traordinary natural strength of its situation, as also on account of every part of it being rendered sacred by the monuments of the abduction of Proserpine of old, reached every part of the island almost in one day. People considered that horrid carnage as a violation of the mansions of the gods, as well as of those of men; and now even those who had hesitated until this time, openly declared in favour of the Carthaginians. Hippocrates then retired to Murgantia, and Himilco to Agrigentum; for they had, on an invitation from the treacherous inhabitants, brought their armies to Enna to no purpose. Marcellus returned into the territory of Leontini, where, having stored his camp with magazines of corn and other provisions, and left a small body of troops to defend it, he went to carry on the siege of Syracuse. Appius Claudius having obtained his leave to go to Rome to canvass for the consulship, he appointed in his room Titus Quintus Crispinus to the command of the fleet and of the old camp. He fortified a camp for himself, in which he erected huts for the winter, at a place called Leon, five miles distant from the Hexapylum. These were the transactions in Sicily previous to the commencement of winter.

40. During that summer the war with king Philip, which had been apprehended for some time, broke out into action. Deputies came from Oricum to the propretor Marcus Valerius, who commanded the fleet at Brundusium and on the neighbouring coasts of Calabria, informing him that Philip had first attempted Apollonia, sailing up the river with a hundred and twenty barks of two banks of oars; and, not succeeding there as speedily as he expected, had afterward marched his army secretly by night to Oricum; which city, being situated in a plain, and being but weakly defended, either by fortifications or by men and arms, was overpowered at the first assault. To this information they joined intreaties that he would bring them succour, and repel the attacks of that avowed enemy to the Romans from the maritime cities, which were assailed for no other reason than because they lay contiguous to Italy. Marcus Valerius, leaving a lieutenant-general, Titus Valerius, to maintain his present post, and putting on board the ships of burden a number of soldiers, for whom there was not room in the ships of war, set sail with his fleet, fully equipped and prepared, and arrived on the second day at Oricum; and without much difficulty retook that city, which had for its defence but a weak garrison, left by Philip at his departure. Hither came deputies from the Apollonians, with information that they were besieged because they refused to take part against the Romans, and that they were unable longer to withstand the force of the Macedonians, unless, a Roman garrison were

sent to their aid. Valerius promised to comply with their wishes, and sent two thousand chosen men in ships of war to the mouth of the river, under the command of Quintus Nævius Crista, prefect of the allies, a man of an enterprising spirit, and experienced in service. He, as soon as his men were landed, sent back the ships to join the rest of the fleet at Oricum, whence he came; and leading his troops at a distance from the river, through a road where he was least likely to meet any of the king's party, got into town by night, without being discovered by them. During the following day all remained quiet, while the prefect reviewed the forces of the Apollonians, their arms, and the defences of the city. On examining all those matters, he found sufficient ground for confidence; at the same time learning from scouts that a great degree of negligence and inattention prevailed among the enemy. In consequence of this intelligence, he marched out of the city in the dead of the night, without any noise; and on entering their camp found it so neglected and exposed, that a thousand of his men had gotten within the rampart, as we are well assured, before any one perceived them; and, had they refrained from killing the soldiers, might have reached the pavilion of the king. The destroying of those who were nearest to the gate roused the others from sleep; and immediately such terror and dismay took possession of all, that not one of them offered to take arms or to attempt expelling the assailants; nay, instead of that, even the king himself fled in the same condition as he had started out of bed; half naked in a manner, and in a dress which would scarcely be decent for a private soldier, much less a monarch, he effected his escape to his ships in the river. Thither also the rest of the multitude directed their precipitate flight. Somewhat less than three thousand men were either killed or taken, but the number of prisoners considerably exceeded that of the killed. The camp was then sacked; and the Apollonians carried into their city, for the defence of their walls on any future occasion, the catapultas, balistas, and other engines, which had been provided for the purpose of demolishing them; all the rest of the booty found in the camp was consigned to the Romans. As soon as the news of this event reached Oricum, Marcus Valerius instantly drew his fleet to the mouth of the river, lest the king should attempt to escape by water. Philip, therefore, despairing of being able to cope with his adversaries, either by land or sea, drew up some of his ships into dock, burned the rest, and with his troops, mostly unarmed and despoiled of their baggage, returned by land into Macedonia. Marcus Valerius, with the Roman fleet, wintered at Oricum.

41. In Spain the contending parties met with various suc

cess during this campaign: for, before the Romans passed the river Iberus, Mago and Hasdrubal defeated a very numerous army of Spaniards, and all Farther Spain would have revolted from the Romans had not Publius Cornelius, by a rapid march, arrived in time to confirm the wavering resolutions of his allies. The Romans encamped first at a place called the High Fort, remarkable for the death of the great Hamilcar. The fortress was strong, and they had already provided a store of corn. Nevertheless, because all the country round was full of the enemy's troops, and as the Roman army on its march had been harassed by their cavalry, without being able to take revenge, and had lost two thousand men, who either loitered behind or straggled through the country, they removed thence to the neighbourhood of a friendly people, and fortified a camp at the mount of Victory. Hither came Cneius Scipio with all his forces; while on the other side, Hasdrubal, son of Gisgo, with a complete army, joined the other two Carthaginian generals, and their whole combined forces sat down opposite to the Roman with a river between them. Publius Scipio, going out privately with some light-armed troops to take a view of the adjacent country, passed not unobserved by the enemy, who would have cut him off in an open plain, had he not seized an eminence which was nigh. Even there he was closely invested; but his brother coming up, relieved him from that dangerous situation. Castulo, a strong city, reckoned among the most remarkable in Spain, and so closely connected with the Carthaginians, that Hannibal had married a native of it, revolted to the Romans. The Carthaginians laid siege to Illiturgi, because it was held by a Roman garrison, and they had reason to expect that it would soon fall into their hands, chiefly in consequence of a scarcity of provisions. Cneius Scipio, with a legion lightly equipped, marched to the relief of the allies and the garrison, and forced his way into the city, between the two camps of the enemy, with great slaughter of their men. On the day following he made a sally, and fought with the same success. In the two battles he killed above twelve thousand men, and took more than ten thousand, with thirty-six military standards in consequene of which losses the Carthaginians raised the siege. They then sat down before the city of Bigerra, which also was in alliance with the Romans, but on the approach of Cneius Scipio raised the siege with out a battle.

42. The Carthaginians then removed their camp to Munda, whither the Romans quickly followed them, Here a general engagement took place, which lasted near four hours: the Romans had decidedly the advantage: but, while they

were pursuing the victory with the utmost ardour, the signal of retreat was given, in consequence of Cneius Scipio's thigh being pierced through with a javelin, the soldiers round him being seized with a panic, in the supposition that the wound was mortal. There was no doubt but that, if they had not been thus stopped, they would on that day have taken the enemy's camp. Not only their soldiers, but elephants also, had already been driven up to the rampart, and on the top of it thirty-nine elephants had been killed with spears. Twelve thousand men are said to have fallen in this battle, and near three thousand to have been taken, with fifty-seven military ensigns. From thence the Carthaginians retreated to the city of Aurinæ, and the Romans, not to allow them time to recover from their defeat, followed them closely. Here Scipio, though carried into the field in a litter, engaged them again; and obtained a decided victory; though fewer of the enemy by half were slain in this battle than in the former; because, after their loss on that occasion, they could only bring a smaller number into the field. But as they are a race fitted by nature for the reviving of wars and the recruiting of armies, they soon, through the diligence of Mago, who was sent by his brother to levy soldiers, filled up the complement of their troops, and resumed courage to risk afresh the issue of a battle. Though their battalions were now composed mostly of foreign soldiers, yet fighting on a side which had suffered so many discomfitures within a few days, they showed the same spirit as before, and the same consequence ensued. More than eight thousand men were slain, not many short of a thousand taken prisoners, together with fifty-eight military standards. The greater part of the spoils had belonged to the Gauls, among which were golden chains and bracelets in great numbers; there were also two remarkable chieftains of the Gauls killed in that battle, Monicaptus and Cívismarus: eight elephants were taken, and three killed. During this current of success in Spain, the Romans began to feel ashamed of having suffered the town of Saguntum, the original object of dispute, to continue five years in the possession of the enemy. Wherefore, dis-" lodging the Carthaginian garrison, they retook possession of the town, and restored it to such of the inhabitants as had survived the violence of the conflict. As to the Turdetanians, who had been the instigators of the war between the Carthaginians and the people, they totally subdued them, sold them as slaves, and rased their city to the ground. Such were the occurrences in Spain during the consulate of Quintus Fabius and Marcus Claudius.

43. At Rome, no sooner had the new plebian tribunes entered into office than one of them, Lucius Metellus, sum

moned the censors, Publius Furius and Marcus Ætilius, to trial before the people. In the preceding year, when he was questor, they had degraded him from the equestrian rank and from his tribe, and had disfranchised him on account of his having formed a conspiracy at Cannæ to abandon Italy: but they were supported by the other nine tribunes, who protested against their being brought to trial, and were consequently discharged. The death of Publius Furius prevented their closing the lustrum; and Marcus Ætilius abdicated his office. The election of consuls was held by the consul Quintus Fabius Maximus, and two were chosen who were both absent at the time, Quintus Fabius Maximus, the present consul's son, and Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, a second time. The pretors appointed were Marcus Atilius, and two who were then curule ediles, Publius Sempronius Tuditanus and Cneius Fulvius Centumalus, and lastly, Marcus Emilius Lepidus. It is recorded that stage plays were now, for the first time, exhibited four days successively, by direction of the curule ediles. This Tuditanus, now edile, was the person who at Cannæ, while the rest were stupified by fear, in consequence of such a dreadful disaster, made his way through the middle of the enemy.

44. As soon as the elections were finished [A. U. C. 539. B. C. 213] the consuls elect were called home to Rome, by the advice of the present consul Quintus Fabius, and assumed the administration. They then called a meeting of the senate to determine concerning their own provinces and those of the pretors, the armies to be employed, and the commanders to whom each was to be allotted. These were distributed in the following manner to the consuls was assigned the province of making head against Hannibal; and of the armies, the one which Sempronius himself had already under his command, and another commanded by the late consul Fabius. These consisted of two legions each. Marcus Emilius, the pretor, to whose lot the foreign jurisdiction had fallen, (his share in the administration of justice being consigned to his colleague,) Marcus Atilius, city pretor, was to hold the province of Luceria and the two legions which Quintus Fabius, the present consul, had commanded as pretor; to Publius Sempronius fell the province of Ariminum; to Cneius Fulvius, Suessula, with two legions likewise to each; Fulvius to take with him the city legions; Tuditanus to receive his from Marcus Pomponius. The following commanders and provinces were continued: to Marcus Claudius, Sicily, so far as the limits of Hiero's dominions had extended; to Lentulus, propretor, the old Roman province in that island; to Titus Otacilius, the fleet. No additions were made to their armies. Greece and Mace