to retire, he was glad to have it believed, that
his forces were going to betray and desert him; and upon this, he sailed
with his fleet out of the harbour, and steered for Carthage. Icetes, after
his departure, could not hold out long against the Corinthians; so that
they now got entire possession of the whole city.

Mago, on his arrival at Carthage, was impeached, but he prevented the
execution of the sentence passed upon him, by a voluntary death. His body
was hung upon a gallows, and exposed as a public spectacle to the people.
New forces were levied at Carthage, and a greater and more powerful fleet
than the former was sent to Sicily.(635) It consisted of two hundred ships
of war, besides a thousand transports; and the army amounted to upwards of
seventy thousand men. They landed at Lilybaeum, under the command of
Hamilcar and Hannibal, and resolved to attack the Corinthians first.
Timoleon did not wait for, but marched out to meet them. But such was the
consternation of Syracuse, that, of all the forces which were in that
city, only three thousand Syracusans and four thousand mercenaries
followed him; and even of these latter a thousand deserted upon the march,
through fear of the danger they were going to encounter. Timoleon,
however, was not discouraged; but exhorting the remainder of his forces to
exert themselves courageously for the safety and liberties of their
allies, he led them against the enemy, whose rendezvous he had been
informed was on the banks of the little river Crimisus. It appeared, at
the first reflection, madness to attack an army so numerous as that of the
enemy, with only four or five thousand foot, and a thousand horse; but
Timoleon, who knew that bravery, conducted by prudence, is superior to
number, relied on the courage of his soldiers, who seemed resolved to die
rather than yield, and with ardour demanded to be led against the enemy.
The event justified his views and hopes. A battle was fought; the
Carthaginians were routed, and upwards of ten thousand of them slain, full
three thousand of whom were Carthaginian citizens, which filled their city
with mourning and the greatest consternation. Their camp was taken, and
with it immense riches, and a great number of prisoners.

Timoleon, at the same time that he despatched the news of this victory to
Corinth, sent thither the finest arms found among the plunder.(636) For he
was desirous of having his city applauded and admired by all men, whe