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 brother Mago accompanied by the horsemen and a few light troops to cross at a point where the river is scattered over considerable breadth, with branches separated by islands; he himself, of course, proceeded by way of the natural ford, his object being that the Gauls should be deceived and array themselves against him only, while they set their guards with less care at other points along the river.  This object was accomplished.  Mago had already got across the river when Hannibal and his followers were crossing by the ford.  On reaching the middle of the stream they raised a war cry and the trumpeters joined with the blare of their instruments, and Mago fell upon their antagonists from the rear.  In this way the elephants and all the rest were ferried safely over.  They had just finished crossing when Scipio’s own force arrived.  Both sides, then, sent horsemen to reconnoitre, after which they entered upon a cavalry battle with the same results as attended the war as a whole.  The Romans, that is, after first seeming to get the worst of it and losing a number of men were victorious.