Vnile the gullies were building., the Romans exer cised their rowers on benches erected on the beach. And in order to counterbalance the advantage which the Carthaginians were likely to derive from their superior seamanship, they invented, (or rather in the opinion of some writers, improved.) the machine called the corrus, by which they were enabled to grapple and bind the vessels together, so as to give to their soldiers hill scope for the exertion of their bodily strength and activity.
In the first rencont•e or the hostile fleets, the Car thaginians were, as it might he expected, successful ; but in a subsequent engagement, they met with a severe check, and their admiral, Hannibal, having lost the greater part of his ships, with difficulty made his escape. The command of the Roman fleet had now devolved upon the consul Duilius, to whom is attributed the inven tion of the Corvus. He engaged the Carthaginian fleet without delay, and by the help of his new engine suc ceeded in giving them a complete overthrow. (II. C. 260.) The loss of the Carthaginians is variously related ; Hannibal, having been obliged to abandon his own ves sel to the enemy, returned to Carthage, where he obtain ed reinforcements for his shattered fleet. Putting to sea again, he steered for the coast of Sardinia, where he was surprised by the Romans while at anchor, who car ried off sonic of his ships, and took great numbers of his men prisoners : this so incensed the rest, that they seized their admiral and crucified him. The affairs of the Carthaginians in Sicily had, in this interval, assumed a more favourable aspect. Ilamilcar, their commander, availing himself of a dispute which hail occurred between the Roman legions and their auxiliaries, surprised their camp, put four thousand to the sword, and dispersed the rest. Notwithstanding this disaster, the terror of the Roman arms was still sustained by the vigilance and bravery of the consul rituals, while his colleague Cor nelius Scipio, made a descent on Corsica, and menaced the roasts of Sardinia. Several engagements, both by land and sea, ensued, with various results, but for the most part to the advantage of the Romans, who were thus, by degrees, encouraged to prepare for an invasion of Africa itself, as the only means by which they could oblige the enemy to evacuate Sicily. (Po/vb. lib. I. p. 22.) In the ninth year of the war, the consuls Manlius, Dulso, and Attilius Regulus, with the fleet under their ommand, consisting of 30 gallies of tfifferent sizes, avid their rendezvous at 'Messina. having taken their
land forces on board, they proceeded along; the coast. The Carthaginian fleet, which, as to the rum of ves sels, was about equal, was lying. at Lilybamin, under the command of Hanno and Hamilcar. The hostile squa drons met near Heraclea Minoa• The Roman corn manders drew up their fleet in tie form of a wedge, Carthaginians were in line. The consuls observing that this line was weak towards the centre, caused it to be vigorously attacked in that part. A most obstinate con flict ensued, which terminated in favour of the Roman , who lost in the action only 24 gaggles, whilst the Cartha ginians had 30 sunk and 63 taken. After the battle, Ilamilcur sent Hamar to make proposals of peace to the consuls, which being rejected, the war continued to rage with as much fierceness as ever ; and the consuls soon after setting sail for Africa, landed w idiom opposition near Clupca ; or, as Polybius calls it, Aspis. Nothing could exceed the terror and astonishment which the news of the Roman invasion caused at Carthage. These were, however, in some degree diminished by the in telligence that, contented with ravaging the whole coun try almost to the very gates of the capital, one of the consuls had returned to Rome with the best part of the troops, leaving the management of the war to his col league Regulus, with only 40 ships, 15,000 foot, and 500 horse. Ilamilcar was recalled from Sicily, and was joined with Asdrubal and Bostar, in the command of the army. Regulus having spent the winter at Clypea, hearing that the Carthaginian army was in motion, ad vanced with his forces, and encamped upon the Bagrada in the neighbourhood of Carthage. Here he is said to have met with that monstrous serpent, of which several ancient writers make mention : the descriptions are probably hyperbolical, yet it is impossible to refuse all credit to a story for which there arc so many authorities. (Vol. Marinzus. lib. i. c. 8. Liv. e/iit. lib. xxx.) The Carthaginian generals advanced to give him bat tle, but most unwisely took up a position in ground that was unfit for the operations of elephants or horse, in which the great part of their strength consisted. Re gulus profited by this mistake, attacked them in the night, and entirely defeated them. This victory was productive of the most important consequences; Utica opened its gates, Tunis was forced to submit, and noth ing now remained but to lay siege to Carthage itself.