836 CART 
info ('null fquare poitions or maflcs, full of angles f that he 
imprefled two motions on tins matter; the one, by which 
each part revolved about its own centre; and another, by 
which an a He mb! age, or fyftem of them, turned round a 
common centre. From whence arole as many different 
vortices, or eddies, as there were different mafles of mat¬ 
ter, thus moving about common centres. The confequence 
of thefe motions in each vortex, according to Des Cartes, 
is as follows: The parts of matter could not tints move 
and revolve among one another, without having their an¬ 
gles gradually broken ; and this continual fri&ion of parts 
and angles limit produce three elements: thefirft of tliefe 
an infinitely fine dull, formed of the angles broken oft; 
the fecond, the Spheres remaining, after all the angular 
parts are thus removed ; and tliofe particles, not yet ren¬ 
dered fmooth and fplierical, but ft ill retaining fome of 
tlteir angles and liamous parts, form the third element. 
Mow the firit or fubtleft element, according to the laws of 
motion, vnuftoccupy the centre of each fyftem, or vortex, 
by reafonof the fmallnefs of its parts ; and this is the mat¬ 
ter which confti’tutes the fun, and the fixed ftars above, and 
the fire below. The fecond element, made up of fpheres, 
forms the atmofphere, and all the matter between the 
earth and the fixed ftars; in fuch fort, that the largeft 
fpheres are always next the circumference of the vortex, 
and the (mailed next its centre. The third element, form¬ 
ed of the irregular particles, is the matter that compbfes 
the earth, and all terreftriai bodies, together with comets, 
spots in the fun, &c. See the application of this philo- 
fophv under Astronomy, vol. ii. p. 339. 
CARTHAGE, [called by the Greeks from 
the Phoenician Car-Chadon. It was alio called Carthada, 
from Cartha-Ada, the city of the queen, or goddefs, who 
was by the Romans fuppofed to be Juno, but who was 
properly the Antonian Elifa. It is in fome authors called 
Cadmeia ; in others Bofra, the name of the capital or tor- 
titied city of Edom, from -whence this colony had its ori¬ 
gin.] A celebrated city of antiquity, the capital of Africa 
Propria, and which, for many yeats, difpnted with Rome 
?{ie fovereignty of the world. Its early hiiiory, like that 
of tnoft other nations, is obfeure and uncertain. Accord¬ 
ing to V. Paterculus, it was built fixty-five, according to 
juftin feventy-two, and according to others, ico, or 140, 
years be forest he foundation of Rome. A Tyrian princefs, 
named Elifa, or Dido, having (led from the cruelty of her 
brother Pygmalion, is laid to have landed with her fol¬ 
lowers on the African coaft, near Ulica, a Phoenician city 
of great antiquity. They were received by the inhabitants, 
their countrymen, with great joy, and foon gaining anac- 
treilion of the neighbouring people, who repaired to them 
for the purpofes of traffic, they purchafed fome land of the 
natives, and built a city, which was called Carthage, fig- 
nifying, in the Phoenician language, the New City. There 
is a fable, that Dido impofed upon the Ample Africans by 
deli ring only as much land as an ox’s hide would encom- 
pafs. 'This moderate requeft being granted, (he cut the 
hide into the (mailed thongs, and with them encompatfed 
a large trait ; on this die built the citadel Byrfa, fo called 
from the hide. Authors, however, are unanimous in ex¬ 
ploding this fable; and obferve, that the Greek word 
Byrfa is derived from the Hebrew Bofra, fignifying a for¬ 
tification, and that it is moreover certain, the Carthagi¬ 
nians paid an annual tribute to the Africans for the land 
they poflefled. 
In a fhort time, the new city became fo confiderable, 
that Iarbas, a neighbouring prince, thought of making 
bimfelf rnufter of it without any ertufion of blood. With 
this view, he deft red that an embaffy of ten of the mod 
noble Carthaginians might he fent him ; and, upon their 
'arrival, propofed to them a marriage with Dido, threaten¬ 
ing war in cafe of a refufal. The ambalfadors, unwilling 
to deliver this melfage, told the queen that Iarbas defired 
fome perfon might be fent him who was capable of civi¬ 
lizing his Africans; but that there was not one of her fub- 
jects who would leave his relations for the convention of 
3 
FI A G E. 
fuch barbarians. The queen told them, they ought to he 
afhamed of refufing to live in any manner for the benefit 
of foci'ety. Upon this, they informed her of the true na¬ 
ture of their melfage from Iarbas; and that, according to 
her own decilion, (he ought to marry Iarbas for the good 
of her country. The queen, rather than fubmit to be the 
wife of a negro, caufed a funeral pile to be evedled, and 
put an end to her life with a dagger. This is Judin’s ac¬ 
count of the death of queen Dido. Virgil’s dory of her 
amour with /Eneas is a poetical fiction, the building of 
Carthage being fixed 300 years lower than the deftruction 
of Troy. How long monarchical government continued 
in Carthage, or what happened to this (late in its infancy, 
is altogether uncertain, becanfe the Punic archives were 
dedroyed by the Romans ; fo that there is a clrafm in the 
Carthaginian hiftory for above 300 years. It appears, ne. 
verthelefs, that, from the very beginning, the Carthagi¬ 
nians applied themfelves to maritime affairs, and were fori 
midable by fea in the time of Cyrus and Cambyfes. From 
Diodorus Siculus, and Juftin, it teems, that the principal 
fupport of the. Carthaginians were the mines of Spain, in 
which country they eftablilhed themfelves very early. By 
means of the riches drawn from thefe mines, they were 
foon enabled to equip formidable fleets. Juftin (ays, that 
the fir(t Carthaginian fetrlement in Spain happened when 
the city of Gades, now Cadiz, was in its infancy. The 
Spaniards, finding this new colony begin to fiourifh, at¬ 
tacked it with a numerous army ; but the Carthaginians 
not only repulfed the Spaniards, but made themfelves 
matters of al molt the whole province in which Gades flood. 
By this fuccefs, they were encouraged to attempt the con- 
quell of the whole country; but it appears front the ac¬ 
counts of Livy and Polybius, that the greateft part of Spain 
remaineft unfubdued till the times of Hamilcar, Aldrubal, 
and Hannibal. 
About 503 years before the birth of Chrift, the Car¬ 
thaginians entered into a treaty with the Romans. It re¬ 
lated chiefly to matters of navigation and commerce. 
From it we learn, that the whole bland of Sardinia, and 
part of Sicily, were then fnbjeCt to Carthage; that they 
were very well acquainted with the coafts of Italy, and 
had made fome attempts upon them, in confequence of 
which, a fpirit of jealoufy had taken place between the 
two republics. About this period, the Carthaginians 
were minded to difeontinue the tribute they had hitherto 
paid the Africans for the ground on which their city flood. 
Bur, notwichftanding their power, they were unfuccefsful; 
and were obliged to conclude a peace, and confent that the 
tribute fliould be continued. 
By degrees, the Carthaginians extended their power 
over all the illandsin the Mediterranean, Sicily excepted ; 
and for the conqueft of this, they made vaft preparations, 
about 480 years before Chrift. Their army confided of 
300,000 men ; their fleet was compofed of upwards of 2000 
veffels; and, with fuch an immenle armament, they made 
no doubt of conquering the whole ifland in a Angle cam¬ 
paign. In this, however, they found themfelves deceiv¬ 
ed. Hamilcar, their general, having landed his forces, 
invefled Himera, a city of confiderable importance. He 
carried on his attacks w ith the greateft afliduity ; but was 
at laft furprifed in his trenches by Gelon and 1 heron, the 
tyrants of Syracufe and Agrigentum, who gave the Car¬ 
thaginians a fignal overthrow. From this time there is 
little mention of the Carthaginians for feventy years. Some 
time during this period, however, they had greatly ex¬ 
tended their dominions in Africa, and likevvile ftiaken off 
tiie tribute originally paid for the eftabiilhment of their 
city. They had warm difputes with the inhabitants of 
Cyrene, about a regulation of the limits of their refpelftivt; 
territories. The confequence of thefe difputes was a war, 
which reduced both nations fo low, that at laft it was 
agreed, that each Hate (hould appoint two commiftaries, 
who (hould let out from their refpedftive cities on the fame 
day and hour, and that the fpot on which they met fliould 
be the boundary of both ftates. In conlequence of this, 
two 
