the river Rubicon paid tribute to
the City of the Seven Hills on the Tiber.

* * * * *

Having made herself secure in Italy, Rome next began to watch with
anxious eyes the proceedings of Carthage in Spain and in Sicily. The
struggle for lordship was bound to come, and to come soon. As to her
army, Rome feared nothing, but it was quite clear that to gain the
victory over Carthage she must have a fleet, and few things are more
striking in the great war than the determination with which Rome, never
a nation of sailors, again and again fitted out vessels, and when they
were destroyed or sunk gave orders to build more. And at last she had
her reward, and the tall galleys, with high carved prows and five banks
of oars, beat the ships which had been hitherto thought invincible.

* * * * *

It was in 263 B.C. that the war at last broke out in Sicily, and after
gaining victories both by land and sea, Rome in the eighth year of the
contest sent an army to Africa, under the consuls Regulus and Volso,
with orders to besiege Carthage. The invading army consisted of forty
thousand men, and was joined as soon as it touched the African shore by
some tributary towns, and also by twenty thousand slaves--for Carthage
was hated by all who came under her rule because of her savage cruelty.
At the news of the invasion the people seemed turned into stone. Then
envoys were sent to beg for peace, peace at any price, at the cost of
any humiliation. But the consuls would listen to nothing, and Carthage
would have fallen completely into her enemy's hands had the Romans
marched to the gates. But at this moment an order arrived from the Roman
senate, bidding Volso with twenty-four thousand men return at once,
leaving Regulus with only sixteen thousand. With exceeding folly Regulus
left the strongly fortified camp, which in Roman warfare formed one of
the chief defences, and arrayed his forces in the open plain. There
Carthage, driven to bay, gave him battle with her hastily collected
forces. The Carthaginians, commanded by Xanthippus, a better general
than Regulus, won the day, and only two thousand Romans escaped
slaughter. The victory gave heart to the men of Carthage, and when news
came from Sicily that Rome had been driven back and her fleets
destroyed, their joy knew no bounds. In her turn Rome might have lain at
the feet of the conqueror, but Carthage had no army strong enough to