go Before Chrift 264 — 260. 



ftrait in Italy, till they were exterminated by the Romans, who were at 

 that time defirous of fhowing to the world their great abhorrence of 

 treachery. 



The Campanian robbers of MaiTana, who aflumed the name of Ma- 

 mertini (Warriors, or fons of Mars) were thereupon obliged to furrend- 

 er their citadel to a Carthaginian garrifon. Some of them, however, 

 who were difcontented with this meafure, applied to the Romans for af- 

 fiftance: and in favour of allies, fo worthy of their protedion, the Ro- 

 mans, who were exceedingly glad of any pretence for intei'fering in the 

 affairs of Sicily, engaged in a war againfl the Carthaginians and Syra- 

 cufians ; but they foon concluded a feparate peace with the later, that 

 they might have only one enemy to c-intend with. 



264 — ^In order to tranfport their army to Sicily, the Romans borrow- 

 ed veffels from the Tarentines, Eleates, Locrians, and Neapolitans ; for 

 their repubhc did not poflefs a iingle veffel of any kind, even for fo trif- 

 ling a navigation as to ferry their troops over the ftrait of Meflana *. 



At the beginning of the war the Carthaginians, who were abfolute 

 maflers of the fea, diftrelTed the whole coaft of Italy with prsedatory in- 

 curfions, while their ovrn country, inacceffible to the Romans, almofl 

 enjoyed the comforts of peace. The Romans therefor refolved to ella- 

 blifli a naval force, though they had neither fliip-carpenters to build, 

 nor feamen to man, a fleet : and this is one of many inftances of the 

 perfevering intrepidity and refolution by which they obtained the em- 

 pire of the Vvorld. In palling the Strait of Meflana they had got poflef- 

 fion of a Carthaginian quhiqueremes, which was ftranded. In imitation 

 of this veffel their carpenters conllruded 1 00 quhiqueremes ; and they al- 

 io built 20 triremes, of which kind they had already feen fome in Italy. 

 This fleet, if Phny \^H'i/i. nat. L. xvi, c. 39] was truely informed, was 

 ready for fea in fixty days, reckoning from the time of cutting down the 

 trees f . 



26'5 — The firfl: naval eflay of the Romans, as might be expedted, was 



* The ten Roman fliips of war al Tarcntum a that fuch difpatcli was fcarcely credible. ^Ve 



few years before tin's time, and alfo the Roman mull remember, that Polybius received the inate- 



duunwirt navales, or lords of the ntlinlralty, in an rials for the early part of his liillory from the Ro- 



earlier age, mull vanlili befoie this unqueltionable mans ; and indeed he remarks [i. i, c. 64] from his 



truth, which is exprefsiy, formally, and repeatedly, own ohfervnllot!, ihat the Romans though much 



nlfiriixd by Polybius, one of die bed informed and more powcrfnl after the dellni>^!on of Carthage, 



mo(k impartial writers of antiqnity. [L.'\,c. 20. J could fit ont no fuch fleets in his time. 



•) Florus [Z. ii, c. 2] Rels tiiis maivelonsdifpateh When the experience of almoll fix centuries, 



rather too flrong an cmbellilhnienl, even for his and the colleiled fcienee of the wliolc wcilern 



florid hidory, and feems defnons to cfcape from the world, had greatly improved the Roman marine, 



ablurdity under the (hclter of a miraculous meta- feveral years were emidoyed in getting icady a fleet 



morphofis of trees into (hips. Polybius fays no- againfl the Britilh emperor Caraufius. And this 



thing of the time employed in gettinij ready this unque(lit>nablc fact renders fuch wonderfid difpatch 



iirft of the R iman fletts : but, when he tells us in the very infancy of tlic Roman navigation iit- 



[L. i, (. ■^S] that another fleet built by the Romans, tcrly incredible to every pcrfcn who chufes to t>C- 



aftcr their carpenters had gnt fix years' experience, amine what he reads, 



was ready for fea in thicc months, he remarks, 4 



