their luxury had taken fuch pride in, were converted into arms, as they had given up their iron, which was, in their prefent circumstances, the most precious metal. The women parted alfo with their ornaments, and even cut off their hair, to be converted into ftrings for the bowmen. Afdrubal, who had been lately condemned for oppofing the Romans, was now taken from prifon to head their army; and fuch preparations were made, that, when the confuls came before the city, which they expected to find an easy conqueft, they met with fuch refiftance, as quite difpirited their forces, and fhook their refolution. Several engagements were fought before the walls with difadvantage to the aflailants, fo that the fiege would have been difcontinued had not Scipio Emilianus, the adopted fon of Africanus, who was appointed to command it, ufed as much fkill to fave his forces after a defeat, as to infpire them with hopes of victory. But all his arts would have failed, had he not found means to feduce Pharneas, the mafter of the Carthaginian horfe, who came over to his fide. He from that time went on fuccefsfully; that part of Carthage called Megara was the first that was taken, while the inhabitants were driven into the citadel. He then fecured the ifthmus that led into the city, and thus cut off all fupplies of provifions from the country. He next blocked up the haven; but the befieged, with incredible induftry, cut out a new paffage into the fea, whereby, at certain times, they could receive neceffaries from the army without. That army, therefore, was to be fubdued, ere the city could be thoroughly invefted. With this view, Scipio fet upon them in the beginning of the enfuing winter, killed feventy thousand of their men, and took ten thousand prifoners of war. The unhappy townfmen, now bereft of all external fuccour, refolved upon every extremity, rather than fubmit. But they foon faw the enemy make nearer approaches. The wall which led to the haven was quickly demolished. Soon after, the forum was taken, which offered the conquerors a deplorable spectacle of houfes nodding to the fall, heaps of men lying dead, hundreds of the wounded struggling to emerge from the carnage around them, and deploring their own and their country's ruin. The citadel foon after furrendered at difcretion. All now but the temple was fubdued, which was defended by deferters from the Roman army, and those who had been moft forward to undertake the war. Thefe, however, expecting no mercy, and finding their condition defperate, fet fire to the building, and voluntarily perifhed in the flames. Afdrubal the Cartha ginian general, delivered himself up to the Romans when the citadel was taken; but his wife and two children rushed into the temple while on fire, and expired with their country. Then was this magnificent city laid in ashes by the mercilefs conquerors; and fo extenfive was it, being twenty-four miles in compafs, that the burning continued for seventeen fucceffive days. The fenate of Rome ordered that no part of it fhould be rebuilt. It was demolished to the ground; fo that travellers are unable, at this day, to fay with certainty where Carthage ftood. . All the cities which affifted Carthage in this war were or dered to fhare the fame fate, and the lands belonging to them were given to the friends of the Romans. The other towns of Africa became tributary to Rome, and were governed by an annual prætor; while the numberlefs captives that were taken in the courfe of this war were fold as flaves, except fome few, that were adjudged to die by the hands of the exe cutioner. This was the end of one of the most renowned cities in the world, for arts, opulence, and extent of dominion *. It had rivalled Rome for above an hundred years, and, at one time, was thought to have the fuperiority. But all the grandeur of Carthage was founded on commerce alone, which is ever fluctuating, and, at beft, ferves to dress up a nation, to invite the conqueror, and only to adorn the victim for its deftruction +. The fame year, Corinth was reduced to afhes, and Greece became a Roman province under the title of Achaia. They then fubdued Lufitania, now Portugal; and after that, the Numantines, the chief people of Spain. In the space of one century, the Romans extended their conquefts over the three divifions of the continent. Thrace, Greece, Africa, Syria, and all the kingdoms of Afia Minor, became members of this vaft empire. * A. C. 146. Univerfal Hiftory. CHAP. CHAP. XXXIV. The Gracchi. Sylla and Marius.-Tyranny of Sylla. -His Tftates, though leemingly the molt fortunate events in HE fall of Carthage, and conqueft of the Grecian the Roman hiftory, contributed to the extinction of Roman liberty. No fooner were their fears from abroad removed, than the people grew altogether ungovernable. Effeminacy, debauchery, profligacy, and every atrocious vice, fucceeded to temperance, severity of life, and public fpirit. As the Romans gradually extended their victorious arms over the weaker ftates of Italy, they were accuftomed to take a certain portion of the conquered lands into their own poffeffion; part of which was fold by auction for the ufe of the public, and the reft divided among the poorer citizens on the payment of a fmall quit-rent to the treafury. For the better regulation of thefe diftributions, various laws had been paffed from time to time, under the title of the Agrarian laws. By thefe laws it had been ordained, that no citizen fhould poffefs more than 500 acres; but the richer citizens getting poffeffion of large tracts of wafte land, and adding to thefe likewife, either by force or purchase, the finaller pittances of their poor neighbours, by degrees became mafters of territories inftead of farms, threa tening the utter ruin of the induftrious hufbandman, and the extinction of popular liberty. While luxury and corruption were introduced, many citizens' still retained the ancient fimplicity. Cato, the Cenfor, attempted to reform the manners; but his rude hand was ill qualified for the task. A nobler Roman, Tiberius Semphronius Gracchus, undertook the cause of his country. Melting with pity at the defolate view of the Hetrurian plains, and animated by the cries of the whole people, who importunately demanded the reftitution of the alienated lands, he refolutely ftood forth the advocate of their deferted caufe. He propofed the execution of the Agrarian laws. This produced a civil war, in which he fell an illuftrious victim to a rapacious and implacable fenate. He was affaffinated on the following occafion. Attalus, king of Pergamus, had by his laft will left the Romans his They were called alfo Licinian Laws, from the original author Licimus. 24 heirs, heirs, and it was propofed, that the money fo left fhould be divided among the poor; in order to furnish them with proper utenfils for cultivating the lands, which became their's by the late law of partition., This increafed the difturbances, which before prevailed in the city. The fenate affembled, in order to confult the most proper methods of fecuring these riches to themfelves, which they now valued above the fafety of the commonwealth. They had numerous dependents, who were willing to give up liberty for plenty and ease. These, therefore, were commanded to be in readinefs, to intimidate the people, who expected no fuch oppofition; and who were attentive to the harrangues of Tiberius Gracchus in the capitol. Here as a clamour was raifed by the clients of the great on one fide, and by the favourers of the law on the other, Tiberius found his fpeech entirely interrupted, and begged in vain, to be attended to; till at laft, raifing his hand to his head, to intimate that his life was in danger, the partizans of the fenate gave out that he wanted a diadem. In confequence of this, an uproar spread itself through all ranks of people; the corrupt part of the fenate were of opinion, that the conful would defend the commonwealth by force of arms; but this prudent magiftrate declining fuch violence, Scipio Nafica, a kinfman to Gracchus, immediately rofe up, and and prepar ing himself for the conteft, defired that all who would defend the dignity and authority of the laws, fhould follow him. Upon this, attended by a large body of fenators and clients, armed with clubs, he went directly to the capitol, striking down all who ventured to refift. Tiberius perceiving by the tumult that his life was in danger, endeavoured to fly; and throwing afide his robe, to expedite his cfcape, attempted to get thro' the throng. But happening to fall over a perfon already on the ground, Saturnius, one of the colleagues in the tribunefhip, who was of the oppofite faction, ftruck him dead with a piece of a feat: and no lefs than three hundred of his hearers fhared the fame fate, being killed in the tumult. Caius Gracchus, following his brother's footsteps, came likewise to an untimely end. Opimius the Conful was his profeffed enemy. Gracchus and his friend Fulvius were, accordingly, profcribed by the fenate; and it was proclaimed, that whoever should bring the head of either of them, fhould receive its weight in gold, for a reward. Gracchus fled to a grove beyond the Tiber, where he made his fervant kill him. The fervant immediately after killed himfelf. One of the foldiers carried his head to Opimius; and it is faid, that to make it weigh the heavier, he took out the brains and filled I the the skull with lead. betrayed and flain. Fulvius flying to a friend's house, was Before this period, arms had never been weilded in the forum, nor Roman blood fhed by Romans. Armed troops having been introduced into the public affembly, and violence crowned with fuccefs, an example is now fet which will lead, to civil wars. The Numidian war, which commenced in the year before Chrift 111, and lafted five inftances of afforded many years, the injuftice, infolence, and fhocking corruption of the Roman fenate.-Jugurtha, who had ufurped the kingdom of Numidia, was put to death, and that country, with all Mauritania, in Africa, fell under the Romans. Many of the fenators had accepted bribes of Jugurtha, who, on his departure from Rome, upon a certain occafion, could not reprefs a farcalm against its venality, as he took leave. For looking back upon the city, as he paffed through one of the gates, "O! Rome," cried he, "how readily wouldst thou fell thyfelf, if there were any man rich enough to be the pur "chafer." Soon after the violence of civil war between Sylla and Marius, two artful afpiring patricians fhook the foundation of Rome. Factions were formed. The conful Sylla, after having defeated Mithridates, the most powerful and warlike monarch in the Eaft, marched for Rome, here, during his abfence, he had been superseded in the confulfhip by Marius, and which now began to feel all the defolations of a civil war. The fecret intrigues of corruption were carried on by both parties with great affiduity. The emiffaries both of Sylla and Marius were feen going diligently, during the whole winter, among the states of Italy, labouring by all the arts of bribery and perfuafion, to gain over forces to their caufe. Sylla was particularly verfed in the bufinefs of feduction, and great fums of that money, which had been plundered from the Eaft, were employed all over the country, and even, among the barbarous nations of Gaul, to extend his intereft. The operations in the field began with great vigour, in the beginning of the fpring. Marius, at the head of twentyfive cohorts, offered Sylla battle; which this general, knowing how the troops against him were predifpofed, readily accepted. At first the fortune of the day feemed doubtful, but, juft at that period in which victory begins to waver, a part of the troops of Marius, which had been previously corrupted, fled in diforder, and thus decided the fate of the day. Marius having endeavoured, but in vain, to rally his troops, was the VOL. I. N laft |