the elephants to advance to break the ranks of the enemy, and commanded the two wings of the cavalry to charge the Romans in flank. At the same time, the latter, clashing their arms, and shouting after their usual wont, advanced against the enemy. Their cavalry, being so much inferior to that of the Carthaginians, could not stand the onset long. The infantry in the left wing, to avoid the attacks of the elephants, and show how little they feared the mercenaries, who formed the enemy's right wing, attacked it, put it to flight, and pursued it to the camp. Those in the first ranks, who were opposed to the elephants, were, however, broken and trodden under foot; and when the rear, attacked by the enemy's cavalry, was obliged to face about and receive it, and those who had broken through the elephants met the phalanx of the Carthaginians, which had not yet engaged, and which received them in good order, the Romans were routed on all sides and defeated. Only 2000 escaped; all the rest, Regulus and 500 prisoners excepted, were left dead on the field. The Carthaginians, after having stripped those who had been slain, entered Carthage in triumph, dragging after them the unfortunate Regulus and the rest of the prisoners; after which, the whole city crowded to the temples of their false gods to return thanks, and then devoted several days to festivities and rejoicings. The date of this event was 256 years

B. C.

Xanthippus, we are told by Polybius, who had contributed so much to this change, had the wisdom to withdraw shortly after, from the apprehension lest his glory, which had hitherto been unsullied, might after this first blaze, insensibly fade away, and leave him exposed to the darts of envy and calumny, in a foreign country, and among a cruel and treacherCas people. We read in Appian, however, that the Carthanians were jealous of his honour, and that, unable to encare the thought that they should stand indebted to Sparta for their safety, upon pretence of conducting him and his attendants back with honour to his own country, gave private orders to have them all put to death on their passage; as though with him they could have buried in the waves for ever the memory of his services, and their ingratitude. It is a matter of doubt which of these historians is correct, but the former Statement seems the most probable, though the perfidy of the Carthaginians was proverbial.

The disaster which the Romans met with in Africa by no

means discouraged them. They made, indeed, greater preparations than before to retrieve their loss, and they put to sea the following campaign with 360 vessels. The Carthaginians sailed out to meet them with 200, but they were repulsed in an engagement fought on the coasts of Sicily, with the loss of 114 ships.

The Romans, after this sailed to Africa and took in the few soldiers who had escaped the pursuit of the enemy after the defeat of Regulus, and who had defended themselves in Clypea against all opposers. On their return, the Romans were overtaken by a storm which destroyed nearly the whole of their fleet. A similar misfortune attended them also during the following year; but they consoled themselves for this double loss by a victory which they gained over Asdrubal, from whom they took nearly 140 elephants. This news being brought to Rome, filled the whole city with joy, and it was deemed expedient to make a greater effort than ever, in order to finish, if possible, a war which had continued fourteen years. The two consuls accordingly set sail B. c. 251, with a fleet of 200 ships, and arriving in Sicily, formed the bold design of besieging Lilybeum.

The town of Lilybeum was the strongest which the Carthaginians possessed in Sicily, and the loss of it would have been attended with that of every part of the island, and would have opened to the Romans a free passage into Africa. Great exertions were therefore made for its retention. Imilco was governor there, with 10,000 regular forces, exclusive of the inhabitants; and Hannibal, the son of Hamilcar, brought him as many more from Carthage.

The Romans lost no time. Having brought forward their battering rams, they demolished several towers; and gaining ground daily, they made such progress as excited in the besieged fears for the event. The governor saw indeed, that the city would be lost, if the engines of the Romans were not destroyed. Accordingly, he prepared his forces for this enterprise; he sent them out at day-break with torches, tow, and all kinds of combustible material; and at the same time attacked all the engines. The Romans exerted their utmost efforts to repel them, and the engagement was very fatal; every one, assailant as well as defendant, stood to his post, and chose to die rather than retreat. At length, after a long resistance, the besieged sounded a retreat, and left the Romans in possession of their works. The conflict being over Han

nibal embarked secretly in the night, and sailed for Drepanum, a commodious port about 120 furlongs from Lilybeum, where Adherbal commanded for the Carthaginians.

Animated by their late successes, the Romans renewed the attack with greater vigour than heretofore. But they were to suffer a reverse. A furious wind rising suddenly, some of the mercenaries represented to the governor, that it was a favourable opportunity for them to fire the engines of the besiegers, especially as the wind blew against them; and they seconded their representation by offering themselves for the enterprise. The offer was accepted, and being furnished with every thing necessary, they sallied forth from the city. They succeeded in their design: in a moment the fire caught all the engines, and the Romans could not extinguish it, because, the flames spreading every where, the winds carried the sparks and smoke full in their faces, so that they could not see where to apply a remedy. Through this event, the Romans lost all hopes of being able to carry the place by force; they therefore turned the siege into a blockade, raised a strong line of contravallation round the town, and dispersing their army in every part of the neighbourhood, resolved to effect by time what they could not perform by force.

When the transactions of the siege of Lilybeum, and the loss of a part of their forces, were known at Rome, the citizens redoubled their exertions; every man strove to be foremost in the muster roll; so that in a very little time, an army was raised of 10,000 men, who crossing the strait, marched by land to join the besiegers.

At the same time, P. Claudius Pulcher, the consul, formed a design of attacking Adherbal in Drepanum (B. c. 249.) Flushed with hope, the better to conceal his design, he sailed out with his fleet in the night. But he had to cope with a general whose vigilance he could not elude, and who did not even give him time to draw up his ships in line of battle, but fell vigorously upon him, whilst his fleet was in confusion. The Carthaginians gained a complete victory. Of the Roman fleet, only thirty vessels escaped; the rest amounting to ninety-three, were, with all on board them, taken by the enemy, a few soldiers excepted.

Junius, the colleague of P. Claudius Pulcher, was neither more prudent nor fortunate; for he lost his whole fleet by misconduct. Endeavouring to atone for his misfortune by some great action, he held a secret correspondence with the

inhabitants of Eryx,* and by that means obtained possession of the city. On the summit of the mountain stood the temple of Venus Erycina, so called from being worshipped at Eryx, the most beautiful as well as the richest of all the Sicilian temples. The city stood a little below the summit of this mountain, and the only access to it was by a long and rugged road. Junius posted one part of his troops upon the top, and the remainder at the foot of the mountain, imagining that he had in that position nothing to fear. He was soon undeceived; for Hamilcar, surnamed Barca, father of the celebrated Hannibal, who was now (B. c. 247) placed at the head of the Carthaginian army, found means to get into the city, which lay between the two camps of the Romans, and there fortified himself. From this position he harassed the Romans for two years incessantly.

During the next five years, nothing memorable was performed on either side. The Romans had imagined that their. land forces would be capable of finishing the siege of Lilybeum; but, as they saw it protracted, they returned to their original plan, and made extraordinary efforts to fit out a new fleet. The public treasury was at a low ebb; but this want was supplied by individual zeal: every man, according to his circumstances, contributed to the common expense, and advanced money upon public security, by which means 200 ships were in a little time prepared for a new enterprise. The command was given to Lutatius, the consul, B. C. 242. The enemy's fleet had retired into Africa; the consul therefore, easily seized upon all the advantageous posts in the neighbourhood of Lilybeum, and foreseeing an engagement, he omitted no precautions to ensure sucess.

He was soon informed that the Carthaginian fleet drew near. This fleet was under the command of Hanno, who landed in a small island called Hiera, opposite to Drepanum, with the design to reach Eryx undiscovered by the Romans, to reinforce his troops, and to take Barca on board to assist him in the expected engagement. But the consul suspected his intention; and having assembled all his best forces, he sailed for the small island Ægusa, or Ægates, which lay near

*It must be observed here, that the port of Drepanum lay north of Lilybesum at the foot of Mount Fryx. The city of Eryx stood on the declivity of the mountain, and the temple of Venus on the summit. Thus the port, city, and the temple were connected together. The mountain is now called Monte de San Juliana, and is reckoned the highest in Sicily, Etna excepted.

Hiera. He acquainted his officers with the design he had of attacking the enemy on the morrow; and, accordingly, at day-break he prepared to do so. On the report

of the Romans being in motion, the Carthaginians had put to sea a fleet fitted out in haste, the soldiers being all mercenaries, newly levied, without any experience, resolution, or zeal. This soon appeared in the engagement; for they could not sustain the first attack. Fifty of their vessels were sunk, and seventy taken, with all on board. The rest, favoured by a wind, made the best of their way to Hiera. The consul sailed immediately for Lilybeum, and joined his forces to those of the besiegers.

When the news of this defeat arrived at Carthage, it occasioned the greatest surprise and alarm. The senate, however, did not lose their courage, though they saw themselves unable to contine the war. As the Romans were now mas

ters of the sea, it was not possible for the Carthaginians to send either provisions or reinforcements to their armies in Sicily. An express was, therefore, immediately despatched to Barca, the general there, empowering him to act as he should think proper. Barca, so long as he could entertain hope, had done every thing that could be expected from the most intrepid courage, and the most consummate wisdom. But having now no resource left, he sent a deputation to the consul, in order to treat about a peace. Prudence, says Polybius, consists in knowing how to resist and yield at a seasonable juncture. Lutatius was not insensible how tired the Romans were become of a war, which had exhausted their resources, and thinned the ranks of their citizens; and the awful consequences, which had attended on the inexorable conduct of Regulus, were fresh in his memory; he therefore complied without difficulty, and dictated the following treaty:-" There shall be peace between Rome and Carthage (in case the Roman people approve of it) on the following conditions: the Carthaginians shall evacuate all Sicily; shall no longer make war upon Hiero, the Syracusans, or their allies: they shall restore to the Romans without ransom all the prisoners which they have taken from them; and pay them within twenty years, 2200* Euboic talents of silver."

When these conditions were brought to Rome, the people, disapproving of them, sent ten commissioners to Sicily to terminate the affair. These made no alteration as to the sub

* 515,000%. English money.