even his firft, viz. his carrying them over into Africa, and this was the burning every fhip in his fleet. Many reasons determined him to fo defperate an action. He had not one good harbour in Africa where his fhips could lie in fafety. As the Carthaginians were mafters of the fea, they would not have failed to poffefs themfelves immediately of his fleet, which was incapable of making the leaft refiftance. In case he had left as many hands as were necessary to defend it, he would have weakened his army (which was inconfiderable at the beft) and put it out of his power to make any advantage from this unexpected diverfion, the fuccefs of which depended entirely on the swiftnefs and vigour of the execution. Laftly, he was defirous of putting his foldiers under a neceflity of conquering, by leav ing them no other refuge, but victory. A prodigious courage was neceflary to work up his army to fuch a refolution. He had already prepared all his officers, who were entirely devoted to his fervice, and received every impreffion he gave them. He then came suddenly into the affembly with a crown upon his head, dreffed in a magnificent habit, and with the air and behaviour of a man who was going to perform fome religious ceremony, and addreffing himself to the affembly, "When we," fays he, "left Syracufe, and were warmly pursued by the enemy; in this fatal neceffity I applied myself to Ceres and Proferpine, the tutelar divinities of Sicily; and promised, that if they would free us from this imminent danger, I would burn all our fhips in their honour, at our first landing here. Aid me therefore, O foldiers, to difcharge iny vow; for the goddeffes can eafily make us amends for this facrifice." At the fame time, taking a flambeau in his hand, he hastily led the way, and flying on board his own fhip, fet it on fire. All the officers did the like, and were cheerfully followed by the foldiers. The trumpets founded from every quarter, and the whole army echoed with joyful houts and acclamations. The fleet was foon confumed. The foldiers had not been allowed time to reflect on the propofal made to

them,

them. They all had been hurried on by a blind and impetuous ardour; but when they had a little recovered their reason, and furveying in their minds the vaft ocean which separated them from their own country, faw themselves in that of the enemy without the leaft refource, or any means of efcaping out of it; a fad and melancholy filence fucceeded the transport of joy and acclamations, which, but a moment before, had been fo general in the army.

Here again Agathocles left no time for reflection. He marched his army towards a place called the Great City, which was part of the domain of Carthage. The country, through which they marched to this place, afforded the moft delicious and agreeable profpe&t in the world. On either fide were feen large meads watered by beautiful ftreams, and covered with innumerable flocks of all kinds of cattle; country-feats built with extraordinary magnificence; delightful avenues planted with olive and all forts of fruit trees; gardens of a prodigious extent, and kept with a care and elegance which gave the eye a fenfible pleafure. This profpe&t reani mated the foldiers. They marched full of courage to the Great City, which they took fword in hand, andenriched themselves with the plunder of it, which was entirely abandoned to them. Tunis, which was not far diftant from Carthage, made as little refiftance.

The Carthaginians were in prodigious alarm, when it was known that the enemy was in the country, advancing by hafty marches. This arrival of Agathocles made the Carthaginians conclude, that their army before Syracufe had been defeated, and their fleet loft. The people ran in disorder to the great square of the city, whilft the fenate affembled in hafte and in a tumultuous manner. Immediately they deliberated on the means for preferving the city. They had no army in readiness to oppofe the enemy; and their imminent danger did not permit them to wait the arrival of thofe forces which might be raised in the country, and among the allies. It was therefore refolved, after feveral different opinions had been heard, to arm the citizens. The number of

3

the

the forces thus levied, amounted to forty thousand foot, a thousand horfe, and two thoufand armed chariots. Hanno and Bomilcar, though divided betwixt themfelves by fome family quarrels, were however joined in the command of thefe troops. They marched immediately to meet the enemy, and, on fight of them, drew up their forces in order of battle. Agathocles had, at moft, but thirteen or fourteen thousand men. The fignal was given, and an obftinate fight enfued. Hanno, with his facred cohort, (the flower of the Carthaginian forces) long sustained the fury of the Greeks, and fometimes broke their ranks; but at last, overwhelmed with a fhower of ftones, and covered with wounds, he fell fword in hand. Bomilcar might have changed the face of things, but he had private and perfonal reafons not to obtain a victory for his country. He therefore thought proper to retire with the forces under his command, and was followed by the whole army, which by that means was forced to leave the field to Agathocles. After purfuing the enemy fome time, he returned and plundered the Carthaginian camp. Twenty thousand pair of manacles were found in it, with which the Carthaginians had furnifhed themfelves, in the firm perfuafion of their taking many prifoners. By this victory, they had an opportunity of taking a great number of strong holds, and many Africans joined the victor.

y This defcent of Agathocles into Africa, doubtless hinted to Scipio the defign of making a like attempt upon the fame republic, and from the fame place. Wherefore, in his anfwer to Fabius, who afcribed to temerity his defign of making Africa the feat of the war, he forgot not to mention Agathocles, as an inftance in favour of his enterprife; and to fhow, that frequently

v Liv. 1. xxviii. n. 43.

Agathocles wanting arms for many of his foldiers, provided them with fuch as were counterfeit, which looked well at a diftance. And perceiving the difcouragement his forces were under, on fight of the enemy's horfe, he let fly a great many owls (privately procured for that purpofe) which his foldiers interpreted as an omen and affurance of victory. DIOD. ad Ann. 3. Olymp. 117.

there

there is no other way to get rid of an enemy, who preffes too clofely upon us, than by carrying the war into his own country; and that men are much more courageous, when they act upon the offenfive, than when they stand only upon the defenfive.

While the Carthaginians were thus warmly attacked by their enemies, ambaffadors came to them from Tyre. They came to implore their fuccour against Alexander the Great, who was upon the point of taking their city, which he had long befieged. The extremity to which their countrymen (for fo they called them) were reduced, touched the Carthaginians as fenfibly as their own danger. Though they were unable to relieve, they at least thought it their duty to comfort them; and fending thirty of their principal citizens, by those deputies they expreffed their grief, that they could not fpare them any troops, becaufe of the prefent melancholy fituation of their own affairs. The Tyrians, thought difappointed of the only hope they had left, did not however defpond; they committed their wives, children*, and old men, to the care of these deputies; when, being deliveredfrom all inquietude,with regard to perfonswho were dearer to them than any thing in the world, they had no thoughts but of making a refolute defence, prepared for the worft that might happen. Carthage received this afflicted company with all poffible marks of amity, and paid to guests who were fo dear and worthy of compaffion, all the fervices which they could have expected from the moft affectionate and tender parents.

Quintus Curtius places this embally from Tyre to the Carthaginians at the fame time that the Syracufans ravaged Africa, and were before Carthage. But the expedition of Agathocles against Africa cannot agree in time with the fiege of Tyre, which was twenty years before it.

At the fame time this city was folicitous how to extricate itself from the difficulties with which it was fur.

2 Diod. 1. xvii. p. 519. Quint. Curt. 1, iv. c. 3.

* TWY TEXVIUV * YUvaixov pμg, fome of their wives and children. DIOD. I. xvii-xli.

rounded.

rounded. The prefent unhappy state of the republic was confidered as the effect of the wrath of the gods: and it was acknowledged to be juftly deferved, particu-. larly with regard to two deities, to whom the Carthagi, nians had been wanting with respect to duties prefcrib-. ed by their religion, and which had once been obferved with great exactnefs. It was a cuftom, (coeval with the city itfelf, in Carthage, to fend annually to Tyre (the mother-city) the tenth of all the revenues of the republic, as an offering to Hercules, the patron and protector of both Tyre and Carthage. The domain, and confequently the revenues of Carthage,having increased. confiderably, the portion or share, on the contrary, of the god, had been leffened; and they were far from remitting the whole tenth to him. They were feized with a fcruple in this refpect: they made an open and public confeffion of their infincerity, and facrilegious avarice; and to expiate their guilt, they fent to Tyre a great number of prefents, and small fhrines of their deities. all of gold, which amounted to a prodigious value.

Another violation of religion, which to their inhuman, fuperftition feemed as flagrant as the former, gave them no lefs uneafinefs. Anciently, children of the best families in Carthage ufed to be facrificed to Saturn. Here they reproached themfelves with a failure of paying to the god the honours which they thought were due to him; and of fraud and difhoneft dealings with regard to him, by their having fubftituted, in their facrifices,: children of flaves or beggars, bought for that purpose, in the room of thofe nobly born. To expiate the guilt of fo horrid an impiety, a facrifice was made, to the' bloody god, of two hundred children of the first rank; and upwards of three hundred perfons, in a fenfe of this terrible neglect, offered themfelves voluntarily as. victims, to pacify, by the effufion of their blood, the wrath of the gods.

After thefe expiations, expreffes were difpatched to Hamilcar in Sicily, with the news of what had happened in Africa, and at the fame time to requeft immediate) fuccours. The deputies were commanded not to men