this Sight, I fay, renewed the Terror which the diftant Prospect had infpir'd, and ftruck a Damp upon the Soldiers Hearts. When they began to afcend, the Mountaineers appeared, who had poffefs'd themselves of the highest Cliffs, and were preparing to oppose their Paffage. So they were forced to halt. Had the Mountaineers, fays Polybius, but lain in Ambufcade, and fuffer'd the Troops to entangle themselves in some narrow Paffage, and then had come on a fudden and fallen upon them, the Army would have been irrecoverably loft. Hannibal, understanding that they kept thofe Pofts only in the Day-time, and quitted them in the Evening; he made himself Master of them by Night. The Gauls returning early in the Morning were very much furpriz'd to find their Sta

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tions in the Enemy's Hands; but however they were not difcourag'd. Being us'd to climb up thofe Rocks, they from thence attack'd the Carthaginians who were upon their March, and harrafs'd them on all Sides. Thefe had at once to deal with the Enemy, and ftruggle with the Difficulty of the Places where they could hardly ftand. But the greatest Disorder was caus'd by the Horfes and Beafts of Burden laden with the Baggage, which, frighted at the Cries and Howling of the Gauls that eccho'd among the Mountains in a dreadful Manner, and fometimes wounded by them, tumbled upon the Soldiers, and carry'd them headlong with them down the Precipices that were close to the Road. Hannibal, being fenfible that the Lofs of his Baggage alone was enough to deftroy his Army, ran to the Affiftance of his Troops, and having put the Enemies to Flight, continued his March without Difturbance or Danger, and came to a Caftle, the most important Place in the Country. He became Mafter of it, as well as of all the neighbouring Villages, where he found a fufficient Quantity of Corn, and Cattle to fuftain his Army three Days.

AFTER a pretty quiet March, a new Danger was to be encounter'd withal. The Gauls, feigning to profit by the Misfortunes of their Neighbours who had fuffer'd for oppofing the Paffage of the Troops, came to pay their Refpects to Hannibal, brought him Victuals, offer'd to be his Guides, and left him Hoftages as Pledges of their Fidelity. Hannibal plac'd no great Confidence in them. The Elephants and Horfes march'd in the Front: Whilft himself followed with the main Body of Foot, having a watchful Eye upon every Thing. They came to a very fteep and narrow Paffage commanded by an Eminence where the Gauls had plac'd an Ambuscade. These rufhing out on a fudden, attack'd the Carthaginians on all fides, rolling upon them Stones of a prodigious Size. The Army would have been entirely routed,

had