auspices
of Publius Scipio. Scipio himself, having put Lucius Lentulus and
Lucius Manlius Acidinus in charge of the province, returned to Rome
with ten ships. Having obtained an audience of the senate without the
city, in the temple of Bellona, he gave an account of the services he
had performed in Spain; how often he had fought pitched battles, how
many towns he had taken by force from the enemy, and what nations he
had brought under the dominion of the Roman people. He stated that he
had gone into Spain against four generals, and four victorious armies,
but that he had not left a Carthaginian in that country. On account of
these services he rather tried his prospect of a triumph, than pressed
it pertinaciously; for it was quite clear, that no one had triumphed
up to that time for services performed, when not invested with a
magistracy. When the senate was dismissed he entered the city, and
carried before him into the treasury fourteen thousand three hundred
and forty-two pounds of silver, and a great quantity of coined silver.
Lucius Veturius Philo then held the assembly for the election
of consuls, when all the centuries, with the strongest marks of
attachment, named Publius Scipio as consul. Publius Licinius Crassus,
chief pontiff, was joined with him as his colleague. It is recorded,
that this election was attended by a greater number of persons than
any other during the war. People had come together from all quarters,
not only to give their votes, but also for the purpose of seeing
Publius Scipio. They ran in crowds, not only to his house, but also to
the Capitol; where he was engaged in offering a sacrifice of a
hundred oxen to Jupiter, which he had vowed in Spain, impressed with
a presentiment, that as Caius Lutatius had terminated the former Punic
war, so Publius Scipio would terminate the present; and that as he had
driven the Carthaginians out of every part of Spain, so he would
drive them out of Italy; and dooming Africa to him as his province, as
though the war in Italy were at an end. The assembly was then held
for the election of praetors. Two were elected who were then plebeian
aediles, namely, Spurius Lucretius and Cneius Octavius; and of private
persons, Cneius Servilius Caepio and Lucius Aemilius Papus.

In the fourteenth year of the Punic war, Publius Cornelius Scipio and
Publius Licinius Crassus entered on the consulship, when the provinces
assigned to the consuls were, to Scipio, Sicily, without d