been the cause of
our former overthrow. When suddenly, to our great surprise, you sent
us this Publius Scipio, in seeing whom declared consul, and in having
it in our power to carry word back to our countrymen that we have
seen it, for on him our hopes and safety entirely rest, we consider
ourselves the most fortunate of all the Saguntines. He, when he had
taken a great number of the cities of your enemies in Spain, on all
occasions separated the Saguntines out of the mass of captives, and
sent them back to their country; and lastly, by his arms he reduced to
so low a state Turdetania, which harboured such animosity against
us, that if that nation continued to flourish it was impossible that
Saguntum could stand, that it not only was not an object of fear to
us, but, and may I say it without incurring odium, not even to our
posterity. We see the city of those persons demolished, to gratify
whom Hannibal destroyed Saguntum. We receive tribute from their lands,
which is not more acceptable to us from the advantage we derive from
it than from revenge. In consideration of these benefits, than which
we could not hope or wish for greater from the immortal gods, the
senate and people of Saguntum have sent us ten ambassadors to you
to return their thanks; and at the same time to offer you their
congratulations on your having carried on your operations in Spain
and Italy so successfully of late years, that you have subdued by
your arms, and have gotten possession of Spain, not only as far as
the river Iberus, but also to where the ocean forms the limit of the
remotest regions of the world; while in Italy you have left nothing
to the Carthaginian except so much space as the rampart of his camp
encloses. We have been desired, not only to return thanks for these
blessings to Jove most good and great, the guardian deity of the
capitoline citadel, but also, if you should permit us, to carry into
the Capitol this present of a golden crown in token of victory. We
request that you would permit us so to do; and, if you think
proper, that you would, by your authority, perpetuate and ratify the
advantages which your generals have conferred upon us." The senate
replied to the Saguntines, "that the destruction and restoration of
Saguntum would form a monument to all the nations of the world of
social faith preserved on both sides. That, in restoring Saguntum, and
rescuing its citizens from slavery, their generals had acted properly,
regular