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2.211 they held the captured Romans under good care, but they subjected Regulus to every kind of mistreatment, they brought him just enough food to stay alive, and continually brought an elephant so that, terrified by it, he might have no rest either in body or in mind. And after tormenting him in this way for a long time, they put him into prison. The Carthaginians treated their own allies most dreadfully. For not being able to pay them what they had promised, they sent them away on the pretext that they would pay them their wages before long. And they ordered those who were transporting them to put them ashore on some deserted island and to sail away secretly. And as for Xanthippus, some say that they drowned him by sailing upon him as he was sailing away, while others say they gave him an old, leaky ship, having freshly pitched it on the outside so that it might sink by itself; but that he, realizing this, embarked on another and so was saved. They did these things so that they might not seem to have been saved by him; for they thought that once he was destroyed, the glory of his deeds would also be destroyed with him. Those in Rome were grieved by what had happened, and even more because they expected the Carthaginians to sail against Rome itself. For these reasons they placed Italy under guard and hastily sent the consuls, Marcus Aemilius and Fulvius Plautinus, against the Romans who were in Sicily and in Libya. They sailed to Sicily, and after garrisoning the places there, set out for Libya; and being caught in a storm, they were carried to Cossura; and after ravaging the island and handing it over to a garrison, they sailed again. 2.212 And at this time a great naval battle took place against the Carthaginians. For the one side was striving to drive the Romans out of their own country completely, while the Romans were striving to rescue those of their own who had been left behind in the enemy's land. and while they were fighting an evenly matched battle, the Romans who were in Aspis suddenly sailed up from behind the Carthaginians, and catching them between two forces, defeated them. And after this the Romans also prevailed with their infantry, and took many prisoners; whom they saved in exchange for Regulus and those captured with him. And after carrying out some raids, they sailed to Sicily. But they ran into a storm and having lost many men, they sailed home with the ships that were saved. The Carthaginians both took Cossura and crossed over to Sicily; and if they had not learned that Collatinus and Gnaeus Cornelius were sailing toward them with a large fleet, they would have subdued the whole of it. For the Romans quickly equipped an excellent fleet and had made the best levies, and were so strengthened that in the third month they returned to Sicily. It was the five hundredth year since Rome was founded. And they took the lower city of Panormus without difficulty, but in besieging the acropolis they suffered hardship, until the food supply failed those within it. For then they surrendered to the consuls. But the Carthaginians, keeping a watch for their ships sailing home, captured many full of money. Then the consuls Servilius Caepio and Gaius Sempronius, after attempting Lilybaeum were repulsed, but crossed over to Libya, and were ravaging the coast. But as they were being conveyed home, they encountered a storm and were damaged. Therefore the people, believing 2.213 that they were being harmed by the inexperience of their sailors, voted to abstain from the rest of the sea, and to guard Italy with a few ships. In the following year Publius Gaius and Aurelius Servilius came to Sicily, and subdued some other places and Himera; however, they took none of those in it; for the Carthaginians carried them away by night. And after this Aurelius, having taken ships from Hiero and having taken along with him as many of the Romans as were there, sailed to Lipara, and leaving in it the tribune Quintus Cassius to conduct a siege without a battle, departed for home. But Quintus, not heeding the command, joined battle with the city and lost many men. However, Aurelius after this captured them all and killed them and removed Cassius from his command. But the Carthaginians, having learned what the Romans had decided concerning their navy,

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2.211 τῶν ἑαλωκότων ̔Ρωμαίων ἐν θεραπείᾳ ειχον, τὸν δὲ ̔Ρηγοῦλον ἐν πάσῃ κακουχίᾳ πεποίηντο, τροφήν τε αὐτῷ οσον ἀποζῆν προσῆγον, καὶ ἐλέφαντα προσέφερον συνεχῶς, οπως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δειματούμενος μήτε τῷ σώματι μήτε τῇ διανοίᾳ ἡσυχάζοι. ἐπὶ συχνὸν δὲ κακώσαντες ουτως αὐτὸν εἰς δεσμωτήριον εθεντο. Τοὺς δὲ σφετέρους συμμάχους οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι δεινότατα μετεχειρίσαντο. οὐ γὰρ εὐποροῦντες ἀποδοῦναι αὐτοῖς α προϋπέσχοντο, ἀπέπεμψαν αὐτοὺς ὡς καὶ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἀποδώσοντες. ἐκέλευσαν δὲ τοῖς κομίζουσι σφᾶς εἰς ἐρήμην τινὰ νῆσον ἐκβιβάσαι καὶ λάθρᾳ ἀποπλεῦσαι. καὶ τὸν Ξάνθιππον δὲ οἱ μέν φασι καταποντίσαι αὐτοὺς ἀποπλεύσαντι ἐπιπλεύσαντας, οἱ δὲ ναῦν αὐτῷ δοῦναι παλαιὰν μηδὲν στέγουσαν, νέον καταπιττώσαντας εξωθεν, ιν' αὐτὴ ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς καταποντισθῇ· τὸν δὲ γνόντα τοῦτο εἰς ἑτέραν ἐμβῆναι καὶ ουτω διασωθῆναι. ταῦτα δ' ἐποίουν, ινα μὴ δοκοῖεν πρὸς ἐκείνου σεσῶσθαι· ἐνόμισαν γὰρ ἀπολωλότος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν τῶν εργων δόξαν συναπολέσθαι. Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ ηλγουν μὲν διὰ τὸ συμβάν, καὶ πλέον οτι τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἐπὶ τὴν ̔Ρώμην αὐτὴν προσεδόκων πλευσεῖσθαι. διὰ ταῦτα τήν τε ̓Ιταλίαν ἐν φυλακῇ ἐποιήσαντο καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν Σικελίᾳ τῇ τε Λιβύῃ οντας ̔Ρωμαίους σπουδῇ τοὺς ὑπάτους επεμψαν, Μάρκον Αἰμίλιον καὶ Φούλβιον Πλαίτινον. οι ἐς Σικελίαν πλεύσαντες, καὶ φρουρήσαντες τὰ ἐκεῖ, πρὸς Λιβύην ὡρμήκεσαν· καὶ χειμῶνι ληφθέντες κατηνέχθησαν ἐς Κόρσουραν· πορθήσαντες δὲ τὴν νῆσον καὶ φρουρᾷ παραδόντες επλεον αυθις. 2.212 κἀν τούτῳ ἰσχυρὰ ναυμαχία πρὸς Καρχηδονίους ἐγένετο. ἠγωνίζοντο γὰρ οἱ μὲν παντελῶς τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας ἐκβαλεῖν, ̔Ρωμαῖοι δὲ τοὺς ἐγκαταλειφθέντας σφῶν ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ ἀνασώσασθαι. ἀγχωμάλως δὲ μαχομένων οἱ ἐν τῇ ̓Ασπίδι οντες ̔Ρωμαῖοι κατὰ νώτου τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις ἐξαίφνης ἐπέπλευσαν, καὶ ἀμφιβόλους αὐτοὺς καταλαβόντες ἐνίκησαν. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ πεζῷ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐκράτησαν, καὶ ειλον πολλούς· ους διὰ τὸν ̔Ρηγοῦλον καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ ἁλόντας περιεσώσαντο. ἁρπαγὰς δέ τινας ποιησάμενοι ἐς Σικελίαν επλεον. χειμῶνι δὲ περιπεσόντες καὶ πολλοὺς ἀποβαλόντες, οικοι ταῖς ναυσὶ ταῖς περισωθείσαις ἀπέπλευσαν. Οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ τὴν Κόρσουραν ελαβον καὶ ἐς Σικελίαν ἐπεραιώθησαν· καὶ εἰ μὴ τὸν Κολλατῖνον καὶ Γναῖον Κορνήλιον εμαθον πολλῷ προσπλέοντας ναυτικῷ, πᾶσαν αν αὐτὴν ἐχειρώσαντο. οἱ γὰρ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ναυτικόν τε αριστον ταχέως ἐξήρτυσαν καὶ καταλόγους βελτίστους ἐπεποιήκεσαν, καὶ ουτως ἐρρώσθησαν ωστε τρίτῳ μηνὶ ἐς τὴν Σικελίαν ἐπανελθεῖν. πεντακοσιοστὸν δ' ην ετος ἀφ' ουπερ ἡ ̔Ρώμη συνέστη. καὶ τὴν μὲν κάτω τοῦ Πανόρμου πόλιν οὐ χαλεπῶς ειλον, τῇ δὲ ακρᾳ προσεδρεύοντες ἐκακοπάθησαν, μέχρις ου τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἐπέλιπεν ἡ τροφή. τότε γὰρ προσεχώρησαν τοῖς ὑπάτοις. οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι τὰς ναῦς αὐτῶν οικαδε πλεούσας τηρήσαντες ειλον συχνὰς χρημάτων μεστάς. Ειτα Σερουίλιός τε Καιπίων καὶ Γάιος Σεμπρώνιος υπατοι τοῦ μὲν Λιλυβαίου πειράσαντες ἀπεκρούσθησαν, ἐς δὲ τὴν Λιβύην ἐπεραιώθησαν, καὶ τὴν παραλίαν ἐπόρθουν. ὡς δ' ἐκομίζοντο οικαδε, χειμῶνι ἐνέτυχον καὶ ἐβλάβησαν. διὸ νομίσας ὁ δῆμος 2.213 ἐξ ἀπειρίας τῶν ναυτικῶν βλάπτεσθαι, τῆς μὲν αλλης θαλάσσης ἀπέχεσθαι ἐψηφίσαντο, ναυσὶ δ' ὀλίγαις τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν φρουρεῖν. Τῷ δ' ἐπιγενομένῳ ετει Πούπλιος Γάιος καὶ Αὐρήλιος Σερουίλιος ἐς τὴν Σικελίαν ηλθον, καὶ αλλα τέ τινα κατεστρέψαντο καὶ ̔Ιμέραν· οὐ μέντοι τινὰ συνέσχον τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ· νυκτὸς γὰρ αὐτοὺς οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι ἐξεκόμισαν. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο Αὐρήλιος ναῦς τε παρὰ ̔Ιέρωνος εἰληφὼς καὶ οσοι τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ησαν ἐκεῖ συμπαραλαβὼν επλευσεν εἰς Λιπάραν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ χιλίαρχον Κύιντον Κάσσιον καταλιπὼν προσεδρεύσοντα μάχης ανευ, ἀπῆρεν οικαδε. Κύιντος δὲ μὴ φροντίσας τῆς ἐντολῆς προσέμιξε τῇ πόλει καὶ πολλοὺς ἀπέβαλεν. ὁ μέντοι Αὐρήλιος μετὰ ταῦτα ἐκείνους ἑλὼν πάντας ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τὸν Κάσσιον τῆς ἀρχῆς επαυσε. Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις περὶ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ μαθόντες,