in
them, and more powerful than any that had ever been before; but even
gaining several victories over them at sea. No difficulties or calamities
could discourage them. They certainly would not have thought of peace, in
the circumstances under which the Carthaginians demanded it. One
unfortunate campaign dispirits the latter; whereas the Romans are not
shaken by a succession of them.

As to soldiers, there was no comparison between those of Rome and
Carthage, the former being infinitely superior in point of courage. Among
the generals who commanded in this war, Hamilcar, surnamed Barca, was,
doubtless, the most conspicuous for his bravery and prudence.

_The Libyan War; or against the Mercenaries._(698)--The war which the
Carthaginians waged against the Romans, was succeeded immediately by
another,(699) which, though of much shorter continuance, was infinitely
more dangerous; as it was carried on in the very heart of the republic,
and attended with such cruelty and barbarity, as is scarce to be
paralleled in history; I mean the war which the Carthaginians were obliged
to sustain against their mercenary troops, who had served under them in
Sicily, and which is commonly called the African or Libyan war.(700) It
continued only three years and a half, but was a very bloody one. The
occasion of it was this:

As soon as the treaty was concluded with the Romans,(701) Hamilcar, having
carried to Lilybaeum the forces which were in Eryx, resigned his
commission; and left to Gisgo, governor of the place, the care of
transporting these forces into Africa. Gisgo, as though he had foreseen
what would happen, did not ship them all off at once, but in small and
separate parties, in order that those who came first might be paid off,
and sent home, before the arrival of the rest. This conduct evinced great
forecast and wisdom, but was not seconded equally at Carthage. As the
republic had been exhausted by the expense of a long war, and the payment
of near one hundred and thirty thousand pounds to the Romans on signing
the peace, the forces were not paid off in proportion as they arrived; but
it was thought proper to wait for the rest, in the hopes of obtaining from
them (when they should be all together) a remission of some part of their
arrears. This was the first oversight.

Here we discover the genius of a state composed of merchants, who know the
full value of money, but are little acquainted with that of the services
of soldiers