Delphi Complete Works of Polybius

by Polybius

  On the Carthaginian side there fell about eight hundred of the mercenaries, those namely who had been stationed opposite the left wing of the Romans. On the part of the Romans about two thousand survived. These were those whom I have already described as having chased the Carthaginian right wing to their entrenchment, and who were thus not involved in the general engagement. The rest were entirely destroyed with the exception of those who fled with Regulus. The surviving maniples escaped with considerable difficulty to the town of Aspis. The Carthaginians stripped the dead, and taking with them the Roman general and the rest of their prisoners, returned to the capital in a high state of exultation at the turn their affairs had now taken.

  [1] ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ πολλά τις ἂν ὀρθῶς ἐπισημαινόμενος εὕροι πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίου συντελεσθέντα. [2] καὶ γὰρ τὸ διαπιστεῖν τῇ τύχῃ, καὶ μάλιστα κατὰ τὰς εὐπραγίας, ἐναργέστατον ἐφάνη πᾶσιν τότε διὰ τῶν Μάρκου συμπτωμάτων: [3] ὁ γὰρ μικρῷ πρότερον οὐ διδοὺς ἔλεον οὐδὲ συγγνώμην τοῖς πταίουσιν παρὰ πόδας αὐτὸς ἤγετο δεησόμενος τούτων περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας. [4] καὶ μὴν τὸ παρ᾽ Εὐριπίδῃ πάλαι καλῶς εἰρῆσθαι δοκοῦν ὡς ἓν σοφὸν βούλευμα τὰς πολλὰς χεῖρας νικᾷ τότε δι᾽ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἔλαβε τὴν πίστιν. [5] εἷς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος καὶ μία γνώμη τὰ μὲν ἀήττητα πλήθη καὶ πραγματικὰ δοκοῦντ᾽ εἶναι καθεῖλεν, τὸ δὲ προφανῶς πεπτωκὸς ἄρδην πολίτευμα καὶ τὰς ἀπηλγηκυίας ψυχὰς τῶν δυνάμεων ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ἤγαγεν. [6] ἐγὼ δὲ τούτων ἐπεμνήσθην χάριν τῆς τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων τοῖς ὑπομνήμασι διορθώσεως. [7] δυεῖν γὰρ ὄντων τρόπων πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μεταθέσεως, τοῦ τε διὰ τῶν ἰδίων συμπτωμάτων καὶ τοῦ διὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ἐναργέστερον μὲν εἶναι συμβαίνει τὸν διὰ τῶν οἰκείων περιπετειῶν, ἀβλαβέστερον δὲ τὸν διὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. διὸ τὸν μὲν οὐδέποθ᾽ ἑκουσίως αἱρετέον, [8] ἐπεὶ μετὰ μεγάλων πόνων καὶ κινδύνων ποιεῖ τὴν διόρθωσιν, τὸν δ᾽ ἀεὶ θηρευτέον, ἐπεὶ χωρὶς βλάβης ἔστιν συνιδεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ βέλτιον. [9] ἐξ ὧν συνιδόντι καλλίστην παιδείαν ἡγητέον πρὸς ἀληθινὸν βίον τὴν ἐκ τῆς πραγματικῆς ἱστορίας περιγινομένην ἐμπειρίαν: [10] μόνη γὰρ αὕτη χωρὶς βλάβης ἐπὶ παντὸς καιροῦ καὶ περιστάσεως κριτὰς ἀληθινοὺς ἀποτελεῖ τοῦ βελτίονος. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον εἰρήσθω.

  35. This event conveys many useful lessons to a thoughtful observer. Above all, the disaster of Regulus gives the clearest possible warning that no one should feel too confident of the favours of Fortune, especially in the hour of success. Here we see one, who a short time before refused all pity or consideration to the fallen, brought incontinently to beg them for his own life. Again, we are taught the truth of that saying of Euripides —

  One wise man’s skill is worth a world in arms.

  For it was one man, one brain, that defeated the numbers which were believed to be invincible and able to accomplish anything; and restored to confidence a whole city that was unmistakably and utterly ruined, and the spirits of its army which had sunk to the lowest depths of despair. I record these things in the hope of benefiting my readers. There are two roads to reformation for mankind — one through misfortunes of their own, the other through those of others: the former is the most unmistakable, the latter the less painful. One should never therefore voluntarily choose the former, for it makes reformation a matter of great difficulty and danger; but we should always look out for the latter, for thereby we can without hurt to ourselves gain a clear view of the best course to pursue. It is this which forces us to consider that the knowledge gained from the study of true history is the best of all educations for practical life. For it is history, and history alone, which, without involving us in actual danger, will mature our judgment and prepare us to take right views, whatever may be the crisis or the posture of affairs.

  [1] Καρχηδόνιοι δέ, κατὰ νοῦν ἁπάντων σφίσι κεχωρηκότων, ὑπερβολὴν χαρᾶς οὐκ ἀπέλιπον διά τε τῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εὐχαριστίας καὶ διὰ τῆς μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων φιλοφροσύνης. [2] Ξάνθιππος δὲ τηλικαύτην ἐπίδοσιν καὶ ῥοπὴν ποιήσας τοῖς Καρχηδονίων πράγμασιν μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺν χρόνον ἀπέπλευσεν πάλιν, φρονίμως καὶ συνετῶς βουλευσάμενος. [3] αἱ γὰρ ἐπιφανεῖς καὶ παράδοξοι πράξεις βαρεῖς μὲν τοὺς φθόνους, ὀξείας δὲ τὰς διαβολὰς γεννῶσιν: ἃς οἱ μὲν ἐγχώριοι διά τε τὰς συγγενείας καὶ τὸ τῶν φίλων πλῆθος οἷοί τ᾽ ἂν εἶεν ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἀναφέρειν, οἱ δὲ ξένοι ταχέως ἐφ᾽ ἑκατέρων τούτων ἡττῶνται καὶ κινδυνεύουσι. [4] λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἕτερος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς τῆς Ξανθίππου λόγος, ὃν πειρασόμεθα διασαφεῖν οἰκειότερον λαβόντες τοῦ παρόντος καιρόν. Ῥωμαῖοι δέ, [5] προσπεσόντων σφίσι παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα τῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ συμβεβηκότων, εὐθέως ἐγίνοντο πρὸς τὸ καταρτίζειν τὸν στόλον καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐξαιρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ διασεσωσμένους. [6] οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι μετὰ ταῦτα στρατοπεδεύσαντες ἐπολιόρκουν τὴν Ἀσπίδα, σπουδάζοντες ἐγκρατεῖς γενέσθαι τῶν ἐκ τῆς μάχης διαφυγόντων. [7] διὰ δὲ τὴν γενναιότητα καὶ τόλμαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐδαμῶς ἑλεῖν δυνάμενοι τέλος ἀπέστησαν τῆς πολιορκίας. [8] προσπεσόντος δ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἐξαρτύειν τὸν στόλον τοὺς Ῥωμαίους καὶ μέλλειν αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν Λιβύην ποιεῖσθαι τὸν πλοῦν, τὰ μὲν ἐπεσκεύαζον σκάφη, τὰ δ᾽ ἐκ καταβολῆς ἐναυπηγοῦντο. [9] ταχὺ δὲ συμπληρώσαντες ναῦς διακοσίας ἀνήχθησαν καὶ παρεφύλαττον τὸν ἐπίπλουν τῶν ὑπεναντίων. [10] οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τῆς θερείας ἀρχομένης καθελκύσαντες τριακόσια καὶ πεντήκοντα σκάφη καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἐπιστήσαντες Μάρκον Αἰμίλιον καὶ Σερούιον Φόλουιον ἐξαπέστελλον. οἱ δ᾽ ἀναχθέντες ἔπλεον παρὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς Λιβύης. [11] συμμίξαντες δὲ περὶ τὴν Ἑρμαίαν τῷ τῶν Καρχηδονίων στόλῳ, τούτους μὲν ἐξ ἐφόδου καὶ ῥᾳδίως τρεψάμενοι ναῦς ἔλαβον αὐτάνδρους ἑκατὸν δεκατέτταρας: [12] τοὺς δ᾽ ἐν Λιβύῃ διαμείναντας νεανίσκους ἀναλαβόντες ἐκ τῆς Ἀσπί


  36. To return to our narrative. Having obtained this complete success the Carthaginians indulged in every sign of exultation. Thanksgivings were poured out to God, and joyful congratulations interchanged among themselves. But Xanthippus, by whose means such a happy change had been brought about and such an impulse been given to the fortunes of Carthage, did not remain there long, but took ship for home again. In this he showed his wisdom and discernment. For it is the nature of extraordinary and conspicuous achievements to exasperate jealousies and envenom slander; against which a native may perhaps stand with the support of kinsfolk and friends, but a foreigner when exposed to one or the other of them is inevitably overpowered before long and put in danger. There is however another account sometimes given of the departure of Xanthippus, which I will endeavour at a more suitable opportunity to set forth.

  Upon this unlooked-for catastrophe in the Libyan campaign, the Roman government at once set to work to fit out a fleet to take off the men who were still surviving there; while the Carthaginians followed up their success by sitting down before Aspis, and besieging it, being anxious to get the survivors of the battle into their hands. But failing to capture the place, owing to the gallantry and determined courage of these men, they eventually raised the siege. When they heard that the Romans were preparing their fleet, and were intending to sail once more against Libya, they set about shipbuilding also, partly repairing old vessels and partly constructing new. Before very long they had manned and launched two hundred ships, and were on the watch for the coming of their enemies. By the beginning of the summer the Romans had launched three hundred and fifty vessels. They put them under the command of the Consuls Marcus Aemilius and Servius Fulvius, and despatched them. This fleet coasted along Sicily; made for Libya; and having fallen in with the Carthaginian squadron off Hermaeum, at once charged and easily turned them to flight; captured a hundred and fourteen with their crews, and having taken on board their men who had maintained themselves in Libya, started from Aspis on their return voyage to Sicily.

  [1] δος ἔπλεον αὖθις ἐπὶ τῆς Σικελίας. διάραντες δὲ τὸν πόρον ἀσφαλῶς καὶ προσμίξαντες τῇ τῶν Καμαριναίων χώρᾳ τηλικούτῳ περιέπεσον χειμῶνι καὶ τηλικαύταις συμφοραῖς ὥστε μηδ᾽ ἂν εἰπεῖν ἀξίως δύνασθαι διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ συμβάντος. [2] τῶν γὰρ ἑξήκοντα καὶ τεττάρων πρὸς ταῖς τριακοσίαις ναυσὶν ὀγδοήκοντα μόνον συνέβη περιλειφθῆναι σκάφη, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν τὰ μὲν ὑποβρύχια γενέσθαι, τὰ δ᾽ ὑπὸ τῆς ῥαχίας πρὸς ταῖς σπιλάσι καὶ τοῖς ἀκρωτηρίοις καταγνύμενα πλήρη ποιῆσαι σωμάτων τὴν παραλίαν καὶ ναυαγίων. [3] ταύτης δὲ μείζω περιπέτειαν ἐν ἑνὶ καιρῷ κατὰ θάλατταν οὐδ᾽ ἱστορῆσθαι συμβέβηκεν. ἧς τὴν αἰτίαν οὐχ οὕτως εἰς τὴν τύχην ὡς εἰς τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ἐπανοιστέον: [4] πολλὰ γὰρ τῶν κυβερνητῶν διαμαρτυραμένων μὴ πλεῖν παρὰ τὴν ἔξω πλευρὰν τῆς Σικελίας τὴν πρὸς τὸ Λιβυκὸν πέλαγος ἐστραμμένην διὰ τὸ τραχεῖαν εἶναι καὶ δυσπροσόρμιστον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν μὲν οὐδέπω καταλήγειν ἐπισημασίαν, τὴν δ᾽ ἐπιφέρεσθαι: μεταξὺ γὰρ ἐποιοῦντο τὸν πλοῦν τῆς Ὠρίωνος [5] καὶ κυνὸς ἐπιτολῆς οὐθενὶ προσσχόντες τῶν λεγομένων ἔπλεον ἔξω πελάγιοι, σπουδάζοντές τινας τῶν ἐν τῷ παράπλῳ πόλεις τῇ τοῦ γεγονότος εὐτυχήματος φαντασίᾳ καταπληξάμενοι προσλαβέσθαι. [6] πλὴν οὗτοι μὲν μικρῶν ἐλπίδων ἕνεκα μεγάλοις περιτυχόντες ἀτυχήμασι τότε τὴν αὑτῶν ἀβουλίαν ἔγνωσαν. [7] καθόλου δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς πάντα χρώμενοι τῇ βίᾳ καὶ τὸ προτεθὲν οἰόμενοι δεῖν κατ᾽ ἀνάγκην ἐπιτελεῖν καὶ μηδὲν ἀδύνατον εἶναι σφίσι τῶν ἅπαξ δοξάντων, ἐν πολλοῖς μὲν κατορθοῦσι διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην ὁρμήν, ἐν τισὶ δὲ προφανῶς σφάλλονται, καὶ μάλιστ᾽ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ θάλατταν. [8] ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς γῆς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰ τούτων ἔργα ποιούμενοι τὰς ἐπιβολὰς τὰ μὲν πολλὰ κατορθοῦσι διὰ τὸ πρὸς παραπλησίους δυνάμεις χρῆσθαι τῇ βίᾳ, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ σπανίως ἀποτυγχάνουσι: [9] πρὸς δὲ τὴν θάλατταν καὶ πρὸς τὸ περιέχον ὅταν παραβάλλωνται καὶ βιαιομαχῶσι, μεγάλοις ἐλαττώμασι περιπίπτουσιν. [10] ὃ καὶ τότε καὶ πλεονάκις αὐτοῖς ἤδη συνέβη καὶ συμβήσεται πάσχειν, ἕως ἄν ποτε διορθώσωνται τὴν τοιαύτην τόλμαν καὶ βίαν, καθ᾽ ἣν οἴονται δεῖν αὑτοῖς πάντα καιρὸν εἶναι πλωτὸν καὶ πορευτόν.

  37. The passage was effected in safety, and the coast of Camarina was reached: but there they experienced so terrible a storm, and suffered so dreadfully, as almost to beggar description. The disaster was indeed extreme: for out of their three hundred and sixty-four vessels eighty only remained. The rest were either swamped or driven by the surf upon the rocks and headlands, where they went to pieces and filled all the seaboard with corpses and wreckage. No greater catastrophe is to be found in all history as befalling a fleet at one time. And for this Fortune was not so much to blame as the commanders themselves. They had been warned again and again by the pilots not to steer along the southern coast of Sicily facing the Libyan sea, because it was exposed and yielded no safe anchorage; and because, of the two dangerous constellations, one had not yet set and the other was on the point of rising (for their voyage fell between the rising of Orion and that of the Dog Star). Yet they attended to none of these warnings; but, intoxicated by their recent success, were anxious to capture certain cities as they coasted along, and in pursuance of this idea thoughtlessly exposed themselves to the full fury of the open sea. As far as these particular men were concerned, the disaster which they brought upon themselves in the pursuit of trivial advantages convinced them of the folly of their conduct. But it is a peculiarity of the Roman people as a whole to treat everything as a question of main strength; to consider that they must of course accomplish whatever they have proposed to themselves; and that nothing is impossible that they have once determined upon. The result of such self-confidence is that in many things they do succeed, while in some few they conspicuously fail, and especially at sea. On land it is against men only and their works that they have to direct their efforts: and as the forces against which they exert their strength do not differ intrinsically from their own, as a general rule they succeed; while their failures are exceptional and rare. But to contend with the sea and sky is to fight against a force immeasurably superior to their own: and when they trust to an exertion of sheer strength in such a contest the disasters which they meet with are signal. This is what they experienced on the present occasion: they have often experienced it since; and will continue to do so, as long as they maintain their headstrong and foolhardy notion that any season of the year admits of sailing as well as marching.

  [1] οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι, συνέντες τὸν γεγονότα φθόρον τοῦ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στόλου καὶ νομίσαντες κατὰ μὲν γῆν ἀξι
όχρεως σφᾶς εἶναι διὰ τὸ προγεγονὸς εὐτύχημα, κατὰ δὲ θάλατταν διὰ τὴν εἰρημένην τῶν Ῥωμαίων περιπέτειαν, ὥρμησαν προθυμότερον ἐπί τε τὰς ναυτικὰς καὶ πεζικὰς παρασκευάς. [2] καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἀσδρούβαν εὐθὺς ἐξαπέστελλον εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν, δόντες αὐτῷ τούς τε προϋπάρχοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Ἡρακλείας παραγεγονότας στρατιώτας, ἅμα δὲ τούτοις ἐλέφαντας ἑκατὸν καὶ τετταράκοντα. [3] τοῦτον δ᾽ ἐκπέμψαντες διακοσίας κατεσκευάζοντο ναῦς καὶ τἄλλα τὰ πρὸς τὸν πλοῦν ἡτοίμαζον. [4] ὁ δ᾽ Ἀσδρούβας διακομισθεὶς εἰς τὸ Λιλύβαιον ἀσφαλῶς τά τε θηρία καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις ἐγύμναζεν καὶ δῆλος ἦν ἀντιποιησόμενος τῶν ὑπαίθρων. [5] Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ναυαγίας ἀνακομισθέντων διακούσαντες τὸ κατὰ μέρος βαρέως μὲν ἤνεγκαν τὸ γεγονός: οὐ βουλόμενοι δὲ καθάπαξ εἴκειν, αὖθις ἔγνωσαν ἐκ δρυόχων εἴκοσι καὶ διακόσια ναυπηγεῖσθαι σκάφη. [6] τούτων δὲ τὴν συντέλειαν ἐν τριμήνῳ λαβόντων, ὅπερ οὐδὲ πιστεῦσαι ῥᾴδιον, εὐθέως οἱ κατασταθέντες ἄρχοντες Αὖλος Ἀτίλιος καὶ Γνάιος Κορνήλιος καταρτίσαντες τὸν στόλον ἀνήχθησαν, [7] καὶ πλεύσαντες διὰ πορθμοῦ προσέλαβον ἐκ τῆς Μεσσήνης τὰ διασωθέντα τῶν πλοίων ἐκ τῆς ναυαγίας καὶ κατάραντες εἰς Πάνορμον τῆς Σικελίας τριακοσίαις ναυσίν, ἥπερ ἦν βαρυτάτη πόλις τῆς Καρχηδονίων ἐπαρχίας, ἐνεχείρησαν αὐτὴν πολιορκεῖν. [8] συστησάμενοι δὲ κατὰ διττοὺς τόπους ἔργα καὶ τἄλλα παρασκευασάμενοι προσήγαγον τὰς μηχανάς. [9] ῥᾳδίως δὲ τοῦ παρὰ θάλατταν πύργου πεσόντος, καὶ βιασαμένων ταύτῃ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἡ μὲν καλουμένη Νέα πόλις ἑαλώκει κατὰ κράτος: ἡ δὲ Παλαιὰ προσαγορευομένη τούτου συμβάντος ἐκινδύνευσεν. διὸ καὶ ταχέως ἐνέδωκαν αὐτὴν οἱ κατοικοῦντες. [10] γενόμενοι δ᾽ ἐγκρατεῖς οὗτοι μὲν ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην,