8 .4? C A R T 
with fuch vigour, that the Romans would never have 
been able to make themfelves mailers of it, had they not 
fitted out a new fleet at the expenee of private citizens, 
which, having'.defeated that of the Carthaginians, Ham.il- 
car was obliged to yield up the.place lie had fo long and 
fio bravely defended. Some fucceliive victories of the Ro¬ 
mans were followed by a peace, and tliefe (lipulations were 
agreed to. i. The Carthaginians fhall evacuate all the 
places which they have in Sicily, and entirely quit that 
ifland. 2. They (hall, in twenty years, pay the Romans, 
at equal payments every year, 2200 talents of filver, that 
'is, 437,2501. flerling. 3. They (hall reftore the Roman 
captives without ranforn, and redeem their own prifoners 
with money. 4. They fhall not make war upon Hiero 
king of Syracufe, or his allies. Tliefe articles being a- 
greed to, Hainilcar fnrrendered Eryx, and hoftages were 
given on both Tides, and deputies fent to Rome, to pro¬ 
cure a ratification of the treaty by the fenate. After the 
fenators had informed themfelves of the (fate of affairs, 
two more articles were added, viz. 1. That 1000 talents 
fliould be paid immediately, and the 2200 in the fpace of 
ten years, by equal payments. 2. That the Carthaginians 
fliould quit all the iilands about Italy and Sicily, and ne¬ 
ver more come near them with (hips of war, or raife mer¬ 
cenaries in thofe place. Neceflity obliged Hamilcar to 
content to tliefe terms ; but he returned to Carthage with 
an hatred to the Romans, which lie did not fufr'er to die 
with him, but tranfmitted to his foil, the great Hannibal. 
The Carthaginians were no fooner relieved from this 
expenfive war, than they found themfelves engaged in an¬ 
other, called by the ancient hiftorians the Libyan war, or 
the war with the mercenaries. The occafion of it was, that 
when Hamilcar returned to Carthage, he found the repub¬ 
lic fo much impoverifhed, that, far from being able to 
give tliefe troops the rewards promifed them, it could not 
difeharge their arrears. This great army was therefore 
encamped in the neighbourhood of Carthage, where it re¬ 
mained for a coufiderable time, waiting to be paid off. But 
being wholly, immerfed in idlenefs, to which they had 
long been (1 rangers, a negieiSt of difeipline enfued, and of 
courfe a petulant and licentious fpirit took place. They 
now determined not to acquiefce in receiving their bare 
pay, but to infill upon the.rewards Hamilcar had promifed 
them, and to compel the Hate of Carthage to comply with 
their demands by force of arms. The fenate, informed of 
the mutinous dil'pofition of the foldiery, difpatched Hanno 
to pacify them. Upon his arrival, he expatiated largely 
upon the poverty of the (late, and the heavy taxes with 
which the citizens of Carthage were loaded ; and there¬ 
fore, inllcad of anfwering their high expeditions, he de- 
fired them to be fatisfied with receiving part of their pay, 
and remit the remainder to ferve the prefent exigencies of 
the republic. The mercenaries highly provoked that nei¬ 
ther Hamilcar, nor any of the principal officers who com¬ 
manded them in Sicily, and were the bed judges of their 
merit, made their appearance on this occafion, immedi¬ 
ately had recourfe to arms. Affembling, therefore, in a 
body, to the number of 20,000, they advanced to Tunis, 
and encamped before that city. The Carthaginians gene- 
roully offered to fatisfy them in all points, and agreed to 
refer the matter to the opinion of fome general in Sicily, 
as they had all along defired ; leaving the choice of f’uch 
commander entirely to themfelves. Gifco was accord¬ 
ingly pitched upon ; who Toon arrived at Tunis with mo¬ 
ney to pay the troops; and, after conferring with the offi¬ 
cers of the feveral nations apart, he harangued them in 
fitch a manner, that a treaty was on the point of being 
concluded, when Spendius and Mathos, two of the prin¬ 
cipal mutineers, occafioned a tumult in every part of the 
camp. Spendius had been a flave at Rome, and had fled 
to the Carthaginians. The apprehenfions he was under 
of being delivered to his old mailer, by whom he was 
Eire to be put to death, prompted him oppofe the accom¬ 
modation. Mathos was an African, and free-born ; but, 
as he bad been active in raifing the rebellion, and was well 
H A G E. 
acquainted with the implacable dlfpofition of the Cartha¬ 
ginians, he knew that a peace mull infallibly prove bis 
ruin. He therefore joined with Spendius in exciting the 
army to outrage and rebellion. I11 the niidft of tliefe com¬ 
motions, Gifco behaved with great firmnefs and intrepi¬ 
dity. He left no methods untried to foften the officers, 
and to calm the minds of the foldiery ; but the torrent of 
fedition was fo llrong, that they feized upon the military 
chefl, dividing the money among themfelves in part of 
their arrears, put Gifco under an arrelt, and treated him 
and his attendants with tlie uunolt indignity. Mathos 
and Spendius, to deftroy the remotefl hopes of an accom¬ 
modation, loaded Gifco with irons, and formally declared 
war againll Carthage. The cities of Africa, to whom 
they had fent deputies to exhort them to recover their 
liberty, came over to them, except Utica and Hippo Diar- 
rhytus. Their force- was by this means greatly increafed, 
and they divided their army into two parts, with one of 
which they moved towards Utica, wliilfl the other march¬ 
ed to Hippo, to beflege both places. The Carthaginians, 
in the mean time, purfued all the meafures neceffary to 
put themfelves into a poltnre of defence. Hanno was ap¬ 
pointed commander of their forces; and the molt ftrenu-\ 
ous efforts were made, not only to repel the attempts of 
the mutineers, but to reduce them by force of arms. 
Hanno marched to the relief of Utica wiih a numerous ar¬ 
my, too elephants, and a large train of battering engines. 
Having taken a view of the enemy, he immediately at¬ 
tacked their intrenchments, and forced them. The mer¬ 
cenaries loft a vail number of men ; and the advantages 
gained by Hanno were fo great, that, had he made a pro¬ 
per ufe of them, the adlion might have been decifive ; 
but, becoming fecure after his victory, and his troops off 
their duty, the mercenaries rallied their forces, fell upon 
him, retook the camp, feized all the provilions, military 
ftores, &c. brought to the relief of the belieged, and pof- 
feffed themfelves of the ilthnuis which joined the penin- 
fuia on which Carthage flood, to the continent of Africa. 
This induced the Carthaginians once more to place Hamil¬ 
car Barcas at the head of their forces. He marched agafnlt 
th.e malecontents with 10,000 men ; but as Mathos, after 
lie had polfeHed himfelf of the ifthmus, had polled de¬ 
tachments on the two hills facing the continent, and guard¬ 
ed the bridge over the Bagrada, which through Hanno’s 
negledl he had taken, Hamilcar law little probability of 
engaging him upon equal terms. Obferviog, however* 
that on the blowing of certain winds, the mouth of the 
river was choaked up with fand, fo as to become paflable ; 
he halted for fome time at the river’s mouth, without 
communicating his defign to any perfon. As foon as the 
wind favoured his project, he paffed the river by night, 
and immediately drew up Ills troops in order of battle, 
and advancing into the plain where his elephants where 
capable of ailing, he attacked and defeated the rebels, v\ ho 
had 6000 killed, and 2000 taken prifoners. The reft tied to 
the camp at Utica. But notwithftanding tliefe difallers, Ma» 
thos pufhed on the fiege of Hippo with great vigour. Spen¬ 
dius, alfo, having received a (trong reinforcement of Afri¬ 
cans and Numidians, and poflefling himfelf of the heights 
furronnding the plain iq which Hamilcar lay encamped, 
refolved not to let Hip fo favourable an opportunity of at¬ 
tacking him. The fight was obftinate and bloody ; but 
the mercenaries were again overthrown, with the lots 
of 10,000 men killed, and 4000 taken prifoners. All the 
prifoners that were willing to enlift in the Carthaginian 
Service Hamilcar received among his troops, fupplying 
them with the arms of the foldiers who had fallen in the 
engagement. To the red he gave full liberty to go where 
they pleafed, upon condition that they fliould never again 
bear arms againll the Carthaginians. Mathos and his al- 
fociates, fearing that this lenity of Hamilcar might occa- 
fion a defection among their troops, thought that the bed 
expedient would be to put them upon fome action, fo exe¬ 
crable in its nature, that no hope of reconciliation might 
remain. By their advice, therefore, Gifco, and all the 
Carthaginian, 
