ty with the
Romans the Carthaginians were not to cross the Iberus. They were also
bound by the treaty not to molest the people of Saguntum, a city lying
between the Iberus and the Carthaginian dominions. Saguntum was in
alliance with the Romans and under their protection.

Hamilcar was, however, very restless and uneasy at being obliged thus
to refrain from hostilities with the Roman power. He began,
immediately after his arrival in Spain, to form plans for renewing the
war. He had under him, as his principal lieutenant, a young man who
had married his daughter. His name was Hasdrubal. With Hasdrubal's
aid, he went on extending his conquests in Spain, and strengthening
his position there, and gradually maturing his plans for renewing war
with the Romans, when at length he died. Hasdrubal succeeded him.
Hannibal was now, probably, about twenty-one or two years old, and
still in Carthage. Hasdrubal sent to the Carthaginian government a
request that Hannibal might receive an appointment in the army, and be
sent out to join him in Spain.

On the subject of complying with this request there was a great debate
in the Carthaginian senate. In all cases where questions of government
are controlled by _votes_, it has been found, in every age, that
_parties_ will always be formed, of which the two most prominent will
usually be nearly balanced one against the other. Thus, at this time,
though the Hamilcar family were in power, there was a very strong
party in Carthage in opposition to them. The leader of this party in
the senate, whose name was Hanno, made a very earnest speech against
sending Hannibal. He was too young, he said, to be of any service. He
would only learn the vices and follies of the camp, and thus become
corrupted and ruined. "Besides," said Hanno, "at this rate, the
command of our armies in Spain is getting to be a sort of hereditary
right. Hamilcar was not a king, that his authority should thus descend
first to his son-in-law and then to his son; for this plan of making
Hannibal," he said, "while yet scarcely arrived at manhood, a high
officer in the army, is only a stepping-stone to the putting of the
forces wholly under his orders, whenever, for any reason, Hasdrubal
shall cease to command them."

The Roman historian, through whose narrative we get our only account
of this debate, says that, though these were good reasons, yet
strength prevailed, as usual, over wisdom, in the decision of the
question. They