ld
prevent the accomplishment of his design. To the other fugitives the
city of Cornus afforded a refuge, as it had done before; but Manlius,
having assaulted it with his victorious troops, regained it in a few
days. Then other cities also which had gone over to Hampsicora and the
Carthaginians, surrendered themselves and gave hostages, on which
having imposed a contribution of money and corn, proportioned to the
means and delinquency of each, he led back his troops to Carale. There
launching his ships of war, and putting the soldiers he had brought
with him on board, he sailed to Rome, reported to the fathers the
total subjugation of Sardinia, and handed over the contribution of
money to the quaestors, of corn to the aediles, and the prisoners to
the praetor Fulvius. During the same time, as Titus Otacilius the
praetor, who had sailed over with a fleet of fifty ships from
Lilybaeum to Africa, and laid waste the Carthaginian territory, was
returning thence to Sardinia, to which place it was reported that
Hasdrubal had recently crossed over from the Baleares, he fell in with
his fleet on its return to Africa; and after a slight engagement in
the open sea, captured seven ships with their crews. Fear dispersed
the rest far and wide, not less effectually than a storm. It happened
also, at the same time, that Bomilcar arrived at Locri with soldiers
sent from Carthage as a reinforcement, bringing with him also
elephants and provisions. In order to surprise and overpower him,
Appius Claudius, having hastily led his troops to Messana, under
pretext of making the circuit of the province, crossed over to Locri,
the tide being favourable. Bomilcar had by this time left the place,
having set out for Bruttium to join Hanno. The Locrians closed their
gates against the Romans, and Appius Claudius returned to Rome without
achieving any thing, by his strenuous efforts. The same summer
Marcellus made frequent excursions from Nola, which he was occupying
with a garrison, into the lands of the Hirpini and Caudine Samnites,
and so destroyed all before him with fire and sword, that he renewed
in Samnium the memory of her ancient disasters.

42. Ambassadors were therefore despatched from both nations at the
same time to Hannibal, who thus addressed the Carthaginian: "Hannibal,
we carried on hostilities with the Roman people, by ourselves and from
our own resources, as long as our own arms and our own strength could
protect us. Our confidence