Passages from this character's speech that contain the most distinguishing words for Cluster 6 (armies, fleece, pestle, wonted, pikes, thundering…). Matches are highlighted.
counterchange Of fierce and angry looks seemed to begin And eager fight: Till Hannibal broke silence, And moved a peace: Which Scipio (or suspecting it To be but wonted policy, or confident Both of his own strength and success) refused. Then Like two clouds swollen big with a mights tempest, And hurried forward by contrary winds,
air; And inundation following that would fright Nature's Archeus from his quiet centre; To seek and Aetna or Vesaevus out Where he might dry himself: so met the Armies. And with a shout, that out-noys'd thunder, charged Each other bravely; at their first encounter Mixing their bloods in streams, that every way Flowed Like a tide.
Full speech
I come from Spain, And bring important news; but sad. What should this courtship mean? Maharball and Himulco that were charactered For valiant Captains, turned sinock-souldiers? And Hannibal? Will Hannibal Attend my message? Before the battle joined The world's two Captains (for beside them none Merit's the name in equal competition) Met to have conference: where for a space They stood astonished at each others presence: And Like two Comets tilting in the air against one another, shot prodigious flames From either's eyes; and with a counterchange Of fierce and angry looks seemed to begin And eager fight: Till Hannibal broke silence, And moved a peace: Which Scipio (or suspecting it To be but wonted policy, or confident Both of his own strength and success) refused. Then Like two clouds swollen big with a mights tempest, And hurried forward by contrary winds, Justling each other, Till their ribs being broken The sulphurous issue Sly's through the black air; And inundation following that would fright Nature's Archeus from his quiet centre; To seek and Aetna or Vesaevus out Where he might dry himself: so met the Armies. And with a shout, that out-noys'd thunder, charged Each other bravely; at their first encounter Mixing their bloods in streams, that every way Flowed Like a tide. As yet the peaceful goddess Inclined to neither partly, Till Massinissa Brought up his right wing of Numidian horsemen, And broke array; enforcing our first battle Back to our second; when we were compelled To fight against our own, least their retiring Might put us out of order; Till betwixt us Dead bodies made a Bulwark; so that neither We nor the Romans but by trampling on Our fellows carcases could strike a blow Of any use. The Roman Legions now Overpressed us with their number, and both wings Of horsemen wheeled about t'assault our rear. We then were compassed; yet Like angry Lyons Whom the toil hamper's, laboured for our freedom; But few escaped: five hundred only live Of forty thousand, which to Adrumentum Are fled with Hannibal: whence he intend's To visit Carthage suddenly. N to of new Carthage; Sagunt; Locris; Tarracon. All these are re-orecome by Scipio; In Spain he only triumph's. That must be new Carthage Her siege and taking. When the Roman general Approached the walls, a cold fear shook her Genius: The earth groaning with weight of such a multitude. His Navy likewise at that instant made A cloud upon the Sea. So round about The city was begirt. Our resolution Mixed with despair soon armed us; and th'assault Being sudden, we did do before consider: Yet what we did thus with the walls height proving Successful, we had respite to advice. The Sea we thought sullicient to defend That pait it washes, and directed all Our force to isthmus: where we sallied forth. The enemy retir's; but out of policy To draw us farther on. And now the Sun Surveyed us from his heighth; when suddenly A violent Northwind joining with the ebb Swept all the channel dry. Of which the Roman Being informed by certain Fishermen Seize the opportunity, and freely pass To the unmanned walls; entering without resistance. What more they, being fully conquerors, did, Need's no relation: custom shew's it Hannibal. the example made some other cities yield; Some policy won; some force; some treachery Deliv'rd up: all are possessed by Scipio. Before I speak, Me thinks the air about me as the found Of my sad words does pass through it, should thicken Into a cloud; then melt at every perjod Into a weeping rain, till none be left To give us breath for sighs. Our Hannibal Is vanquished by the Romans. Good my Lord forbear Your violence. Consider but their persons And dignities. The custom Of Carthage government commands respect Unto their difference.
Plot summary
Plot — Hannibal and Scipio
rebukes them, but finds himself attracted to one of the A MESSENGER, who brings news from Spain (1.5) local ladies. News from Spain snaps him out of it: BOMILCAR, Hannibal's kinsman Scipio has taken several Carthaginian cities. He decides SYPHAX, King of Numidia, a young, unmarried man; to attack Rome, but is recalled to Carthage before he later Sophonisba's first husband can do so. Carthage has recently lost an African ally, Masinissa, who has been wooed to the side of Rome. In an effort to counterbalance him, Hannibal goes to Numidia to seek an alliance with its king, Syphax. He also finds Scipio there, and suspects Syphax of treachery, but makes the offer anyway: Syphax's military support in return for marriage to Sophonisba, who was previously promised to Masinissa. The lady herself is reluctantshe still loves Masinissa and thinks herself above a petty king like Syphax-but Syphax is agreeable and the marriage goes ahead. The alliance does not help the Carthaginians: Masinissa defeats Syphax's forces in battle, takes Sophonisba prisoner, and marries her (even though Syphax, her husband, is still alive). Scipio wants her to be sent to Rome, but she takes poison rather than be handed over. Hannibal meets with Scipio and offers him a peace, but Scipio refuses, and Hannibal is routed in the ensuing battle. When he returns to Carthage, the Senate rebukes him for initiating unauthorized peace negotiations, and also suspects him of attempting to set himself up as a king. He leaves Carthage in disgust. When Scipio arrives in triumph, the senators order a pre-emptive announcement that Hannibal has been banished, but their disloyalty to their general only wins Scipio's contempt. Hannibal takes refuge at the court of King Prusias in Bithynia, and offers his services in a policy of resistance to Rome's territorial ambitions. Prusias refuses, preferring not to jeopardize his diplomatic relations with the Romans. A legation arrives from Rome, with Scipio on its personnel. Hannibal learns that the exits from the palace are being guarded, and infers that he is about to be surrendered to the Romans. He forestalls this by taking poison. Scipio plans to retire to country seclusion.