et engaged, and which
received them in good order, the Romans were routed on all sides, and
entirely defeated. The greatest part of them were crushed to death by the
enormous weight of the elephants: and the remainder, standing in the
ranks, were shot through and through with arrows from the enemy's horse.
Only a small number fled; and as they were in an open country, the horse
and elephants killed a great part of them. Five hundred, or thereabouts,
who went off with Regulus, were taken prisoners with him. The
Carthaginians lost in this battle eight hundred mercenaries, who were
opposed to the left wing of the Romans; and of the latter only two
thousand escaped, who, by their pursuing the enemy's right wing, had drawn
themselves out of the engagement. All the rest, Regulus and those taken
with him excepted, were left dead in the field. The two thousand, who had
escaped the slaughter, retired to Clypea, and were saved in an almost
miraculous manner.

The Carthaginians, after having stripped the dead, entered Carthage in
triumph, dragging after them the unfortunate Regulus, and five hundred
prisoners. Their joy was so much the greater, as, but a very few days
before, they had seen themselves upon the brink of ruin. The men and
women, old and young people, crowded the temples, to return thanks to the
immortal gods; and several days were devoted wholly to festivities and
rejoicings.

Xanthippus, who had contributed so much to this happy change, had the
wisdom to withdraw shortly after, from the apprehension lest his glory,
which had hitherto been unsullied, might, after this first blaze,
insensibly fade away, and leave him exposed to the darts of envy and
calumny, which are always dangerous, but most in a foreign country, when a
man stands alone, unsustained by friends and relations, and destitute of
all support.

Polybius tells us, that Xanthippus's departure was related in a different
manner, and promises to take notice of it in another place: but that part
of his history has not come down to us. We read in Appian,(677) that the
Carthaginians, excited by a mean and detestable jealousy of Xanthippus's
glory, and unable to bear the thoughts that they should stand indebted to
Sparta for their safety; upon pretence of conducting him and his
attendants back with honour to his own country, with a numerous convoy of
ships, gave private orders to have them all put to death in their passage;
as if with him they could have burie