March of Ophellas, with his army, and his colonists, from the Cartha torysufferings the march. Ophellas at Kyrênê, some even with wives and children. The total number is stated at 10,000. Ophellas conducted them forth at the head of a Kyrênê to well-appointed army of 10,000 infantry, 600 cavalry, ginian terri- and 100 war-chariots; each chariot carrying the driver and two fighting men. Marching with this endured in miscellaneous body of soldiers and colonists, he reached in eighteen days the post of Automolæ— the westernmost factory of Kyrênê'. From thence he proceeded westward along the shore between the two Syrtes, in many parts a sandy, trackless desert, without wood and almost without water (with the exception of particular points of fertility), and infested by serpents many and venomous. At one time, all his provisions were exhausted; he passed through the territory of the natives called Lotophagi, near the lesser Syrtis; where the army had nothing to eat except the fruit of the lotus, which there abounded. Ophellas met with no enemies; but the sufferings of every kind endured by his soldiers still more of course by the less hardy colonists and their families-were most distressing. After miseries endured for more than two months, he joined Agathokles in the Carthaginian territory; with what abatement of number, we do not know, but his loss must have been considerable3. B.C. 307. Ophellas little knew the man whose invitation about Herakleia Trachinia- πᾶς γάρ τίς, Λακεδαιμονίων οἰκιζόντων, θαρσαλέως ᾔει, βεβαίαν νομίζων τὴν πόλιν. Diodor. xx. 41. 'Theophrastus, Hist. Plant. iv. 3. p. 127, ed. Schneider. The philosopher would hear this fact from some of the Athenians concerned in the expedition. 3 Diodor. xx. 42. See the striking description of the miseries of this CHAP. XCVII.] OPHELLAS MURDERED BY AGATHOKLES. 587 Agathokles he kills gets posses Ophellas sion of his armyruin and colonists. and alliance he had accepted. Agathokles at first Perfidy of received him with the warmest protestations of attachment, welcoming the new-comers with profuse hospitality, and supplying to them full means of refreshment and renovation after their past dispersion sufferings. Having thus gained the confidence of the and favourable sympathies of all, he proceeded to turn it to his own purposes. Convening suddenly the most devoted among his own soldiers, he denounced Ophellas as guilty of plotting against his life. They listened to him with the same feelings of credulous rage as the Macedonian soldiers exhibited when Alexander denounced Philotas before them. Agathokles then at once called them to arms, set upon Ophellas unawares, and slew him with his more immediate defenders. Among the soldiers of Ophellas, this act excited horror and indignation, no less than surprise; but Agathokles at length succeeded in bringing them to terms, partly by deceitful pretexts, partly by intimidation: for this unfortunate army, left without any commander or fixed purpose, had no resource except to enter into his service1. He thus found himself (like Antipater after the death of Leonnatus) master same march, made by Cato and his Roman troops after the death of Pompey, in Lucan, Pharsalia, ix. 382-940: "Vadimus in campos steriles, exustaque mundi, Quà nimius Titan, et raræ in fontibus undæ, The entire march of Ophellas must (I think) have lasted longer than two months; probably Diodorus speaks only of the more distressing or middle portion of it when he says-κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν πλεῖον ἢ δύο μῆνας κακοπαθήσαντες, &c. (xx. 42). Diodor. xx. 42; Justin, xxii. 7. Terrible sedition at Bomilkar tries to seize the supreme is over thrown and slain. of a double army, and relieved from a troublesome rival. The colonists of Ophellas-more unfortunate still, since they could be of no service to Agathokles were put by him on board some merchant vessels, which he was sending to Syracuse with spoil. The weather becoming stormy, many of these vessels foundered at sea,- some were driven off and wrecked on the coast of Italy—and a few only reached Syracuse'. Thus miserably perished the Kyrenæan expedition of Ophellas; one of the most commanding and powerful schemes, for joint conquest and colonization, that ever set out from any Grecian city. It would have fared ill with Agathokles, had the Carthage Carthaginians been at hand, and ready to attack him in the confusion immediately succeeding the death of Ophellas. It would also have fared yet power-he worse with Carthage, had Agathokles been in a position to attack her during the terrible sedition excited, nearly at the same time, within her walls by the general Bomilkar2. This traitor (as has been already stated) had long cherished the design to render himself despot, and had been watching for a favourable opportunity. Having purposely caused the loss of the first battle-fought in conjunction with his brave colleague Hanno, against Agathokles-he had since carried on the war with a view to his own project (which explains in part the continued reverses of the Carthaginians); he now thought that the time was come for openly raising his standard. Availing himself of a military muster in the quarter of the city called Neapolis, 1 Diodor. xx. 44. 2 Diodor. xx. 43. CHAP. XCVII.] TREASON OF BOMILKAR AT CARTHAGE. 589 he first dismissed the general body of the soldiers, retaining near him only a trusty band of 500 citizens, and 4000 mercenaries. At the head of these, he then fell upon the unsuspecting city; dividing them into five detachments, and slaughtering indiscriminately the unarmed citizens in the streets, as well as in the great market-place. At first the Carthaginians were astounded and paralysed. Gradually however they took courage, stood upon their defence against the assailants, combated them in the streets, and poured upon them missiles from the house-tops. After a prolonged conflict, the partisans of Bomilkar found themselves worsted, and were glad to avail themselves of the mediation of some elder citizens. They laid down their arms on promise of pardon. The promise was faithfully kept by the victors, except in regard to Bomilkar himself; who was hanged in the market-place, having first undergone severe tortures'. Farther Agathokles tures Utica, Though the Carthaginians had thus escaped from B.c.307. an extreme peril, yet the effects of so formidable a successes of conspiracy weakened them for some time against in Africatheir enemy without; while Agathokles on the he capother hand, reinforced by the army from Kyrênê, Hippowas stronger than ever. So elate did he feel, that and Hippahe assumed the title of King2; following herein the example of the great Macedonian officers, Antigonus, Ptolemy, Seleukus, Lysimachus, and 1 Diodor. xx. 44; Justin, xxii. 7. Compare the description given by Appian (Punic. 128), of the desperate defence made by the Carthaginians in the last siege of the city, against the assault of the Romans, from these house-tops and in the streets. 2 * There are yet remaining coins-Αγαθοκλέος Βασιλέως—the earliest Sicilian coins that bear the name of a prince (Humphreys, Ancient Coins and Medals, p. 50). Zarytus, greta. Kassander; the memory of Alexander being now discarded, as his heirs had been already put to death. Agathokles, already master of nearly all the dependent towns east and south-east of Carthage, proceeded to carry his arms to the north-west of the city. He attacked Utica,-the second city next to Carthage in importance, and older indeed than Carthage itself-situated on the western or opposite shore of the Carthaginian Gulf, and visible from Carthage, though distant from it twenty-seven miles around the Gulf on land'. The Uticans had hitherto remained faithful to Carthage, in spite of her reverses, and of defection elsewhere2. Agathokles marched into their territory with such unexpected rapidity (he had hitherto been on the south-east of Carthage, and he now suddenly moved to the northwest of that city), that he seized the persons of three hundred leading citizens, who had not yet taken the precaution of retiring within the city. Having vainly tried to prevail on the Uticans to surrender, he assailed their walls, attaching in front of his batter 1 Strabo, xvii. p. 832; Polyb. i. 73. * Polybius (i. 82) expressly states that the inhabitants of Utica and of Hippu-Akra (a little farther to the west than Utica), remained faithful to Carthage throughout the hostilities carried on by Agathokles. This enables us to correct the passage wherein Diodorus describes the attack of Agathokles upon Utica (xx. 54)ἐπὶ μὲν Ιτυκαίους ἐστράτευσεν ἀφεστηκότας, ἄφνω δὲ αὐτῶν τῇ πόλει προσπεσών, &c. The word ȧpeσTηkóras here is perplexing. It must mean that the Uticans had revolted from Agathokles; yet Diodorus has not before said a word about the Uticans, nor reported that they had either joined Agathokles, or been conquered by him. Everything that Diodorus has reported hitherto about Agathokles, relates to operations among the towns east or south-east of Carthage. It appears to me that the passage ought to stand-ἐπὶ μὲν Ιτυκαίους éσTρáTEVσEV OVK ÅþEσTηKÓTAS, i. e. from Carthage; which introduces consistency into the narrative of Diodorus himself, while it brings him into harmony with Polybius. |