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they were no longer willing to neglect the sea, but again organized a navy. And Lutatius Catulus was chosen consul, and with him was sent Quintus Valerius Flaccus, the praetor. These men, having gone to Sicily, attacked Drepana by both land and sea, and they tore down a part of the wall; and they would have taken it, had not the soldiers been occupied with the consul after he was wounded. And meanwhile, learning that the enemy had come from home with a large fleet, with Hanno as admiral, they turned against them. And as they were arrayed against each other, a kind of torch-like star, appearing above the Romans on the left, rose and darted down upon the Carthaginians. The sea-battle was fierce on both sides, for various reasons, and particularly so that the Carthaginians might bring the Romans to complete despair of their navy, and the Romans, that they might retrieve their former disasters. Nevertheless, the Romans won the victory; for the Carthaginian vessels, carrying cargo in addition to other things, both grain and money, were heavily laden. But Hanno, having escaped, hastened straight to Carthage. The Carthaginians, seized with anger and 2.222 fear, crucified him, and sent ambassadors to Catulus for peace. And it was to his advantage to end the war, because, with his term of office coming to an end, he neither hoped to take Carthage in a short time nor wished to leave the glory of his own labors to his successors. Therefore they made a truce, giving him money, grain, and hostages, in order that they might send an embassy to Rome on the conditions that they should withdraw from all of Sicily for the Romans and leave all the surrounding islands, and that they should not make war on Hiero, and that they should give some money at the time of the treaty and some later, and send away their deserters and prisoners for free, but ransom their own. Such then was the agreement that was made; for Hamilcar had begged off only the disgrace of passing under the yoke. And he, having made this agreement and led the soldiers out from the fortifications, sailed away home before the oaths were administered, but the people in Rome learned of the victory in a short time and were elated, as if they had been completely victorious. And when the ambassadors came, they could no longer contain themselves, and hoped to have all of Libya. Therefore they did not even abide by the consul's agreements, but exacted from them much more money than had been promised; and they forbade them to sail along Italy or their allies outside it with warships or to employ any mercenaries from them. The first war, then, of the Romans against the Carthaginians came to this end in the twenty-fourth year, and for it Catulus celebrated a triumph, and Quintus Lutatius, having been consul, went away to Sici2.223ly and with his brother Catulus settled all matters there; and they took away the arms of those in it. Sicily, then, was thus enslaved by the Romans, except for the domain of Hiero, and from this time on they had a friendship with the Carthaginians. But both soon after became engaged separately in other wars. For in the case of the Carthaginians, the remnants of those who had served them as mercenaries, and the slave population in the city, and many of their neighbors joined in attacking them in their misfortunes. The Romans, however, when those who were at war with them called upon them, not only did not listen, but also, after sending a counter-embassy and being unable to reconcile them, also released for free as many Carthaginian prisoners as they held, and sent grain, and allowed them to enlist mercenaries from their own allied territory, seeking a reputation for fairness rather than providing for their own advantage. From which they had trouble afterwards; for that Hamilcar Barcas, after he had conquered his opponents, did not dare to march against the Romans, although he hated them very much, but departed for Iberia against the judgment of the authorities at home. But these things happened later, and at that time the Romans also made war on the Faliscans, and Mallius Torquatus their country
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οὐκέτι ἀμελεῖν τῆς θαλάσσης ηθελον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αυθις ναυτικὸν συνεστήσαντο. Καὶ Λουτάτιος Κατύλος υπατος ᾑρέθη, καὶ τούτῳ συνεξεπέμφθη Κύιντος Οὐαλέριος Φλάκκος ἀστυνομῶν. οι ἐς Σικελίαν ἐλθόντες καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν τῷ ∆ρεπάνῳ προσέβαλον, καί τι τοῦ τείχους κατήρειψαν· καὶ ειλον αν αὐτό, εἰ μὴ τοῦ ὑπάτου τρωθέντος περὶ ἐκεῖνον οἱ στρατιῶται ἀπησχολήθησαν. κἀν τούτῳ μαθόντες τοὺς πολεμίους οικοθεν ηκειν ναυτικῷ πλήθει, Αννωνος ναυαρχοῦντος, πρὸς ἐκείνους ἐτράποντο. καὶ ἀντιπαραταξαμένων αὐτῶν αστρον τι λαμπαδῶδες υπερθεν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων φανὲν ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς εἰς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἀρθὲν ἐγκατέσκηψεν. ἐγένετο δ' ἡ ναυμαχία καὶ ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν καρτερὰ δι' αλλα τε καὶ ινα οἱ μὲν Καρχηδόνιοι ἐς τελείαν ἀπόγνωσιν τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους τοῦ ναυτικοῦ καταστήσωσιν, οἱ δ' ινα καὶ τὰς προτέρας ἀνακαλέσωνται συμφοράς. ομως δ' ουν οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τὴν νίκην ηραντο· τὰ γὰρ τῶν Καρχηδονίων σκάφη, φορτία φέροντα πρὸς τοῖς αλλοις καὶ σῖτον καὶ χρήματα, ἐβαρύνοντο. ̔Ο δ' Αννων διαφυγὼν εὐθὺς εἰς τὴν Καρχηδόνα ἠπείχθη. οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ θυμῷ ληφθέντες καὶ 2.222 φόβῳ τὸν μὲν ἀνεσταύρωσαν, πρέσβεις δὲ πρὸς εἰρήνην τῷ Κατύλῳ πεπόμφασι. καὶ τῷ πρὸς βουλῆς ην τὸν πόλεμον καταλύσασθαι, οτι ἐπ' ἐξόδῳ ουσης αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς ουτε δι' ὀλίγου ἐξαιρήσειν τὴν Καρχηδόνα ηλπιζεν ουτε τοῖς διαδόχοις τὴν δόξαν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πόνων καταλιπεῖν ηθελε. διὸ ἀνακωχὴν ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ χρήματα καὶ σῖτον καὶ ὁμήρους αὐτῷ δόντες, ιν' ἐς τὴν ̔Ρώμην πρεσβεύσωνται ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς Σικελίας τε αὐτοὺς πάσης ἐκστῆναι ̔Ρωμαίοις καὶ πάσας τὰς πέριξ νήσους ἐκλιπεῖν καὶ μήτε τῷ ̔Ιέρωνι πολεμεῖν καὶ χρήματα τὰ μὲν αμα τῷ σπείσασθαι δοῦναι, τὰ δὲ καὶ υστερον, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐκείνων αὐτομόλους καὶ αἰχμαλώτους προῖκα ἐκπέμψαι, τοὺς δ' ἑαυτῶν πρίασθαι. Τοιαύτη μὲν ουν ἡ σύμβασις ὡμολόγητο· μόνην γὰρ τὴν τοῦ ζυγοῦ ἀτιμίαν ὁ ̓Αμίλκας παρῃτήσατο. καὶ ὁ μὲν ταῦτα συνθέμενος καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκ τῶν τειχῶν ἐξαγαγὼν ἀπέπλευσεν οικαδε πρὶν τοὺς ορκους ἐπενεχθῆναι, οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ τήν τε νίκην διὰ βραχέος εμαθον καὶ ἐπήρθησαν ὡς παντάπασι κεκρατηκότες. καὶ τῶν πρέσβεων ἐλθόντων οὐκέτι κατέχειν ἑαυτοὺς ἠδύναντο, καὶ τὴν Λιβύην εχειν απασαν ηλπιζον. διὸ οὐδὲ ταῖς τοῦ ὑπάτου ὁμολογίαις ἐνέμειναν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρήματα αὐτοὺς πολλῷ πλείω τῶν ὑπεσχημένων ἐπράξαντο· καὶ ἀπηγόρευσαν σφίσι μήτε τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν μήτε τὴν εξω συμμαχίδα σφῶν μακραῖς ναυσὶ παραπλεῖν η μισθοφόροις τισὶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν κεχρῆσθαι. ̔Ο μὲν ουν πρῶτος τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις πόλεμος τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις εἰς τοῦτο κατέληξε τετάρτῳ ετει καὶ εἰκοστῷ, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ηγαγεν ὁ Κατύλος τὰ ἐπινίκια, Κύιντος δὲ Λουτάτιος ὑπατεύσας ἀπῆλθεν ἐς Σικε2.223 λίαν καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Κατύλου πάντα τὰ ἐκεῖ κατεστήσατο· καὶ τὰ οπλα τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ἀφείλοντο. Σικελία μὲν ουν ουτως ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίων δεδούλωτο πλὴν τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ ̔Ιέρωνος, ἐκ δὲ τούτου πρὸς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους φιλία ην αὐτοῖς. Αμφω δ' αυθις εἰς πολέμους ἑτέρους χωρὶς μετ' ὀλίγον κατέστησαν. τοῖς γὰρ Καρχηδονίοις οι τε περίλοιποι τῶν μισθοφορησάντων σφίσι καὶ τὸ δουλεῦον τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τῶν ὁμορούντων πολλοὶ πρὸς τὰς συμφορὰς αὐτῶν συνεπέθεντο. οι γε μὴν ̔Ρωμαῖοι, ἐπικαλεσαμένων αὐτοὺς τῶν πολεμούντων ἐκείνοις, ουθ' ὑπήκουσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντιπρεσβευσάμενοι καὶ μὴ δυνηθέντες καταλλάξαι αὐτούς, καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους τῶν Καρχηδονίων οσους ειχον ἀφῆκαν προῖκα, καὶ σῖτον επεμψαν καὶ μισθοφόρους ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας συμμαχίδος αὐτοῖς ἐπαγαγέσθαι ἐπέτρεψαν, δόξαν ἐπιεικείας θηρώμενοι μᾶλλον η τοῦ συμφέροντος αὐτοῖς προμηθούμενοι. οθεν πράγματα εσχον εἰσέπειτα· ὁ γὰρ ̓Αμίλκας ἐκεῖνος ὁ Βαρχίδης, ἐπεὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐνίκησεν, ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους, καίπερ κάρτα μισῶν αὐτούς, οὐκ ἐτόλμησε στρατεῦσαι, ἐς δὲ τὴν ̓Ιβηρίαν παρὰ γνώμην τῶν οικοι τελῶν ἀπῆρεν. ̓Αλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐγένετο υστερον, τότε δὲ καὶ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι Φαλίσκοις ἐπολέμησαν, καὶ Μάλλιος Τουρκουάτος τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν