g he
sailed for home, then turned back and subdued AEgimurus: and Manilius
started for the interior, but upon sustaining injuries at the hands of
Himilco, commander of the Carthaginian cavalry, whom they called also
Phameas, he returned to Carthage. There, while the outside forces of
Hasdrubal troubled him, the people in the city harassed him by
excursions both night and day. In fact, the Carthaginians came to
despise him and advanced as far as the Roman camp, but being for the
most part unarmed they lost a number of men and shut themselves up in
their fortifications again. Manilius was particularly anxious to get
into close quarters with Hasdrubal, thinking that, if he could
vanquish him, he should find it easier to wage war upon the remainder.
His wish to get into close quarters with him was eventually realized.
He followed Hasdrubal to a small fort whither the latter was retiring,
and before he knew it got into a narrow passage over rough ground and
there suffered a tremendous reverse. He would have been utterly
destroyed, had he not found a most valuable helper in the person of
Scipio the descendant of Africanus, [Sidenote: FRAG. 69] WHO EXCELLED
IN APPREHENDING AND DEVISING BEFOREHAND THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS
MOVEMENTS, BUT EXCELLED ALSO IN EXECUTING THEM. IN BODILY FRAME HE WAS
STRONG; HE WAS AMIABLE, TOO, AND MODERATE; AND FOR THESE REASONS HE
ESCAPED ENVY. HE CHOSE TO MAKE HIMSELF LIKE TO HIS INFERIORS, NOT
BETTER THAN HIS EQUALS (he served as military tribune), AND WEAKER
THAN GREATER MEN. Manilius both reported what Scipio had done and sent
a letter to the people of Rome concealing nothing, but including among
other matters an account of the proceedings of Masinissa and Phameas.
These were as follows.

Masinissa on his death-bed was at a loss to know how he should dispose
of his kingdom, his dilemma being due to the number of his sons and
the variety of their family ties on their mothers' side. Therefore he
sent for Scipio to advise him, and the consul let Scipio go. But the
demise of Masinissa occurred before Scipio arrived, and he gave his
ring to his son Micipsa and delivered and committed all the other
interests pertaining to his kingdom to Scipio, so soon as the latter
should arrive. Scipio being aware of the preferences of Masinissa's
sons assigned the kingdom to no one of them singly; but whereas there
were three most distinguished, the eldest Micipsa, the youngest
Gulussa, and intermediate in age Mastana