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He, also claiming to be the son of Perseus, and having gathered a force, seized the land around the river called Mestus; whom Metellus pursued as he fled as far as Dardania. Against the Carthaginians the Romans sent Piso the consul. who did not engage with Carthage and Hasdrubal, but turned to the coastal cities; and he was repulsed from Aspis, but took and razed Nea Polis; and marching against the city of Hippo he wasted his time, accomplishing nothing. The Carthaginians were emboldened by these things and because some allies had joined them. Therefore, when the Romans, both those in the camp and those in the city, learned these things, they turned to Scipio and voted him consul, although his age 2.332 did not permit him the office; but both his own deeds and the virtue of his father Paulus and his grandfather Africanus provided everyone with a firm hope both of conquering the enemy through him and of utterly destroying Carthage. But while Scipio was being conveyed to Libya, Mancinus, sailing past Carthage, observed a certain place inside its wall called Megalia, which descended to the sea over a steep rock, was quite detached from the rest of the city, and had but few guards, as it was naturally strong, and suddenly placing ladders from his ships, he went up. And when he had already gone up, some of the Carthaginians ran together, but they were not able to drive him off. And he sent to Piso, reported what had happened, and asked him to come to his aid. But being far away inland, Piso was of no use to him. But Scipio, arriving by chance at night just as the message came, immediately rendered assistance. For the Carthaginians would have captured or destroyed Mancinus, if they had not seen Scipio's ships sailing past. Then they were disheartened, but they did not withdraw. So Scipio sent some prisoners to say that he was present. And when they learned this, they did not hold their ground any longer, but retreated and sent for Hasdrubal, and they guarded the cross-wall in front of the houses with trenches and palisades. Scipio, however, left Mancinus to guard Megalia, while he himself departed to Piso and the forces, in order to engage in action with them. And he returned quickly with the lightest part of the army, and found Hasdrubal having entered Carthage and 2.333 attacking Mancinus fiercely; and when Scipio arrived, he broke off the attack. And when Piso had now arrived, he ordered him to encamp outside the wall near certain gates, and he sent other soldiers around to a certain postern gate far from them, having instructed them what they should do, while he himself, taking the best of the army around midnight, got inside the circuit wall, using deserters as guides, and running up to the postern gate and breaking the bar, he let in those lying in wait outside and destroyed the guards. And he hurried towards the gates at which Piso was lying in wait, routing the guards posted in between, who were few in number at each post, so that Hasdrubal both learned what had happened and saw nearly the entire Roman force inside at the same time. And for a time they held out, then they abandoned the rest of the city and fled to the Cothon and the Byrsa. Then Hasdrubal killed all the Roman prisoners, so that the Carthaginians, despairing of pardon, would resist more eagerly; and he also put to death many of the inhabitants on the grounds that they were betraying them. And Scipio surrounded them with a palisade and walled them off, but he did not take them quickly. For the walls were strong, and those inside, being many, defended themselves vigorously in a small space, and they had an abundance of food. For Bithias used to send merchant ships for them into the harbor from the mainland opposite the city with the wave and wind, whenever it blew strongly. To counter this Scipio both devised and executed a great work; for the entrance to the harbor, being narrow,

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Περσέως καὶ αὐτὸς λέγων ειναι υἱὸς καὶ χεῖρα συναγαγὼν κατέλαβε τὴν περὶ τὸν Μέστον καλούμενον ποταμὸν χώραν· ον ὁ Μέτελλος ἐπεδίωξεν ὑποφυγόντα μέχρι τῆς ∆αρδανίας. ̓Επὶ δὲ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι Πείσωνα τὸν υπατον εστειλαν. ος τῇ μὲν Καρχηδόνι καὶ τῷ ̓Ασδρούβᾳ οὐ προσέμιξεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς παραλίους πόλεις ἐτράπετο· καὶ τῆς μὲν ̓Ασπίδος ἀπεκρούσθη, τὴν δὲ Νέαν πόλιν ἑλὼν κατέσκαψεν· ἐπὶ δὲ ̔Ιππῶνα πόλιν ὁρμήσας κατέτριψε τὸν καιρὸν μηδὲν περάνας. οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι ἀνεθάρσησαν διὰ ταῦτα καὶ οτι καί τινες αὐτοῖς προσεγένοντο σύμμαχοι. μαθόντες ουν ταῦτα οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι οι τε ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἐπὶ τὸν Σκιπίωνα ωρμησαν καὶ υπατον αὐτὸν ἐψηφίσαντο, καίτοι τῆς ἡλι2.332 κίας μὴ ἐφιείσης αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχήν· ἀλλὰ τά τε εργα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀρετὴ τοῦ πατρὸς Παύλου καὶ τοῦ πάππου ̓Αφρικανοῦ ἐλπίδα παρεῖχον απασι βεβαίαν καὶ τῶν πολεμίων δι' αὐτοῦ κρατήσειν καὶ τὴν Καρχηδόνα παντελῶς ἐξαιρήσειν. ̓Εν ῳ δ' ὁ Σκιπίων εἰς τὴν Λιβύην ἐκομίζετο, Μαγκῖνος παραπλέων τὴν Καρχηδόνα χωρίον τι τοῦ τείχους αὐτῆς ἐντὸς ον Μεγαλία ὀνομαζόμενον καὶ ἐπὶ πέτρας ἀποτόμου καθῆκον πρὸς θάλασσαν πολύ τε τῆς αλλης πόλεως ἀπηρτημένον καὶ μηδὲ πολλοὺς φρουροὺς εχον ὡς τῇ φύσει ον ἐρυμνὸν κατανοήσας, κλίμακας ἐξαπιναίως προσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν ἐπανέβη. ηδη δὲ ἀνελθόντος συνέδραμον μὲν τῶν Καρχηδονίων τινές, οὐ μέντοι καὶ ἐκκροῦσαι αὐτὸν ἠδυνήθησαν. ὁ δὲ πέμψας πρὸς τὸν Πείσωνα τά τε γεγονότα ἐδήλωσε καὶ αὐτῷ ἐπαμῦναι ἠξίωσε. πόρρω δ' ων ἐν τῇ μεσογείῳ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ χρήσιμος ὁ Πείσων ἐγένετο. ὁ δὲ Σκιπίων ὑπ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἀγγελίαν νυκτὸς κατὰ τύχην ἐλθὼν εὐθὺς ἐβοήθησεν. ειλον γὰρ αν τὸν Μαγκῖνον οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι η καὶ διέφθειραν, εἰ μὴ παραπλεούσας ειδον τὰς ναῦς τοῦ Σκιπίωνος. τότε δ' ἠθύμησαν μέν, οὐκ ἀπέστησαν δέ. αἰχμαλώτους ουν τινας επεμψεν ὁ Σκιπίων ἐροῦντας οτι πάρεστι. καὶ τοῦτο γνόντες οὐχ ὑπέμειναν ετι, ἀλλ' ἀνεχώρησαν καὶ τὸν ̓Ασδρούβαν μετεπέμψαντο καὶ ταφρεύμασι καὶ σταυρώμασι τὸ πρὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν διατείχισμα διεφύλαξαν. ὁ μέντοι Σκιπίων τὰ μὲν Μεγαλία τὸν Μαγκῖνον φρουρεῖν κατέλιπεν, αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς τὸν Πείσωνα καὶ πρὸς τὰς δυνάμεις ἀπῆρεν, ὡς αν μετ' αὐτῶν εργου εχηται. καὶ ἐπανῆλθε ταχέως σὺν τῷ κουφοτάτῳ τῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ κατέλαβε τὸν ̓Ασδρούβαν εἰς τὴν Καρχηδόνα εἰσελθόντα καὶ 2.333 δεινῶς τῷ Μαγκίνῳ ἐπιτιθέμενον· καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ Σκιπίων τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ελυσεν. ἀφικομένου δὲ καὶ τοῦ Πείσωνος ηδη, ἐκεῖνον μὲν εξω τοῦ τείχους αὐλίζεσθαι κατά τινας πύλας ἐκέλευσε, καὶ στρατιώτας ἑτέρους πρὸς πυλίδα τινὰ πολὺ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀπέχουσαν περιέπεμψε, παραγγείλας αὐτοῖς αττα πράξειν ἐχρῆν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ κράτιστον τοῦ στρατοῦ κατὰ μέσας νύκτας λαβὼν ενδον τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένετο, αὐτομόλοις χρησάμενος αγουσι, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν πυλίδα παραδραμὼν καὶ τὸν μοχλὸν διακόψας τούς τε εξωθεν ἐφεδρεύοντας εἰσήγαγε καὶ τοὺς φύλακας εφθειρε. καὶ πρὸς τὰς πύλας ἠπείχθη καθ' ας ὁ Πείσων προσήδρευε, τοὺς φρουροὺς τοὺς τὰ μέσα φυλάττοντας ὀλίγους καθ' ἑκάστους οντας τρέπων, ωστε τὸν ̓Ασδρούβαν αμα τε πυνθάνεσθαι τὰ γενόμενα καὶ ὁρᾶν τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων δύναμιν μικροῦ πᾶσαν ουσαν ἐντός. καὶ χρόνον μέν τινα ἀντέσχον, επειτα τὴν μὲν αλλην πόλιν ἐξέλιπον, εἰς δὲ τὸν Κώθωνα τήν τε Βύρσαν κατέφυγον. ειτα ὁ ̓Ασδρούβας πάντας τοὺς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων αἰχμαλώτους ἀπέκτεινεν, οπως ἀπόγνωσιν συγγνώμης σχόντες οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι προθυμότερον ἀντικαρτερήσωσι· πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ὡς προδιδόντας ἑαυτοὺς διεχρήσατο. καὶ ὁ Σκιπίων περιεσταύρωσε μὲν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀπετείχισεν, οὐ μὴν καὶ ταχέως ειλε. τά τε γὰρ τείχη καρτερὰ ην καὶ οἱ ἐντὸς πολλοὶ οντες ἰσχυρῶς ἐν ὀλίγῳ χώρῳ ἠμύνοντο καὶ σίτου ἀφθόνως ειχον. ὁ γὰρ Βιθίας ὁλκάδας ἀπὸ τῆς ἀντικρὺ τῆς πόλεως ἠπείρου κατὰ κῦμα καὶ ανεμον, ὁσάκις σφοδρῶς επνει, ἐς τὸν λιμένα αὐτοῖς εἰσέπεμπε. πρὸς οπερ ὁ Σκιπίων μέγα εργον καὶ ἐπενόησε καὶ ἐπετέλεσε· τὸν γὰρ εισπλουν τοῦ λιμένος στενὸν οντα