[298]In the mean time, [299]Lævinus the [300]prætor [301]stopt [302]Philip king of [303]Macedon, who having made an [304]alliance with Hannibal, was [305]ready to [306]come into Italy, and [307]forced him to [308]burn his [309]fleet, and [310]retreat into Macedon, in the year of the city 542. But in Spain, the two [311]brothers P. and C. [312]Scipio, who had [313]till then [314]prevented Hasdrubal’s [315]passage into Italy to his brother Hannibal, and had [316]performed a great many [317]gallant actions, were both slain, and their [318]armies [319]destroyed. L. Marcus, a Roman knight, being [320]chosen general, by the [321]votes of the [322]soldiers, [323]upheld their [324]tottering [325]cause; by whose [326]conduct in one [327]day, and a [328]night, two [329]camps of the [330]enemy were [331]taken by [332]assault, and about [333]thirty-seven thousand [334]men [335]slain. The [336]same year [337]Tarentum, [338]except the [339]citadel, was taken by Hannibal; and Capua [340]besieged by the Romans; and Hannibal [341]marched to Rome to [342]draw them from it. But a [343]sudden [344]storm [345]arising, [346]forced him from the [347]walls, and the [348]sight of it. Capua was after that [349]surrendered to the Romans, the [350]grandees of which [351]poisoned themselves; the [352]senators were [353]beheaded, and the city [354]deprived of its [355]liberty.
There was a [356]son of that P. Scipio, who, as we have said was [357]killed in [358]Spain, [359]named [360]likewise P. Scipio, who after the [361]death of his [362]father and [363]uncle, was [364]sent into Spain, [365]being but twenty-four years old. There having [366]performed very great [367]things, and [368]vanquished Hasdrubal, the son of [369]Gisco and [370]Mago, [371]he drove the Carthaginians out of Spain, in five years after he [372]came there; from thence [373]passing over into Africa, he [374]made an [375]alliance with [376]Syphax, king of the [377]Masylians, and after that with Masanissa, king of the [378]Masasulians. These things [379]were done in the year 548, and the [380]third from the [381]death of [382]Marcellus; who having been [383]successful in [384]several [385]battles with Hannibal, was [386]at last, [387]trepanned by an [388]ambuscade, and slain. In the [389]following year, Hasdrubal was [390]cut off, with his [391]army [392]before he could [393]join his [394]brother, by the two [395]consuls, [396]Claudius Nero and [397]Livius Salinator. Hannibal was [398]then in Apulia, [399]opposed by Nero the consul. [400]Livy was [401]encamped in [402]Cisalpine Gaul [403]against Hasdrubal, Nero [404]marched [405]through Italy [406]privately, in six [407]days time, [408]came to the [409]camp of his [410]colleague with a [411]part of his [412]army, and having [413]conquered the [414]enemy, [415]returned to his camp before Hannibal [416]perceived that he was [417]gone. There are [418]said to have been 56,000 of the [419]enemy [420]slain in the [421]battle, and 5,400 [422]taken [423]prisoners. The head [424]of Hasdrubal was [425]thrown before the [426]advanced guard of the Carthaginians by Nero.
P. Scipio [427]resolved to [428]carry the [429]war into Africa, that he might [430]draw Hannibal out of Italy; but [431]at first that being [432]looked upon as a [433]rash [434]design, he had neither [435]money nor [436]men from the [437]government. [438]Wherefore, having [439]raised none but [440]volunteers, and [441]borrowed money, he first [442]went to [443]Sicily, and [444]from thence to Africa, in the year 550; [445]when the [446]image of the [447]Idæan mother was [448]brought from [449]Pessinus in [450]Phrygia, to Rome, [451]according to the [452]advice of [453]the oracle.
The general [454]employed [455]against him by the [456]Carthaginians was Hasdrubal, the son of Gisco, who had [457]contracted his daughter [458]Sophonisba to Masanissa. But the Carthaginians had [459]given her to [460]Syphax, (who being [461]in love with the [462]young lady, [463]laid waste their [464]country in the [465]absence of her [466]father and [467]husband) to [468]take him off from the Roman [469]alliance: at which [470]usage Masanissa being [471]incensed, he [472]gave himself up [473]entirely to the Roman [474]interest, and was very [475]serviceable to them in [476]reducing the Carthaginians.
[477]After a great many [478]overthrows, the Carthaginians [479]found themselves [480]obliged to [481]recall Hannibal out of Italy, to the [482]defence of their country, where, after a [483]fruitless [484]overture of [485]peace, he was [486]vanquished by Scipio, and an [487]end was put to the [488]war, after it had [489]lasted seven years.
The second [490]Punic war was [491]followed by the [492]Macedonian, [493]against king Philip. That which put the Romans upon it was the [494]former injuries [495]Philip had done them, [496]as likewise the late [497]vexation he had given their [498]allies, [499]especially the Athenians, who being [500]harassed by the king, [501]fled to the Romans. [502]At length [503]Titus Quinctius Flaminius [504]put an end to the war, four years after it [505]began, by the [506]conquest of Philip at [507]Cynoscephalæ, in [508]Thessaly.
After this [509]followed the war with [510]Antiochus, king of Asia, who having [511]recovered Syria, and [512]conquered Scopas, the general of [513]Ptolemæus Epiphanes, [514]began now to be [515]formidable to the Romans, [516]against whom Hannibal did not a little [517]inflame him; who, for [518]fear of the same [519]enemy, had [520]fled to the king. The [521]ambassadors of the [522]Ætolians too, who were now [523]averse to the Roman [524]alliance, [525]contributed not a [526]little towards it. Antiochus [527]therefore having [528]clapped up a peace with [529]Ptolemy, to whom he [530]gave his daughter Cleopatra in [531]marriage, and [532]granted [533]Cœlo Syria, and [534]Judea by way of [535]portion, [536]made war upon the Romans, which being begun in the year of the city 562, [537]lasted three years in all. For in the year 565, L. [538]Cornelius Scipio the [539]consul, [540]going over into Asia, with his brother P. Scipio [541]Africanus, as his [542]lieutenant, did, by the [543]assistance, [544]chiefly of his [545]counsel, [546]conquer Antiochus. Livy [547]tells us, there were 50,000 [548]foot [549]slain in one [550]battle, and 4,000 [551]horse. A peace was [552]granted Antiochus [553]upon the following condition [554]among others, that he should [555]recede [556]from all the countries [557]on this side [558]mount Taurus.
After Antiochus was [559]conquered, the Ætolians were [560]reduced by Fulvius the consul; and the same year the Gallo-Greci were [561]subdued by the other [562]consul, Cneius Manlius.
In the 149th [563]Olympiad [564]died three [565]famous generals, P. Scipio, Hannibal, and [566]Philopæmen. Scipio was [567]impeached for [568]taking [569]money of Antiochus for the peace [570]he granted him; after which he [571]retired to [572]Liturnum in Campania, and [573]died there in the year of the city 570. Hannibal a year or two after (for [574]historians are not [575]agreed upon the [576]matter) being [577]demanded of Drusias, king of Bythynia, by the Roman [578]ambassadors, [579]in order to be [580]put to [581]death, [582]poisoned himself. [583]About the [584]same time Philopæmen, general of the [585]Achæans, was [586]taken by the [587]Messenians, and [588]slain, after he had [589]forced to a [590]submission the Lacedæmonians, who had [591]thrown off the Achæan [592]alliance.
In the mean time Philip, being [593]checked [594]rather than [595]conquered in the [596]former war, was [597]very busy in [598]making [599]preparations for [600]another; but before [601]matters were [602]ripe [603]enough [604]for that purpose, he died, and was [605]succeeded by his son [606]Perseus, who [607]went on with the [608]preparations of war [609]against the Romans; which was [610]finished in four years after its [611]beginning with the [612]ruin of him and the [613]kingdom of Macedon [614]together, in the year of the city 586. The general [615]employed by the Romans in that war, was [616]Paulus Æmilius, who in one [617]battle, [618]wherein were slain 20,000 [619]men, and 11,000 [620]taken [621]prisoners, [622]put a [623]final period to the [624]Macedonian [625]empire in the [626]11th year of king Perseus. About the same time, [627]Gentius, king of the [628]Illyrians, being [629]trepanned into an [630]alliance by Perseus, was [631]conquered by [632]Amicius the [633]prætor.
After the [634]conquest of Antiochus, the Macedonians [635]rebelled again, but were [636]subdued, and Macedon [637]reduced to the [638]rank of a [639]province.
Some time after a war [640]broke out with the [641]Achæans, who having [642]pulled down all the [643]walls of [644]Lacedæmon, and [645]taken away their [646]ancient [647]laws, had [648]obliged them to [649]unite with them; which the Lacedæmonians [650]complained of to the Romans, who [651]sent [652]against the Achæans Metellus the prætor, by whom they were [653]defeated in two [654]engagements at [655]Thermopylæ, and in [656]Phocis; and [657]presently after [658]entirely reduced by the consul [659]L. Nummius, and [660]Corinth, the [661]metropolis of their [662]nation, [663]burnt.
The same year Carthage was [664]taken and [665]destroyed. The [666]occasion of this war was a [667]difference [668]between Masanissa and the Carthaginians [669]about their [670]territories; which [671]controversy being [672]referred to the Romans, they obliged the Carthaginians to [673]give up the [674]country in [675]dispute, and [676]money, also, to Masanissa. But the Romans had [677]before-hand [678]resolved [679]utterly to [680]raze Carthage, [681]right or wrong, [682]chiefly at the [683]instigation of [684]Marcus Cato the censor, who, whenever he [685]gave his [686]opinion upon any [687]debate in the [688]senate, [689]used [690]finally to [691]add, Carthage [692]must be [693]destroyed. [694]Wherefore in the year of the city 605, Carthage was [695]besieged by the consuls [696]Manilius and [697]Censorinus. They soon after [698]surrendered to the Romans; but being [699]ordered to [700]demolish their city, and [701]fix themselves at ten [702]miles [703]distance from the [704]sea, they were so [705]inflamed with [706]fury and [707]despair, that they [708]held out even [709]beyond their [710]strength, [711]till in the fourth year, the [712]same in which [713]Corinth was destroyed, it was [714]taken by [715]P. Cornelius Scipio, the [716]proconsul, who was [717]Paulus Æmilius’s son, and had been [718]adopted by the son of Scipio Africanus. At the [719]beginning of the war Masanissa, king of the [720]Numidians, [721]died, in the 97th year of his [722]age, having [723]left behind him forty-four sons, and [724]continued [725]an ally of the Romans near 60 years.