CHAP. V.

[137]assediáre

[138]Arezzo

[139]víncere

[140]L. Cecílio

[141]pretore

[142]ammazzáre

[143]sconfítta

[144]vendicáre

[145]poco dopo

[146]sconfíggere

[147]Galli

[148]preso

[149]mandáre

[150]colónia

[151]Boj

[152]commósso

[153]duro

[154]condizione

[155]Senoni

[156]entráre

[157]alleánza

[158]Toscáni

[159]veníre a giornáta con

[160]lago

[161]Vadimóne

[162]battáglia

[163]quasi

[164]tutto

[165]uccíso

[166]poco

[167]scampáre

[168]succédere

[169]seguente

[170]affátto

[171]sottomesso

[172]incírca

[173]primachè

[174]Pirro

[175]veníre

[176]Itália

[177]Palepolitáni

[178]pariménte

[179]dove

[180]adésso

[181]Napóli

[182]avventuráre

[183]soggiogáto

[184]dopo

[185]cioè a dire

[186]próconsole Públio

[187]dódici

[188]nazióne

[189]essendosi levate in armi

[190]totale

[191]sterminio

[192]sconfíggere

[193]battáglia

[194]cónsole

[195]anno

[196]uccíso

[197]preso

[198]nemíco

[199]numero

[200]Tarentíni

[201]tirársi addósso

[202]Románo

[203]saccheggiáre

[204]flotta

[205]maltrattáre

[206]ambasciadóre

[207]veníre

[208]lamentársi

[209]ingiúria

[210]insiéme

[211]Sanníti

[212]Salentíni

[213]sconfítto

[214]Emílio Bárbula

[215]spaventáto

[216]sventúra

[217]mandár a cercáre

[218]Pirro

[219]ajúto

[220]trasportáre

[221]armáta

[222]Itália

[223]fare

[224]guerra

[225]duráre

[226]prima

[227]zuffa

[228]comandáto

[229]Lavínio

[230]superato

[231]sforza

[232]nemíco

[233]strano

[234]forma

[235]elefánte

[236]cédere

[237]vittoria

[238]rimandáre

[239]prigioniéro

[240]senza

[241]taglia

[242]poco dopo

[243]fatto

[244]inútile

[245]trattative

[246]pace

[247]ambasciadóre

[248]Cinéa

[249]perchè

[250]Áppio Cláudio

[251]impedíre

[252]attaccáre

[253]due volte

[254]vittória

[255]due

[256]dubbio

[257]allóra

[258]invitáto

[259]Siracuséi

[260]ad andáre in

[261]Cartaginése

[262]dove

[263]cosa

[264]riuscíre

[265]secóndo

[266]desiderio

[267]ritornáre

[268]Itália

[269]sconfítto

[270]forzato di sloggiáre

[271]accampamento

[272]scacciato

[273]Táranto

[274]Epíro

(Of the World, 3790—Of Rome, 490.)

[1]After this, a[2]war[3]broke out[4]between the Romans and the[5]Carthaginians, in the year of the city 490,[6]occasioned by the[7]ambition and[8]formidable[9]power of each of them.[10]Hiero, king of Syracuse, and[11]ally of the Carthaginians,[12]made war against the[13]Mamertini, who had[14]seized upon Messana. They[15]applied to the Romans for[16]help, who[17]carrying over an[18]army into[19]Sicily,[20]fell upon Hiero, and the Carthaginians. The[21]fortune of the war was for a[22]long time very[23]doubtful; the Carthaginians[24]being successful by[25]sea, and the Romans by[26]land. The most[27]memorable[28]person in all this war was[29]Attilius Regulus, who having[30]brought the Carthaginians[31]very low by two[32]victories[33]obtained over them at sea and land; and[34]refusing to[35]grant them[36]peace but upon[37]hard terms, he was[38]vanquished by[39]Xantippus the[40]Lacedæmonian[41]general, and[42]taken[43]prisoner with 15,000[44]men, 30,000 being[45]slain, in the year 498. Being[46]afterwards[47]sent to[48]Rome by the[49]Carthaginians, to[50]treat with the[51]senate upon an[52]exchange of[53]prisoners, he[54]interposed to[55]prevent it, and[56]returning to[57]Carthage, was[58]put to[59]death in the most[60]cruel[61]manner[62]imaginable, as[63]many[64]authors[65]tell us. The[66]first among the Romans that[67]obtained a[68]victory by sea, was C.[69]Duilius, in the first year of this[70]war. C.[71]Lutatius[72]gained[73]another in the 23rd and[74]last year; in which he[75]made an end of the war with the Carthaginians,[76]near the[77]island of the[78]Ægates. A[79]peace was[80]concluded upon these[81]terms, that they should[82]quit all the islands which[83]lie between Italy and Africa, and should[84]pay[85]yearly 2,200[86]talents for[87]twentyyears[88]together. This[89]happened in the year of the city 513, and 241 before[90]Christ.

In the year 519, the[91]temple of[92]Janus was[93]shut, which very rarely[94]happened in Rome; but upon the[95]breaking out of new wars, it was[96]soon[97]open again. The[98]Ligures, the Sardi, and Corsi were[99]subdued; after which the Romans[100]had war with the[101]Illyrians, and their[102]queen Teuta, which war was[103]ended in[104]three years time. There[105]happened[106]about this[107]time a[108]dreadful[109]irruption of the[110]Gauls. The[111]Insubres and[112]Boii, having[113]first[114]sent for some[115]transalpine Gauls,[116]fell upon the Romans,[117]on account of the[118]land in Picene, that had been[119]taken from the Galli[120]Senones, and[121]disposed of by[122]Flaminius,[123]tribune of the[124]people, by virtue of the[125]Agrarian law,[126]made in the year of the city 452. They were[127]several times[128]worsted, and the Insubres[129]entirely[130]subdued, and king[131]Virdumarus[132]slain by C.[133]Marcellus, the[134]consul, who was the only person after[135]Romulus that[136]consecrated[137]Opima Spolia to[138]Jupiter Feretrius. In this war Hiero, king of Sicily,[139]sent the Romans a[140]vast quantity of[141]corn, the[142]price of which he[143]received after the war was[144]ended.

After this,[145]followed a[146]second war with the Carthaginians, four and twenty years after the[147]end of the[148]former; which[149]indeed did not[150]last[151]so long, but was[152]so much more[153]terrible for the[154]dreadful[155]slaughter that was made in it ([156]says Florus) that if[157]any one[158]compared the[159]losses on[160]each side, the[161]people that[162]proved[163]victorious[164]seemed more[165]likely to be[166]conquered. The first cause of this war was the[167]same with that of the former,[168]ambition and the[169]impatience of the Carthaginians[170]under their[171]servitude. The first cause of this[172]combustion was[173]Hannibal, the son of[174]Hamilcar, who was[175]general of the[176]Carthaginians in the[177]former[178]war, and had[179]accepted the[180]conditions of peace[181]with a heavy heart. For after[182]affairs were[183]settled in Africa, being[184]sent into[185]Spain, in the year of the city 517, he[186]carried along with him Hannibal, who[187]was then nine years old, having[188]first[189]brought him before an[190]altar, and[191]made him[192]swear that he[193]never would be a[194]friend to the Romans. Hamilcar being[195]slain about nine years after, Asdrubal, his son-in-law, was[196]put in his[197]place. He[198]sent for Hannibal, and being slain himself eight years after, was[199]succeeded by him,[200]being in the 27th year of his age.[201]As soon as he was made[202]general, he[203]conquered all Spain within the river[204]Iberus. After that he[205]fell upon the[206]town of[207]Saguntum with all his[208]forces, and[209]took it, after a[210]siege of seven[211]months. The[212]Saguntines having[213]in vain[214]waited for[215]assistance from the Romans,[216]were all destroyed[217]partly by the[218]enemy’s[219]sword, and[220]partly by their own[221]hands. This war[222]broke out in the year of the city 536; and[223]lasted seventeen years.

Upon the first[224]coming of Hannibal into Italy, both the[225]consuls were[226]defeated, P.[227]Cornelius at[228]Ticinum, and[229]Sempronius at Trebia. They[230]received a greater[231]overthrow the[232]following year near the[233]Thrasymene[234]lake.[235]In the mean time, Q.[236]Fabius Maximus being made[237]dictator by the[238]people,[239]recovered in some[240]measure the Roman[241]affairs. But the most[242]fatal[243]stroke was that of Cannæ, in the year of the city 538,[244]occasioned by the[245]rashness of one of the[246]consuls,[247]Terentius Varro.[248]Forty thousand Romans were[249]killed in that[250]battle:[251]however, their[252]courage was not[253]cast down by this[254]overthrow;[255]for they would not[256]redeem those that had been[257]taken[258]prisoners, in the battle of Cannæ. In the year540, the[259]consul[260]Marcellus[261]besieged[262]Syracuse, which had[263]declared for the Carthaginians; it was[264]wonderfully[265]defended a long time by the[266]contrivance of[267]Archimedes, who was an[268]excellent[269]astronomer, but more[270]famous for the[271]invention of[272]military[273]engines. It was[274]taken[275]at last with[276]much[277]difficulty, after a[278]siege of three years. We are[279]told that Archimedes being very[280]intent upon his[281]study at that time, and not[282]minding the[283]hurry, and[284]noise of the[285]army, when they[286]broke into the[287]town, was[288]killed by a[289]soldier; that Marcellus was much[290]concerned for his[291]death, having[292]given[293]strict[294]charge to his[295]men to[296]spare his[297]life.

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