# Scipio — Discourses on Livy character guide > Scipio in Discourses on Livy by Niccolò Machiavelli. **Role:** supporting **First appearance:** 0004-i ## Snapshot Rome's conqueror of Hannibal at Zama, invoked by Machiavelli as proof that a grateful people honors its saviors better than princes do. ## Who they are Scipio stands among Machiavelli's prime exhibits in the argument that popular governments judge more soundly than monarchs, since the Roman people raised him to glory and only later soured on him. His career embodies the tension between extraordinary personal merit and the republic that both enabled and resented it. Machiavelli returns to him whenever he needs to show that a free people, however fickle, still errs less than a single ruler driven by passion. ## Relationships ### [Hannibal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters/hannibal) _rivalry_ Hannibal and Scipio Africanus are legendary military adversaries, with Scipio ultimately defeating Hannibal at Zama, embodying the clash of Carthaginian and Roman genius. ### [Marcus Menenius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters/marcus_menenius) _friendship_ Marcus Menenius and Scipio Africanus are both Roman figures praised for their virtue and service to the republic, though from different eras. ## In the story ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/x) Held up as a model for private citizens in a republic to emulate, unlike Caesar. ### [Of the religion of the Romans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xi) Forced citizens to swear an oath not to abandon Italy after the defeat at Cannae. ### [Chapter XXIX: Whether a people or a prince is the more ungrateful](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxix) Cited as the only notable instance of Roman ingratitude; suspicion arose from his extraordinary fame, youth, and the greatness of his victories. ### [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/liii) Mentioned as a consul who threatened to appeal to the people to grant him the province of Africa, knowing such proposals are always popular. ### [LVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/lviii) Mentioned in the context of the people's ingratitude, which Machiavelli argues is less than that of princes. ### [LX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/lx) Mentioned among those who triumphed while very young, benefiting Rome with their alacrity and vigor. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned as an example of shifting war from Italy to Africa by invading Carthaginian territory. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxxii) Cited as an example of taking New Carthage in Spain by storm and later withdrawing from Utica to engage the Carthaginian army in the field. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/ix) Proposed invading Africa to end the war, representing boldness suited to changed times; contrasted with Fabius. ### [That a captain cannot escape battle when his enemy forces it on him at all risks](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/x) In Africa, Scipio could afford to wait because he had already secured towns and supplies, unlike Hannibal. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xiii) The army under the Scipios in Spain, after the leaders fell, secured safety and overcame the enemy. ### [How one humane act availed more with the men of Falerii, than all the might of the Roman arms](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xx) Roman general whose virtuous act of restoring a young wife to her husband in Spain gained him the love of the province. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxi) Entered Spain with humane and generous conduct, winning goodwill and admiration; later faced mutiny from soldiers who feared him too little, forcing him to use uncharacteristic cruelty. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxii) Mentioned alongside Hannibal as an example of methods that can lead to contempt or hatred if not balanced by extraordinary valor. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxiv) Implied as a later commander who benefited from extended commands, though not named directly in the excerpt. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxxi) Offered peace to Antiochus before and after battle, stating that Romans neither lose heart on defeat nor grow insolent with success. ### [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxxiv) The elder Scipio; his rescue of his father at the Ticino and his bearing after Cannae laid the foundation for his fame, more so than his victories. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters/scipio - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters