Hannibal and the Second Punic War

Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus, Silii Italici clarissimi poetae De bello Punico libri septemdecim cvm argvmentis Hermanni Buschii, & scholijs in margine adiectis, quæ vice vberis commentarij esse possunt (Paris, 1531), title page with the printer’s device of Simon de Colines depicting Father Time.

The library of the early eighteenth-century physician Edward Worth (1676–1733), which is housed in Dr Steeven’s Hospital, Dublin, is home to numerous works of classical literature. Among them are three editions by Silius Italicus relating to the Second Punic War (218–201 B.C.), a 1693 edition of Polybius’ The Histories, and a 1557 edition of Ctesias’ life, which includes information on the great Carthaginian general, Hannibal (247–182 B.C.). These books contain much of the history we know about the Second Punic War and detail the many battles that occurred during that time, Hannibal’s life before, during, and after the war, and what occurred during the conflict. They were clearly popular, for editions may also be found in other Dublin institutions, such as the Library of Trinity College Dublin, and Marsh’s Library. The inclusion of these works by Silius Italicus (c. 26–c. 101 A.D.) and Polybius (c. 200–c. 118 B.C.) in Worth’s collection demonstrate that their texts were of interest to both Edward Worth and his father, since Edward inherited his 1661 translation of Silius from his father, John Worth (1648–88), Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.

The illustration above shows Father Time with his scythe on the title page of the Worth Library’s copy of Silius Italicus’ Silii Italici clarissimi poetae De bello Punico libri septemdecim cvm argvmentis Hermanni Buschii, & scholijs in margine adiectis, quæ vice vberis commentarij esse possunt, which was printed in November 1531.[1] This book was printed by Simon de Colines (c. 1480–1546), a printer who began working as a young man for a successful Estienne book-selling firm in Paris, under the tutelage of its founder Henri I Estienne (c. 1460–1520).[2] Simon’s early life is relatively unknown before his beginnings in the printing world, but we do know he was born into a family, where his brother, his sister, and her husband managed a successful farm.[3] He was given the opportunity to go and study at the University of Paris and began working at the book-selling firm soon after finishing his studies.[4] When Henri I died in 1520, Simon succeeded him as director of the press. De Colines’ edition of Silius Italicus’ Punica is just one of a number of editions of classical authors which he produced. His edition is accompanied by summaries (argumenta) at the beginning of each book, which were designed to help his reader understand the text of the Second Punic War.[5]

Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus and Thomas Ross (tr.), The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes : the whole seventeen books, Englished from the Latine of Silius Italicus ; with a continuation from the triumph of Scipio, to the death of Hannibal … (London, 1661), Book I, plate 1 facing p. 1. Young Hannibal with his father.

The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes, which was written by Silius Italicus in 88 A.D., completed in 92 A.D. and translated by Thomas Ross (bap. 1620, d. 1675) in 1661, details much of the Second Punic War and explores Hannibal’s involvement in the war, and why it occurred. We learn of one initial cause in the first plate of Ross’ translation, and this is depicted above where the young Hannibal swears to his father that he would never become an ally to Rome, and that he will fight them to gain his father’s favour.[6] This is a prime example of filial piety, thought to be a virtue among both the Romans and Carthaginians, who each valued displays of respect for parents, elders, and ancestors.

The beginning of the 1661 edition of The second Punick war likewise provides us with interesting information about the author for in Ross’ ‘The Life of Caius Silius Italicus’, we learn that Silius was inspired by the imitation of Cicero (106–43 B.C.), a Roman statesman and a well-known lawyer.[7] Cicero was known to have pleaded many cases and was made Consul several times in his lifetime.[8] As Silius was a Roman senator, he felt that he was following in his footsteps, trying to write as eloquently as Cicero had before him. Cicero was not the only ancient author Silius sought to emulate and imitate: He regularly took care of the tomb of Virgil (70–19 B.C.), as he was a steadfast admirer of the poet.[9] The tomb, which was near present-day Naples, was regularly repaired and honoured by Silius, and indeed he moved out there to maintain it.[10] His 1661 translator, Thomas Ross, notes that Silius regarded Virgil as his Muse: ‘Nor was he onely a Devote to his Memory, but a Noble Emulatour of his Muse, after whose Example, he composed this Immortal Work, supplying with his Care, and Judgement, the Defects of Nature’.[11] To find out more about Ross’ edition see the July Book of the Month.

Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus, Caji Silii Italici Punicorum libri septemdecim cum excerptis ex Francisci Modii Novantiquis lectionibus, et Casp. Barthii Adversariis, tum Danielis Heinsii Crepundiis Silianis, et postumis notis Nicolai Heinsii, nunc primum editis, curante Arnoldo Drakenborch, cujus etiam annotationes passim additae sunt (Utrecht, 1717), frontispiece.

In 1717, another publication on Silius Italicus’ work on the Second Punic War entitled, Caji Silii Italici Punicorum libri septemdecim cum excerptis ex Francisci Modii Novantiquis lectionibus … was printed in Utrecht in the Netherlands by Willem van de Water (fl. 1686–1728). This edition of the Punica was edited by the Dutch classical scholar, Arnold Drakenborch (1684–1748), who is perhaps best known for his edition of the works of Livy (d. 17 A.D.). In one sense one might call it a collaborative edition for Drakenborch also included material from earlier commentators such as the sixteenth-century Flemish humanist François Modius (1556–97), and three authors of the seventeenth century: the renowned Dutch classical scholar Daniel Heinsius (1580–55); his son Nicolaas Heinsius (1620–81), who likewise was famous for his classical learning; and, finally, the German philologist Kaspar von Barth (1587–1658). The frontispiece, shown above, was engraved by Jan Goeree (1670–1731), while a plate on p. 196 was engraved by Gilbert Schoute (fl. 1717), which they sign as ‘J Goeree in. et fec’ and ‘G. Schoute schulps’ respectively.[12] Drakenborch dedicated the work to Johannes Van Nellestein (fl. 1717) and Laurence Van Lankeren (fl. 1717), and it contains a collection of illustrations that includes coins, classical figures and scenes, elements of which may be seen in the frontispiece above. The top of the frontispiece shows a decapitated head of an elephant and a carcass of an elephant being eaten by an eagle is shown on the left-hand side. The eagle is no doubt a reference to the eagle standards of the Roman legions while the elephant is a reminder of Hannibal’s famous journey with elephants over the Alps.

Polybius and Henry Sheeres (tr.), The history of Polybius the Megalopolitan: containing a general account of the transactions of the world, and principally of the Roman people, during the first and second Punick Wars, &c. Translated by Sir H.S. To which is added, a character of Polybius and his writings: by Mr. Dryden …, 2 vols (London, 1693), i, title page, with the name of Henry Sheeres annotated next to the initials H.S.

The above texts were not the only ones which Worth possessed which focused on Hannibal and the Second Punic War, for he also owned a two-volume edition of The history of Polybius the Megalopolitan … (London, 1693), written by Polybius (b. ca. 200; d. after 118 B.C.), and translated by Sir Henry Sheeres (bap. 1641, d. 1710). This was a study done in forty books that detail Rome’s rise to world dominance and how the Roman Republic dominated the Mediterranean in the period 220–146 B.C. Books 1–30 touched on the story all the way from 220–167 B.C., and books 31–40 extended the work to 146 B.C.[13] Of the forty books, only the first five fully survive. The first and second books include the introduction to the work, and move on to cover events of the First Punic War, bringing the action up to the start of the Second Punic or Hannibalic War (264–220 B.C.). The third book continues the history to 216 B.C. and documents the victory over the Romans at the Battle of Cannae, whilst the fourth and fifth book examine events that took place in Greece and the wider Mediterranean Sea.[14] Thus, though we lack much of the work, substantial excerpts survive and have been translated.

The Greek historian Polybius was, like Hannibal, a soldier but one who became a statesmen. He was born c. 200 and died in 118 B.C. In 168 B.C. he was among 1,000 Achaean leaders deported to Italy following the Roman victory over Macedon and he subsequently spent nearly seventeen years in exile in Rome. He was present at the destruction of Carthage in 146 B.C. He was a committed historian and went so far as to retrace Hannibal’s march from Spain to Italy in an effort to understand Hannibal’s campaign. Polybius’ Histories, his primary work, holds a plethora of information in the span of five completed books, which includes an analysis of the Roman Constitution in book six and an explanation of how and when to write history in book twelve. Though these are all we have about him, a large majority of his work still survives. Book three, especially, touches on the Second Punic War, including Hannibal’s life during the war, which consisted of many victories and defeats. In the image above, we see an inscription that states, ‘An Excellent discourse on Discipline in the four last leaves of the Translators preface’.[15] Clearly one reader was particularly impressed by Polybius’ account.

Polybius’ discussion of Hannibal and the Second Punic War begins in full in the third book, in which he concentrates on the causes and the first years of the war.[16] Here he offers his readers several different viewpoints of a similar event. We are told how Hannibal viewed the crossing of the Alps, as well as how other historians have presented it. Unfortunately, book three leaves the reader on a cliffhanger about the Second Punic War, for he waits until the seventh book to continue.

The translator of Polybius’ Histories, Sir Henry Sheeres was a military engineer and author, whose early years are largely unknown. Known as the ‘trusty and ingenious’ messenger to Charles II, he began working for the ambassador, Edward Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, in 1666 and in the following year he returned to England, bringing with him the treaty negotiated by Sandwich with the Spanish authorities.[17] Sheeres was a prolific writer who translated a great deal of classical literature, especially Polybius’ texts.[18]

Sheeres was a close friend of the poet John Dryden, who edited Polybius’ and Sheeres’ work on The Histories.[19] Similar to Thomas Ross and Henry Sheeres, Dryden worked for King Charles II during his lifetime and discussed how a Restoration poet could employ translation, adaptation, and classical references to produce fresh classical poetry in English.[20] Sheeres states that he was pleased to put his edition in Dryden’s capable hands.[21] Dryden wrote a great prelude to Sheeres’ work, ‘The Character of Polybius and his Writings’, commenting on the excellence of his friend’s translation.

Anon., [Ek tōn Ktēsiou, Agatharchidou, Memnonos historikōn eklogai. Appianou Ibērikē kai Annibaikē]. Ex Ctesia, Agatharchide, Memnone excerptae historiae. Appiani Iberica. Item, De gestis Annibalis. Omnia nunc primùm edita. Cum Henrici Stephani castigationibus … (Paris, 1557), title page.

Worth also possessed other relevant material on Hannibal in a collection of ancient texts, which included work by the Greek historian Ctesias (fl. 5^th century B.C.): Ex Ctesia, Agatharcide, Memnone excerptae historiae, Appiani Iberica. Item, De gestis Annibalis. Omnia nunc primum edita. Cum Henrici Stephani castigationibus (Paris, 1557). As the above title page makes clear, this collection had been printed by a descendant of the famous Estienne printing firm (and indeed one who proved to be one of their most illustrious members), Henri II Estienne (1528–98). Henri II Estienne was a printer and an elder son of Robert I (1503–59), and, like his father, received an education in linguistics and literature.[22] Henri was taught by his father to read and write but was also taught Greek by Pierre Danes (1497–1577), who was a professor of Greek at the College Royal. Learning multiple languages helped Henri in the future with translating many books. When his father fled to Geneva in 1550, Henri II followed him there. Henri assisted his father with his press in the late 1540s and early 1550s, travelling throughout Europe to find as many rare and valuable books and manuscripts as possible.[23] Many of the texts he found were eventually translated, corrected, and published by him, including the above collection of classical texts.[24]

The imprint of Ex Ctesia draws attention to Henri II Estienne but in a deceptive fashion, for it reads ‘Ex offcina Henrici Stephani, Parisiensis typographi’, (Parisian Printer), even though Henri’s primary residence by 1557 was in Geneva, rather than Paris.[25] As Agathe Vézine has argued, this may be an attempt to highlight the links between Henri II’s press and that of his grandfather, Henri I (1460–1520), who was a well-known Parisian printer, and who we discussed in Simone de Colines’ work.[26]

The above title page likewise illustrates that the collection not only included early work by Ctesias but also much later historical commentary, including a life of Hannibal by the second century A.D. Greek historian Appian of Alexandria. The latter, in his multi-volume history of Rome, commented on Hannibal but was reliant, in the main, on the earlier accounts by Polybius and Livy. Worth seems to have been particularly interested in editions of Appian of Alexandria’s Histories, for he owned a number of editions, all of which were produced by different branches of the Estienne press: Appianou Alexandreōs Rōmaikōn Keltichē, Libychē hē Karchedonichē Illyriche Syriachē Parthichē Mithridateios Emphylion. Appiani Alexandrini Romanarum historiarum Celtica Libyaca, vel Carthaginensis Illyrica Syriaca Parthica Mithridatica ciuilis, quinque libris distincta (Paris, 1551), which had been printed by Henri II Estienne’s uncle, Charles Estienne (1504–64); Appiani Alexandrini Hispanica & Annibalica Latinè numc primùm deita, ex Francisci Beraldi linguæ Graecæ professoris doctissimi interpretatione. Huius editionis margini appostiae numeroru[m] notae paginis Graeci libri respondent, Henrici Stephani typis non ita pridem excusi (Geneva, 1560), and Appianou Alexandreōs Rōmaika. Appiani Alexandrini Rom. historiarum, Punica, siue Carthaginiensis, Syriaca, Parthica, Mithridatica, Iberica, Annibalica, Celticae & Illyricae fragmenta quaedam. Item, De bellis ciuilibus libri V. Henr. Steph. annotationes in quasdam Appiani historias, & in conciones per totum opus sparsas. (Geneva, 1592), both produced by Henri II Estienne.

The Second Punic War was essentially a turning point for the Carthaginians and led to the downfall of their city many years later during the Third Punic War (149–146 B.C.). The underlying cause of the war was a dispute over land, particularly the profitable island of Sicily. The initial cause was Hannibal’s attack on the city of Saguntum in 219 B.C.[27] Silius Italicus describes the siege in painful detail and shows it in the image above. We see the burning of Saguntum in the background, depicting the destruction of the city. Hannibal’s attack on Saguntum resulted in heavy casualties to each army and this inevitably led to Hannibal seeking the support of the Carthaginian Senate, in order to continue his campaign.

The Carthaginian Senate was pro-Roman at the time and many of its members were appalled at Hannibal’s attack on Saguntum. Livy records the arguments of one such Senator, Hanno, who warned his fellow Senators that: ‘It is against Carthage that Hannibal is now moving his engines of war; it is our own walls that he is battering with his rams. The ruins of Saguntum – would I were a false prophet! – will fall upon our own heads, and the war we started with Saguntum will have to be fought against Rome’.[28] Hanno’s reference to ‘a false prophet’ was probably intended to remind his auditors of the famous prophetess, Cassandra, whose true prophecies warning of the destruction of Troy were fatally ignored by her compatriots, due to the fact that a curse made everyone doubt her. Hanno’s warning ultimately proved to be correct: what Hannibal unleashed did indeed lead to the end of Carthage.

Livy, Titi Livii Patavini Historiarum libri qui extant / Interpretatione et notis illustravit Joannes Dujatius … Jussu christianissimi regis, in usum serenissimi Delphini. Accessere librorum omnium deperditorum supplementa, per Jo. Freinshemium; quae magna ex parte nunc primum prodeunt in lucem …, 6 vols (Paris, 1679), iii, plate facing p. 124. Battle of Cannae battle lines.

Before the downfall of Carthage however, there occurred one of the most famous battles ever fought and one which is synonymous with Hannibal’s name today: the Battle of Cannae, which was fought in 216 B.C., near the ancient village of Cannae in southeast Italy. The Carthaginians and their allies, who were led by Hannibal, surrounded and practically annihilated the large Roman army, who were under the direction of Lucius Aemilius Paullus (d. 216 B.C.) and Gaius Terentius Varro (fl. 218–200 B.C.). This battle resulted in heavy losses for the Roman army, who lost Aemilius Paullus in the ensuing chaos. Above, we can see a detailed visualization of the battle, which gives us a glimpse into the true power of the Romans and the Carthaginians. Hannibal prevailed due to his famous pincer movement, which surrounded the Romans.

Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus and Thomas Ross (tr.), The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes : the whole seventeen books, Englished from the Latine of Silius Italicus ; with a continuation from the triumph of Scipio, to the death of Hannibal … (London, 1661), Book X, plate 10 facing p. 269. Aemilius Pallus’ death.

Aemilius Paullus, though he lost his life, certainly proved his courage. In book three of The Histories, Polybius portrays him as fighting on the ground in the midst of battle with his troops. It was while he was fighting that he was fatally wounded.[29] This led to him succumbing to his wounds on the field of battle. This sad event is depicted by Ross in the above image and Polybius lauds Aemilius Paullus when he states: ‘The loyal service he gave Rome all his life was unequalled by any other man, and he did his duty to the very end’.[30]

Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus and Thomas Ross (tr.), The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes : the whole seventeen books, Englished from the Latine of Silius Italicus ; with a continuation from the triumph of Scipio, to the death of Hannibal … (London, 1661), Book XI, plate 11 facing p. 295. Aftermath of the Battle of Cannae.

Silius Italicus’ version of the Battle of Cannae is extremely vivid and highly dramatic. In his work, he dramatizes and expands on both Livy’s and Polybius’ accounts of the war, giving them poetic flourishes, speeches, omens, and interventions of the divine. Silius Italicus also manages to bring Hannibal close enough to superhuman status, especially in his depiction of his role during the Battle of Cannae. Hannibal divided up multiple smaller forces to win a quick victory, which in turn allowed him to cause confusion for the Romans. He comments on the many Roman generals who fell at the battle, and presents the scale of the battle in graphic and destructive detail, as the battle dealt heavy causalities to both sides.

Silius Italicus foreshadows the ultimate overwhelming Roman victory in his account of the aftermath of the battle, by pointing to the potential mistakes made by Hannibal due to his overconfidence and the Carthaginian celebrations following the battle. He does not avoid commenting on the defeat of the Romans but he is also at pains to remind his readers that the battle is but one part of a greater and more sacred victory down the road. He thus turns the terrible, horrible catastrophe that was the Battle of Cannae into a magnificent depiction of bravery. He uses this destructive masterpiece as an illustration of the effects that widespread human conflict can have, which is significant when discussing the ramifications of the Second Punic War and how it affected Rome and its people.

Polybius’ account of the Battle of Cannae begins with a speech: ‘This was the course and the outcome of the battle of Cannae, fought between the Romans and the Carthaginians. It was a battle in which both the winners and the losers displayed great courage … The battle taught later generations that in wartime it is better to have half as many infantry as the enemy, and overwhelming cavalry superiority, than to have the same numbers as the enemy in all respects’.[31] Here Polybius notes the tactical brilliance and splendour of Hannibal’s strategy. Instead of pushing all forces in one area of the battlefield, Hannibal spread his army out, so that the Romans felt outnumbered. In this battle, Hannibal’s tactical skill is clearly demonstrated. Polybius’ Histories tells us that the battle was a crucial turning point, leading to Carthage gaining more traction along the coastal cities of Italy.[32] Both suffering and good fortune were reflected in this tragic conflict, particularly in relation to the Carthaginian’s tremendous victory and the Romans’ catastrophic defeat.[33]

According to Polybius, Hannibal, having defeated the Romans in two battles, desired a significant, resounding triumph, and Cannae was the ideal location for this battle.[34] Polybius gave high praise to Hannibal’s tactical genius, as he held back his African troops on the flanks and positioned his weakest troops in the centre, as a part of a great formation. In a quote from the Histories, Polybius makes clear that the ramifications of Hannibal’s victory at Cannae were quickly felt at Rome: ‘Howbeit, the Senate deserted not their Duty in this exigent. They call’d on the Inhabitants to strengthen the Works of the City and gave all those needful Orders which their Circumstances would permit, as by the success soon appeared’.[35] This helps demonstrate the ripple effects of this battle, and how it affected the Roman Senate in many of the decisions they had to make to overcome this loss.

As we have seen, Livy also commented on the Second Punic War and Worth clearly collected a number of editions of this famous writer. Just 35 of the nearly 142 books in which Titus Livius (59 B.C.–17 A.D.) documented Rome’s history in The History of Rome are still in existence.[36] He provides insightful and well-written descriptions of numerous significant Roman occurrences, including the Second Punic War. He began writing the book at the age of thirty and worked on it for forty years, till his death.[37]

Livy writes particularly graphically about the catastrophic scale of the Roman defeat at the Battle of Cannae and its general impact on the morale of the population of Rome; as well as how it impacted on their alliances. He draws attention to the immense loss of life, the disarray in which it left the Roman army, and the subsequent wavering of the allies’ support due to Rome’s weaknesses having being shown. Livy offers us the following account:, ‘Near the village of Cannae Hannibal had taken up a position facing away from the prevailing wind from the hills, which drives clouds of dust over that stretch of parched and level ground’.[38] His imaginative description of what Cannae looked like and felt like shows us how perceptive Livy was in his description of the battle that was taking place. Livy’s description of the battle was, needless to say, highly favourable to the Romans, as he himself was a Roman historian. He therefore draws attention to the remarkable display of Rome’s resilience, emphazising especially how the citizens and consuls held steadfast in their dedication to the fight against Carthage, even though it must have been quite bleak after Cannae.

Tiberius Catius Silius Italicus and Thomas Ross (tr.), The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes : the whole seventeen books, Englished from the Latine of Silius Italicus ; with a continuation from the triumph of Scipio, to the death of Hannibal … (London, 1661), Book XIII, plate 13 facing p. 353. Scipio in the Underworld.

Thus, Worth’s texts on the Second Punic War not only tell us about the war itself but also offer us a glimpse into the lives of many great Classical poets, including Livy, Polybius and Silius Italicus. Many of their works highlight the values and virtues that Rome was promoting, such as filial piety. Numerous illustrations in the 1661 edition demonstrate filial piety, including the above plate, which shows Scipio Africanus (236–183 B.C.), a Roman general, searching the Underworld and looking for the missing souls of his father and uncle.[39] As we have seen, the principle of filial piety was both a Roman and Carthaginian trait, as Hannibal did something similar at the start of The second Punick war (London, 1661), when he promised his father to defeat Rome.

The Second Punic War may thus be viewed as a war about revenge, revenge not only for his father but also, perhaps, for the mythical Carthaginian queen, Dido, heartbroken and furious at her desertion by the future founder of the land that would be Rome, Aeneas. As Smith argues, both Aeneas and Hannibal are connected in the downfall of Carthage, as Aeneas abandons Dido to found Rome, and Hannibal poisons himself to avoid his capture.[40] Thus, in its entirety, the Second Punic War is shown to be a prime example of both the principles of filial piety and retribution. In the Worth Library’s collection of books, we are given a great glimpse into these principles and the motivations behind the war.

Text: Mr William Gawtry, Third Year Student, Classical Civilzations and Communication & Digital Studies, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, USA.

Sources:

Anon., [Ek tōn Ktēsiou, Agatharchidou, Memnonos historikōn eklogai. Appianou Ibērikē kai Annibaikē]. Ex Ctesia, Agatharchide, Memnone excerptae historiae. Appiani Iberica. Item, De gestis Annibalis Omnia nunc primùm edita. Cum Henrici Stephani castigationibus … (Paris, 1557).

Daemen-de Gelder, Katrien, and Jean-Pierre Vander Motten, ‘Thomas Ross’s Second Punick War (London 1661 and 1672): Royalist Panegyric and Artistic Collaboration in the Southern Netherlands’, Quaerendo, 38, no. 1 (2008), 32–48.

Davies, J. D., ‘Sheeres, Sir Henry (bap. 1641, d. 1710), military engineer and author’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Hammond, Paul, ‘Dryden, John (1631-1700), poet, playwright, and critic’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Hoyos, Dexter (ed.), A companion to the Punic Wars (Malden, MA, and Oxford, 2011).

Lewin, Philip, ‘Thomas Ross (bap. 1620, d. 1675), courtier and librarian’, Oxford

Dictionary of National Biography.

Livius, Titus, and Aubrey Selincourt (tr.), The War with Hannibal (New York City, NY, 1965).

Polybius and Robin Waterfield (tr.), The Histories (Oxford, 2010).

Schreiber, Fred, Simon de Colines : an annotated catalogue of 230 examples of his press, 1520-1546 ; with an introduction by Jeanne Veyrin-Forrer (Provo, UT, 1995).

Silius Italicus, Tiberius Catius, Silii Italici clarissimi poetae De bello Punico libri septemdecim cvm argvmentis Hermanni Buschii, & scholijs in margine adiectis, quæ vice vberis commentarij esse possunt (Paris, 1531).

Silius Italicus, Tiberius Catius, and Thomas Ross (tr.), The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes : the whole seventeen books, Englished from the Latine of Silius Italicus ; with a continuation from the triumph of Scipio, to the death of Hannibal … (London, 1661).

Silius Italicus, Tiberius Catius, Caji Silii Italici Punicorum libri septemdecim cum excerptis ex Francisci Modii Novantiquis lectionibus, et Casp. Barthii Adversariis, tum Danielis Heinsii Crepundiis Silianis, et postumis notis Nicolai Heinsii, nunc primum editis, curante Arnoldo Drakenborch, cujus etiam annotationes passim additae sunt (Utrecht, 1717).

Smith, Christopher, ‘Hannibal 247-183/2 BC’, in Graham Shipley, et al. (eds), The Cambridge Dictionary of Classical Civilization (Cambridge, 2008), pp. 414–415.

Turhan, Ambre, ‘Simone de Colines (1480?-1546)’, Printing in Sixteenth-Century France at the Edward Worth Library.

Vezine, Agathe ‘Henri II Estienne (1528-98): Paris 1554, Geneva 1557-1598’, Estiennes at the Edward Worth Library.

[1] Schreiber, Fred, Simon de Colines : an annotated catalogue of 230 examples of his press, 1520-1546 ; with an introduction by Jeanne Veyrin-Forrer (Provo, UT, 1995), p. 74.

[2] Turhan, Ambre, ‘Simone de Colines (1480?-1546)’, Printing in Sixteenth-Century France at the Edward Worth Library.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Silius Italicus, Tiberius Catius, and Thomas Ross (tr.), The second Punick war between Hannibal, and the Romanes : the whole seventeen books, Englished from the Latine of Silius Italicus ; with a continuation from the triumph of Scipio, to the death of Hannibal … (London, 1661), p. 1.

[7] Ibid., Sig. C*1r.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid., Sig. C*1v.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid., Sig. C*2r.

[12] Silius Italicus, Tiberius Catius, Caji Silii Italici Punicorum libri septemdecim cum excerptis ex Francisci Modii Novantiquis lectionibus, et Casp. Barthii Adversariis, tum Danielis Heinsii Crepundiis Silianis, et postumis notis Nicolai Heinsii, nunc primum editis, curante Arnoldo Drakenborch, cujus etiam annotationes passim additae sunt (Utrecht, 1717), frontispiece & p. 196.

[13] Polybius and Robin Waterfield (tr.), The Histories (Oxford, 2010), p. xiv.

[14] Ibid., p. xv.

[15] Polybius and Henry Sheeres (tr.), The history of Polybius the Megalopolitan: containing a general account of the transactions of the world, and principally of the Roman people, during the first and second Punick Wars, &c. Translated by Sir H.S. To which is added, a character of Polybius and his writings: by Mr. Dryden …, 2 vols (London, 1693), i, inscription on flyleaf.

[16] Polybius and Waterfield (tr.), The Histories, p. xxvii.

[17] Davies, J. D., ‘Sheeres, Sir Henry (bap. 1641, d. 1710), military engineer and author’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Hammond, Paul, ‘Dryden, John (1631-1700), poet, playwright, and critic’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Polybius and Sheeres (tr.), The history of Polybius the Megalopolitan, Sig. A2r.

[22] Vezine, Agathe, ‘Henri II Estienne (1528-98): Paris 1554, Geneva 1557-1598’, Estiennes at the Edward Worth Library.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Livius, Titus, and Aubrey Selincourt (tr.), The War with Hannibal (New York City, NY, 1965), p. 28.

[28] Ibid., p. 33.

[29] Livius and Selincourt (tr.), The War with Hannibal, p. 148.

[30] Polybius and Waterfield (tr.), The Histories, pp 220–221.

[31] Ibid., p. 221.

[32] Ibid., p. 222.

[33] Ibid.

[34] Polybius, ‘The history of Polybius the Megalopolitan’, i, Sigs C8v–D1r.

[35] Ibid., ii, p. 230.

[36] Livius and Selincourt (tr.), The War with Hannibal, p. 8.

[37] Ibid.

[38] Ibid., p. 144.

[39] Daemen-de Gelder, Katrien, and Jean-Pierre Vander Motten, ‘Thomas Ross’s Second Punick War (London 1661 and 1672): Royalist Panegyric and Artistic Collaboration in the Southern Netherlands’, Quaerendo, 38, no. 1 (2008), 45.

[40] Smith, Christopher, ‘Hannibal 247-183/2 BC’, in Graham Shipley, et al. (eds), The Cambridge Dictionary of Classical Civilization (Cambridge, 2008), p. 415.