The Republic. R 0 
toss'of Pyrrhus has been variously stated from 20,000 to 
•30,000 slain. 
Finding it in vain to cope with the Romans, and having 
been disappointed in his demands of assistance from Greece, 
Pyrrhus arrived at Acroceraunium in Epirus, after an un¬ 
successful war of six years in Italy. He, however, left Milo 
with a strong garrison in Tarentum, and in order to remind 
him of his duty, he is said to have presented this general 
with a chair covered with the skin of Nicias. 
Thus deserted by their great ally, the Tarentines hazarded 
a general battle with the Romans, but their army was almost 
exterminated in the engagement; and Rome thus became 
mistress of nearly all the remainder of Italy ; this overthrow 
being soon followed by the submission of the Lucanians, 
Brutians, Tarentines, Sarcinates, Picentes, and Salentines. 
Of these nationsjsome were made subject to the republic, and 
had no laws but what they received from thence; others 
retained their old laws and customs, but in subjection to the 
republic; some were tributary, and others allies, who were 
obliged to furnish troops at their own expence when the 
Romans required. Some had the privilege of Roman citizen¬ 
ship, their soldiers being incorporated in the legions; while 
others had a right of suffrage in the elections made by the 
centuries. These different degrees of honour, privileges, and 
liberty, were founded on the different terms granted to the 
conquered nations when they surrendered, and were after¬ 
wards increased according to their fidelity, and the services 
they did the republic. 
A new and distant scene of conquest now opened to the 
ambition of the Romans. Their fame spread beyond the 
confines of Italy, and other nations implored the support of 
that formidable valour which had defeated one of the first 
commanders of antiquity, and the combined forces of so 
many valiant nations. 
The protection the Romans afforded to the Mamertines, 
•who inhabited a portion of Syracuse, now involved them in a 
war with a new and more formidable enemy than they had 
yet encountered. This was Carthage, w'ho, besides a dense 
and warlike population, and extensive dominions, had 
brought the art of naval tactics to a perfection far beyond the 
powers of the Romans. Carthage had long been the friend 
of Rome; and the two states had reciprocally received and 
conferred benefits in course of a convenient trade. 
The wars with Carthage having been fully described 
•under that article, it remains only to notice here that the 
interval which elapsed between the first and second panic 
war, was employed by the Romans, in subduing the Boii 
and Ligurians. These were Gaulish nations, who had always 
been very formidable to the Romans, and now gave one of 
their consuls a notable defeat. However, he soon after 
sufficiently revenged himself, and defeated the enemy with 
great slaughter; though it was not till sometime after, and 
with a good deal of difficulty, that they were totally 
subdued. During this interval also, the Romans seized on 
the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, and Malta; in the year 219 
B. C. the two former were reduced to the form of a province. 
Papirius, who had subdued Corsica, demanded a triumph; 
but not having interest enough to obtain it, he took a me¬ 
thod entirely new to do himself justice. He put himself at 
the head of his victorious army, and marched to the temple 
of Jupiter Latialis, on the hill of Alba, with all the pomp 
that attended triumphant victors at Rome. He made no 
other alteration in the ceremony, but that of wearing a crown 
of myrtle instead of a crown of laurel, and this on account of 
hishaving defeated the Corsicans in a place where there was 
a grove of myrtles. The example of Papirius was afterwards 
followed by a great many generals to whom the senate refused 
triumphs. 
The next year, when M. ZEmilius Barbula and M. Junius 
Pera were consuls, a new war sprung up. Illyricum, a 
kingdom of Italy, which bordered upon Macedon and 
Epirus, was at this time governed by a woman named 
Teuta, the widow of King Agrons, and guardian to her 
son Pinaeus, who was under age. Upon the complaints 
Vol. XXII. No. 1497. 
M E. The Republic. 241 
of the Italian merchants, and to protect the people oflssa, the 
senate sent two ambassadors to the Illyrian queen, Lucius and 
Caius Coruncanus, to demand of her that she would restrain 
her subjects from infesting the sea with pirates. She answered 
them haughtily, that she could only promise that her 
subjects should not for the future attack the Romans in her 
name, and by public authority: “ but as for any thing more 
it is not customary with us (said she) to lay restraints on 
our subjects, nor will we forbid them to reap those advantages 
from the sea which it offers them.” Your customs then 
(replied the youngest of the ambassadors) are very different 
from ours. 
Hereupon the consuls, P. Posthumius Albinus and Cn. 
Fulvius Centumalus, embarked for Illyricum ; Fulvius hav¬ 
ing the command of the fleet, which consisted of 100 galleys, 
and Posthumius of the land forces, which amounted to 20,000 
foot, besides a small body of horse, and soon reduced the 
Illyrican forces. In the next consulate, Teuta was compelled 
to take refuge in a strong hold called Rhizon, and ask for 
peace. The Romans, however, refused to treat with her; but 
they made peace with the young king, on the condition of 
paying an annual tribute, and surrendering a part of his 
dominions. 
Before this war was ended, the Romans were alarmed by 
new motions of the Gauls, and the great progress which the 
Carthaginians made in Spain. At this time also the fears of 
the people were excited by a prophecy said to be taken out 
of the Sibylline books, that the Gauls and Greeks should one 
day be in possession of Rome. This prophecy, however, 
the senate found means to elude, as they pretended, by 
burying two Gauls and two Greeks alive, and then telling the 
multitude that the Gauls and Greeks were now in the pos¬ 
session of Rome. The difficulties which superstition had 
raised being thus surmounted, the Romans made vast prepara¬ 
tions against the Gauls, whom they seem to have dreaded 
above all other nations. Some say that the number of forces 
raised by the Romans on this occasion amounted to no 
fewer than 800,000 men. Of this incredible multitude 
248,000 foot and 26,000 horse were Romans or Campanians; 
nevertheless, the Gauls, with only 50,000 foot and 20,000 
horse, forced a passage through Etruria, and took the road 
towards Rome. Here they had the good fortune at first to 
defeat one of the Roman armies; but being soon after met by 
two others, they were utterly defeated, with the loss of more 
than 50,000 of their number. The Romans then entered 
their country, which they cruelly ravaged; but a plague 
breaking out in their army, obliged them to return home. 
This was followed by a new war, in which those Gauls who 
inhabited Insubria and Liguria were totally subdued, and 
their country reduced to a Roman province. These conquests 
were followed by that of Istna; Dimalum, a city of im¬ 
portance in Illyricum; and Pharos, an island in the Adriatic 
sea. 
The second punic war for sometime retarded the conquests 
of the Romans, and even threatened their state with entire 
destruction ; but Hannibal being at last recalled from Italy, 
and entirely defeated at Zama, they made peace upon such 
advantageous terms as gave them an entire superiority over 
that republic, which they not long after entirely subverted, as 
has been related in the history of Carthage. 
The successful issue of the second punic war had greatly 
increased the extent of the Roman empire. They were now 
masters of all Sicily, the Mediterranean islands, and great part 
of Spain; and, through the dissensions of the Asiatic states 
with the king of Macedon, a pretence was now found for 
carrying their arms into these parts. The Gauls in the mean 
time, however, continued their incursions, but now ceased to 
be formidable; while the kings of Macedon, through mis¬ 
conduct, were first obliged to submit to a disadvantageous 
peace, and at last totally subdued (see Macedon). The 
reduction of Macedon was soon followed by that of all 
Greece, either by the name of allies or otherwise: while 
Antiochus the Great, to whom Hannibal fled for protection, 
by an unsuccessful war first gave the Romans a footing in 
3 Q Asia. 
