C A R T H A G E. 
8 3 S 
certainly have become mafier of it, and confeqiiently of 
the whole ifland, had not a moll malignant dyfente'ry 
obliged him to delift from further operations. This dread¬ 
ful malady made great havock among hi-s troops ; and to 
complete his misfortunes, Dionyfuis attacked him unex¬ 
pectedly, totally ruined his fleet, and made himfelf ruaf- 
ter of his camp. Himilco, unable to fuftain fo unexpect¬ 
ed a change of fortune, came to a private agreement with 
Dionyfuis-; who for 300 talents of gold, contented to let 
him efcapc to Africa, with the (battered remains of his 
fleet and army. The unfortunate general arrived at Car¬ 
thage, clad in mean attire, and was met by a great num¬ 
ber of people, bewailing this inaufpicious expedition. 
(Himilco, unable to furvive his misfortunes, put an end to 
his life. 
Notwithftanding thefe difafters', the Carthaginians could 
not forbear making new attempts upon Sicily; and,-before 
Ghriti 392, Mago, their general, landed with an army of 
80,000 men. This attempt, however, was attended witli 
no better fuccefs ; Dionyfuis found means to reduce him to 
fuch flraits for want of provifions, that lie was obliged to 
tee for peace. This held for nine years, at tire end of 
which the war was renewed with various fuccefs. It con¬ 
tinued with little interruption till the year before Chrift 
367, when, the Syracufian (late being rent by civil diffen- 
tions, the Carthaginians thought it a proper time to be¬ 
come matters of the ifland. They fitted out a great fleet', 
and entered info alliance' with Icetas, tyrant of Leontini, 
who pretended to have taken Syracufe under his protec¬ 
tion. By this treaty, the two powers engaged to a If] ft 
each other, in order to expel Dionyfuis if. after which 
they were to divide the ifland between them. The Syra- 
cufians applied for fuccours to the Corinthians, who rea¬ 
dily fent them a body of troops under the command of Ti- 
moleon. By a flratagem, lie got his forces landed at Tau- 
rominium. The whole of them did not exceed 1200, and 
yet with thefe he marched againft Icetas, who was at the 
head of 5000 men : his army he furprifed at fupper, put- 
300 of them to the fword, and took 600 prisoners. He 
then marched to Syracufe, and broke into the town before 
the enemy had any notice of his approach : here he took 
port, and defended himfelf with fuch refolution, that he 
could not be diflodged by the united pswer of Icetas and 
the Carthaginians. He remained for fome time, in ex¬ 
pectation of a reinforcement from Corinth ; till the arrival 
of which, he did not judge it practicable to extend his con- 
quefts. The Carthaginians being apprifed that the Co¬ 
rinthian fuccours were detained by tempeftuous weather at 
Thurium, polled a flrong fquadron, under Hanno their 
admiral, to intercept them in their paflage. But that 
commander, not imagining the Corinthians would attempt 
a paflage in fuch a ftormy feafon, left his ftation, and or¬ 
dering his teamen to crown themfelves with garlands, and 
adorn their velfels with bucklers both of the Greek and 
Carthaginian form, failed to Syracufe in a triumphant 
manner. Upon his arrival there, he gave them to under¬ 
hand, that he had taken the fuccoursTimoleon expeCted, 
thinking by this means to intimidate them to furrender. 
But, while he thus trifled away his time, the Corinthians, 
juft at the moment of this ftiam triumph, taking the ad¬ 
vantage of a gentle breeze, were wafted over to Sicily. 
Mago was no fooner informed of the arrival of this rein¬ 
forcement, than he was ftruck with terror, though the 
whole Corinthian army did not exceed 4000 men ; and, 
loon after, fearing a revolt of his mercenaries, he weighed 
anchor, in fpite of all the remonftrances of Icetas, and fet 
fail for Africa. Here he no fooner arrived, than, over¬ 
come with ftiame for his unparallelled cowardice, he laid 
violent hands on himfelf. His body was hung upon a 
crofs, to deter .fucceeding generals from forfeiting their 
honour in fo flagrant a manner. After the flight of Ma¬ 
go, Timoleon carried all before him. He obliged Icetas 
to renounce his alliance with Cartilage, and even depofed 
him. On the other hand, the Carthaginians prepared for 
she enfuing campaign with the utmoft alacrity, An army 
4 
of 7©,000 men was fent over, with a fleet of ?co fliips of 
war, and 1600 tranfports laden with warlike engines, 
armed chariots, horfes, and all forts of provifions. This 
immenfe multitude, however, was overthrown on the 
banks of the Crimefus by Timoleon : 10,000 were left 
dead on the held of battle ; and of thefe above 3000 weic 
native Carthaginians of the beft families in the city. Above 
15,000 were taken priloners ; all their baggage and pro- 
viiions, with 200 chariots, 1000 coats of mail, and 10,000 
ftnelds, fell into Timoleoti’s hands. The fpoil, which 
confided chiefly of gold and filver, was fo immenfe, that 
the Sicilian army was three days in collecting it and drip¬ 
ping tlie flain. This fignal defeat induced the Carthagi¬ 
nians to conclude a peace on the following terms: that all 
the Greek cities ftiould be let free; that the river Halycus 
ftiould be the boundary between the territories of both 
parties ; that the natives of the cities, fubjeCt to the Car¬ 
thaginians, ftiould be allowed to withdraw, if they pleated, 
to Syracufe, or its dependencies, with their families and 
effects; and laftly, that Carthage ftiould not, for the fu¬ 
ture, give any afliftance to the enemies of Syracufe. 
About 316 years before Chrift, we find tlie Carthagi¬ 
nians engaged in another war with the Sicilians, on the 
following occafion : Sofiftratus, who had ufurped the fu- 
preme authority at Syracufe, having been forced by A- 
gathocles fo raifethe liege of Rhegium, returned with his 
fhattered troops to Sicily. But, foon after this unfuccefs- 
ful expedition, he was obliged to abdicate the fovereignty 
and quit Syracufe. With him were expelled above 600 of 
the principal citizens, who were tefpeffed of having form¬ 
ed a defign to overturn the government. As Sofiftratus 
and the exiles thought themfelves ill treated, they had re- 
courfe to the Carthaginians, who readily efpoufed their 
caufe. ■ Hereupon the Syracufians, having recalled Aga- 
tliocles, who had been banitlied by Sofiftratus, appointed 
him commander of all their forces. The war, however, 
did not continue long; for Sofiftratus and the exiles were 
received again into the city, and peace was concluded with 
Carthage. Agathoclcs now determined to make himfelf 
abfolnte; and, by a general maffacre of the principal citi¬ 
zens of Syracufe, he railed himfelf to the throne. For 
fome time he was obliged to keep the peace he had con¬ 
cluded with Carthage ; but on finding his authority eftab- 
liflied, and that his fubjects were ready to fecond his de- 
figns, he paid no regard to his treaties, but made war on 
the neighbouring ftates, which he had exprefsly agreed to 
protect. The Carthaginians in the mean time having land¬ 
ed a powerful army in Sicily, an engagement foon enfued, 
in which Agathocles was defeated with the lofs of 7000 
men. After this defeat he fhi.t himfelf up in Syracufe, 
which the Carthaginians immediately inverted, and moft 
of the Greek ftates in the ifland fubmitted to them. 
Agathocles, thus dripped of almoft all his dominions, 
and his capital in danger of falling into the hands of the 
enemy, formed a defign, which were it not attefied by 
writers of undoubted authority, would feem abfolutely 
incredible. This was to transfer the war into Africa, and 
lay liege to the enemy’s capital, at a time when he himfelf 
was befieged, arid only one city left him in all Sicily. 
Before he departed, he made all the neceffary preparations 
for the defence of Syracufe, and appointed his brother 
Antandrus governor of it. He alfo gave permiflion to all 
who were not willing to (land the fatigues of a fiege, to re¬ 
tire out of the city. Many of the principal citizens, Juf- 
tin fays 1600, accepted of this offer; but they were no 
fooner got out of the place, than they were cut off by par¬ 
ties ported on the road for that purpofe. Having feized 
upon their eftates, Agathocles raifed a confiderable fum, 
to defray the expence of the expedition ; however, lie car¬ 
ried, with him only fifty talents to ftipply his prefent wants, 
being well altered that he ftiould find in the enemy’s coun¬ 
try whatever was neceftary for his tebfiftence. As the 
Carthaginians had a much teperior fleet, they for fome 
time kept the mouth of the harbour blocked up : but at 
lafl a fair opportunity offered ; and Agathocles, hoifting 
