a confummate general; and when the magnitude and the number of the obftacles he furmounted in his invafion of Italy be confidered, the extenfive and hoftile regions which he traversed, the factious parties of Carthage, which attempted to difconcert all his measures, the difcordant interefts of the allied forces which he reconciled, and the powerful armies and fkilful generals he oppofed, he may furely be ranked, where Scipio Africanus, his great rival in arms, did not hesitate to place him, among the greatest heroes of antiquity.

Even after the fucceffive defeats of the Romans at Thrafimene, at Trebia, and the complete deftruction of their beft army at Cannæ, when they were bafely deferted by many of their allies, the fenate did not relax, even for a moment, the firmnefs of ancient inftitutions, and difdained to negociate with the enemy, while he continued within the territories of the republic. And at that critical conjuncture, far from being dismayed at his approach, they fold by public auction the ground upon which his army was encamped; and it was purchased at no lefs a price than it would have reached in time of peace. At the fame time a body of troops advanced from the city to give battle to Hannibal, another detachment marched out at an oppofite gate to reinforce the army in Spain.

Livy, lib. xxvi. c. 11.

The

The victorious Hannibal, instead of making an additional effort of courage in compliance with the advice of his moft experienced officers, and marching with rapidity to Rome, immediately after the battle of Cannæ, before his enemies could recover from their confternation, was imprudent enough to allow his foldiers to indulge in the enervating luxuries of Capua. This was the fubject of his vain lamentation, as he was reluctantly failing back to his native country, and beheld for the laft time the leffening fhores of Italy, that had been fo frequently the fcenes of his glory. Such is the interefting account of Livy:-But it feems probable that a want of thofe fupplies, which he requested immediately after the battle of Canna, was the true caufe of the decline of his fortune, as he continued to ravage Italy for the courfe of fourteen years after his ftay at Capua; during that time he gained feveral victories, and kept his enemies in a ftate of conftant alarm for the fafety of the empire.

The great Scipio Africanus turned the tide of fuccefs, and the fortune of Hannibal funk under his triumphant arms. The battle of Zama, in which thefe great Generals were oppofed to each other, gave to the Romans a complete victory. The Carthaginians were compelled to fupplicate a peace, which was granted upon the moft humiliating terms. The third Punic war produced the complete overthrow of their power. The Romans inftigated by a cruel policy, purfued the advice of

the

the elder Cato, who was conftantly inculcating in the Senate, the neceffity of the total deftruction of the rival state. The city of Carthage was taken by affault, the inhabitants flaughtered, and the place reduced to afhes. In the fame year, Corinth was deftroyed by Mummius, and Greece was reduced to a Roman Province. After the defeat of the Carthaginians, there were no people fufficiently powerful to contend with the Romans for the command of the ocean. They could therefore convey their troops without interruption, and carry on their conquefts upon the moft diftant coafts. As their plan of operations was conducted upon regular principles, their fuccefs was not unftable and tranfitory, like that of Alexander the Great, but continued through the long period of nine centuries to accumulate power, and gradually add kingdom to kingdom.

After the Romans had thus fubdued the faireft countries of the antient world, the arms of their ambitious Generals were turned againft each other. To the bloody profcriptions of Marius and Sylla, fucceeded the triumphs of the politic Cæfar. Elated by the extent of his victories in Gaul, Germany, and Britain, and inftigated by infatiable ambition, he refolved to 'contend with the brave and amiable Pompey his fon in law for the fupreme power. The Senate aware of his defigns, had decreed that the General who fhould pafs the

* B. C. 147.

Rubicon,

Rubicon, a final river between Italy and Gaul, with an armed force, fhould be guilty of treafon. Difdaining this prohibition, Cæfar marched to Rome at the head of his faithful legions, purfued his rival Pompey, and defeated his with great army flaughter, in the fields of Pharfalia'. Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was bafely flain by order of Ptolemy. Cato, who was a better patriot, than a philofopher, determining not to furvive the libertics of his country, nor to fwell the triumph of Cæfar, put an end to his life at Utica in Africa. Cæfar, now fecure in the poffeffion of the empire, confulted for the happiness and welfare of the people by whom he was much beloved, His perfon was declared facred, he was invefted with the office of perpetual dictator, and was hailed Imperator, a title which implied fupreme civil, as well as military power. From a fufpicion that he was aiming at defpotic fway, and was eager to add to his titles the odious one of King, fixty Senators formed a confpiracy against him; at the head of thein was Brutus, whofe life he had fpared, and who fhared his friendship. He was in the Ides of March affaffinated in the fenate houfe; he refifted till he faw the dagger of Brutus raised against him, and then covering his face with his robe, pierced by numerous wounds, he expired at the feet of Pompey's ftatue.

Marc Antony, Lepidus, and Octavius, grand nephew, and adopted heir to Cæfar, formed a

f B. C. 48.

fecond

fecond triumvirate. They cemented their union with the blood of their friends and relations: of thofe who fuffered none was fo illuftrious as Cicero, facrificed by Octavius, whofe friend and benefactor he had been, to the profligate Antony. With the boldness which truth infpired, Cicero had provoked his rage by expofing to the fenate and the public his fecret vices in the Orations, which from their resemblance to thofe pronounced by Demofthenes against Philip of Macedon, were called Philippics. His matchlefs talents, unfullied character, and a long life devoted to the fervice of his friends and the ftate, afforded him no protection against a merciless enemy. Affaffins purfued him to the fhores of Cajeta, and near Tufculum, one of his favourite villas, the fcene of his philofophical ftudies, they fevered his head from his body. He fuffered with greater firmnefs than he had ever fhown upon former occafions of diftrefs. His death alone did not fatisfy Antony, he caufed the head and hands of Cicero to be fixed upon the roftra, from which that moft eloquent of orators had fo often inftructed and delighted his countrymen: but cruel and revengeful as Antony was, it was not in his power to prevent the fpectators from paying the tribute of honour and gratitude which was due to eminent talents, and important public fervices; for they could but dimly and indiftinctly behold a fight fo deplorable, by reafon of the abundance of their tears.

The