C A R T 
two brothers, named Phi!real, were Tent from Carthage, 
who advanced with great celerity, while thole from Gy¬ 
rene were altogether as llow. The Cyreneans, thus find¬ 
ing themfelves greatly outflripped by the Philaeni, accufed 
them of letting out before the time appointed, and confe- 
qiteijtly that the convention was broken. Tlte Philaeni de- 
lired them to propofe feme expedient whereby their diffe¬ 
rences might be accommodated ; promifing to fubmit to it 
whatever it might be. The Cyreneans then propofed, 
either that the Philaeni fhould retire from the place where 
they were, or that they (hould be buried alive upon the 
fpot. With this laft condition the brothers complied, 
and by their death gained a large extent of territory to 
their country. The Carthaginians celebrated this as a 
moft licroic adlion; paid them divine honours; and erect¬ 
ed two altars to their memory. 
About the year before Chrift 412, fome difputes hap¬ 
pening between the Egeffmes and Selinuntines, inhabitants 
of two cities in Sicily, the former called in the Carthagi¬ 
nians to their affiftance; and this occalioned a new war in 
Sicily. Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, having land¬ 
ed his forces, marched for Selinus, and immediately in¬ 
verted it. The befieged made a vigorous defence ; but 
the city was taken by (form, and the inhabitants were treat¬ 
ed with the utmoft cruelty. Sixteen thoufand were maf- 
facred ; 2250 efcaped to Agrigentum ; 'and the women and 
children, about 5000 in number were carried away cap¬ 
tives. At the fame time the temples were plundered, and 
the city rafed to the ground. Hannibal now laid fiege to 
Him era, that he might revenge the deatli of his grand¬ 
father Hamilcar, who had been flain before it in a former 
war. His troops, flufhed with fuccefs, behaved with un¬ 
daunted courage: and, finding his battering engines not to 
anfvver his purpofe, he Undermined the wall, fupporting 
it with large beams of timber, to which lie afterwards fet 
fire, and thus laid part of it flat on the ground. The Car¬ 
thaginians foon became matters of the place, and treated it 
as they had done Selinus. After this, Hannibal, difmif- 
ling his Sicilian and Italian allies, returned to Africa. 
The Carthaginians were now fo much elated, that they 
meditated the reduction of the whole ifland ; but, as the 
age and infirmities of Hannibal rendered him incapable of 
commanding alone, they joined with him Imilcar, the foil 
of Ilanno. On the landing of their powerful army, all Si¬ 
cily was alarmed, and the principal cities put themfelves 
into the beft ftate of defence. The Carthaginians firft 
marched to Agrigentum, and began to batter the walls 
with great fury. The befieged defended themfelves with 
incredible refolution, and the Syracufians fent an army to 
their relief. On their approach they were attacked by the 
Carthaginians, and defeated ; whereupon Agrigentum fur- 
rendered. Immenfe booty was found in the city; and the 
Carthaginians behaved with their former cruelty, putting 
all the inhabitants to the fvvord, not excepting even thole 
who had fled to the temples. Imilcar, having rafed Agri¬ 
gentum, made an incurfion into the territories of Gela and 
Comarina ; from whence he carried off filch an immenfe 
quantity of plunder, as filled his whole camp. He then 
marched againrt the city of Gela ; and, though it was but 
indifferently fortified, lie met with a very vigorous refin¬ 
ance ; and the place held out for a long time without re¬ 
ceiving any artiftance from its allies. At laft Dionyfius, 
the Syracufian chief, came to its affiftance with an army of 
50,000 foot, and 1000 horfe. With thefe he attacked the 
Carthaginian camp, but was repulfed with great lofs. In 
confequence of this, a trumpet was fent to Imilcar, to 
defire a celfation of arms till the next day, in order, as 
was pretended, to bury the dead, but in reality to give 
the people of Gela an opportunity to efcape. Towards 
the beginning of the night, the bulk of the citizens 
left the place; and Dionyfius, with his army, followed 
about midnight. To amufe the enemy, he left 2000 of 
his light-armed troops behind him, commanding them to 
make fires all night, and fet up loud rtiouts as though the 
army dill remained. At day-break thefe took the fame 
Vol. III. No. 165. 
HAG - ; E, 837 
route as their companions. The Carthaginians, finding 
the city tints defected, immediately entered it, putting to 
death all who had.remained ; after which, Imilcar, hav¬ 
ing plundered it, moved towards'Comarina. The inha¬ 
bitants of this city had been likewife drawn off by Diony¬ 
fius, and it underwent the fame fate with Gela. Notwith- 
ftanding thefe fuccefles, Imilcar finding his army weakened 
by the cafualties of war, and by an epidemical difeafe, 
fent a herald to Syracufe to otter terms of peace. This 
was very agreeable to the Syracufians, and a peace was 
immediately concluded. Dionyfius, however, concluded 
this peace with no other view than to gain time, and to 
put himfelf in a better condition to attack the Carthagi¬ 
nians. Having accomplifhed this, he acquainted the Sy¬ 
racufians with his delign, and they approved of it; upon 
which lie gave up to the fury of the populace the perfons 
and poflelfions of the Carthaginians who refitted in 3 yra- 
cu fe, and who traded there on the faith of nations. As 
there were many Carthaginian (hips at that time in the 
harbour, laden with cargoes of great value, the people 
immediately plundered them, andranfacked all their lioiifes 
in a mod outrageous manner. This example was followed 
throughout Sicily; and in the mean time Dionyfius dif- 
patched a herald to Cartilage, with a letter to the fenate 
and people, telling them, that, if they did not withdraw 
their garrifons from Sicily, the people of Syracufe would 
treat them as enemies. With this demand, however, he 
did not give them time to comply ; for, without ^waiting’ 
for any anfvver, he advanced with his army to Mount 
Eryx, near which flood the city of. Motya, a Carthaginian 
colony of great importance, and this he immediately in¬ 
verted. But, leaving his brother Leptines to carry on the 
fiege, he went himfelf with the g re ate ft part of his forces 
to reduce the cities in alliance with the Carthaginians. He 
deftroyed their territories with fire and (word, and then 
he fat down before Egefta and Entella, mod of the other 
towns having opened their gates at his approach : but, thefe 
baffling his efforts, he returned to Motya, and puttied on 
the fiege of that place with the utmoft vigour. 
The Carthaginians, alarmed at the meffage of Diony¬ 
fius, and reduced to a miferable fituation by the plague 
which had infefted their city, fent officers into Europe* 
with confiderable mans, to raife troops. Ten gallies were 
alfo difpatched fecretly from Carthage,- to deftroy the fliips 
in the harbour of Syracufe. The admiral entered the har¬ 
bour in the night, without being difeerwed by the enemy ; 
and, having funk mod of the fliips lie found there, returned 
without the lofs of a man. All this while the Motyans 
defended themfelves with incredible vigour; while their 
enemies, defirous of revenging the cruelties excrcifed upon 
their countrymen by the Carthaginians, fought like lions. 
At laft the place was taken by dorm, and the Greek fol- 
diers began a general maffacre. For fome time Dionyfius: 
was not able to reftrain their fury : but at laft he proclaim¬ 
ed that the Motyans fhould fly to the Greek temples; 
which they accordingly did, and a flop was put to the 
daughter ; but the l'oldiers took care thoroughly to plun¬ 
der the town, in which they found a great treafure. The 
Carthaginians now difpatched Himilco their general, who 
landed a powerful army at Panormus, feized upon Eryx, 
and then, advancing towards Motya, retook it before Di- 
onyfius could fend any forces to its relief. He next ad¬ 
vanced to Meffena, which he likewife befieged and took ; 
after which moft of the Siculi revolted. Notwithftanding 
this defection, Dionyfius, finding his forces (till amount 
to 30,000 foot, and 3000 horfe, advanced againft the ene¬ 
my. At the fame time Leptines was fent with the Syra¬ 
cufian fleet againft that of Carthage, but with pofitive or¬ 
ders not to break the line of battle upon any account what¬ 
ever. But, contrary to thefe orders, he thought proper 
to divide his fleet, and the confequence was a total defeat ; 
above 100 of the Syracufian galleys being funk or taken, 
and 20,000 of their men killed. Dionyfius, diflieartened 
by this misfortune, returned to Syracufe; and Himilco 
did not fail immediately to invert the capital ; and would 
iq D " certainly 
