with all his forces, the Carthaginians,, who at first made a gallant refiftance. But when the news of their general's death was brought them, and they faw their fleet in a blaze, their courage failed them, and they fled. And now a dreadful flaughter enfued; upwards of a hundred and fifty thousand being flain. The reft of the army, having retired to a place where they were in want of every thing, could not make a long defence, and fo were forced to furrender at difcretion. This battle was fought the very day of the famous action of Thermopyla, in which three hundred Spartans*, with the facrifice of their lives, difputed Xerxes's entrance into Greece.

When the fad news was brought to Carthage, of the entire defeat of the army; confternation, grief, and defpair, threw the whole city into such a confusion and alarm as are not to be expreffed. It was imagined that the enemy was already at the gates. The Carthaginians, in great reverses of fortune, always loft their courage, and funk into the oppofite extreme. Immediately they fent a deputation to Gelon, by which they defired peace upon any terms. He heard their envoys with great humanity. The complete victory he had gained, fo far from making him haughty and untractable, had only increased his modefty and clemency even towards the enemy. He therefore granted them a peace, upon no other condition, than their paying two thousand+ talents towards the expence of the war. He likewife required of them to build two temples, where the treaty of this peace fhould be depofited, and expofed at all times to public view. The Carthaginians did not think this a dear purchase of a peace, that was fo abfolutely neceffary to their affairs, and which they hardly durft hope for. Gifgo, the fon of Hamilcar, purfuant to the unjuft cuftom of the Carthaginians, of afcribing to the general the ill fuccefs of a war, and making him fuffer for

*Befides the 300 Spartans, the Theffians, a people of Baotia, to the number of 700, fought and died with Leonidas, in this memorable I battle. HEROD. 1. vii. c. 202-222.

+ An Attick filver talent, according to Dr. Bernard, is 2061. 5s. confequently 2000 talents is 412,500l.

it, was punished for his father's misfortune, and fent into banishment. He paffed the remainder of his days at Selinuntum, a city of Sicily.

Gelon, on his return to Syracufe, convened the people, and invited all the citizens to appear under arms. He himfelf entered the affembly, unarmed and without his guards, and there gave an account of the whole conduct of his life. His fpeech met with no other interruption, but the public teftimonies which were given him of gratitude and admiration. So far from being treated as atyrant and the oppreffor of his country's liberty, he was confidered as its benefactor and deliverer; all, with an unaminous voice, proclaimed him king; and the crown was bestowed, after his death, on his two brothers.

After the memorable defeat of the Athenians before Syracufe, where Nicias perished with his whole fleet; the Segeftans, who had declared in favour of the Athenians againit the Syracufans, fearing the refentment of their enemies, and being attacked by the inhabitants of Selinuntum, implored the aid of the Carthaginians, and put then felves and city under their protection. The laft-mentioned people debated fome time, what courfe it would be proper for them to take, the affair meeting with great difficulties. On one hand, the Carthaginians were very defirous to poffefs themfelves of a city which lay fo convenient for them; on the other, they dreaded the power and forces of Syracufe, which had fo lately cut to pieces a numerous army of the Athenians; and become, by fo fhining a victory, more formidable than ever. At laft, the luft of empire prevailed, and the Segeftans were promised fuccours.

The conduct of this war was committed to Hannibal, who had been invested with the highest dignity of the fate, being one of the Suffetes. He was grandfon to Hamilcar, who had been defeated by Gelon, and killed before Himera; and fon to Gifgo, who had been condemned to exile. He left Carthage, fired with a defire

d A. M. 3592

A. Carth 434. Rome, 336. Ant. J C. 412. Diod. 1. xiii. p. 169-171. 179–186.

of

of revenging his family and country, and of wiping away the difgrace of the laft defeat. He had a very great army as well as fleet under his command. He landed at a place called the Well of Lilybaum, which gave its name to a city, afterwards built on the fame fpot. His firft enterprife was the fiege of Selinuntum. The attack and defence were equally vigorous, the very women fhowing a refolution and bravery above their fex. The city, after making a long refistance, was taken by ftorm, and the plunder of it abandoned. to the foldiers. The victor exercised the most horrid cruelties, without fhowing the leaft regard either to age or fex. He permitted fuch inhabitants as had fled, to continue in the city after it had been difmantled; and to till the lands, on condition of their paying a tribute to the Carthaginians. This city had been built two hundred and forty-two years.

Hymera, which was next befieged by Hannibal, and likewife taken by ftorm, and more cruelly treated than Selinuntum, was entirely razed, two hundred and forty years from its foundation. He forced three thousand prifoners to undergo all kinds of ignominy and punishments, and at laft murdered them on the very fpot where his grandfather had been killed by Gelon's cavalry; to appeafe and fatisfy his manes, by the blood of thefe unhappy victims.

Thefe expeditions being ended, Hannibal returned to Carthage, on which occafion the whole city came out to meet him, and received him amidst the most joyful acclamations.

Thefe fucceffes reinflamed the defire, and revived the defignwhich the Carthaginians had ever entertained, of getting poffeffion of all Sicily. Three years after, they appointed Hannibal their general a fecond time; and on his pleading his great age, and refufing the command of this war, they gave him for lieutenant, Imilcon, fon of Hanno, of the fame family. The preparations for this war were equal to the great defign which the Carthaginians had formed. The fleet and army were Diod. 1. xiii. p. 201-203. 206-211. 226–231. 1-203

VOL. I.

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foon

foon ready, and fet out for Sicily. The number of their forces, according to Timæus, amounted to above fixfcore thousand; and, according to Ephorus, to three hundred thousand men. The enemy on their fide had. put themselves in a pofture of defence, and were prepared to give the Carthaginians a warm reception. The Syracufans had fent to all their allies, in order to levy forces among them; and to all the cities of Sicily, to exhort them to exert themfelves vigoroufly in de fence of their liberties.

Agrigentum expected to feel the first fury of the ene: my. This city was prodigioufly rich, and ftrongly for tified. It was fituated, as were Hymera and Selinun tum, on that coaft of Sicily, which faces Africa. Ac-: cordingly, Hannibal opened the campaign with the fiege of this city. Imagining that it was impregnable. except on one fide, he turned his whole force that way.. He threw up banks and terraces as high as the walls; and made ufe, on this occafion, of the rubbish and fragments of the tombs ftanding round the city, which he had demolished for that purpofe. Soon after, the plague. infected the army, and fwept away a great number of the foldiers, and the general himfelf. The Carthaginians interpreted this difafter as a punishment inflicted, by the gods, who revenged in this manner the injuriesdone to the dead, whofe ghosts many fancied they had,

*The very fepulchral monuments fhowed the magnificence and luxury of this city, they being adorned with ftatues of birds and horses. But the wealth and boundlefs generofity of Gelliar, one of its inhabit. ants, is almoft incredible. He entertained the people with fpectacles and feafts, and, during a famine, prevented the citizens from dying with hunger: he gave portions to poor maidens, and refcued the unfortunate from want and defpair; he had built houfes in the city and the country, purpofely for the accommodation of ftrangers, whom he ufually difmiffed with handfome prefents. Five hundred fhipwrecked citizens of Gela, applying to him, were bountifully received, and every man fupplied with a cloak and coat out of his wardrobe. Diud. 1. xiii. Valer. Max. 1. iv. c. ult. Empedocles the philofopher, born in Agrigentum, has a memorable faying concerning his fellow citizens; "That the Agrigentines fquandered their money fo exceffively every day; as if they expected it could never be exhaufted; and built with fuch folidity and magnificence, as if they thought they should live for ever."

feen

feen ftalking before them in the night. No more tombs were therefore demolished, prayers were ordered to be made according to the practice of Carthage; a child was facrificed to Saturn, in compliance with a most inhumanly-fuperftitious custom; and many victims were thrown into the fea in honour of Neptune.

The befieged who, at first had gained feveral advantages, were at last fo preffed by famine, that all hopes of relief feeming defperate, they refolved to abandon the city. The following night was fixed on for this purpose. The reader will naturally image to himself the grief with which the miferable people must be feized, on their being forced to leave their houses, rich poffeffions, and their country; but life was ftill dearer to them than all these. Never was a more melancholy fpectacle feen. To omit the reft, a crowd of women, bathed in tears, were feen dragging after them their helplefs infants, in order to fecure them from the brutal fury of the victor. But the moft grievous circumftance was the neceflity they were under of leaving be hind them the aged and fick, who were unable either to fly or to make the leaft refiftance. The unhappy exiles arrived at Gela, which was the nearest city in their way, and there received all the comforts they could expect in the deplorable condition to which they were reduced.

In the mean tiine Imilcon entered the city, and murdered all who were found in it. The plunder was immenfely rich, and fuch as might be expected from one of the moft opulent cities of Sicily, which contained two hundred thousand inhabitants, and had never been befieged, nor confequently plundered before. A num. berlefs multitude of pictures, vafes, and ftatues of all kinds were found here, the citizens having an exquifité tafte for the polite arts. Among other curiofities was a famous bull* of Phalaris, which was fent to Carthage.

The fiege of Agrigentum had lafted eight months. Imilcon made his forces take up their winter-quarters

*This bull, with other fpoils here taken, was afterwards reftored to the Agrigentines by Scipio, when he took Carthage in the third Punic war. Cic. I. iv. in Verrem, c. 33.