literally proved himself such, by cutting the throats of all the citizens he met in the streets. A tumult arose, and the young men took up arms to repel the tyrant, and promised pardon to all those who would lay down their arms. Bomilcar and his soldiers surrendered upon this proclamation, and all were pardoned except Bomilcar, who was nailed to a cross, from which he harangued the people upon their injustice, ingratitude, and perfidy; and mentioned many generals whom they had rewarded with an ignominious death. He expired whilst uttering these reproaches. Agathocles had won over to his interest Ophellas, king of Cyrene, whose ambition he had flattered by leading him to understand, that contenting himself with Sicily, he should leave Ophellas the empire of Africa. Agathocles, however, did not hesitate to commit the most horrid crimes when he thought they would conduce to his interest; and this credulous prince had no sooner put himself and his army in his power, than he caused him to be murdered, and thus had the troops of Ophellas entirely at his devotion. Finding affairs in Africa now in a flourishing condition, Agathocles thought it prudent to look after those in Sicily, and accordingly sailed thither, leaving the command of his army to his son Archagathus. His absence, however, soon restored things to their former condition; the Africans deserted him, and many of his troops perished; he could not transport the remainder into Sicily, as he was destitute of ships; neither could he treat for peace with a people whom he had so outrageously insulted. In this extremity, he thought only of providing for his own safety; and after many adventures, this base deserter of his army, and betrayer of his sons (who, left to the fury of his soldiers, had been murdered by them,) terminated his odious life by a cruel death, being poisoned by Manon, who administered to him so violent a drug, that his teeth were putrefied, and his body tortured with the most racking pains. During the late internal troubles in Carthage, the Tyrians had been obliged to yield to the victorious Alexander, who shortly after subjugating them, began to build the city of Alexandria, as if he intended it as a rival to Carthage. To ascertain his intentions, Hamilcar, surnamed Rhodamus, pretending to have been driven from his country, went over to the camp of Alexander, and was graciously received by that king. Hamilcar did not fail to transmit to his country whatever discoveries he made as to Alexander's designs; nevertheless, on his return to Carthage, after Alexander's death, he was considered as a betrayer of his country, and was sentenced by his fellow-citizens to die. A. M. 3727. It was at this time that the successors of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, began to alarm the Romans, who, in order to strengthen themselves against him, renewed their treaties with the Carthaginians. To the articles of the preceding treaties, they added an engagement of mutual assistance against Pyrrhus. As the Romans feared, Pyrrhus carried war into Italy, and gained many victories. The Carthaginians thought themselves obliged to assist them, and accordingly sent to the coast of Italy a fleet of six score sail, under the command of Mago. The Romans, however, thought fit to decline their aid, and soon after drove Pyrrhus out of Italy. EXERCISES. In what troubles were the Carthaginians now involved? What did he meditate after he was defeated by Hamilcar? What desperate act did he resolve upon? What were his motives for this? What contributed to animate the courage of his troops? How did the Carthaginians act on hearing of the approach of Agathocles? What now took place? Whose treachery contributed to the success of Agathocles? What was now the state of affairs in Sicily? What domestic enemy had the Carthaginians now to oppose? What befell Bomilcar? What king embraced the interests of Agathocles? How did Agathocles repay his friendship? What caused him to visit Sicily? What occurred at Carthage during his absence? How did he now act? What was the fate of his sons? How was his odious life terminated? What had taken place at Tyre during the troubles at Carthage? How did Hamilcar endeavour to serve his country? What was his reward? What famous king lived at this period? What people felt alarmed at his growing power? Were their fears well.founded? Who offered them assistance; and was it accepted? What obliged Pyrrhus to evacuate Italy? A. M. 3724. cause. CHAPTER V. THE FIRST PUNIC WAR. The first Punic war arose from the following The Mamertines, a people of Campania, had taken possession of Messina, one of the Sicilian towns, allied to Syracuse. Hiero, the king, marched against these invaders, who, unable to withstand so powerful an antagonist, applied for aid to the Carthaginians; and afterwards, through fear of being enslaved by them, solicited the friendship of the Romans. In this most unjustifiable quarrel, the Romans, after some hesitation, took a part anxious to arrest the progress of the Carthaginians, who had so long desired to annex the island of Sicily to their dominions. Accordingly, Appius Claudius crossed the Straits of Messina with a large army, and shortly after, partly by art and partly by force, drove the Carthaginians from the citadel, and Messina surrendered to the consul. The Carthaginians, with their usual cruelty, hanged their general for being defeated, and Hiero joined his forces to theirs, in order to repel the Romans, but was defeated with considerable loss; and now having experienced, to his cost, the power of the Roman arms, he thought it most prudent to court their alliance, flattering himself also, that with their aid, he should expel the Carthaginians from Sicily. By the united forces of the Romans and Syracusans, Agrigentum, one of the strongest cities possessed by the Carthaginians, was taken after a siege of seven months. Notwithstanding the importance of this acquisition, the Romans were sensible, that while the Carthaginians remained masters at sea, all the maritime parts of the island would side with them, consequently they determined upon having a fleet. The difficulty of accomplishing this was very great; for at that time the Romans were not possessed of a single vessel; they were inexperienced in naval affairs, and ignorant of the art of ship-building. A Carthaginian galley, however, about this time, was stranded on the coast of Italy, and served them as a model; and, by extraordinary industry, they, in a few weeks, equipped a hundred vessels of five benches of oars, and twenty of three benches; men had been trained in rowing, and the fleet put to sea in quest of enemy, under the command of the consul Duillius. the A. M. 3745. A. C. 259. The Romans coming up with the enemy, near the coast of Mylæ, the signal for fight was given; and the Carthaginians, utterly despising enemies so unacquainted with sea affairs, imagined that they should soon put them to flight, but ere long, they were made sensible of their error. Duillius had invented a machine called Corvus, or Crane, which, falling down upon the ships, grappled them in spite of all resistance; the Carthaginians were obliged to come to a close engagement with the Romans, as though they fought them on land. A vast number of their ships were taken; 7000 men were killed, and as many made prisoners. The Columna Rostrata, dug up about 200 years ago, and now standing in Rome, was erected to commemorate this victory. A. M. 3749. After a few years' continued success against the A. C. 255. Carthaginians, in Sicily, the Romans determined upon carrying the war into Africa, and accordingly elected M. Attilius Regulus and L. Manlius consuls, and committed to them the conduct of the war against the Carthaginians. For some time the Romans were successful; but at length, reinforcements from Greece, commanded by Xantippus, restored the spirits of the Carthaginians; they gained a most important victory, and made Regulus prisoner. A. M. 3755. After being kept some years in prison, Regulus was sent to Rome to treat for peace, and threatened with death if unsuccessful; but knowing that, by continuing the war the Romans would at length prove victorious, this noble patriot urged them to persevere, and returned to Carthage, although he knew but too well the dreadful tortures that awaited him. The Carthaginians, exasperated at his conduct, immediately on his arrival at Carthage, imprisoned him for some time in a dismal dungeon, whence, after cutting off his eyelids, they drew him into the sun. They then put him into a chest stuck full of nails, and he was afterwards nailed to a cross, and left to expire. Such was the end of this great man, whose enemies, by depriving him of life, brought eternal infamy on themselves. The blow which the Romans had received in Africa, did not discourage them. They made greater preparations than before, to retrieve their loss; put to sea with three hundred and sixty vessels, and defeated the Carthaginians in an engagement off the coast of Sicily; and now emboldened by success, determined to besiege Lilybæum, the strongest town in Sicily in the possession of the Carthaginians. Here they were defeated; but after some alternate successes at sea, the Romans were victorious in two engagements, in the last of which the consul Lutatius defeated Hamilcar, the father of the great Hannibal, and obliged the Carthaginians to sue for peace, which was only granted on very hard terms. This treaty was dictated by Lutatius, and was as follows:-" That the Carthaginians should abandon all their territory in Sicily, and pay to the Romans, in the space of twenty years, 2200 talents of silver, about 325,480l. sterling; that they should restore, without ransom, all their prisoners, and that they should not make war against Hiero king of Syracuse, or any of his allies." When these conditions were made known at Rome, the people sent ten commissions to Sicily, who made no alteration in the treaty, except in the time appointed for the payment, which they reduced to ten years, and in obliging the Carthaginians to evacuate all the islands between Italy and Sicily. A. M. 3763. Thus terminated the first Punic war; one of the longest mentioned in history, since it continued twenty-four years without intermission. The obstinacy in disputing for empire, the same resolution, the same greatness of soul, were conspicuous on both sides. The Carthaginians had the superiority in their acquaintance with naval affairs, and in their inexhaustible wealth, which furnished them the means of maintaining so long and obstinate a war. The Romans were ignorant of navigation, and destitute of finances; yet these deficiencies were supplied by their courage, zeal for the public good, love of their country, and emulation of glory, and they were at length able to dictate the most humiliating terms to Carthage. EXERCISES. What gave rise to the first Punic war? What power possessed the greater part of Sicily at this time? Name the year in which this war commenced. What were the most flourishing countries at this period? Who was the Roman consul at this time? |