Before Chrifl: 338 — 333. 71 



338 — The Romans, having fubdued the Latins, got poflellion of fix 

 warlike gallies, which formed the navy of Antium*, a maritime town, 

 and the capital of that people. Part of them they carried into their 

 own harbour ; and part they burnt, and with their armed beaks, or 

 roftra, they adorned their tribunal in the forum. So little did they 

 know what to do with fhips ! This circumflance, if truely related, might 

 induce us to believe, that the Carthaginians had not yet feen any rea- 

 Ibn to be very jealous of the maritime power of the Romans. [Liv. L. 

 viii, c. 14 — F/or. L. i, c. 11.] 



223 The commerce of the eafi: end of the Mediterranean, after 



flouriftiing for ages in the hands of the Phoenicians and their colonifts, 

 had fuffered for two centuries under the tyranny and commercial igno- 

 rance of the Perfian fatraps, when Alexander arofe, whofe immoderate 

 ambition and aftonifhing fuccefs were deftined to change the face of the 

 eaftern world. That conqueror, fenfible, that if he left the maritime 

 provinces in the allegiance of Perfia, he fhould run a rifk of his com- 

 munication with Greece being intercepted, his army and himfelf being 

 cut off, or the war being transferred to his own country, inftead of 

 puftiing forward after the battle of Iffus for the capital of Perfia, turn- 

 ed his march fouthward along the fliore of Phoenicia. The poor re- 

 mains of the Sidonians and the other towns on the coafl fubmitted 

 without refiflance, and even joined his forces againft their own coun- 

 trymen. But he met with a very different reception from the Tyrians, 

 who offered to be his friends, but firmly refufed to be his fubjeds. 

 Alexander, afiioniflied at fuch boldnefs in a community of merchants, 

 threatened to defl:roy their city. The Tyrians on the other hand made 

 every preparation for a brave defence, and (hipped off great numbers 

 of their women and children, configning them to the care of the Car- 

 thaginians, who were prevented by lome domefliic commotions from 

 furnifhing affiftance to their parent Hate. In order to get at the fea- 

 girt city, Alexander, effeded what none but Alexander would have con- 

 ceived the idea of undertaking. With the ruins of old Tyre and the 

 timber of Lebanon he conflruded a caufeway, or mole, acrofs the rapid 

 ftrait of half a mile in breadth, which divided the ifland from the con- 

 tinent, notwithftanding the fl;renuous oppofition of the Tyrians, who 

 omitted nothing, that valour, affiiled by fcience and ingenuity, could 

 perform. They employed divers to cut the cables of Alexander's fliips ; 

 and they defi:royed his works and his people by a fire-fliip f , by flam- 

 ing arrows, by balls of red-hot iron, by hooked poles, by nets, and by 

 three-forked Ipears with lines, fuch as are ufed for ftriking fifh : and, 



* Antium appears from the firft treaty between f This, if I miftake not, is the earlicR notice 



Carthage and Romt; to have been fubjeft to the of that engine of dcllruction. For a particular . 



later 170 years before this time. Sec above, p. defcriptlon of it fee Anion, L. ii. 

 61. 



