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he sailed away. And when the Syracusans received him and entrusted everything to him, he again became great in a short time, so that the Carthaginians, becoming afraid, hired mercenaries from Italy. But his affairs quickly turned to the opposite because he drove out many of those in authority, and killed others who were suspected by him. For the Carthaginians, seeing that he was neither strong with his own forces nor had the goodwill of the locals, eagerly took up the war again, and receiving the exiles of the Syracusans, they wrought terrible things against him, so that he abandoned not only Syracuse, but also Sicily. But the Romans, learning of his absence, took courage and turned to the defense of those who had called upon him. And postponing the Tarentines for another time, they invaded Samnium with the consuls Rufinus and Junius, and they were ravaging the country and took some walls that had been abandoned. For the Samnites had carried up their dearest and most valuable possessions to the mountains called Cranita, because they have much cornel-wood. The Romans, therefore, in contempt, dared to go up to the said mountains. Since these were wooded and difficult to access, many died and many were captured. The consuls no longer waged the war together, blaming each other for the misfortune, but Junius was ravaging a part of Samnium, while Rufinus was laying waste to the Lucanians and Bruttians. and he marched against 2.189 Croton, which had revolted from the Romans, since his partisans had sent for him, but the rest had managed to bring in a garrison from Milo, which Nicomachus commanded. Therefore, being unaware of this and approaching the walls carelessly as if to friends, he failed, when they suddenly sallied out against him. Then, having devised a stratagem, he took the city. For he sent two captives as false deserters into Croton, one to say at once that, despairing of their capture, he was about to depart for Locris, which was being betrayed to him, and the other after this, confirming that he was on his way. And indeed, so that the story would have credibility, he packed up his baggage and pretended to be in a hurry. Therefore Nicomachus, believing these things, for his spies also reported the same, left Croton and went to the Locrians in haste by a shorter road. And when he was in Locris, Rufinus returned to Croton, and unobserved, both because of the unexpectedness and because of a fog that occurred then, he took the city. Learning this, Nicomachus went away to Tarentum; and on the way, falling in with Rufinus, he lost many men. And the Locrians went over to the Romans. In the following year the Romans marched into Samnium and into Lucania and warred against the Bruttians. But Pyrrhus, having been driven out of Sicily and having now returned, was distressing them terribly, and he recovered the Locrians, for after killing the Roman garrison they changed sides, but marching against Rhegium he was repulsed and was himself wounded and lost very many men. Moving on to Locris, and having executed some of those who had thought contrary to him, he took grain and money from the rest, and was conveyed to Ta2.190 rentum. But the Samnites, suffering badly at the hands of the Romans, caused him to take the field. But coming to their aid, he was routed. For when a young elephant was wounded and had thrown off its riders, and was wandering about in search of its mother, and when she was disturbed by this and the other elephants were thrown into confusion, everything was thrown into disorder. In the end the Romans prevailed, killing many, capturing eight elephants, and they took their camp. But Pyrrhus with a few horsemen escaped to Tarentum, and from there he sailed away to Epirus as if to return again, leaving Milo with a garrison in Tarentum, giving them a chair bound with thongs from the skin of Nicias, whom he had killed for his treason. Thus he punished Nicias, but he was about to punish some young men who had mocked him at a symposium, and having asked them

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ἀπέπλευσε. καὶ τῶν Συρακουσίων δεξαμένων αὐτὸν καὶ πάντα αὐτῷ ἀναθεμένων μέγας ἐν βραχεῖ αυθις ἐγένετο, ωστε τοὺς Καρχηδονίους φοβηθέντας μισθοφόρους ἐκ τῆς ̓Ιταλίας προσλαβεῖν. ἀλλὰ ταχὺ πρὸς τοὐναντίον αὐτῷ περιέστη τὰ πράγματα τῷ τε πολλοὺς τῶν ἐν τέλει τοὺς μὲν ἐξελάσαι, τοὺς δὲ διαφθεῖραι ὑποπτευομένους αὐτῷ. οἱ γὰρ Καρχηδόνιοι, ἰδόντες αὐτὸν μήτε ταῖς οἰκείαις δυνάμεσιν ἐρρωμένον μήτε τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους δι' εὐνοίας εχοντα, τοῦ πολέμου προθύμως ἀντελάβοντο, καὶ τοὺς ἐκπίπτοντας τῶν Συρακουσίων δεχόμενοι δεινὰ αὐτὸν εἰργάσαντο, ωστε μὴ τὰς Συρακούσας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Σικελίαν καταλιπεῖν. Οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι δὲ τὴν ἀπουσίαν αὐτοῦ πυθόμενοι ἀνεθάρσησαν καὶ πρὸς αμυναν τῶν ἐπικαλεσαμένων αὐτὸν ἐτράπησαν. καὶ τοὺς Ταραντίνους εἰς αλλον καιρὸν ὑπερθέμενοι εἰσέβαλον εἰς τὸ Σαύνιον μετὰ καὶ ὑπάτων τοῦ ̔Ρουφίνου καὶ τοῦ ̓Ιουνίου, καὶ τήν τε χώραν ἐπόρθουν καὶ τείχη τινὰ ἐκλειφθέντα ελαβον. οἱ γὰρ Σαυνῖται εἰς τὰ ορη τὰ Κρανιτὰ λεγόμενα, οτι κρανίαν πολλὴν εχουσι, τά τε φίλτατα καὶ τὰ τιμιώτατα ἀνεκόμισαν. καταφρονήσαντες ουν οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι εἰς τὰ εἰρημένα ορη ἀναβῆναι ἐτόλμησαν. λασίων ουν αὐτῶν καὶ δυσπροσβάτων οντων, πολλοὶ μὲν ἀπέθανον, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἑάλωσαν. Οἱ δ' υπατοι οὐκέτι κοινῇ τὸν πόλεμον ἐποιήσαντο, ἀλλήλους αἰτιώμενοι διὰ τὸ ἀτύχημα, ἀλλ' ̓Ιούνιος μὲν ἐδῄου μέρος τι τῆς Σαυνίτιδος, ̔Ρουφῖνος δὲ Λευκανοῖς καὶ Βρεττίοις ἐλυμήνατο. καὶ ἐπὶ 2.189 Κρότωνα ωρμησεν ἀποστάντα ̔Ρωμαίων, μεταπεμψαμένων αὐτὸν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, φθασάντων δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπαγαγέσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Μίλωνος φρουράν, ης ηρχε Νικόμαχος. ἀγνοήσας ουν τοῦτο καὶ ἀμελῶς τοῖς τείχεσι προσιὼν ὡς πρὸς φίλους, επταισεν, ἐξαίφνης ἐπεκδραμόντων αὐτῷ. ειτά τι ἐπινοήσας στρατήγημα τὴν πόλιν ειλε· δύο γὰρ ανδρας αἰχμαλώτους ψευδαυτομόλους ἐς τὸν Κρότωνα επεμψε, τὸν μὲν εὐθὺς λέγοντα οτι ἀπεγνωκὼς τὴν αλωσιν αὐτῶν ἐς τὴν Λοκρίδα προδιδομένην αὐτῷ μέλλει ἀπαρεῖν, τὸν δ' ετερον μετὰ τοῦτο ὡς ἐν ὁδῷ ἐστι διαβεβαιούμενον. καὶ γὰρ ινα πίστιν ὁ λόγος εχῃ, ἀνεσκευάσατο καὶ προσεποιεῖτο ἐπείγεσθαι. ὁ ουν Νικόμαχος πιστεύσας τούτοις, καὶ οἱ κατάσκοποι γὰρ τὰ αὐτὰ ἀνήγγελλον, τὸν Κρότωνα λιπὼν ἐς τοὺς Λοκροὺς ἀπῄει σπουδῇ δι' ἐπιτομωτέρας ὁδοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῇ Λοκρίδι γενομένου αὐτοῦ ὁ ̔Ρουφῖνος ὑπέστρεψε πρὸς τὸν Κρότωνα, καὶ λαθὼν διά τε τὸ ἀπροσδόκητον καὶ δι' ὁμίχλην τότε συμβᾶσαν ειλε τὴν πόλιν. μαθὼν δὲ τοῦτο Νικόμαχος ἀπῄει εἰς Τάραντα· καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ τῷ ̔Ρουφίνῳ περιπεσὼν πολλοὺς ἀπέβαλε. καὶ οἱ Λοκροὶ τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις προσεχώρησαν. Τῷ δ' ἑξῆς ετει ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐστράτευσαν εἰς τὸ Σαύνιον καὶ ἐς Λευκανίδα καὶ Βρεττίοις ἐπολέμησαν. ὁ δὲ Πύρρος τῆς Σικελίας ἐκπεσὼν καὶ ἐπανελθὼν ηδη δεινῶς αὐτοὺς ἐλύπει, καὶ τοὺς μὲν Λοκροὺς ἐκομίσατο, τὴν γὰρ φρουρὰν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀποκτείναντες μετέστησαν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ̔Ρήγιον στρατεύσας ἀπεκρούσθη καὶ αὐτὸς ἐτρώθη καὶ πλείστους ἀπέβαλε. μεταστὰς δὲ εἰς τὴν Λοκρίδα, καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ ἐναντία φρονησάντων δικαιώσας τινάς, παρὰ τῶν λοιπῶν σῖτον καὶ χρήματα ελαβε, καὶ εἰς Τά2.190 ραντα ἀνεκομίσθη. κακῶς δὲ πάσχοντες ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίων οἱ Σαυνῖται ἐξαναστῆναι αὐτὸν ἐποίησαν. ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς ἐπικουρίαν αὐτῶν ἐτράπη. τρωθέντος γὰρ πώλου ἐλέφαντος καὶ ἀποσεισαμένου τοὺς ἀναβάτας περιπλανωμένου τε κατὰ ζήτησιν τῆς μητρός, κἀκείνης ἐπὶ τούτῳ ταραχθείσης καὶ τῶν αλλων ἐλεφάντων θορυβηθέντων, φύρδην ἀνεμίχθησαν απαντα. τέλος δὲ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐπεκράτησαν, συχνοὺς ἀποκτείναντες καὶ ὀκτὼ ἑλόντες ἐλέφαντας, καὶ τὸ χαράκωμα κατέσχον αὐτῶν. ὁ δὲ Πύρρος σὺν ὀλίγοις ἱππεῦσι διέφυγεν εἰς τὸν Τάραντα, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ εἰς τὴν Ηπειρον ἀπέπλευσεν ὡς αυθις ἐπανήξων, τὸν Μίλωνα μετὰ φρουρᾶς εἰς Τάραντα καταλείψας, δοὺς αὐτοῖς δίφρον ἱμᾶσιν ἐκ τοῦ δέρματος τοῦ Νικίου ἐνδεδεμένον, ον ἐπὶ τῇ προδοσίᾳ ἀπέκτεινεν. τὸν μὲν ουν Νικίαν ουτως ἐτιμωρήσατο, νεανίσκους δέ τινας ἐν συμποσίῳ σκώψαντας αὐτὸν τιμωρήσασθαι εμελλεν, ἐρωτήσας δ' αὐτοὺς