120 THE MAMERTINES. 



planted a colony of Roman farmers. The municipal 

 governments of the conquered cities were left undis- 

 turbed. The Romans aimed to establish, at least in 

 appearance, a federation of states, a United Italy. At 

 the time of the first Panic War, this design had nearly 

 been accomplished. Wild tribes of Celtic shepherds 

 still roamed over the rich plains at the foot of the 

 Alps ; but the Italian boroughs had acknowledged the 

 supremacy of Rome. The Greek cities on the southern 

 coast had, a few years before, called over Pyrrhus, 

 King of Epirus, a soldier of fortune, and the first 

 general of the day. But the legion broke the Mace- 

 donian phalanx, and the broadsword vanquished the 

 Macedonian spear. The Greek cities were no longer 

 independent, except in name. Pyrrhus returned to 

 Greece and prophesied of Sicily, as he left its shores, 

 that it would become the arena of the Punic and the 

 Roman arms. 



In the last war that was ever waged between the 

 Syracusans and the Carthaginians, the former had 

 employed some mercenary troops belonging to the 

 Mamertines, an Italian tribe. When the war was 

 ended these soldiers were paid off, and began to march 

 home. They passed through the Greek town of 

 Messina on their road, were hospitably received 

 by the citizens, and provided with quarters for the 

 night. In the middle of the night they rose up and 

 massacred the men, married the widows, and settled 

 down as rulers of Messina, each soldier beneath another 

 man's vine and fig-tree. A Roman regiment, stationed 

 at Rhegium, a Greek town on the Italian side of the 

 straits, heard of this exploit, considered it an excellent 

 idea, and did the same. The Romans marched upon 

 Rhegium, took it by storm, and executed four hundred 



