ce. The praetor, Hippocrates, was
ordered to lead the deserters thither. Many of the mercenary
auxiliaries accompanying them made them number four thousand armed
men. This expedition gave great delight both to those who were sent
and those who sent them, for to the former an opportunity was afforded
of change which they had long desired, while the latter were rejoiced
because they considered that a kind of sink of the city had been
drained off. But they had, as it were, only relieved a sick body for a
time, that it might afterwards fall into a more aggravated disease.
For Hippocrates began to ravage the adjoining parts of the Roman
province, at first by stealthy excursions, but afterwards, when Appies
had sent a body of troops to protect the lands of the allies, he made
an attack with all his forces upon the guard posted over against him,
and slew many. Marcellus, when informed of this, immediately sent
ambassadors to Syracuse, who said that the faith of the treaty had
been broken, and that there would never be wanting a cause for
hostilities, unless Hippocrates and Epicydes were removed not only
from Syracuse, but far from all Sicily. Epicydes, lest by being
present he should be arraigned for the offence committed by his absent
brother, or should be wanting on his own part in stirring up a war,
proceeded himself also to the Leontines; and seeing that they were
already sufficiently exasperated against the Romans, he endeavoured to
detach them from the Syracusans also. His argument was, that the terms
on which they had formed a treaty of peace with the Romans were, that
whatever people had been subject to their kings should be placed under
their dominion; and that now they were not satisfied with liberty
unless they could also exercise kingly power and dominion over others.
The answer, therefore, he said, which they ought to send back was,
that the Leontines also considered themselves entitled to liberty,
either on the ground that the tyrant fell in the streets of their
city, or that there the shout was first raised for liberty; and that
they were the persons who, abandoning the king's generals, flocked to
Syracuse. That, therefore, either that article must be expunged from
the treaty, or that that term of it would not be admitted. They easily
persuaded the multitude; and when the ambassadors of Syracuse
complained of the slaughter of the Roman guard, and ordered that
Hippocrates and Epicydes should depart either to Locri