---
title: "Seven Books of History against the Pagans"
author: "Paulus Orosius"
translator: "S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)"
title_ru: "История против язычников"
title_fr: "Histoires contre les païens"
title_de: "Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 84 of 177
url: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/84/
cite: "Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026), Seven Books of History against the Pagans, section 84. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/84/"
---

# Seven Books of History against the Pagans

*Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)*

Russian: История против язычников · French: Histoires contre les païens · German: Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden

Augustine's pupil tells the whole of world history to prove that the Christian times are not the worst.

## 84. Book 4 · Chapter 19

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/84/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/84/#p-N

[¶0] Hannibal, ordered to return to Africa to help the exhausted Carthaginians, left Italy weeping, having killed all the soldiers of Italian stock who were unwilling to follow him. As he drew near the African shore, one of the sailors was ordered to climb the mast of the ship and look out for himself to see what region they were making for; he answered that he had caught sight of a ruined tomb. Hannibal, abhorring the omen of the word, changed course and landed his forces at the town of Leptis.

> Latin: 1 Hannibal redire in Africam iussus, ut fessis Carthaginiensibus subueniret, flens reliquit Italiam omnibus Italici generis militibus qui sequi nollent interfectis. cui ad Africanum litus propinquanti iussus quidam e nauticis ascendere in arborem nauis atque ipse speculari, quam regionem teneret, sepulchrum dirutum se prospexisse respondit; abominatus dictum Hannibal deflexo cursu ad Leptim oppidum copias exposuit.

[¶1] Having at once refreshed his host, he came to Carthage, and then sought a conference with Scipio. There, when the two most famous generals had long gazed upon each other, astounded with mutual admiration, and the business of peace had come to nothing, battle was joined:

> Latin: 2 qui continuo refecta multitudine Carthaginem uenit, deinde conloquium Scipionis petiit. ubi cum se diu attoniti admiratione mutua duo clarissimi duces suspexissent, infecto pacis negotio proelium consertum est:

[¶2] a battle long arrayed with the great skill of the generals, fought with great masses of troops and brought to its end by the great strength of the soldiers, which gave the victory to the Romans. There 80 elephants were either captured or killed, and 20,500 Carthaginians were killed. Hannibal, having tried everything both before the battle and in it, slipped away amid the tumult with a few men — that is, barely four horsemen — and fled to Hadrumetum.

> Latin: 3 quod diu magnis ducum artibus dispositum, magnis copiarum molibus gestum, magnis militum uiribus consummatum Romanis uictoriam contulit. octoginta ibi elephanti uel capti uel occisi sunt, Carthaginiensium interfecta sunt XX milia quingenti. Hannibal omnia et ante proelium et in proelio expertus, cum paucis, hoc est uix quattuor equitibus, inter tumultum elapsus Hadrumetum confugit.

[¶3] Afterwards he came to Carthage, thirty-six years after he had left it as a little boy with his father, and persuaded the senate, which was deliberating, that no hope remained except in seeking peace.

> Latin: 4 postea Carthaginem post sex et triginta annos, quam inde paruus cum patre exierat, uenit consultantique senatui nullam esse residuam spem nisi in petenda pace persuasit.

[¶4] In the consulship of Gaius Cornelius Lentulus and Publius Aelius Paetus, peace was granted to the Carthaginians through Scipio by the will of the senate and people. Nevertheless more than five hundred ships were brought out into the deep and burned in sight of the city.

> Latin: 5 C. Cornelio Lentulo P. Aelio Paeto consulibus Carthaginiensibus pax per Scipionem uoluntate senatus populique concessa est. naues tamen plus quam quingentae in altum productae in conspectu ciuitatis incensae sunt.

*Note: The consul of 201 BC was Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus; Orosius gives the praenomen Gaius.*

[¶5] Scipio, already then surnamed Africanus, entered the City in triumph; and Terence, who was afterwards the comic poet, one of the noble Carthaginian captives, wearing the cap of liberty — which was the sign of the freedom granted to him — followed him as he triumphed, behind the chariot.

> Latin: 6 Scipio, iam tum cognomento Africanus, triumphans urbem ingressus est; quem Terentius, qui postea comicus, ex nobilibus Carthaginiensium captiuis pilleatus - quod insigne indultae sibi libertatis fuit - triumphantem post currum secutus est.

*Note: Orosius confuses two men. The freed captive who followed Scipio’s chariot wearing the cap of liberty was the senator Quintus Terentius Culleo, not the comic poet Terence.*