The Carthaginians, undismayed by this inauspicious beginning, maintained the war with their usual energy. After several alterations of good fortune, both by sea and land, Himilco so far succeeded in recovering from the effects of the first blow received in the war, as to in vest Syracuse with a large army. He had already pos sessed himself of the suburb of Acradina, and had suf fered himself to be elated by the warmest expectations of complete success ; when a pestilential fever, perhaps the most malignant recorded in history, broke out among his forces. In a very short time it carried off not less than 150,000 men. Dionysius, apprised of Lie miserable state to which they were reduced, made a most vigorous sally, possessed himself of the Carthaginian approaches, and burned a great part of their fleet. Himilco, reduced to extremity, came to a private agreement with Diony sius. For three hundred talents he obtained permission to depart in the night to Africa, with all the citizens of Carthage. The miserable remains of the confederate forces, with all their baggage and stores of their camp, were -abandoned to the conqueror. (Diod. Sic. lib. xiv.; Justin. lila xix. c. 2.) Diodorus has left us a most minute account of the symptoms which accompanied this most horrible dis order. It is not easy to understand whether it was communicated by infection from or whether it was caused by any temporary and local circum stances ; probably by the latter, as the army was en camped in the midst of a swampy unwholesome coun try ; and it is mentioned, that the heats, at the time when the pestilence broke out, were greater than had ever been known.
Carthage was overwhelmed with despair at the news of this dreadful disaster. hhlmifco, with the wretched companions or his misery, was received every where with tears, and groans, and every expression of grief. Not being able to endure the bitterness of his misfor tunes, he determined not to survive it. But the dis tresses of Carthage did not stop here. Their African allies, enraged to hear that their countrymen had been abandoned to the mercy of the enemy, while the Car thaginian citizens had returned to their homes, resolv ed to revenge the injury. They collected an army of 200,000 men, with which they marched to Carthage. The sudden impulse of feeling which had drawn them together, happily for the Carthaginians quickly subsided ; want of provisions produced discontent ; and the whole force very soon melted away, without effecting any thing of importance.
The Carthaginians still struggled to maintain their footing in Sicily. Within two years they had assem bled another army, which they elm mite(' to the com mand of Mago. Dionysius drew him into a snare ; and the Carthaginians, reduced to extreme distress from the want of supplies, were saved only by a b«Iii1011 which arose in the Sicilian tamp. A treaty I nsued cisely the sabre with the' last, exe( IA that tl town of Taurominium was ceded to Diony sins. A pea( e of nine years continuance followed, which was ZI•1/1'01:( II by the restless ambition of Dionysitis ; ;moth. r sangui Ital• war succeeded, and alter it, as usual, a hollow and suspicious peace. At length death relieved the Cartha ginians from this implacable lOe. Dionysius was curried ofl by the effects of a debauch. Ile was succeeded by his son in the government of Syracuse. (Diod.
lib. xv.) habitual indolence induced the younger Dion) sius to maintain the peace inviolable, so lonj as his influence continued; but the Syracusans being torn by intestine commotions, the Carthaginians persuaded themselves that tney had a good opportunity of accomplishing their fay ouritu object, the reduction of the whole island. (Plat. in rit. Tinzol. Diod. Sic.) The Syracusans applied to Corinth for assistance, from which state they were sup plied with a body of troops under the command of the celebrated Timoleon. (P). C. 341.) It would he sonic relief to the mind, wearied with coutemplatiur, this un varying series of cruelty and perfidy, if it could dwell lo• a short time on the eh:tract( r of this illustrious person ; but the limits of this work turbid it.
Thnol•on, though opposed by a superior force, made good his lanoiog in Sicily, at Taurommium. Andronia cbus, toe father of Tinexus the celebrated historian of Sicily, then possessed that doubtfui sort of authority at Taurominium, u,iieg the ancn lit historians describe un der tne general name of a tyranny; by which they, for the most part, intend to signify an ascendency in the public affairs, obtained tend preserved only by the weight of tal.nts and personal character, which controulcd the
laws, while it affected to act in stibserviency to them. In the commonwealto of Greece, instances of this sort of audio! it) arc continually occurring. It supplies an unanswerable argument against the theories of the spe cu:ative republican, w hen we find the democracies of Greece, each in its turn, yielding to this kind of autho rity ; a> d Rome, in every period of hazard and public ca lamity, compelled to hay c recourse to the necessacv but perilous autoority of a dictator. The nature of this ty ranny s, ems to have depended on the personal charac ter of lint it ho possessed it. Nothing could have been more hateful than the authority which Dionvsius exer cised, whilst the sway of Andromachus, in his city Ta1 TO11111.111.1111, scents to have been most gentle, and most salutary. Ile governed, says Plutarch, (>•virro) jus tice, and according to law. The Cartnagil ims threat ened Andromachus with their vengeance, unless he dis missed Timuluon his territories. (Plea. in rit. Ti mol.) Plutarch has preserved the form of the menace•, which is so striking, and so characteristic of those oriental manners. with which the Carthaginians were :Ain imbued, that it should not be passed over. The messenger stretched out his hand with the palm upward, and then turned it over, implying that Taurominium should be treated in the same manner. Andromachus appears to have estimated the menace as it deserted: he steadily adhered to the party which he had espoused ; and thus gave occasion to that rapid and glorious career, which places Timoleon amongst the most celebrated commanders antiquity. Dismayed by the rapidity of Timolcon's first movements, the Carthaginian com mander t,bandoncd his cause with inglorious precipi ration. lie returned to Carthage, rTheri finding the title Or 1)01)111:11* opi )10Ih Sit olig against him, be pit an end to I is . (!'tut. ubi hio.) the ;;eat. the Cal thagioia excrU d t.“.11 utno I ;IIt ltgth tusb I In increasing power of Timoh l,n, alv• ri t oy e i the it for mer inlho 1.4 e in Sicily. Sc ycllty tl ous•nd land fore( s, two hunored ships of war, and a thousand teat th, With a v ast Ctillipffirlit. 01 Military St011 S, in rt. t to the eats: of Asdrubal and liana ar. Tin oleo', had tot passed the int •eal iu idleness, the art of NV41' was progressively bc«miin more an object of attention aniongt the ceians, and Timoleon was one of t. use who had inost successfully cultivated it. His !orgies scarcely amounted to 7000, and even these were gee ally weakened by desertion as the season advanced. The armies met near the river Crimisus, and the Carthagi nians had now to experience for the first time, the ineffi cacy of their numbers, when opposed to a general of dis ciplined valour and consummate skill. (11. C. Their immense army met with a complete overthrow. Ten thousand were left in the field of battle, and the con querors were enriched by the plunder of their wealthy camp. Disconcerted as they were by these repeated overthrows, the Carthaginians still made a show of re newing their efforts ; but their preparations seem to have been continued only for the purpose of giving effect to negotiation which they had already entered upon with Timoleon. A peace was the consequence, of which the most important condition was, that the river Lycus should in future be the boundary of the Carthaginian territory in Sicily ; and the Carthaginians pledged themselves to abstain frorn all interference with the independent states of Sicily. It is to this period we must refer the attempt of Hamm to subvert the constitution of Carthage, and institute arbitrary power. Justin (lib. xxi. c. 4.) gives its the account at sonic length; but, as is common to him, the narrative is obscure and inconsistent. Ilanno's plan was to assemble the whole senate, on pretext of as sisting to celebrate his daughter's nrarriage, and by mix ing poison with their wine to destroy them all The plot was discovered ; but as he was too powerful far the senate to dare at once to punish him, they contented themselves with counteracting his scheme, by passing a law to regulate the expellee and magnificence of wed ding feasts. I Lamm, finding that suspicion wz,s awaken ed, retired with 20,000 of his slaves to his country seat ; he afterwards yielded to the superior forces sent out against him, and expiated his infatuated ambition by a cruel death.