he so inured them to the practice of military works, and other duties of soldiers, that in a short time the king placed not more confidence in his cavalry than in his infantry, and, even in a pitched battle, on a level plain, he defeated an army of Carthaginians. The arrival of the king's ambassadors was productive of great advantages to the Romans in Spain, for, as soon as it was known, the Numidians began to come over in great numbers from the enemy. In this manner did friendship commence between the Romans and Syphax. Of which transaction, as soon as the Carthaginians got notice, they instantly despatched ambassadors to Ğala, who reigned in the other part of Numidia, over the nation called Massylians.

49. Gala had a son named Masinissa, at that time only seventeen years old, but endowed with such talents as, even then, afforded strong presumption that he would leave the kingdom more extensive and opulent than when he received it. The ambassadors represented that "since Syphax had united himself with the Romans, for the purpose of being enabled, by their assistance, to exert greater force against the other kings and natives of Africa, it would be the interest of Gala to enter into alliance as soon as possible with the Carthaginians, on the other side; that, before Syphax passed over into Spain, or the Romans into Africa, it would be very practicable to overpower the former, who had as yet gained no advantage from his connexion with Rome, except the name of it.' Gala was easily persuaded to take part in the war, especially as his son earnestly solicited the command of the armies; and, in conjunction with the legions of the Carthaginians, he totally defeated Syphax in a great battle, in which, as we are told, thirty thousand men were slain. Syphax fled from the field with a few horsemen, and took refuge among the Maurusian Numidians, who inhabit the remotest coast of the ocean, opposite to Gades. Here the barbarians, attracted by his fame, flocked to him from all sides, in such numbers, that he was soon at the head of a very great army. In order to prevent his carrying this force into Spain, from which he was separated only by a narrow straight, Masinissa, with his victorious troops, came up with him; and there, by his own strength, without any aid from the Carthaginians, he maintained the war against Syphax with great glory. In Spain nothing memorable was performed, except that the Roman generals brought over to their side the youth of Celtiberia, granting them the same pay which they had stipulated with the Carthaginians, and sending above three hundred Spaniards of the highest distinction into Italy to endeavour to draw off their countrymen who served as auxiliaries in Hannibal's army. The only incident which

occurred in Spain remarkable enough to deserve being recorded, was, that the Celtiberians in this year were the first mercenary troops ever entertained in the Roman armies.

BOOK XXV.

CHAP. 1. HANNIBAL passed the summer during which these events took place in Africa and Spain, in the territory of Tarentum, in continual expectation of having that city betrayed into his hands. Meanwhile, some inconsiderable towns of that district, with others belonging to the Salentines, revolted to him. At the same time, of the twelve Bruttian states which had a year or two before gone over to the Carthaginians, the Consentians and Thurians put themselves again under the protection of the Roman people; and more of them would have done the same, had not Lucius Pomponius Veientanus, prefect of the allies, who in consequence of several predatory expeditions in the territory of Bruttium, had acquired an appearance of a regular commander, assembled a tumultuary army, and fought a battle with Hanno. A vast number of his men were killed or taken on the occasion, but they were only an undisciplined rabble of peasants and slaves; and the least part of the loss was the prefect himself being taken among the rest; for besides his inconsiderate rashness in bringing on this engagement, having been formerly a farmer of the revenue, he had by every iniquitous practice proved faithless and detrimental, both to the state and to the companies concerned in that business. The consul Sempronius had many slight skirmishes in Lucania, none worthy of mention, but reducing several inconsiderable towns. In proportion as the war was protracted to a greater length, and successes and disappointments produced various alterations, not only in the situations, but in the sentiments of men, superstitious observances, and these mostly introduced from abroad, gained such ground among the people in general, that it seemed as if either mankind or the deities had undergone a sudden change. And now the accustomed rights were disused, not only in private and within doors, but even in the public streets, the forum, and the capitol. These were frequented by crowds of women sacrificing, and offering prayers to their gods in modes hitherto unknown at Rome. A low sort of sacrificers and soothsayers had enslaved the people's understandings, and the number of these was in

creased in consequence of the great influx of the peasantry from the country, who, as their lands lay long untilled by reason of the continuance of the war, and the inroads of the enemy, were driven into the city through want and fear. These found an easy means of profit, in working on the deluded minds of the multitude, which practice they carried on as if it were a lawful occupation. At first every well-judging person expressed indignation at such proceedings; afterwards the matter came to be noticed by the senators, and attracted public censure from the government. The ediles and the judges of criminal causes* were sharply rebuked by the senate for not having prevented these practices, although when they had attempted to disperse from the forum the crowd assembled on such an occasion, and to remove the implements of their rites, they were in imminent danger of personal injury. The evil now appearing too powerful to be checked by the efforts of the inferior magistrates, the senate gave a charge to Marcus Atilius, pretor of the city, to free the public from those superstitious nuisances. For this purpose he read their decree in a general assembly; and at the same time gave notice that "whoever had any books of divination and forms of prayer used on such occasions, or the art of sacrificing in writing, should bring all such books and writings to him before the calends of April, and that no person should in any place, either public or consecrated, perform sacrifice in any new or foreign mode."

2. Several of the priests established by law, died this year, Lucius Cornelius Lentulus, chief pontiff, Caius Papirius Maso, son of Caius, a pontiff, Publius Furius Philus, an augur, and Caius Papirius Maso, son of Furius, a decemvir for the direction of religious rites. In the room of Lentulus was substituted in the college of pontiffs Marcus Cornelius Cethegus; in that of Papirius, Cneius Servilius Cæpio: Lucius Quintius Flaminius was created augur, and Lucius Cornelius Lentulus decemvir for the direction of religious rites. The time of the consular election now drew nigh; but as it was not judged expedient to call away the consuls from the war, which they were prosecuting with vigour, Tiberius Sempronius, consul, nominated Caius Claudius Centho dictator, to hold the elections, and he appointed Quintus Fulvius Flaccus his master of the horse. The dictator, on the first day whereon the assembly could meet, elected consuls Quintus Fulvius Flaccus the master of the horse, and Appius Claudius Pulcher, who had held the government of Sicily, as pretor.

These were three. They were elected by the people to judge in eriminal causes, superintend the prisons, and the execution of the condemned.

HISTORY OF ROME.-BOOK XXIV.

65

Then were elected pretors, Cneius Fulvius Flaccus, Caius Claudius Nero, Marcus Junius Silanus, Publius Cornelius Sulla. As soon as the elections were finished, the dictator resigned his office. This year, with Marcus Cornelius Cethegus, Publius Cornelius Scipio, afterwards surnamed Africanus, was curule edile. The plebeian tribunes opposed the pretensions of the latter to the edileship, and insisted that he ought not to be admitted as a candidate, because he was not of the age required by law,* on which he answered, "If it is the will of all the citizens to make me edile, I am old enough" on this the people hastened into their respective tribes to give their votes in his favour, and with such a degree of zeal, that the tribunes at once relinquished their design. The compliments paid to the public by those ediles were these: the Roman games were exhibited with magnificence, considering the circumstances of the times, and repeated during one day, with a donation of a gallon of oil to each street. The plebeian ediles, Lucius Villius Tappulus, and Marcus Fundanius Fundulus, brought before the people a charge of incontinency against a considerable number of matrons, and several who were convicted were driven into exile. The plebeian games were repeated during two days; and on occasion of these games a banquet in honour of Jupiter was celebrated.

3. Quintus Fulvius Flaccus a third time, and Appius Claudius, entered on the administration of the consulship. [A. U. C. 540. B. C. 212.] The provinces were assigned to the pretors by lot; the administration of justice, both to citizens and foreigners, formerly divided between two, now fell to Publius Cornelius Sulla; Apulia was allotted to Cneius Fulvius Flaccus, Suessula to Caius Claudius Nero, and Etruria to Marcus Junius Silanus. It was decreed that the consuls should conduct the war against Hannibal, and that each should receive two legions, one from Quintus Fabius, consul of the former year, the other from Fulvius Centumalus: that of the pretors, Fulvius Flaccus should command those legions which were at Luceria, under the pretor Æmilius, and Claudius Nero those which were in Picenum under Caius Terentius, and that they themselves should raise recruits to fill up the numbers of their respective armies. To Marcus Junius, for the service in Etruria, were given the two city legions of the preceding year. Ti

*No person could obtain a curule office until he had served ten campaigns; and as the military age commenced at seventeen, a man must be at least twenty-seven before he was qualified to sue, for the questor ship. It seems that by this law the requisite ages were settled thus: for the questorship, thirty-one years; for the curule edileship, thirtyseven; for the pretorship, forty; and for the consulship, forty-three.

berius Sempronius Gracchus and Publius Sempronius Tuditanus were continued in command of their provinces, Lucania and Gaul, with the same forces as before; as was Publius Lentulus in the old Roman province in Sicily; Marcus Marcellus in Syracuse, and the late dominions of Hiero; Titus Otacilius in the command of the fleet, Marcus Valerius in that of Greece, Quintus Mucius Scævola in that of Sardinia, and the two Cornelii, Publius and Cneius, in that of Spain. In addition to the troops already on foot, two city legions were levied by the consuls, the number of these this year being raised to twenty-three. The behaviour of Marcus Postumius Pyrgensis impeded these levies of the consuls, and went very near exciting a great and general commotion. This man was a farmer of the revenue, and for many years had not in the whole empire any equal in fraud and avarice, excepting Lucius Pomponius Veientanus, who was made prisoner by the Carthaginians under Hanno, while he was inconsiderately ravaging the lands of Lucania. As the public were to undergo any loss of the supplies sent for the use of the armies, which should be occasioned by storm, these two had fabricated accounts of pretended shipwreck; and even such as they reported with a degree of truth, had happened through their own fraudulent contrivance, not through accident. Having put a few goods of little worth on board of old shattered vessels, they sunk these in the deep, after taking out the sailors into boats prepared for the purpose, and then made a false return of the cargoes, as of much more considerable value than they really were. A discovery of this fraud had been made the year before to Marcus Atilius, the pretor, and by him communicated to the senate; but still no vote of censure had passed on it, because the senators were unwilling to disoblige, at such a time as that, the body of revenue-farmers. The assembly of the people, however, proved a more strict avenger of it; and two plebeian tribunes, Spurius and Lucius Carvilius, exerting themselves at last, when they saw that such conduct was become generally odious and scandalous, proposed a fine on Marcus Postumius of two hundred thousand asses in weight.* When the day arrived on which the cause was to be argued, such vast numbers of the commons attended the assembly, that the area of the capitol could scarcely contain them; and when the pleadings were finished, the only hope which the defendant seemed to have was, that Caius Servilius Casca, a plebeian tribune, his near relation and intimate friend, should interpose a protest before the tribes were called on for their opinions. After the witnesses had been ex

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