[298]In the mean time,[299]Lævinus the[300]prætor[301]stopt[302]Philip king of[303]Macedon, who having made an[304]alliance with Hannibal, was[305]ready to[306]come into Italy, and[307]forced him to[308]burn his[309]fleet, and[310]retreat into Macedon, in the year of the city 542. But in Spain, the two[311]brothers P. and C.[312]Scipio, who had[313]till then[314]prevented Hasdrubal’s[315]passage into Italy to his brother Hannibal, and had[316]performed a great many[317]gallant actions, were both slain, and their[318]armies[319]destroyed.L. Marcus, a Roman knight, being[320]chosen general, by the[321]votes of the[322]soldiers,[323]upheld their[324]tottering[325]cause; by whose[326]conduct in one[327]day, and a[328]night, two[329]camps of the[330]enemy were[331]taken by[332]assault, and about[333]thirty-seven thousand[334]men[335]slain. The[336]same year[337]Tarentum,[338]except the[339]citadel, was taken by Hannibal; and Capua[340]besieged by the Romans; and Hannibal[341]marched to Rome to[342]draw them from it. But a[343]sudden[344]storm[345]arising,[346]forced him from the[347]walls, and the[348]sight of it. Capua was after that[349]surrendered to the Romans, the[350]grandees of which[351]poisoned themselves; the[352]senators were[353]beheaded, and the city[354]deprived of its[355]liberty.
There was a[356]son of that P. Scipio, who, as we have said was[357]killed in[358]Spain,[359]named[360]likewise P. Scipio, who after the[361]death of his[362]father and[363]uncle, was[364]sent into Spain,[365]being but twenty-four years old. There having[366]performed very great[367]things, and[368]vanquished Hasdrubal, the son of[369]Gisco and[370]Mago,[371]he drove the Carthaginians out of Spain, in five years after he[372]came there; from thence[373]passing over into Africa, he[374]made an[375]alliance with[376]Syphax, king of the[377]Masylians, and after that with Masanissa,king of the[378]Masasulians. These things[379]were done in the year 548, and the[380]third from the[381]death of[382]Marcellus; who having been[383]successful in[384]several[385]battles with Hannibal, was[386]at last,[387]trepanned by an[388]ambuscade, and slain. In the[389]following year, Hasdrubal was[390]cut off, with his[391]army[392]before he could[393]join his[394]brother, by the two[395]consuls,[396]Claudius Nero and[397]Livius Salinator. Hannibal was[398]then in Apulia,[399]opposed by Nero the consul.[400]Livy was[401]encamped in[402]Cisalpine Gaul[403]against Hasdrubal, Nero[404]marched[405]through Italy[406]privately, in six[407]days time,[408]came to the[409]camp of his[410]colleague with a[411]part of his[412]army, and having[413]conquered the[414]enemy,[415]returned to his camp before Hannibal[416]perceived that he was[417]gone. There are[418]said to have been 56,000 of the[419]enemy[420]slain in the[421]battle, and 5,400[422]taken[423]prisoners. The head[424]of Hasdrubal was[425]thrown before the[426]advanced guard of the Carthaginians by Nero.
P. Scipio[427]resolved to[428]carry the[429]war into Africa, that he might[430]draw Hannibal out of Italy; but[431]at first that being[432]looked upon as a[433]rash[434]design, he had neither[435]money nor[436]men from the[437]government.[438]Wherefore, having[439]raised none but[440]volunteers, and[441]borrowed money, he first[442]went to[443]Sicily, and[444]from thence to Africa, in the year 550;[445]when the[446]image of the[447]Idæan mother was[448]brought from[449]Pessinus in[450]Phrygia, to Rome,[451]according to the[452]advice of[453]the oracle.
The general[454]employed[455]against him by the[456]Carthaginians was Hasdrubal, the son of Gisco, who had[457]contracted his daughter[458]Sophonisba to Masanissa. But the Carthaginians had[459]given her to[460]Syphax, (who being[461]in love with the[462]young lady,[463]laid waste their[464]country in the[465]absence of her[466]father and[467]husband) to[468]take him off from the Roman[469]alliance: at which[470]usage Masanissa being[471]incensed, he[472]gave himself up[473]entirely to the Roman[474]interest, and was very[475]serviceable to them in[476]reducing the Carthaginians.
[477]After a great many[478]overthrows, the Carthaginians[479]found themselves[480]obliged to[481]recall Hannibal out of Italy, to the[482]defence of their country, where, after a[483]fruitless[484]overture of[485]peace, he was[486]vanquished by Scipio, and an[487]end was put to the[488]war, after it had[489]lasted seven years.
The second[490]Punic war was[491]followed by the[492]Macedonian,[493]against king Philip. That which putthe Romans upon it was the[494]former injuries[495]Philip had done them,[496]as likewise the late[497]vexation he had given their[498]allies,[499]especially the Athenians, who being[500]harassed by the king,[501]fled to the Romans.[502]At length[503]Titus Quinctius Flaminius[504]put an end to the war, four years after it[505]began, by the[506]conquest of Philip at[507]Cynoscephalæ, in[508]Thessaly.
After this[509]followed the war with[510]Antiochus, king of Asia, who having[511]recovered Syria, and[512]conquered Scopas, the general of[513]Ptolemæus Epiphanes,[514]began now to be[515]formidable to the Romans,[516]against whom Hannibal did not a little[517]inflame him; who, for[518]fear of the same[519]enemy, had[520]fled to the king. The[521]ambassadors of the[522]Ætolians too, who were now[523]averse to the Roman[524]alliance,[525]contributed not a[526]little towards it. Antiochus[527]therefore having[528]clapped up a peace with[529]Ptolemy, to whom he[530]gave his daughter Cleopatra in[531]marriage, and[532]granted[533]Cœlo Syria, and[534]Judea by way of[535]portion,[536]made war upon the Romans, which being begun in the year of the city 562,[537]lasted three years in all. For in the year 565, L.[538]Cornelius Scipio the[539]consul,[540]going over into Asia, with his brother P. Scipio[541]Africanus, as his[542]lieutenant, did, by the[543]assistance,[544]chiefly of his[545]counsel,[546]conquer Antiochus. Livy[547]tells us, there were 50,000[548]foot[549]slain in one[550]battle, and 4,000[551]horse. A peace was[552]granted Antiochus[553]upon the following condition[554]among others, that he should[555]recede[556]from all the countries[557]on this side[558]mount Taurus.
After Antiochus was[559]conquered, the Ætolians were[560]reduced by Fulvius the consul; and the same year the Gallo-Greci were[561]subdued by the other[562]consul, Cneius Manlius.
In the 149th[563]Olympiad[564]died three[565]famous generals, P. Scipio, Hannibal, and[566]Philopæmen. Scipio was[567]impeached for[568]taking[569]money of Antiochus for the peace[570]he granted him; after which he[571]retired to[572]Liturnum in Campania, and[573]died there in the year of the city 570. Hannibal a year or two after (for[574]historians are not[575]agreed upon the[576]matter) being[577]demanded of Drusias, king of Bythynia, by the Roman[578]ambassadors,[579]in order to be[580]put to[581]death,[582]poisoned himself.[583]About the[584]same time Philopæmen, general of the[585]Achæans, was[586]taken by the[587]Messenians, and[588]slain, after he had[589]forced to a[590]submission the Lacedæmonians, who had[591]thrown off the Achæan[592]alliance.
In the mean time Philip, being[593]checked[594]ratherthan[595]conquered in the[596]former war, was[597]very busy in[598]making[599]preparations for[600]another; but before[601]matters were[602]ripe[603]enough[604]for that purpose, he died, and was[605]succeeded by his son[606]Perseus, who[607]went on with the[608]preparations of war[609]against the Romans; which was[610]finished in four years after its[611]beginning with the[612]ruin of him and the[613]kingdom of Macedon[614]together, in the year of the city 586. The general[615]employed by the Romans in that war, was[616]Paulus Æmilius, who in one[617]battle,[618]wherein were slain 20,000[619]men, and 11,000[620]taken[621]prisoners,[622]put a[623]final period to the[624]Macedonian[625]empire in the[626]11th year of king Perseus. About the same time,[627]Gentius, king of the[628]Illyrians, being[629]trepanned into an[630]alliance by Perseus, was[631]conquered by[632]Amicius the[633]prætor.
After the[634]conquest of Antiochus, the Macedonians[635]rebelled again, but were[636]subdued, and Macedon[637]reduced to the[638]rank of a[639]province.
Some time after a war[640]broke out with the[641]Achæans, who having[642]pulled down all the[643]walls of[644]Lacedæmon, and[645]taken away their[646]ancient[647]laws, had[648]obliged them to[649]unite with them; which the Lacedæmonians[650]complained of to theRomans, who[651]sent[652]against the Achæans Metellus the prætor, by whom they were[653]defeated in two[654]engagements at[655]Thermopylæ, and in[656]Phocis; and[657]presently after[658]entirely reduced by the consul[659]L. Nummius, and[660]Corinth, the[661]metropolis of their[662]nation,[663]burnt.
The same year Carthage was[664]taken and[665]destroyed. The[666]occasion of this war was a[667]difference[668]between Masanissa and the Carthaginians[669]about their[670]territories; which[671]controversy being[672]referred to the Romans, they obliged the Carthaginians to[673]give up the[674]country in[675]dispute, and[676]money, also, to Masanissa. But the Romans had[677]before-hand[678]resolved[679]utterly to[680]raze Carthage,[681]right or wrong,[682]chiefly at the[683]instigation of[684]Marcus Cato the censor, who, whenever he[685]gave his[686]opinion upon any[687]debate in the[688]senate,[689]used[690]finally to[691]add, Carthage[692]must be[693]destroyed.[694]Wherefore in the year of the city 605, Carthage was[695]besieged by the consuls[696]Manilius and[697]Censorinus. They soon after[698]surrendered to the Romans; but being[699]ordered to[700]demolish their city, and[701]fix themselves at ten[702]miles[703]distance from the[704]sea, they were so[705]inflamed with[706]fury and[707]despair, that they[708]held outeven[709]beyond their[710]strength,[711]till in the fourth year, the[712]same in which[713]Corinth was destroyed, it was[714]taken by[715]P. Cornelius Scipio, the[716]proconsul, who was[717]Paulus Æmilius’s son, and had been[718]adopted by the son of Scipio Africanus. At the[719]beginning of the war Masanissa, king of the[720]Numidians,[721]died, in the 97th year of his[722]age, having[723]left behind him forty-four sons, and[724]continued[725]an ally of the Romans near 60 years.