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they sent to Sicily, hoping then to subjugate the whole island. And as long as both consuls, Caecilius Metellus and Gaius Furius, were present, they remained quiet; but when Furius departed for Rome, they grew contemptuous of Metellus and came to Panormus. But Metellus, having learned that spies had come from the enemy, gathered all those in the city, and after addressing them, he ordered them to take hold of one another; and thus by questioning each one as to who he was and what he was doing, he caught the enemy spies. The Carthaginians drew up for battle, and Metellus pretended to be afraid. When this went on for several 2.214 days, the Carthaginians grew arrogant and attacked more rashly. And then Metellus raised the signal for the Romans; and at this, they suddenly sallied forth from all the gates and easily prevailed, and they penned them in a narrow space, so that they could no longer withdraw through it. For being crowded, since they were many and had many elephants, they were thrown into confusion. And at this point, the Libyan fleet, sailing toward them, became the greatest cause of their destruction. For upon seeing the ships, they rushed to them and tried to force their way aboard, and some fell into the sea and were lost, others were killed by the elephants as they crowded one another and the men, others were slain by the Romans, and many were captured alive, both men and elephants. For since they were growing wild without their usual handlers, Metellus made a proclamation to the prisoners, offering safety and immunity to those who captured them; and so some, approaching their own most gentle ones, both mastered them through familiarity and drew the others along. These, one hundred and twenty in number, they brought to Rome, having transported them across the strait in this way. Having bound many large jars to one another and separated them with logs, so that they would neither break apart nor collide, they stretched beams over them and piled on wood and earth, and fencing the area around, so that it resembled a kind of courtyard, they made them board it, and ferried them across without them even noticing that they were sailing. So Metellus won in this way, but Hasdrubal the Carthaginian 2.215 general, who escaped then, was later recalled by the Carthaginians at home and crucified. The Carthaginians sent heralds to the Romans both for other reasons and because of the multitude of prisoners, and they sent Regulus himself with the ambassadors, thinking to achieve everything through him because of the man's virtue and high standing, and they put him under oath that he would indeed return. And he, in other respects, acted as one of the Carthaginians and neither received his wife to speak with her nor entered the city, although invited to do so, but with the senate assembled outside the wall, as was the custom for dealing with enemy ambassadors, he was brought into the assembly and said: "Us, O fathers, the Carthaginians have sent to you; for they have sent me, since I have become their slave by the law of war; and they request above all to end the war on terms agreeable to both, but if not, to make an exchange of prisoners." Having said these things, he withdrew with the ambassadors, so that the Romans might deliberate by themselves. And when the consuls bade him to take part in their decision, he was not persuaded until it was permitted by the Carthaginians. For a time he was silent; but when the senators urged him to state his opinion, he said: "I am one of you, O fathers, even if I am captured ten thousand times; for my body belongs to the Carthaginians, but my soul is yours; for the former has been alienated from you, but the latter no one can make to be anything but Roman; and while as a captive I belong to the Carthaginians, 2.216 since I was unfortunate not through cowardice but through zeal, I am also a Roman and think your thoughts. And I do not think the exchange is advantageous to you in any way." Having said these things, Regulus also added the reasons for which he advised against the terms, and he continued as follows: "I know that a manifest destruction lies before me;

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επεμψαν εἰς Σικελίαν, πᾶσαν ὑποτάξαι τότε ἐλπίσαντες. καὶ εως μὲν αμφω παρῆσαν οἱ υπατοι Καικίλιος Μέτελλος καὶ Γάιος Φούριος, ἠρέμουν· ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἀπῆρεν ὁ Φούριος, κατεφρόνησαν τοῦ Μετέλλου καὶ πρὸς τὸ Πάνορμον ηλθον. ὁ δὲ Μέτελλος κατασκόπους ἐλθεῖν μαθὼν ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων, ηθροισε τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει πάντας, καὶ διαλεχθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἀλλήλων λαβέσθαι σφίσιν ἐκέλευσε· καὶ ουτως εκαστον ἀνακρίνων οστις τε ειη καὶ ο,τι πράττοι, κατεφώρασε τοὺς πολεμίους. Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ παρετάξαντο ὡς μαχούμενοι, καὶ Μέτελλος δεδιέναι προσεποιεῖτο. τούτου δ' ἐπὶ πλεί2.214 ους ἡμέρας γινομένου οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι ἐφρονηματίσθησαν καὶ προσέβαλλον θρασύτερον. καὶ τότε ὁ Μέτελλος σημεῖον τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ηρε· κἀκ τούτου ἐξαπιναίως ἐκεῖνοι κατὰ πάσας τὰς πύλας ἐπεκδραμόντες ῥᾳδίως ἐκράτησαν, καὶ ἐς στενὸν αὐτοὺς κατέκλεισαν, ωστε μηκέτ' ἀναχωρῆσαι δι' αὐτοῦ δυνηθῆναι. στενοχωρούμενοι γάρ, ατε καὶ αὐτοὶ πολλοὶ οντες καὶ πολλοὺς ἐλέφαντας εχοντες, ἐταράττοντο. κἀν τούτῳ τὸ ναυτικὸν τὸ Λιβυκὸν προσπλεῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο φθορᾶς αἰτιώτατον. ἰδόντες γὰρ τὰς ναῦς ωρμησαν εἰς αὐτὰς καὶ ἐμβαίνειν ἐξεβιάζοντο, καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐνέπιπτον καὶ ἐφθείροντο, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἐμπελαζομένων ἀλλήλοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπώλλυντο, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐκτείνοντο, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ζῶντες ἑάλωσαν ανδρες τε καὶ ἐλέφαντες. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ανευ τῶν συνήθων σφίσιν ἀνδρῶν οντες ἠγριαίνοντο, κήρυγμα τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις ὁ Μέτελλος ἐποιήσατο σωτηρίαν καὶ αδειαν τοῖς συλλαβοῦσιν αὐτοὺς διδοῦν· καὶ ουτως προσελθόντες τινὲς τοῖς σφῶν πρᾳοτάτοις ἐκείνους τε διὰ τὴν συνήθειαν ἐχειρώσαντο καὶ τοὺς αλλους προσεπεσπάσαντο. ους καὶ εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἐκόμισαν ἑκατὸν οντας καὶ εικοσιν, ουτως αὐτοὺς τὸν πορθμὸν περαιώσαντες. πίθους πολλοὺς συνδήσαντες ἀλλήλοις καὶ ξύλοις διαλαβόντες σφᾶς, ωστε μήτ' ἀπαρτᾶσθαι σφᾶς μήτε συμπίπτειν, δοκοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἐπέτειναν καὶ υλην καὶ γῆν ἐπεφόρησαν, φράξαντές τε πέριξ τὸ χωρίον, ὡς αὐλῇ τινι ἐοικέναι, εἰς τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἐπεβίβασαν, καὶ διεπόρθμευσαν οὐδ' αἰσθανομένους οτι πλέοιεν. ὁ μὲν ουν Μέτελλος ουτως ἐνίκησεν, ὁ δ' ̓Ασδρούβας ὁ τῶν Καρχηδονίων 2.215 στρατηγὸς σωθεὶς τότε υστερον ὑπὸ τῶν οικοι Καρχηδονίων ἐκλήθη καὶ ἀνεσκολοπίσθη. Οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ διεκηρυκεύσαντο τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις διά τε ταλλα καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσι καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν ̔Ρηγοῦλον συνέπεμψαν, πᾶν δι' αὐτοῦ οἰηθέντες κατωρθωκέναι διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ ἀνδρός, ωρκωσάν τε αὐτὸν η μὴν ἐπανήξειν. καὶ ος τά τε αλλα ὡς εις τῶν Καρχηδονίων επραττε καὶ ουτε τὴν γυναῖκα εἰς λόγους ἐδέξατο ουτε τὴν πόλιν εἰσῆλθε, καὶ ταῦτα καλούμενος, ἀλλ' εξω τοῦ τείχους τῆς βουλῆς ἀθροισθείσης, ὡς εθος ην χρηματίζειν τῶν πολεμίων τοῖς πρέσβεσιν, εἰσαχθεὶς εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ειπεν "ἡμᾶς, ω πατέρες, πρὸς ὑμᾶς Καρχηδόνιοι επεμψαν· ἐκεῖνοι γάρ με ἐστάλκασι, ἐπεὶ δοῦλος αὐτῶν νόμῳ πολέμου γεγένημαι· καὶ ἀξιοῦσι μάλιστα μὲν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον λύσασθαι ἐπὶ συνθήκαις ταῖς δοκούσαις ἀμφοῖν, εἰ δὲ μή, τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ποιήσασθαι αλλαγμα." ταῦτα εἰπὼν μετέστη μετὰ τῶν πρέσβεων, ὡς αν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι βουλεύσωνται. κελευόντων δὲ αὐτὸν τῶν ὑπάτων συμμετασχεῖν σφίσι τῆς διαγνώμης, οὐ πρὶν ἐπείσθη πρὸ τοῦ παρὰ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐπιτραπῆναι. ὁ δὲ τέως μὲν ἐσιώπα· ἐπεὶ δ' οἱ βουλευταὶ εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν γνώμην ἐκέλευον, ειπεν "εἰμὶ μὲν εις ἐξ ὑμῶν, ω πατέρες, καν μυριάκις ἁλῶ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμά μου Καρχηδονίων, ἡ δὲ ψυχή μου ὑμετέρα ἐστίν· ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὑμῶν ἠλλοτρίωται, ταύτην δὲ οὐδεὶς δύναται μὴ οὐχὶ ̔Ρωμαίαν ειναι ποιῆσαι· καὶ ὡς μὲν αἰχμάλωτος Καρχηδονίοις 2.216 προσήκω, ἐπεὶ δ' οὐκ ἐκ κακίας, ἀλλ' ἐκ προθυμίας ἐδυστύχησα, καὶ ̔Ρωμαῖός εἰμι καὶ φρονῶ τὰ ὑμέτερα. καὶ οὐδ' ἐξ ἑνὸς τρόπου λυσιτελεῖν ὑμῖν τὰς καταλλαγὰς νομίζω." Ταῦτα ὁ ̔Ρηγοῦλος εἰπὼν καὶ τὰς αἰτίας προσέθηκε δι' ας τὰς συμβάσεις ἀπηγόρευε, καὶ ἐπήγαγεν ὡς "οιδα μὲν οτι προυπτός μοι ολεθρος πρόκειται·