264

After Aemilius had taken care of the captives and had freed some of the more powerful men, the Tarentines, admiring his philanthropy and led to hopes of a truce, chose Agis, who was friendly to the Romans, as general with full powers. But he had just been elected when Cineas, sent ahead by Pyrrhus, became an obstacle to what was being done. For Pyrrhus, king of so-called Epirus, surpassed all men in natural ability, strength of education, and experience, and he had won over the greater part of the Greek world, partly by kindnesses, partly by fear. So when he met with the ambassadors of the Tarentines, he considered the alliance a godsend, having for a long time coveted Sicily, Carthage, and Sardinia, but hesitating nevertheless to initiate hostilities himself against the Romans. And he promised to help them, but so that he might not be suspected for the reasons mentioned, he said he would return home immediately, and he had it added to the treaties that he should not be detained by them in Italy beyond what was necessary. Having agreed to these things, he detained most of the ambassadors as hostages, on the pretext that they would help him prepare the armies, but he sent ahead a few of them and Cineas with an army. And when they arrived, the Tarentines, taking courage, refrained from reconciliation with the Romans and, having deposed Agis from his generalship, they elected one of the ambassadors as general. Not long after, Milo, sent by Pyrrhus with a force, had occupied their acropolis for his reception and brought the garrison of the wall under his own command. And the Tarentines rejoiced at this, since they were not forced either to stand guard or to endure any other hardship, and they supplied them with provisions and sent money to Pyrrhus. Aemilius, therefore, for a time remained in his position, but when he learned that Pyrrhus' men had arrived, and he was not able to hold on because of the winter, he set out for Apulia. But the Tarentines, having set an ambush in a certain narrow place through which he had to pass, made his march difficult with arrows, javelins, and sling-stones. But he brought forward their captives whom he was leading. And the Tarentines, fearing that they might kill their own people instead of the Romans, stopped. But Pyrrhus departed without even waiting for spring, bringing a large and select army and twenty elephants, creatures never before seen by those in Italy; hence they were astonished and amazed. But encountering a storm while crossing the Ionian Sea, he lost many of his army, and the rest were scattered by the waves. Therefore, with difficulty he came on foot to Tarentum. And immediately he enrolled the men in their prime with his own soldiers, so that they would not, being enrolled by themselves, start a revolution, and he closed the theatre, perhaps because of the war, so that by gathering in it they would not start some revolutionary movement, and he forbade them to gather for drinking parties and revels, and he ordered the younger men to be trained in arms or to spend the day in the marketplace. And when some, vexed by these things, tried to leave, he stationed guards from his own men, so that no one could go out of the city. But they, being burdened by these things and by the provision of food, and being forced to receive his bodyguards into their houses, began to have regrets, experiencing Pyrrhus as a master and not an ally. But he, fearing on account of these things that they might incline towards the Romans, sent some of those who were able to conduct political affairs and lead the populace to Epirus to his son on certain pretexts, and others he secretly destroyed. A certain Aristarchus, who was counted among the best of the Tarentines and was a most persuasive speaker, he made his associate, so that he might become suspect to the people as one who favored Pyrrhus' interests. But when he saw that the populace still trusted him, he sent him to Epirus; and he, not daring to object, set sail, but arrived in Rome. And such things Pyrrhus was doing to the Tarentines; but those in Rome, having learned that Pyrrhus had come to Tarentum, were afraid because of the

264

ἁλόντων τοῦ Αἰμιλίου πεποιηκότος πρόνοιαν, καί τινας τῶν δυνατωτέρων ἐλευθερώσαντος, οἱ Ταραντῖνοι τήν τε φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ θαυμάσαντες, καὶ εἰς ἐλπίδας προαχθέντες σπονδῶν, Αγιν τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐπιτήδειον οντα ειλοντο στρατηγὸν αὐτοκράτορα. αρτι δ' ουτος κεχειροτόνητο καὶ Κινέας ὑπὸ τοῦ Πύρρου προπεμφθεὶς ἐμποδὼν τοῖς πραττομένοις ἐγένετο. ὁ γὰρ Πύρρος τῆς καλουμένης βασιλεύων ̓Ηπείρου φύσεώς τε δεξιότητι καὶ παιδείας ἰσχύϊ καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ πάντων προέφερε, καὶ τοῦ ̔Ελληνικοῦ τὸ πλεῖστον τὸ μὲν εὐποιίαις, τὸ δὲ φόβῳ, προσεπεποίητο. ουτος τοίνυν τοῖς τῶν Ταραντίνων πρέσβεσιν ἐντυχών, ερμαιον τὴν συμμαχίαν ἡγήσατο, ἐκ πλείονος τῆς Σικελίας καὶ τῆς Καρχηδόνος καὶ τῆς Σαρδοῦς ἐφιέμενος, ὀκνῶν δ' ομως εχθρας πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους αὐτὸς προκατάρξασθαι· καὶ βοηθήσειν μὲν αὐτοῖς ἐπηγγείλατο, ινα δὲ μὴ ὑποπτευθείη δι' απερ ειρηται, οικαδε αὐτίκα ἀνακομισθήσεσθαι εφη, καὶ ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις προστεθῆναι πεποίηκε τὸ μὴ περαιτέρω τῆς χρείας ἐν τῇ ̓Ιταλίᾳ παρ' αὐτῶν κατα2.176 σχεθῆναι. συνθέμενος δὲ ταῦτα, τοὺς μὲν πλείους τῶν πρέσβεων ὡς τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτῷ συμπαρασκευάσοντας ἐν ὁμηρείᾳ κατέσχεν, ὀλίγους δ' ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν Κινέαν προέπεμψε σὺν στρατῷ. ἐλθόντων δ' αὐτῶν οἱ Ταραντῖνοι θαρσήσαντες τῶν τε καταλλαγῶν τῶν πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους ἀπέσχοντο καὶ τὸν Αγιν παύσαντες τῆς στρατηγίας ενα τῶν πρέσβεων ἐχειροτόνησαν στρατηγόν. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ Μίλων ὑπὸ τοῦ Πύρρου σὺν δυνάμει πεμφθεὶς τήν τε ἀκρόπολιν αὐτῶν ἐς τὴν ἐκείνου ὑποδοχὴν κατειλήφει καὶ τὴν τοῦ τείχους φρουρὰν ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο. καὶ οἱ Ταραντῖνοι ἐπὶ τούτοις εχαιρον, ὡς μήτε φρουρεῖν μήτ' αλλο τι ἐπίπονον ὑπομένειν ἀναγκαζόμενοι, καὶ αὐτοῖς τροφὰς ἐχορήγουν καὶ τῷ Πύρρῳ χρήματα επεμπον. ̔Ο ουν Αἰμίλιος τέως μὲν κατὰ χώραν εμενεν, ἐπεὶ δὲ τούς τε Πυρρείους ηκοντας εγνω, καὶ διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα προσκαρτερεῖν οὐχ οιός τε ην, ἐς ̓Απουλίαν ωρμησεν. οἱ δὲ Ταραντῖνοι εν τινι στενοπόρῳ χωρίῳ, δι' ου διελθεῖν ἀνάγκην ειχε, λοχήσαντες, απορον αὐτῷ τὴν πορείαν ἐποίουν τοξεύμασιν ἀκοντίσμασί τε καὶ σφενδονήμασιν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους σφῶν, ους ἐπήγετο, προήγαγε. φοβηθέντες δ' οἱ Ταραντῖνοι μὴ τοὺς σφετέρους ἀντὶ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀπολέσωσιν, ἐπαύσαντο. ̔Ο δὲ Πύρρος οὐδὲ τὸ εαρ ἀναμείνας ἀπῄει, στράτευμά τε πολὺ καὶ εκκριτον ἐπαγόμενος καὶ ἐλέφαντας εικοσι, ζῷα μήπω πρότερον τοῖς ἐν τῇ ̓Ιταλίᾳ ὀφθέντα· οθεν ἐξεπλήσσοντο καὶ ἐθαύμαζον. χειμῶνι δὲ περιπεσὼν τὸ ̓Ιόνιον περαιούμενος πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσε τοῦ στρατεύματος, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῷ κλύδωνι ἐσκεδάσθησαν. μόλις δ' ουν πεζεύσας ηλθεν εἰς 2.177 Τάραντα. καὶ αὐτίκα τοὺς μὲν ἀκμάζοντας τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιώταις συνέταξεν, οπως μὴ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς λελοχισμένοι νεωτερίσωσι, καὶ τὸ θέατρον εκλεισε, τάχα διὰ τὸν πόλεμον, οπως μὴ ἐς αὐτὸ συνερχόμενοι νεοχμώσωσί τι, ἀπεῖπε δ' αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὸς συμπόσια καὶ κώμους ἀθροίζεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς νεωτέρους ἐν τοῖς οπλοις ἀσκεῖσθαι ἐκέλευεν η διημερεύειν κατὰ τὴν ἀγοράν. ὡς δέ τινες ἀχθόμενοι τούτοις ὑπεχώρησαν, φρουροὺς ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων κατέστησεν, ωστε μηδένα ἐξιέναι τῆς πόλεως. οἱ δὲ τούτοις τε καὶ τῇ χορηγίᾳ τῶν τροφῶν βαρυνόμενοι, καὶ τοὺς δορυφόρους εἰς τὰς οἰκίας αὐτῶν ἀναγκαζόμενοι δέχεσθαι, μετεγίνωσκον, δεσπότου καὶ οὐχὶ συμμάχου τοῦ Πύρρου πειρώμενοι. ὁ δὲ διὰ ταῦτα μὴ πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ἀποκλίνωσι φοβηθείς, τῶν τὰ πολιτικὰ δυναμένων πράττειν καὶ προστατεῖν τοῦ ὁμίλου τοὺς μὲν εἰς τὴν Ηπειρον πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἐπί τισι προφάσεσιν επεμπε, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀφανῶς διώλλυεν. ̓Αρίσταρχον δέ τινα ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις τῶν Ταραντίνων ἐξεταζόμενον καὶ εἰπεῖν πιθανώτατον προσηταιρίσατο, ιν' υποπτος τῷ δήμῳ ὡς τὰ τοῦ Πύρρου φρονῶν γένηται· ὡς δ' ετι πιστεῦον ἐκείνῳ τὸ πλῆθος ἑώρα, επεμπεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Ηπειρον· καὶ ος ἀντειπεῖν μὴ θαρρῶν ἐξέπλευσε μέν, ἐς δὲ τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἀφίκετο. Καὶ τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Πύρρος τοῖς Ταραντίνοις ἐποίει· οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ μαθόντες τὸν Πύρρον ἐλθόντα εἰς Τάραντα κατέδεισαν τῷ τε