Agathocles, however, did not entirely forego his ani mosity to the Carthaginians; and he was making prepa rations for another war, when death put an end to his plans; (B. C. 298,) and gave to Sicily a period of tran quillity to which it had so long been a stranger.
Circumstances now began to connect the Carthagini ans and Romans with each other, and gradually gave birth to those jealousies which, in the end, produced such important consequences. The arrival of Pyrrhus in Italy, equally alarmed both nations, and induced them to renew their existing treaties with an additional article, by which they agreed mutually to support each other against the designs of that prince ; and not to enter into any separate treaty with him, inconsistent with this de fensive alliance : and it was further stipulated, that the Carthaginians should furnish the whole of the shipping, both transports and armed galleys ; but that the expense of every armament should be defrayed by that party in whose defence it was employed. In compliance with the terms of this treaty, they dispatched a fleet of 120 sail, under the command of Maw), to the assistance of the Romans, as soon as they had learnt that P)rrims was actually landed : (Justin, xviii. c. 2.) This assistance the Romans declined. .:\lago then had an interview with Pyrrhus, in order to fathom his intentions with regard to Sicily, of which state the Cal thaginians were now very jealous. Nor was this jealousy unfounded : within a very short period Pyrrhus received an invitation from the Syracusans to coew to their assistance against one Alaenon, who was supported by the C.trtliaginians in his endeavours to usurp the supreme authority. Pyrrhus very gladly availed hiinsell of the opportuoity ; he was happy to have a pretext for quitting Italy ; and his Va nity was flattered by finding nirasel called upon to be the defender of the ( ctian colonies. Having sent C rus before him to arrange the t..•rnis of his reception, he set sail from Tarentuni with a powerful fleet, and it) a few days landed at Tatirominium, where be found him self at the head of 30,000 foot, and 2500 horse, exclusit( of his Sicilian auxiliaries. The Carthaginians Mere then occupied in the siege of Syracuse, which they immedi ately abandoned. Agrigentimi expelled the Carthagi nian garrison, and opened the gates to the conqueror ; Eryx was taken by storm, and no town of any importance remained to the Carthaginians except 1.ilybamni. This
city had always been esteemed one of the keys of Si( ily, and the exertions made in defence of it, were propor to its importance. The Carthaginians were, however, so cast down by the king's previous successes. that they offered to abandon all their claims on Sicily, if Ile would allow them to retain Flushed with good fortune, Pyrrhus rejected the offer : a conduct be had reason to repent, for he was compelled to raise the siege after he had pressed the town to the utmost. Dis heartened by this failure, he determined, with his usual levity, to abandon Sicily entirely, and to set sail for Rhe gium ; but he was met at sea by a strong squadron, which had been fitted out on purpose to intercept hint: thus he was constrained to adventure an engagement, in which he was so completely defeated, that he reached Locri with only ten ships, and front thence, with , marched to Tarentum. The Carthaginians set about reducing the Sicilian towns, which had been before in their possession, and settled their affairs in Si cily upon a firmer footing than ever.
We have now reached that period when Rome and Carthage, which had for some time menaced each other from a distance, came actually in contact ; when the great question, whether the scat of universal empire should be fixed in Africa or in Europe was decided. Be fore we enter into the detail of circumstances which gave rise to the first Punic war, it will be expedient to take a short survey of the actual state of Carthage, the extent of her dominion, and the nature of her in fluence.
The limits of the Carthaginian dominions in Africa had been progressively advanced, till they extended from the western borders of Cyrenaica to the Pillars of Her cules : but at this distance of time, and with our scanty means of information, it is impossible to trace the various stages of this progression. The period in which the Carthaginians first settled in Spain is involved in great obscurity ; but as Diodorus intimates that the mines of Spain were the great nerve of the Carthaginian power, by which they were enabled to fit out such wonderful fleets, and bring such formidable armies into the field, we may conclude that they had established themselves in that country at a very early period, previously to the reigns not onl) of Darius and Xerxes, but also of Cyrus himsel 1.