The Credibility of Fabius Pictor
Now the Roman annalist Fabius asserts that the cause
of the Hannibalian war, besides the injury inflicted upon Saguntum, was the encroaching and
ambitious spirit of Hasdrubal. "Having secured
great power in Iberia, he returned to Libya with the design
of destroying the constitution and reducing Carthage to a
despotism. But the leading statesmen, getting timely warning
of his intention, banded themselves together and successfully
opposed him. Suspecting this Hasdrubal retired from Libya,
and thenceforth governed Iberia entirely at his own will without taking any account whatever of the Carthaginian Senate.
This policy had had in Hannibal from his earliest youth a
zealous supporter and imitator; and when he succeeded to
the command in Iberia he continued it: and accordingly, even
in the case of this war with Rome, was acting on his own
authority and contrary to the wish of the Carthaginians; for
none of the men of note in Carthage approved of his attack
upon Saguntum." This is the statement of Fabius, who goes
on to say, that "after the capture of that city an embassy
arrived in Carthage from Rome demanding that Hannibal
should be given up on pain of a declaration of war."
Now what answer could Fabius have given if we had put
the following question to him? "What better chance or
opportunity could the Carthaginians have had of combining
justice and interest? According to your own account they
disliked the proceeding of Hannibal: why did they not submit
to the demands of Rome by surrendering the author of the
injury; and thus get rid of the common enemy of the state
without the odium of doing it themselves, and secure the
safety of their territory by ridding themselves of the threatened
war—all of which they could have effected by merely passing
a decree?" If this question were put, I say, it would admit
of no answer. The fact is that, so far from doing anything of
the sort, they maintained the war in accordance with Hannibal's policy for seventeen years; and refused to make terms
until, at the end of a most determined struggle, they found
their own city and persons in imminent danger of destruction.
