The siege, one of the most memorable in ancient his tory, produced a lengthened and bloody war betwixt the Romans and Carthaginians, of which Spain, for seve ral years, continued to he the theatre. The Romans, taking advantage of Hannibal's absence in Italy, sent an army into that country. After a long contest between these rival nations, and attended with various success, the Carthaginians were driven out of Spain, and the Ro man standard planted on the walls of Cadiz, which, as it was the first, was also the last stronghold which the Car thaginians held in that country. But though the Roman power was thus in a manner extended over Spain, they found it no easy matter to maintain their authority. Many of the native princes had remained calm specta tors during the struggle between their invaders, while others had alternately sided with the forces of Carthage and Rome. But when they saw their country reduced to the state of a Roman province by the appointment of pretors to its government, they evinced a general dispo sition to throw off the yoke. The avarice, extortion,and oppression of the Roman magistrates, gave occasion to frequent revolts; but their undisciplined troops were as yet unable to cope with the legions of Rome, and every attempt to recover their liberty, served only to rivet their chains the more closely. Among these attempts, the most successful and worthy of record, was that of the Celtiberians in Lusitania, under the brave Variathus. This person, during the distracted state of his country, had been a captain of a banditti, and afterwards became one of the principal leaders of the Lusitanians. In two successive engagements he defeated the Romans with great slaughter, compelled them to shut themselves up in their strong cities, and laid the whole country under contribution. By the dexterity of his movements, he, for six years, put to flight every army that appeared in the field against him, and had drawn off many nations from their alliance with Rome. A consular army for a time checked the career of Variathus ; but, soon recover ing from his reverses, he defeated the consul Servilianus with the loss of three thousand legionaries, and after wards, by a most skilful manceuvre, so hemmed in the whole Roman army, that they had no way of escape but by submission. Instead, however, of seizing this oppor tunity of avenging his country by their destruction, he offered peace, with this single condition, that he should keep possession of the territories now in his power without molestation from the Romans. This generous offer was joyfully accepted, and the terms were soon after ratified by the Roman Senate. Variathus thus laid the foundation of a ncr ::ingdom, which, had it not been for the treachery of his enemies, would have set bounds to the conquests of Rome in that quarter, and counterbalanc ed their power. But instead of the generous rivalry of arms, Rome now employed the basest of means for the accomplishment of her ambitious projects. The laws of nations, the faith of treaties, and humanity itself, were set at defiance during the subjugation of this devoted country.
She could not brook a rival within the bounds of the peninsula; and alter repeated attempts to exasperate Variathus, and force him to commence hostilities, he was declared an enemy to Rome, and was soon alter, at the instigation of the Roman consul, and by the promise of great. rewards, treacherously murdered by his own attendants. Spain thus lost one of her noblest defenders; but she found in the citizens of Numantia heroes worthy of the liberty which they sought, but which they were not destined to enjoy.
Numantia had maintained its independence during the struggle between Rome and Carthage; and its habitants had resisted every attempt at its subjugation, with such daring courage, that the bravest troops of Rome trembled at the very idea of a Numantine war. The first army that sat down before its walls was pletely routed and dispersed. lu the following paign 4000 Numantines pursued an army of 30,000 Romans, seized and plundered the camp which they had abandoned, killed 20,000 in the pursuit, and shut up the remainder in a rough and mountainous country. In this situation the Roman commander, seeing no way of escape, was compelled to sue for peace. This was generously granted by the Numantities, who, for the lives of 10,000 Romans, merely stipulated that they should he allowed to maintain their independence, and he reckoned among the friends of the Roman people. lint, in return for this noble and disinterested conduct, the senate of Rome refused to ratify the treaty; and, lost to all sense of honour and of justice, they basely resolved, in oppOsition to the remonstrances of all the officers who had served in Spain, to extirpate that brave and generous people. Scipio, one of their
most experienced generals, and the conqueror of Car- thage, was chosen Ibr this dangerous expedition. , willing to expose his men, by hazarding an engagement with the Numantines, he enclosed the city with 60,000 troops, who were protected by a wall and ditch, being resolved to reduce the inhabitants not by force but by famine. The besieged, after several brave at tempts to break through the enemy's lines and obtain succours, seeing their ruin inevitable, entreated the Roman commander that he would either allow them to die like brave men in a general action, or preserve their liberty by an honourable capitulation. Scipio, however, would listen to no proposals, and insisted upon au unconditional surrender. This drove the Numantines to despair, who were now reduced to such straits that they were destroying and devouring each other; but preferring death to slavery, they set fire to their city, and either killed one another, or perished in the flames. The fall of this city was considered of such consequence that Scipio was honoured with a triumph, and had the surname of Numantinus added to that of Africanus. it consummated the subjection of Spain; for though that noble love of liberty, for which this nation was so justly famed, frequently led them to attempt their emancipation, yet they were never afterwards able to make any head against the Romans; but were at last compelled to receive the re ligion, the laws and the customs of their conquerors. The last who submitted were the Cantabrians, who were almost exterminated by Agrippa; and from that time Spain continued incorporated with the Roman empire until the irruption or the northern nations.
Remarks.—Before the invasion of the Carthaginians Spain was divided into a multiplicity of petty king doms and commonwealths, who being entirely detach ed, and having little communication with each other, fell one by one under the power of their conquerors. llad the Spaniards been united as one state, or mutu ally assisted each other, it is not probable that so brave and virtuous a people would ever have been brought under a foreign yoke. Few nations have per formed such great and heroic exploits, or exhibited so many noble examples of self-devotion to the cause of liberty as the ancient Spaniards. They were train ed from their infancy to martial deeds, and were early inspired with a love of liberty and a contempt of death—being taught to esteem nothing so glorious as to die fighting in defence of their country. Thus naturally brave, and capable of enduring great labour and fatigue, no reverses could shake their courage. They yielded only inch by inch to the whole power of the Roman empire. Armies, sufficiently numerous to conquer kingdoms, were slaughtered among their mountains; and their subjugation was completed only after a struggle of nearly 200 years. Spain, however, received in exchange for her independence wise laws and an equitable government; and soon became the richest, the happiest, and the most powerful province in the empire. Many Roman families of distinction settled in the country, and five and twenty colonies were distributed in the most fertile districts, who, intermarrying with the natives, consolidated the two nations as one people. The executive government was, in general, milder here than in any other of the Roman provinces. It was administered in towns by magistrates named by the citizens; and the different districts were under the superintendence of pretors or deputies, who had the charge of the public works, and the collection of the revenue. Many magnificent ruins, still existing, testify the opulence and civiliza tion of Roman Spain; and several of her cities, as Merida, Seville, Cordova, and Tarragona, were num bered with the most illustrious of the world. During her long tranquillity agriculture and the arts were encouraged and protected by the emperors; her com merce was extensive and profitable; and her vegetable and mineral riches were improved and manufactured by the skill of an industrious and happy people. But as Spain had shared in the grandeur and civiliza tion of Rome, she also participated in her decline. Under the last emperors, her population had consid erably diminished, her commerce had become languid, and her agriculture had suffered by the accumula tion of estates in the hands of a few. The peace and repose of four centuries had enfeebled the national character, and almost eradicated their love of glory; and the Spaniards, whom the Romans conquered, was as another race from those who submitted to the northern barbarians.