onsuls were now in
the midst of their army, when a certain Nicias, one of those believed
to be loyal to Pyrrhus, came to Fabricius and offered to murder him
treacherously. Fabricius, indignant at this (for he wanted to overcome
the enemy by valor and main force, like Camillus), informed Pyrrhus of
the plot. This action of his moved the king so strongly that he again
released the Roman captives without price and sent envoys once more in
regard to peace. But when the Romans made no reply about peace, but as
before bade him depart from Italy and only in that event make
propositions to them, and since they kept overrunning and capturing
the cities in alliance with him, [Sidenote: FRAG. 40^29] HE FELL INTO
PERPLEXITY; till at length some Syracusans called on him for
aid--they had been quarreling, as it chanced, ever since the death of
Agathocles--and surrendered to him both themselves and their city.
Hereupon he again breathed freely, hoping to subjugate all of Sicily.
Leaving Milo behind in Italy to keep guard over Tarentum and the other
positions, he himself sailed away after letting it be understood that
he would soon return. The Syracusans welcomed him and laid everything
at his feet, so that in brief time he had again become great and the
Carthaginians in fright secured additional mercenaries from Italy. But
presently his prospects fell to the other extreme of fortune
[Sidenote: FRAG. 40^30] BY REASON OF THE FACT THAT HE EITHER EXPELLED
OR SLEW MANY WHO HELD OFFICE AND HAD INCURRED HIS SUSPICIONS. Then the
Carthaginians, seeing that he was not strong in private forces and did
not possess the devotion of the natives, took up the war vigorously.
They harbored any Syracusans who were exiled and rendered his position
so uncomfortable that he abandoned not only Syracuse, but Sicily as
well.

[Sidenote: B.C. 277 (_a.u._ 477)] VIII, 6.--The Romans on finding out
his absence took courage and turned their attention to requiting those
who had invited him. Postponing till another occasion the case of the
Tarentini they invaded Samnium with their consuls Rufinus and Junius,
devastated the country as they went along, and took several deserted
forts. The Samnites had conveyed their dearest and most valuable
treasures into the hills called the _Cranita_, because they bear a
large growth of cornel-wood (_crania_). The Romans in contempt for
them dared to begin the ascent of the aforementioned hills. As the
region was tangled with shru