13 - 



SC1PIO. 



with a firm voice and a calm countenance " This 

 is the day when Hannibal was beaten and Carthage 

 overcome. Why waste tin- lime in words; the 

 gods expect us in the capiiol. Follow me, Romans, 

 and let us oiler them our thanks." The people 

 were filled with shame, followed him directly, and 

 left the accusers in the forum alone. Notwith- 

 standing this, Scipio was summoned before the 

 tribunal a second time by his enemies. lie did not 

 appear, but left the ungrateful city, and retired to 

 his villa at Linternuni. As he was still persecuted, 

 and his rural quiet disturbed, Tiberius Gracchus, 

 the eloquent tribune of the people, at length 

 undertook his defence, and showed the Romans 

 the baseness and injustice of their conduct. The 

 persecutions now ceased; but Scipio soon fell sick, 

 and died in his retirement. He told his wife to 

 have these words engraved upon his monument: 

 " Ungrateful country, thou shalt never possess my 

 hones." He died three years after he had left 

 Rome, in the year of the city 571 (B. C. 183). 

 The same year, Hannibal, the most dangerous 

 enemy of the Romans, died in Bithynia. 



SCIPIO, PUBLIL-S ^EMILIANUS, surnamed Afri- 

 canus the younger, son of the famous Paulus .ZEmi- 

 lius, who conquered the powerful Perseus, king of 

 Macedonia, was adopted by the son of the great 

 Scipio. He began his public career at the age of 

 thirty, when the Roman senate was about to 

 despatch a new army to repress the disturbances in 

 Spain. Exasperated by the constant failure of the 

 wars against the Spanish tribes, the people obsti- 

 nately refused to serve. At this juncture, Scipio 

 came forward, and by a spirited and powerful 

 harangue, made such an impression on the public 

 mind, that a multitude of Romans of all classes 

 voluntarily enlisted. B. C. 152, he accompanied 

 the consul, Luc. Licinius Lucullus, to Spain, as 

 legionary tribune, and, by his disinterestedness, cour- 

 age, affability, and firmness, gained the love and 

 esteem of the army. He acquired peculiar respect 

 by conquering a gigantic Spaniard, who had long 

 irritated the Romans by his arrogant challenges. 

 By his magnanimity and kindness he obtained more 

 honourable victories over the hearts of the Spaniards. 

 But Lucullus viewed the young hero with a jealous 

 eye, and, in order to remove him from the army, 

 commissioned him to obtain elephants from Masi- 

 nissa, in Africa. He was entertained by the king 

 with the greatest distinction, fully accomplished 

 the object of his mission, and returned to Spain. 

 A few years after this, he went to Africa a second 

 time, at the commencement of the third Punic war, 

 in the year of Rome 605; B. C. 149. He served 

 under the consul M. Manlius Nepos, and, by his 

 courage and vigilance, rendered important services 

 to the cause of the Romans. When, owing to the 

 negligence of the consul, the Carthaginians, in 

 this campaign, suddenly fell upon the camp, Scipio 

 saved the army from destruction by coming unex- 

 pectedly upon the rear of the enemy, and forcing 

 them to retire. A short time subsequent to this 

 event, the same imprudent consul attacked As- 

 drubal in a position unfavourable for the Romans, 

 and was obliged to retreat. Hotly pursued by the 

 enemy, he would have suffered a great loss, had 

 not Scipio confronted the pursuers with a body of 

 300 horse, and kept them in check till the rest of 

 the troops had passed over the river. But a few 

 hundred of the Roman foot-soldiers were still 

 behind. No sooner had Scipio perceived their con- 

 dition, than he hastened over the river with a 



detachment of cavalry, took possession of a piece 

 of rising ground, attacked the enemy, and thus 

 enabled the Romans to escape with only a trifling 

 loss. He ret urned in triumph to the Roman camp, 

 crowned by the grateful soldiers, who owed to him 

 their safety, with a wreath of grass, woven on the 

 place where they were rescued. By this proof of 

 courage and conduct, Scipio gained universal 

 c>teein and admiration. Even the severe Cato 

 was loud in his praise, and prophesied at his death, 

 that by him alone could the proud rival of Rome, 

 Carthage, be destroyed. Manlius, his commander, 

 could not forbear to recommend the young hero, in 

 the most emphatic manner, to the senate. Hence, 

 the next year, contrary to the usual custom, he was 

 unanimously chosen consul, and leader of the forces 

 against the Carthaginians. Accompanied by Ladius, 

 the worthy son of the La^lius renowned in the 

 second Punic war, who was the intimate friend of 

 the elder Scipio, and by Polybius, the Greek his- 

 torian, he went a second time into a hostile country. 

 Directly after his arrival, he rescued a large body 

 of Roman soldiers, who were surrounded, and whose 

 destruction appeared certain. Having beaten and 

 driven back the hostile armies, he began to make 

 serious preparations to reduce the city, which was 

 extremely strong, and laboured to cut off all the 

 supplies of troops and provisions, both by land and 

 sea. But his design was frustrated by the des- 

 perate efforts of the besieged. With incredible 

 activity, the Carthaginians excavated a new har- 

 bour, and thus opened a connexion with the troops 

 collected without the city. And, strange as it may 

 seem, a new fleet of fifty ships was built, which 

 violently attacked the fleet of the Romans; and, 

 after a protracted and stubborn contest the Romans 

 gained no decisive victory. An attempt which 

 they made to storm an important rampart near the 

 city, totally failed, as the enemy, swimming through 

 the intervening water, set fire to the Roman ma- 

 chinery, and repelled the Romans themselves with 

 fire-brands. Some time after, indeed, the consul 

 made himself master of "this rampart, and kept pos- 

 session of it ; but he was unable to take the city 

 that year, and the approach of winter put a stop to 

 military operations. The next season, he attacked 

 the hostile army, which was strongly intrenched, 

 with a superior force, conquered and destroyed 

 them. He then advanced against the city, and, 

 after twenty days, the genius of the general, and 

 the perseverance of the devoted troops effected the 

 reduction of Carthage (q. v.) B. C. 146. Lffllius, 

 the valiant friend of Scipio, first ascended the walls 

 of the city with bis soldiers. With unparalleled 

 fury the Carthaginians resisted the Romans, even 

 after they had entered the city; and much blood 

 was spilt before the conquerors could fully reduce 

 it. By the express command of the Roman seriate, 

 this rival of Rome, once so powerful, was demol- 

 ished and burnt. This spectacle affected Scipio to 

 tears. He was honoured with a magnificent tri- 

 umph at Rome, after the war was terminated, and 

 was surnamed the younger Africanus. After he 

 had lived for some time as a private citizen, he was 

 sent with other ambassadors to Egypt, to king 

 Ptolemy Euergetcs, where he was much admired 

 for his genuine Roman moderation, and his noble 

 thirst for knowledge. When he returned (B. C. 

 142) he was elected censor. In this office he fre- 

 quently urged the degenerate Romans to return to 

 the simplicity and frugality of their fathers; he 

 even punished severely some respectable citizens 



