Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present ConditionBucke, Charles
History
Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present Condition
Bucke, Charles
Cities and towns, Ancient
The insurgents now began to act the part their employers had set them
the example of. They rose in their demands far above what was due to
them; and the Carthaginians at length saw the error of having given way
to a dishonest policy. The points at issue, however, were at last, in a
great measure, arranged, when two soldiers among the mercenaries found
means to raise the whole of their comrades into mutiny, and engaged
several cities to take up their cause. Their army amounted, after a
while, to seventy thousand men. Carthage had never been in such urgent
danger before. The command of the army was given to Hanno. Troops were
levied by land and sea; horse as well as foot. All the citizens capable
of bearing arms were mustered; all their ships were refitted; and
mercenaries were enlisted from all parts. On the other hand, the
insurgents harassed them with perpetual alarms, advancing to their walls
by night as well as by day.
When the mercenaries, who had been left in Sardinia, heard of what their
comrades had effected in Africa, they shook off their yoke in
imitation, murdered the general who commanded them, and all the
Carthaginians who served under him; and a successor, who was sent from
Carthage, also the forces which had accompanied him, went over to the
rebels. They hung the new general on a cross, and put all the
Carthaginians then in Sardinia to the sword, after making them suffer
inexpressible torments. They then besieged all the cities one after
another, and soon got possession of the whole country.
When they had effected this, they quarrelled among themselves; and the
natives taking advantage of that, became soon enabled to drive them out
of the island. They took refuge in Italy, where, after some scruples on
the part of the Romans, they induced that people to sail over to
Sardinia, and render themselves masters of it. When the Carthaginians
heard of this, they were highly indignant; and the matter terminated, at
length, in what is called the Second Punic war.
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