So re

invefted with the first dignity of the city, we are told that he never used to recline himfelf on a bed at meals, as was the cuftom in thofe ages, and drank but very little wine. gular and uniform a life may ferve as an illuftrious example to our commanders, who often include, among the privileges of war, and the duty of officers, the keeping of iplendid tables, and living luxuriously.

But notwithilanding thefe eulogiums, I do not however pretend to justify entirely all the errors and defects with which Hannibal is charged. Though he poffeffed an aflemblage of the most exalted qualities, it cannot be denied but that he had fome little tincture of the vices of his country; and that it would be difficult to excufe fome actions and circumstances of his life. (a) Polybius obferves, that Hannibal was accused of avarice in Carthage, and of cruelty in Rome. He adds, on the fame occafion, that people were very much divided in opinion concerning him; and it would be no wonder, as he had made himfelf fo many enemies in both cities, that they fhould have drawn him in difadvantageous colours. But Polybius is of opinion, that though it fhould be taken for granted, that all the defects with which he is charged are true; we yet ought to conclude, that they were not fo much owing to his nature and difpofition, as to the difficulties with which he was furrounded, in the courfe of fo long and laborious a war; and to the complacency he was obliged to fhow to the general officers, whofe afiftance he abfolutely wanted, for the execution of his various enterprizes; and whom he was not always able to reftrain, any more than he could the foldiers who fought under them.

SECT. II. Diffenfions between the CARTHAGINIANS and MASINISSA king of Numidia.

4

AMONG the conditions of the peace granted to the Car

thaginians, there was one which imported, that they hould restore to Mafiniffa all the territories and cities he pof feffed before the war; and further, Scipio, to reward the zeal and fidelity which that monarch had fhewn with regard to the Romans, had added to his dominions thofe of Syphax. This prefently afterwards gave rife to difputes and quarrels between the Carthaginians and Numidians.

(4) Excerpt. e Polyb. p. 34 & 37. Romano tonantem bello Italia contremuit, nec cùm reverfus Carthagi nem fummum imgesium tenuit, aut

Thefe

cubantem cœnaffe, aut plus quam. fextario vini indulfiffe. "Juftin., 1, xxxii, c. 4..

These two princes, Syphax and Mafiniffa, were both kings in Numidia, but reigned in different parts of it. The fubjects of Syphax were called Mafæfuli, and their capital was Cirtha Thofe of Mafiniffa were the Maffyli: but both thefe nations are better known by the name of Numidians, which was com mon to them. Their principal ftrength confifted in their cavalry. They always rid without faddles, and fome even without bridles, whence (6) Virgil called them Numidæ infræni.

(c) In the beginning of the fecond Punick war, Syphax fiding with the Romans, Gala, the father of Manila, to check the career of fo powerful a neighbour, thought it his intereft to join the Carthaginians, and accordingly fent out against Syphax a powerful army under the conduct of his fon, at that time but feventeen years of age. Syphax, being overcome in a battle, in which it is faid he loft thirty thousand men, efcaped into Mauritania. However, the face of things was afterwards greatly changed.

(d) Mafiniffa, after his father's death, was often reduced to the brink of rain; being drove from his kingdom by an ufurper; pursued warmly by Syphax; in danger every instant of falling into the hands of his enemies, deftitute of forces, money, and almost all things. He was at that time in alliance with the Romans, and the friend of Scipio, with whom he had an interview in Spain. His misfortunes would not permit him to bring great fuccours to that general. When Lælius arrived in Africa, Mafiniffa joined him with a few horse, and from that time was attached inviolably to the Roman intereft. (e) Syphax, on the contrary, having married the famous Sopho nifba, daughter of Afdrubal, went over to the Carthaginians.

(f) The fate of thefe two princes now changed once for all. Syphax loft a great battle, and was taken alive by the enemy. Mafiniffa, the victor, befieged Cirtha, his capital, and took it. But he met with a greater danger in that city than he had faced in the field; and this was Sophonifba, whofe charms and endearments he was unable to refift. To fecure this princefs to himself, he married her; but a few days after, he was obliged to fend her a dofe of poifon, as her nuptial prefent; this being the only way left him to keep his promife with his queen, and preferve her from the power of the Romans.

This was a confiderable error in itfelf, and which must neceffarily difoblige a nation that was fo jealous of its authority: But this young prince repaired it gloriously, by the fignal

fervices

(d) Ibid. 1.

(ƒ) Idem, 1, xxx, D.

'

fervices he afterwards did Scipio. (f) We obferved, that after the defeat and capture of Syphax, the dominions of this prince were bestowed upon him; and that the Carthaginians were forced to restore all he poffeffed before. This gave rife to the divifions we are now going to relate.

(g) A unitory fituated towards the fea-fide, near the leffer Syrtis, was the fubject of thofe contefts. The country was very rich, and the foil extremely fruitful, a proof of which is, that the city of Leptis (only) which belonged to that territory, paid daily a talent to the Carthaginians, by way of tribute. Maliniffa had feized part of this territory. Each fide difpatched deputies to Rome, to plead the cause of their fuperiors before the fenate. This affembly thought proper to fend Scipio Africanus, with two other commiffioners, to examine the controverfy upon the fpot. However, they returned without coming to any refolution, and left the bufinefs in the fame uncertain ftate in which they had found it. Poffibly they had acted in this manner by order of the fenate, and had re ceived private inftructions to favour Mafinifla, who was then poffeffed of the diftrict in queftion.

(b) Ten years after, new commiffioners having been appointed to examine the fame affair, they acted as the former had done, and left the whole undetermined.

(i) After the like diftance of time, the Carthaginians again brought their complaint to the fenate, but with greater importunity than before. They reprefented, that befides the lands at firft contefted, Mafiniffa had, during the two preceding years, difpoffeffed them of upwards of feventy towns and caf tles. That their hands were bound up by the article of the laft treaty, which forbad their making war upon any of the allies of the Romans; that they could no longer bear the infolence, the avarice, and cruelty of that prince: That they were deputed to Rome with three requests, (which they defired might be immediately complied with) wiz. either to get orders to have the affair examined and decided by the fenate; or, fecondly, that they might be permitted to repel force by force, and defend themfelves by arms; or laftly, that," if favour was to prevail over juftice, they then entreated the Romans to specify, once for all, which of the Carthaginian lands they were defirous fhould be vefted in Mafiniffa, that they, by this means, might hereafter know what they had to depend on; and that the Roman people would have fome regard

gard to them, at a time that this prince fet no other bounds to his pretenfions, but his infatiable avarice. The deputies. concluded with befeeching the Romans, that if the Carthaginians had been guilty of any crimes (with regard to them) fince the conclufion of the last peace, that they themselves would punish them for it; and not give them up to the wild caprice of a prince, by whom their liberties were made precarious, and their lives infupportable. After ending their fpeech, being pierced with grief, they fell proftrate upon the earth, and burst into tears; a fpectacle that moved all who were prefent to compaffion, and raised a violent hatred against Mafinifla. Guluffa his fon, who was then prefent, being asked what he had to reply; he answered, that his father had not given him any inftructions, not knowing that any thing would be laid to his charge. He only defired the fenate to reflect, that the circumftance which drew all this hatred upon him from the Carthaginians, was, the inviolable fidelity with. which he had always been attached to them. The fenate, after hearing both fides, answered, that they were inclined to do juftice to that party to whom it was due: That Guluffa fhould fet out immediately with their orders to his father, who was thereby commanded to fend deputies with those of Carthage: That they would do all that lay in their power to ferve him, but not to the prejudice of the Carthaginians: That it was but just the ancient limits fhould be preferved; and that it was far from being the intention of the Romans, to have the Carthaginians difpoffeffed, during the peace, of those territories and cities which had been left them by the treaty. The deputies of both powers were then difmiffed with the ufual prefents.

(k) But all these affurances were but mere words. It is plain that the Romans did not once endeavour to fatisfy the Carthaginians, or do them the leaft justice; and that they spun out the bufinefs, on purpose to give Mafiniffa an opportunity to eftablish himself in his ufurpation, and weaken his enemies.

(1) A new deputation was fent to examine the affair upon the fpot, and Cato was one of the commiflioners. On their arrival, they asked the parties if they were willing to abide by their determination. Mafiniffa ready complied. The Carthaginians answered, that they had a fixed rule to which they adhered, and that this was the treaty which had been concluded by Scipio, and defired that their caufe might be examined with all poffible rigour. They therefore could not come to

(*) Polyb. p, 951. Pun. p. 37.

any

(1) A. M. 3848. A. Rom. 592. App. de bell.

any decifion. The deputies vifited all the country, and found it in a very good condition, efpecially the city of Carthage : And they were furprised to fee it, after being involved in fuch a calamity, again raifed to fo exalted a pitch of power and grandeur. The fenate was told of this, immediately on the return of the deputies; and declared Rome could never be in fafety, fo long as Carthage fhould fubfift. From this time, whatever affair was debated in the fenate, Cato always added the following words to his opinion, I conclude that Carthage ought to be deftroyed. This grave fenator did not give himself the trouble to prove, that bare jealoufy of the growing power of a neighbouring state, is a warrant fufficient for destroying a city contrary to the faith of treaties. But Scipio Nafica was. of opinion, that the ruin of this city would draw after it that of their commonwealth; becaufe that the Romans, having then no rival to fear, would quit the ancient severity of their manners, and abandon themselves to luxury and pleasures, the never failing fubverters of the most flourishing empires.

(m) In the mean time divifions broke out in Carthage. The popular faction, being now become fuperior to that of the grandees and fenators, fent forty citizens into banishment; and bound the people by an oath, never to fuffer the leaft mention to be made of recalling thofe exiles. They withdrew to the court of Mafiniffa, who dispatched Guluffa and Micipfa, his two fons, to Carthage, to folicit their return. However, the gates of the city were fhut against them, and one of them was clofely purfued by Hamilcar, one of the generals of the republick. This gave occafion to a new war, and accordingly armies were levied on both fides. A battle was fought; and the younger Scipio, who afterwards ruined Carthage, was fpectator of it. He had been fent from Lucullus in Spain, under whom Scipio then fought, to Mafiniffa, to defire fome elephants from that monarch. During the whole engagement, he ftood upon a neighbouring hill; and was furprised to fee Mafiniffa, then eighty-eight years of age, mounted (agreeably to the cuftom of his country) on a horfe without a faddle; flying from rank to rank like a young officer, and fustaining the most arduous toils. The fight was very obftinate, and continued all day, but at last the Carthaginians gave way. Scipio ufed to fay afterwards, that he had been prefent at many Battles, but at none with fo much pleafure as this; having never before beheld fo formidable an army engage, without any danger or trouble to himfelf. And being very converfant in the writings of Homer, he added, that, till his time, there

() App. p. 38.

were