323

they chose again, and prepared weapons and machines and triremes. For as war was imminent, and they were in danger of enslavement, in a very short time they constructed all that they needed. For they spared nothing, but even melted down the statues for their need of bronze and for ropes they used the women's hair. The consuls at first, hoping to take them quickly as they were unarmed, prepared only ladders, so as to mount the wall immediately by them, but then, having attacked and seen them armed and possessing the means for a siege, they turned to the work of machines, and having constructed them with danger, for Hasdrubal troubled them by ambushing their wood-gatherers, they approached the city. And Manilius, attacking it from the mainland, did them no harm, but Marcius, attacking from the sea near the marshy part, shook a part of the wall, but did not enter. For the Carthaginians drove off those forcing an entry and at night, sallying out through the ruins, they killed many men and burned most of the engines. But neither were they permitted by Hasdrubal and the cavalry to scatter far over the country, nor indeed did Masinissa help2.327 them. For he had not been summoned at the beginning of the war, and they had not permitted him to make war on Hasdrubal then, as he had promised. The consuls, both because of what had happened and because their fleet had been sickened from its stay in the lake, raised the siege. And Marcius, having attempted to do something by sea or to harm the coast, since he accomplished nothing, sailed home; and on his return voyage he captured Aegimurus; but Manilius set out for the interior, and being harassed by Himilco, the commander of the Carthaginian cavalry, whom they also called Phameas, he returned towards Carthage. And there Hasdrubal from without, and those in the city sallying from within, harassed him both by night and by day. Therefore the Carthaginians, growing contemptuous, even advanced to their camp, and having lost many men, for most of them were unarmed, they were shut up in the wall again. But Manilius especially chose to engage with Hasdrubal, and he thought that if he defeated him, he would more easily make war upon the rest. And he engaged with him; but having followed him as he was retreating to a certain fort, he found himself unwittingly inside a rough and narrow country, and was severely harassed. And he would have been utterly destroyed, if Scipio, the descendant of Africanus, had not been most useful to him, a man best at conceiving and planning the best course, and best at carrying it out; for he was strong in body, and was fair-minded and moderate; for which reasons he also escaped envy. For he was equal to his inferiors, not 2.328 better than his peers, for he was a chiliarch, and deemed himself weaker than his superiors. Therefore Manilius both spoke of the things concerning him and sent a letter to those in Rome, concealing nothing, both the other things and the matters concerning Masinissa and Phameas; which were as follows. When Masinissa was dying, he was at a loss how to dispose of his kingdom, because of the number of his sons and the difference of their lineage on their mothers' side. Therefore he sent for Scipio for consultation; whom the consul sent. But Masinissa, failing before Scipio came, gave his ring to his son Micipsa, but all other matters pertaining to the kingdom he handed over and entrusted to Scipio who had just arrived. Scipio therefore, having understood the characters of his sons, did not assign the kingdom to any one of them alone, but since there were three most notable ones, the eldest being Micipsa, the youngest Gulussa, and the middle one Mastanabal, to these he distributed the affairs of state, though divided. For to the eldest, being a man of business and fond of wealth, he entrusted the administration; to the one after him, being a judge, he allowed him to decide disputes; and to Gulussa, being a warrior, he handed over the military forces. And to their many brothers he assigned some cities and lands. And Gulussa

323

αυθις ειλοντο, καὶ οπλα καὶ μηχανὰς τριήρεις τε ἡτοιμάσαντο. ὡς γὰρ τοῦ πολέμου ἐπικειμένου, καὶ περὶ ἀνδραποδισμοῦ κινδυνεύοντες, δι' ἐλαχίστου πάνθ' οσων εχρῃζον κατεσκεύαζον. ἐφείδοντο γὰρ οὐδενός, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀνδριάντας πρὸς τὴν χρείαν τοῦ χαλκοῦ συνεχώνευσαν καὶ ἐς τὰς σχοίνους τῶν γυναικῶν ταῖς κόμαις ἐχρήσαντο. οἱ δ' υπατοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀόπλους ταχέως αἱρήσειν ἐλπίσαντες μόνας ἡτοιμάσαντο κλίμακας, ὡς δι' αὐτῶν τοῦ τείχους εὐθὺς ἐπιβησόμενοι, επειτα δὲ προσβαλόντες καὶ ὡπλισμένους σφᾶς καὶ τὰ πρὸς πολιορκίαν εχοντας ἰδόντες πρὸς μηχανῶν ἐργασίαν ἐτράποντο, καὶ αὐτὰς ἐπικινδύνως κατασκευάσαντες, ὁ γὰρ ̓Ασδρούβας ὑλαγωγοῦντας ἐνεδρεύων ἐλύπει, προσέμισγον τῇ πόλει. καὶ Μανίλιος μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου αὐτῇ προσβαλὼν οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς εβλαψε, Μάρκιος δ' ἐκ θαλάσσης κατὰ τὸ λιμνῶδες προσπεσὼν κατέσεισε μέν τι τοῦ τείχους, οὐ μέντοι καὶ εἰσῆλθεν. οἱ γὰρ Καρχηδόνιοι τούς τε βιαζομένους εἰσελθεῖν ἐξεκρούσαντο καὶ νύκτωρ διὰ τῶν ἐρειπίων ἐπεξελθόντες ἀνθρώπους τε συχνοὺς εκτειναν καὶ μηχανήματα πλεῖστα κατέπρησαν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς χώρας παρὰ τοῦ ̓Ασδρούβου καὶ τῶν ἱππέων εἰῶντο σκεδάννυσθαι, ουτε μὴν ὁ Μασινίσσας αὐτοῖς ἐπε2.327 κούρησεν. οὐ γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ πολέμου προσεκέκλητο, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ̓Ασδρούβαν τότε πολεμήσειν ὑποσχομένῳ οὐκ ἐπέτρεψαν. Οἱ δ' υπατοι διά τε τὰ συμβάντα καὶ οτι τὸ ναυτικὸν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ διατριβῆς ἐνόσησεν ελυσαν τὴν πολιορκίαν. καὶ Μάρκιος μὲν ἐπιχειρήσας κατὰ θάλασσάν τι πρᾶξαι η τὴν παραλίαν κακῶσαι, ὡς οὐδὲν ηνυεν, ἀπέπλευσεν οικαδε· καὶ ἀνθυποστρέψας Αἰγίμουρον ἐχειρώσατο· Μανίλιος δὲ ωρμησε μὲν εἰς τὴν μεσόγειον, κακούμενος δ' ὑπὸ ̔Ιμίλκωνος τοῦ τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἱππάρχου, ον καὶ Φαμέαν ἐκάλουν, πρὸς τὴν Καρχηδόνα ἐπανελήλυθε. κἀκεῖ δὲ εξωθεν ὁ ̓Ασδρούβας, ενδοθεν δ' ἐπεξιόντες οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν αὐτὸν ἐκάκουν. καταφρονήσαντες ουν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ μέχρι τοῦ στρατοπέδου αὐτῶν ἐπῆλθον, καὶ συχνοὺς ἀποβαλόντες, αοπλοι γὰρ οἱ πλείους ησαν, εἰς τὸ τεῖχος αυθις συνεκλείσθησαν. ὁ δὲ Μανίλιος τῷ ̓Ασδρούβᾳ συμμίξαι μάλιστα ειλετο, καὶ εἰ ἐκεῖνον νικήσει, ῥᾷον τοῖς λοιποῖς προσπολεμήσειν ἐνόμιζε. καί οἱ προσέμιξε· πρὸς δέ τι φρούριον ἀναχωροῦντι ἐπακολουθήσας, ελαθεν εισω χώρας τραχείας καὶ στενοπόρου γενόμενος, καὶ δεινῶς ἐκακώθη. καὶ πανσυδὶ αν διεφθάρη, εἰ μὴ Σκιπίων ὁ τοῦ ̓Αφρικανοῦ χρησιμώτατος αὐτῷ ἐγένετο, ἀνὴρ αριστος μὲν νοῆσαι καὶ προβουλεῦσαι τὰ κράτιστα, αριστος δὲ χειρουργῆσαι· καὶ γὰρ τῷ σώματι ερρωτο, ἐπιεικής τε καὶ μέτριος ην· δι' α καὶ τὸν φθόνον ἐξέφυγεν. ισος μὲν γὰρ τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις, οὐκ 2.328 ἀμείνων δὲ τῶν ὁμοτίμων, ἐχιλιάρχει γάρ, ἀσθενέστερος δὲ τῶν μειζόνων ἠξίου ειναι. ὁ ουν Μανίλιος καὶ ειπε τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπέστειλε τοῖς ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ μή τι ἀποκρυψάμενος καὶ ταλλα καὶ τὰ κατὰ Μασινίσσαν καὶ τὸν Φαμέαν· α εσχον ουτως. Θνήσκων ὁ Μασινίσσας ἠπόρει οπως περὶ τῆς βασιλείας διάθηται, διά τε τὸ τῶν υἱέων πλῆθος καὶ τὸ διάφορον τοῦ κατὰ τὰς μητέρας γένους αὐτῶν. διὸ πρὸς συμβουλίαν τὸν Σκιπίωνα μετεπέμψατο· ον ὁ υπατος εστειλεν. ἀλλ' ὁ Μασινίσσας πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὸν Σκιπίωνα ἐκλείπων τὸν μὲν δακτύλιον τῷ Μικίψᾳ τῷ υἱῷ εδωκε, τὰ δ' αλλα πάντα τὰ τῇ ἀρχῇ προσήκοντα τῷ Σκιπίωνι αρτι ἐλθόντι παρέσχεν καὶ ἐνετείλατο. ὁ ουν Σκιπίων κατανοήσας τὰς προαιρέσεις τῶν υἱέων αὐτοῦ, οὐδενὶ μὲν αὐτῶν μόνῳ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπένειμε, τριῶν δὲ τῶν ἐλλογιμωτάτων οντων, πρεσβυτάτου μὲν Μικίψου, νεωτάτου δὲ Γουλούσσου, μέσου δὲ Μαστανάβου, τούτοις τὰ πράγματα, μεμερισμένως μέντοι, κατένειμε. τῷ μὲν γὰρ πρεσβυτάτῳ χρηματιστῇ τε οντι καὶ φιλοπλούτῳ τὴν διοίκησιν ἐνεχείρισε, τῷ δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν τὰς διαφορὰς κρίνειν ἐπέτρεψε δικαστῇ οντι, τῷ δὲ Γουλούσσᾳ πολεμικῷ τυγχάνοντι τὰς δυνάμεις παρέδωκε. τοῖς δ' ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν πολλοῖς ουσι πόλεις τινὰς καὶ χώρας ενειμε. καὶ τὸν Γουλούσσαν