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by tlif joy of luivlnc; n Ton, who was fmgulnr!y beautiful, 

 ri.lliircd to lilm. Soun atttr the dlfcovtry, Cr.'finus, with 

 Ills fiimily, removed to Syraciifc, and brought up his fon to 

 his own trade. Having joined Timoleon, who had routed 

 the Cartliaginiansi both the father and fon were enrolh-J 

 among the Syracufan citizens. Upon the death of Carfi- 

 nus, Agathocles was recommended to Demas, a rich citizen, 

 by whofe favour and intereft he was hbcrally fupphcd, and, 

 in due time, advanced to the dignity of a chiliarch, an 

 oiliee which gave liim the command of a thoufaiid mcji. 

 Agathocles, having diltinguilhed himfclf by his mihtarv 

 talents, married the widow of his patron, Dcmas, and thus 

 became the moft wealthy citizen of Syracufe. When the 

 fupremc power in this city was ufurped by SohftratuB, Aga- 

 thoeles retired to Italy ; but alpiring to the fovereigntv, 

 firll of Crotona, and afterwards of Tarentum, he became 

 an objeft of genenJ hatred and terror ; and being expelied 

 from thefe cities, and ii'iding no admiffion into any other, 

 h-; affembled a band of e>;iles and robbtra, and plundered 

 the countiy. At Rhegium, he unexpectedly attacked So- 

 fllliatus, and compelled him to abandon his enterprife. 

 When this ufurper was forced to abdicate the fovereigntv of 

 Syracufe, and to quit the city, he and. the exiles who ac- 

 companied him, had reccnnfe to the Carthaginians, who 

 efpoufed their caufe. The Syracufians recalled Asjathocles, 

 and appointed him to the chief command of the forces that 

 wer.: raifcd for repelling the attack of Sofiftratus and the 

 Carthaginians. Having fuecefstuUy dileharged the trnil 

 that was repofed in him, he afTumed a lovereign power, and 

 by the meafure he purfued convinced his fellow-citizens that 

 he was afpiring to the monarchy. The Syracufans, in 

 thefe circumilanccs of alarm and danger, applied to the 

 Corinthians for a commander ; and they deputed Acellori- 

 des to this office. Agathocles faved his life by a ilratagem ; 

 and having made bis cfeape, he proceeded to raiie troops in 

 different parts of Sicily, and was ioon in a condition to 

 approach the city at the head of a confiderable army. The 

 Syracufans, dreading a civil war, fent ambadadors to treat 

 with Agathocles, who difbanded his forces ; and being con- 

 duced by the citizens to tlie temple of Ceres, took a folemn 

 oath, according to the eitablilhed cuftom, that he would do 

 nothing to- the prejudice of the democracy. Being again 

 rellored to the chief command of the army, he indulged liis 

 ambitious views without regarding his oath, courted the 

 favour of the populace, and maflacred the nobles and chief 

 citizens, fo that in a few hours, more than 4000 of thera 

 were killed, and the llreets were covered with dead bodies. 

 Although he preterided to refign the command and to retire, 

 he conducted his artifice with fo much (lull and fuccefs, that 

 he was unanimoufly proclaimed king, and appointed to 

 govern with an ablolute and uncontrouled power. In order 

 to render himfelt popular, the iirft law he enacted was, that 

 all foniier debts fliould be cancelled, and the lands equally 

 divided among the rich and the poor ; and fuch was his 

 behaviour, that he gained the attachment and coniidence of 

 his fubjefts. AVith their cordial concurrence he reduced, in 

 ty.'o years, the whole ifland ; a few cities held by the Cartha- 

 ginians excepted. His progrefs alarmed the Cartiiaglnians, 

 and they deputed Hamilcar, with a powerful fleet and army, 

 10 reitrain it. The tirft encounter, near the river Himera, 

 terminated in favour of Agathocles ; but the lofs which 

 Hamilcar had fuilained by a ilorm in his voyage, and by the 

 tiift engagement, being repaired by a powerful reinforce- 

 ment, the attack on the part of the Carthaginians was re- 

 newed, and Agathocles was compelled to lave himfelf, firit 

 in Gcla, and afterwards within the walls of his metropolis, 

 to which they laid clofe fiege ; propoling by the reduilion of 

 this city to gain poUclliou of the whole iiland. Thus prefied 



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by the Carthaginians, and abandoned, on account of hn 

 former cruelties, by all his allies in Sicily, Agathocles formed 

 the bold ddign of transfeiTing the war into Airica, and 

 befieging Cartilage, wlien he himfclf was befuged in the 

 metropolis, which was the only city of Sicily in his poffef- 

 iion. \A'ithout communicating his defign to any coniiden- 

 tial perfon, he informed the Syracufans in general tenns, 

 that he had conceived a plan which would be eflectual for 

 their refcue : and collecting together tiie molt intrfpid of 

 thefoldicrs and citizens, and incorporating the Haves, whom 

 he emancipated, among his troops, he em'iarked all his 

 forces on board 60 gallies, failed dircdly for Africa, and 

 landed on the coall, in the third year of the ll7ih olym- 

 piad, B.C.;! 10. Here lie difclofed his views to the army, 

 and animated them to vigorous cflorts by airurances ot fuc- 

 cefs. The foldiers received his addrefs witii loud acclama- 

 tions. He then determined to burn all his (liips, except one 

 or two, which he referred for canying difpatches. When 

 he communicated this daring refolution to tiie aimy, he told 

 them, that when they left Syracufe and were purfued by the 

 enemy, he applied in the moment of danger to Ceres and 

 Proftrpine, the tutelary goddelfcs of Sicily, and promifed 

 to burn ?.ll the vefTels of his fleet, if they delivered his men 

 from the enemy, and enabled them to land fafe in Africa. 

 " Aid me, therefore, O fellow foldiers!" faid he, "to 

 dlfchargc this vow ; for the goddelTes can ealily make us 

 amends fortius facriiice." AVhen thefe words were uttered, 

 he allowed no time for deliberation ; but taking a torcli in 

 his liand, he fet lire to his own fliip ; the officers imitated 

 his example, and were chearfully followed by tiie foldiers. 

 He tiien led tiiem againil an important place, called the 

 Great City, tiiat was fubjeft to Carthage, which tiiey 

 took by florin : they tlien proceeded to Tunis and took it. 

 Having enriched themfclves with the plunder, he caufed 

 botii cities to be levelled with the ground, that there migiit 

 be no place of retreat, and no hope of fafety but in vidtory; 

 aod encamped in the open fields. He next proceeded to- 

 wards Cartilage ; and charging the Caitiiaginiau army with 

 incredible vigour, killed Hanno, one of their chief ge- 

 nerals ; and at laft, by the treachery of Bomiicar, ano- 

 ther general, obtained a complete vidtoiy. When tiie news 

 of this viclory was conveyed to Syracufe, Hamilcar raifed 

 the fiege, and was afterwards taken by the Syracufans, wlio 

 made an unexpefted fally and routed his army, conliiling 

 of 120,000 men, and put to a cruel death. His head was 

 fent to Africa, as an acceptable prefent to Agatiiocles. 

 Wliilil Agathocles was. preparing for the fiege of Carthage, 

 he was joined by Ophelias, prince of the Cyreneans, who 

 had been one of Alexander's captains ; but the deluded 

 prince was perfidiouflv murdered. The favage tyrant, 

 being now at the head of a numerous anny, alFumed the 

 title of tlie king of Africa ; and inverted Carthage, witli a 

 view of reducing it by famine. During this interval, he 

 pafTed over into Sicily with a detachment of 2000 men, in 

 order to reduce thofc inhabitants of tiie cities, who had 

 taken up arms and aifociated in defence of their liberties. 

 His purpofc was fpeedily accomplilhed ; and he haflened 

 his return to Africa. He found his army in great dillrefs ; 

 and in an attempt for obtaining relief, lie was defeated, and 

 tlien dcferted by the Africans, fo that he was under a ne- 

 ceffity of lea\ing the countty. Upon his return to Sicily, 

 he perpetrated the moft horrid fl£ts of cruelty. He iirft 

 marched againft the Egeflines, v.-ho had revolted in his 

 abfence, and having taken their town by florm, he put all 

 the inhaiiitauts to death, without difUndtion of age or fex, 

 and with circumflances of the moft favage barbarity. He 

 alfo ordered all tiiofe to be mafTaered wiio were related to 

 the Syracufans, wiio attended hun in the Carthaginian ex., 



peditioHi 



