+52.+ The result of this sea fight gave Adherbal a high reputation at
Carthage; for his success was looked upon as wholly due to himself,
and his own foresight and courage: while at Rome Publius fell into
great disrepute, and was loudly censured as having acted without due
caution or calculation, and as having during his administration, as
far as a single man could, involved Rome in serious disasters. He was
accordingly some time afterwards brought to trial, was heavily fined,
and exposed to considerable danger. Not that the Romans gave way in
consequence of these events. On the contrary, they omitted nothing
that was within their power to do, and continued resolute to prosecute
the campaign. It was now the time for the Consular elections: as soon
as they were over and two Consuls appointed; one of them, Lucius
Junius,[140] was immediately sent to convey corn to the besiegers of
Lilybaeum, and other provisions and supplies necessary for the army,
sixty ships being also manned to convoy them. Upon his arrival at
Messene, Junius took over such ships as he found there to meet him,
whether from the army or from the other parts of Sicily, and coasted
along with all speed to Syracuse, with a hundred and twenty ships, and
his supplies on board about eight hundred transports. Arrived there,
he handed over to the Quaestors half his transports and some of his
war-ships, and sent them off, being very anxious that what the army
needed should reach them promptly. He remained at Syracuse himself,
waiting for such of his ships as had not yet arrived from Messene, and
collecting additional supplies of corn from the allies in the central
districts of the island.
[Sidenote: Carthalo tries to intercept the transports.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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