text:  Though he descended to the southern extremity of Italy and drew near to Sicily in order to obtain from the African shores the necessary succours to recruit his armies wasted by the very number of his victories; and though they had during great part of the time the superiority at sea--yet he received no supplies of men or money from home during the fifteen years he carried on the war in Italy with the exception of the army which his brother Hamilcar raised in Spain and led across the Pyrenees and the Alps to perish on the Metaurus