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the city, and of the fame height. When it was finished, he commanded four thousand men to get on the top of it, and to discharge from it a perpetual fhower of darts and arrows upon the enemy, which did great execution; because, as the two walls were of equal height, there was scarce one dart without effect. Thus ended this campaign.

(3) During the winter-quarters, Scipio endeavoured to overpower the enemy's troops without the city, who very much haraffed the troops that brought his provifions, and protected fuch as were fent to the befieged. For this purpose he attacked a neighbouring fort, called Nepheris, where they used to shelter themselves. In the laft action, above seventy thoufand of the enemy, as well foldiers as peasants, who had been inlifted, were cut to pieces; and the fort was carried with great difficulty, after fuftaining a fiege of two and twenty days. The feizure of this fort was followed by the furrender of almost all the ftrong-holds in Africa; and contributed very much to the taking of Carthage itself, into which, from that time, it was almoft impoffible to bring any provifions.

(2) Early in the fpring, Scipio attacked, at one and the fame time, the harbour called Cothon, and the citadel. Having poffeffed himself of the wall which furrounded this port, he threw himself into the great fquare of the city that was near it, from whence was an afcent to the citadel, up three freets, on each fide of which were houses, from the tops whereof a fhower of darts were discharged upon the Romans, who were obliged, before they could advance farther, to force the houses they came firft to, and poft themselves in them, in order to diflodge from thence the enemy who fought from the neighbouring houses. The combat which was carried on from the tops, and in every part of the houfes, continued fix days, during which a dreadful flaughter was made. To clear the ftreets, and make way for the troops, the Romans dragged afide, with hooks, the bodies of fuch of the inhabitants as had been flain, or precipitated headlong from the houses; and threw them into pits, the greateft part of them being ftill aliye and panting. In this toil, which lafted fix days and as many nights, the foldiers were relieved from time to time, by fresh ones, without which they would have been quite spent. Scipio was the only perfon who did not take a wink of fleep all this time; giving orders in all places, and scarce allowing himfelf leifure to take the leaft refreshment.

(a) There was still reafon to believe, that the fiege would laft

(y) Appian, p. 78. (≈) A. M. 3859. A. Rom. 603. Appian. pag. 79. (a) Pag. 81.

laft much longer, and occafion a great effufion of blood. But on the feventh day, there appeared a company of men in a fuppliant pofture and habit, who defired no other conditions, but that the Romans would please to spare the lives of all those who should be willing to leave the citadel; which request was granted them, only the deferters were excepted. Accordingly there came out fifty thousand men and women, who were fent into the fields under a ftrong guard. The deferters, who were about nine hundred, finding they would not be allowed quarter, fortified themselves in the temple of Efculapius, with Afdrubal, his wife, and two children; where, though their number was but small, they might have held out a long time, because the temple ftood on a very high hill, upon rocks, to which the afcent was by fixty fteps. But at last, exhausted by hunger and watchings, oppreffed with fear, and feeing their deftruction at hand, they loft all patience; when, abandoning the lower part of the temple, they retired to the uppermoft ftory, and refolved not to quit it but with their lives.

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In the mean time Afdrubal, being defirous of faving his own life, came down privately to Scipio, carrying an olive-branch in his hand, and threw himself at his feet. Scipio fhewed him immediately to the deferters, who, tranfported with rage and fary at the fight, vented millions of imprecations against him, and fet fire to the temple. Whilft it was lighting, we are told, that Afdrubal's wife, dreffing herfelf as fplendidly as poffible, and placing herself with her two children in fight of Scipio, addreffed him with a loud voice: "I call not down, fays fhe, curfes upon thy head, O Roman; for thou only "takeft the privilege allowed by the laws of war: But may "the gods of Carthage, and thou in concert with them, pu "nifh, according to his deferts, the falfe wretch,, who has "betrayed his country, his gods, his wife, his children! Then, directing herfelf to Afdrubal," Perfidious wretch, " fays fhe; thou bafeft of creatures! this fire will presently "confume both me and my children; but as to thee, (too "fhameful general of Carthage) go-adorn the gay triumph "of thy conqueror-fuffer, in the fight of all Rome, the tor"tures thou fo juftly deferyeft!" She had no fooner pronoun eed thefe words, but feizing her children, fhe cut their throats, threw them into the flames, and afterwards rufhed into them herself; in which fhe was imitated by all the deferters.

(b) With regard to Scipio, when he faw this famous city, which had flourished seven hundred years, and might have been compared to the greatest empires, on account of the extent of

C 6
(b) Appian. p. 82.

its

its dominions both by fea and land; its mighty armies; its fleets, elephants, and riches; and that the Carthaginians were even fuperior to other nations, by their courage and greatness of foul; as notwithstanding their being deprived of arms and fhips, they had fuftained, for three whole years, all the hardfhips and calamities of a long ficge; feeing, I fay, this city entirely ruined, hiftorians relate, that he could not refufe his tears to the unhappy fate of Carthage. He reflected, that cities, nations, and empires, are liable to revolutions no lefs than particular men; that the like fad fate had befallen Troy, anciently fo powerful; and, in later times, the Affyrians, Medes, and Perfians, whofe dominions were once of fo great an extent; and laftly, the Macedonians, whofe empire had been fo glorious throughout the world. Full of these mournful ideas, he repeated the following verses of Homer,

.

Έσσεται ἦμαρ, ὅταν ποτ' ὀλώλη Ιλιθ ἱρὴ,
Καὶ Πρίαμον καὶ λαὸς ἐϋμμελίω Πριάμοιο.

The day fhall come, that great avenging day,

II. S. 164, 165.

Which Troy's proud glories in the duft fhall lay,
When Priam's pow'rs and Priam's felf fhall fall,
And one prodigious ruin swallow all.

POPE.

thereby denouncing the future deftiny of Rome, as he himself confeffed to Polybius, who defired Scipio to explain himself on that occafion.

Had the truth enlightened his foul, he would have difcowered what we are taught in the Scriptures, that (c) because of unrighteous dealings, injuries, and riches got by deceit, a kingdom is tranflated from one people to another. Carthage is deftroyed, because its avarice, perfidioufnefs, and cruelty, have attained their utmost height. The like fate will attend Rome, when its luxury, ambition, pride, and unjuft ufurpations, concealed beneath a fpecious and delufive fhew of justice and virtue, shall have compelled the fovereign Lord, the difpofer of empires, to give the universe an important leon in its fall.

(d) Carthage being taken in this manner, Scipio gave the plunder of it (the gold, filver, ftatues, and other offerings which should be found, in the temples excepted) to his foldiers for fome days. He afterwards bestowed several military rewards

(c) Ecclef. x.^8. (d) A. M. 3859. A. Carth. 701. Ant. J. C. 145. Appian. p. 83.

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rewards on them, as well as on the officers, two of whom had particularly diftinguished themfelves, viz. Tib. Gracchus, and Caius Fannius, who first scaled the walls. After this, adorning a very fmall fhip (an excellent failer) with the enemy's fpoils, he fent it to Rome with the news of the victory.

(e) At the fame time he ordered the inhabitants of Sicily to come and take poffeffion of the pictures and flatues which the Carthaginians had plundered them of in the former wars. When he restored, to the citizens of Agrigentum, Phalaris's famous bull*, he told them that this bull, which was, at one and the fame time, a monument of the cruelty of their ancient kings, and of the lenity of their prefent fovereigns, ought to make them fenfible, which would be moft advantageous for them, to live under the yoke of Sicilians, or the government of the Romans.

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Having expofed to fale part of the fpoils of Carthagé, he commanded, on the mof fevere penalties, his family not to take, or even buy any of them; fo careful was he to remove from himself, and all belonging to him, the leaft fufpicion of

avarice.

(f) When the news of the taking of Carthage was brought. to Rome, the people abandoned themselves to the most immoderate tranfports of joy, as if the publick tranquillity had not been fecured till that inftant. They revolved in their minds, all the calamities which the Carthaginians had brought upon them, in Sicily, in Spain, and even in Italy, for fixteen years together; during which, Hannibal had plundered four hundred towns, deftroyed three hundred thousand men, and reduced Rome itfelf to the utmoft extremity. Amidst the remembrance of thefe paft evils, the people in Rome would ask one another, whether it were really true that Carthage was in alhes. All ranks and degrees of men emulously ftrove who fhould fhew the greatest gratitude towards the gods; and the citizens were, for many days, employed wholly in folemn facrifices, in publick prayers, games, and fpectacles.

(g) After thefe, religious duties were ended, the fenate fent ten commiffioners into Africa, to regulate, in conjunction with Scipio, the fate and condition of that country, in times to come, The firft care was to demolish whatever was ftill remaining

(e) Appian. p. 83.

(f) Ibid.

(g) Pag, 84.

Quem taurum Scipio cum redde- | pulo R. obtemperare, cum idem moret Agrigentinis, dixiffe dicitur, æqu- numentum & domefticæ crudelitatis, um effe illos cogitare utrum effet Si- & noftræ manfuetudinis haberent. culis utilius, fuifne fervire, an po- ¦ Cicer. Vèrr, vi. n. 73.

maining of Carthage. Rome, though miftrefs of almost the whole world, could not believe herfelf fafe as long as even the name of Carthage was in being: So true it is, that an inveterate hatred, fomented by long and bloody wars, lafts even beyond the time when all caufe of fear is removed; and does not ceafe, till the object that occafions it is no more. Orders were given, in the name of the Romans, that it should never be inhabited again; and dreadful imprecations were denounced against thofe, who, contrary to this prohibition, fhould attempt to rebuild any parts of it, efpecially thofe called Byrfa and Megara. In the mean time, every one who defired it, was admitted to fee Carthage: Scipio being well pleafed, to have people view the fad ruins of a city which had dared to contend with Rome for empire 1. The commiffioners decreed further, that thofe cities, which, during this war, had joined with the enemy, fhould all be rafed, and their territories be given to the Roman allies; they particularly made a grant to the citi zens of Utica, of the whole country lying between Carthage and Hippo. All the reft they made tributary, and reduced it. into a Roman province, whither a prætor was fent annually.

(6) All matters being thus fettled, Scipio returned to Rome, where he made his entry in triumph. So magnificent a one had never been seen before; the whole exhibiting nothing but ftatues, rare invaluable pictures, and other curiosities, which the Carthaginians had, for many years, been collecting, in other countries; not to mention the money carried into the publick treafury, that amounted to immenfe fums.

() Notwithstanding the great precautions which were taken,. to hinder Carthage from being ever rebuilt, in lefs than thirty years after, and even in Scipio's life-time, one of the Grac chi, to ingratiate himfelf with the people, undertook to found it a-new, and conducted thither a colony confifling of fix thou fand citizens for that purpofe. The fenate, hearing that the workmen had been terrified by many unlucky omens, at the

time

(b) Appian. p. 84 (i) Ibid. p. 85. Plut. in vit, Gracch. p. 839. * We may guess at the dimensions of | fi nomen ufquam maneret Carthagi. rbis famous city, by what Florus fays, nis. Adeo odium certaminibus or* win that it was Jeventeen days on fire, tum, ultra merum durat, & ne in before it could be all confumed, Quanta victis quidem deponitur, neque ante urbs delata fit, ut de cæteris taceam, invifum efle definit, quam effe defiit, vel ignium mora probari poteft Vel, Patere, 1, i. c. 12. Quippe per continuos decem & fep tem dies vix potuit incendium extin. gui. Lib. ii. c. 15.

Neque fe Roma, jam terrarum orbe fuperato, fecuram fperavit fore,

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Ut ipfe locus eorum, qui cum hae
urbe de imperio certarunt, veftigia
calamitatis oftenderet. Agrar, i

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