H HIS TOGA AND HOLDING THEM
WITH PALMS UPWARD SAID: "HERE I BRING TO YOU, CARTHAGINIANS, BOTH WAR
AND PEACE: DO YOU CHOOSE WHICHEVER OF THEM YOU WISH." UPON THEIR
REPLYING THAT THEY CHOSE NEITHER, BUT WOULD READILY ACCEPT EITHER THAT
THE ROMANS SHOULD LEAVE, HE IMMEDIATELY DECLARED WAR UPON THEM.

In this way, then, and for these reasons the Romans and the
Carthaginians became involved in war for the second time. And the
Divinity beforehand indicated what was to come to pass. For in Rome an
ox talked with a human voice, and another at the Ludi Romani threw
himself out of a house into the Tiber and was lost, many thunderbolts
fell, and blood in one case was seen coming from sacred statues
whereas in another it dripped from the shield of a soldier, and the
sword of another soldier was snatched by a wolf from the very midst of
the camp. Many unknown wild beasts went before Hannibal leading the
way, as he was crossing the Iber, and a vision appeared to him in a
dream. He thought that the gods once, sitting in assembly, sent for
him and bade him march with all speed into Italy and receive from them
a guide for the way, and that by this guide he was commanded to follow
without turning around. He did turn around, however, and saw a great
tempest moving and an immense serpent accompanying it. In surprise he
asked his conductor what these creatures were; and the guide said:
"Hannibal, they are on their way to help you in the sack of Italy."

_(BOOK 14, BOISSEVAIN.)_

VIII, 23.--These things inspired Hannibal with a firm hope, but threw
the Romans into a state of profound terror. The Romans divided their
forces into two parts and sent out the consuls,--Sempronius Longus to
Sicily and Publius Scipio to Spain. Hannibal, desiring to invade Italy
with all possible speed, marched on hurriedly and traversed without
fighting the whole of Gaul lying between the Pyrenees and the Rhone.
As far as the Rhone river no one came to oppose him, but at that point
Scipio showed himself although he had no troops with him. Nevertheless
with the help of the natives and their nearest neighbors he had
already destroyed the boats in the river and had posted guards over
the stream. Hannibal therefore used up some time in building rafts and
skiffs, some of them out of a single log of wood, but still with the
help of a large corps of workers had everything in readiness that was
needful for crossing before Scipio's own army could arrive. He sent
his br