When Hannibal, the son of Barca, besieged the great city Salmantica
in Spain, before he fought against the Romans, at the first assault
the besieged citizens were surprised with fear, insomuch that they
consented to grant him his demands, and to give him three hundred
talents of silver and three hundred hostages. Upon which he raised his
siege; when they changed their minds, and would not perform any thing
that they had promised. Wherefore returning again to his siege, he
gave command to his soldiers to take the city by storm, and fall to
the plundering their goods. At this the barbarians, struck universally
into a panic fear, came to terms of composition, for the free citizens
to depart the city with their clothes to their backs, but to leave
their weapons, goods, slaves, and city behind them. Now the women
supposed that, although the enemies would strictly search every man
as he departed, yet the women would go untouched. Accordingly, taking
scimitars and hiding them under their coats, they fell in with the men
as they marched out. When they were all gone out of the city, Hannibal
sets a guard of Masaesylian soldiers, fixing their post without the
gate, but the rest of his army fell promiscuously into the city to
plunder. But the Masaesylians, seeing them busy in carrying away much
spoil, were not able any longer to refrain or to mind the charge of
their watch, taking it heinously that that was their lot, and therefore
left their post and went to take their share of the booty. Upon this
the women raised a shout to animate their husbands, and delivered the
scimitars into their hands, and they themselves some of them fell upon
the sentinels; insomuch that one of them, snatching away the spear of
Banon the interpreter, smote him with it, though he was armed with a
breastplate. And as for the rest, the men routed and put some to flight
and slew others, making their escape by charging through them in a
great body together with the women. Hannibal, being made acquainted
with these things, pursued them, and those he took he slew; but some
betaking themselves to the mountains easily made their escape, and
afterwards, sending in their humble supplications, were admitted by
him into the city, obtaining indemnity and civil usage.