to set sail, the Corinthians received letters from Icetes, which plainly discovered his revoit and treachery. For his ambassadors were no sooner set out for Corinth, than he openly joined the Carthaginians, and acted in concert with them, in order to expel Dionysius from Syracuse, and usurp the tyranny himself. Fearing, moreover, lest he should lose his opportunity by the speedy arrival of the army from Corinth, he wrote to the Corinthians to acquaint them,-"That there was no occasion for them to put themselves to trouble and expense, or to expose themselves to the dangers of a voyage to Sicily; particularly, as the Carthaginians would oppose them, and were watching for their ships with a numerous fleet; and that, indeed, on account of the slowness of their motions, he had been forced to engage those very Carthaginians to assist him against the tyrant.

If any of the Corinthians before were cold and indifferent as to the expedition, upon the reading of these letters, they were one and all so incensed against Icetes, that they readily supplied Timoleon with whatever he wanted, and united their endeavours to expedite his sailing.

"

When the fleet was equipped, and the soldiers provided with all that was necessary, the priestesses of Proserpine had a dream, wherein that goddess and her mother Ceres appeared to them in a travelling garb, and told them," That they intended to accompany Timoleon into Sicily. Hereupon the Corinthians equipped a sacred galley, which they called the galley of the goddesses. Timoleon himself went to Delphi, where he offered sacrifice to Apollo; and, upon his descending into the place where the oracles were delivered, was surprised with this wonderful occurrence: A wreath, embroidered with crowns and images of victory, slipped down from among the offerings that were hung up there, and fell upon Timoleon's head; so that Apollo seemed to send him out crowned upon that enterprise.

It

He had seven ships of Corinth, two of Corcyra, and a tenth fitted out by the Leucadians; with which he put to sea. was in the night that he set sail, and with a prosperous gale he was making his way, when on a sudden the heavens seemed to be rent asunder, and to pour upon his ship a bright and spreading flame, which soon formed itself into a torch, such as is used in the sacred mysteries, and having conducted them through their whole course, brought them to that quarter of Italy for which they designed to steer. The soothsayer declared that this appearance perfectly agreed with the dream of the priestesses, and that by this light from heaven, the goddesses showed themselves interested in the success of the expedition; particularly as Sicily was sacred to Proserpine; it

being fabled that her rape happened there, and that the island was bestowed on her as a nuptial gift.*

The fleet, thus encouraged with tokens of the divine favour, very soon crossed the sea, and made the coast of Italy. But the news brought thither from Sicily_much perplexed Timoleon, and disheartened his forces.-For Icetes having beaten Dionysius in a set battle,† and taken great part of Syracuse, had by a line of circumvallation, shut up the tyrant in the citadel, and that part of the city which is called the island, and besieged him there. At the same time he ordered the Carthaginians to take care that Timoleon should not land in Sicily; hoping, when the Corinthians were driven off, without farther opposition, to share the island with his new allies. The Carthaginians accordingly sent away twenty of their galleys to Rhegium, in which were ambassadors from Icetes to Timoleon, charged with proposals quite as captious as his ceedings themselves; for they were nothing but specious and artful words, invented to give a colour to his treacherous designs. They were to make an offer,-"That Timoleon might, if he thought proper, go and assist Icetes with his counsel, and share in his successes; but that he must send back his ships and troops to Corinth, since the war was almost finished, and the Carthaginians were determined to prevent their passage and ready to repel force with force."

pro

The Corinthians, then, as soon as they arrived at Rhegium, meeting with this embassy, and seeing the Carthaginians riding at anchor near them, were vexed at the insult: a general indignation was expressed against Icetes, and fear for the Sicilians, whom they plainly saw left as a prize to reward lcetes for his treachery, and the Carthaginians for assisting in setting him up tyrant. And it seemed impossible for them to get the better, either of the barbarians, who were watching them with double their number of ships, or of the forces of Icetes, which they had expected would have joined them, and put themselves under their command.

Timoleon, on this occasion, coming to an interview with the ambassadors and the Carthaginian commanders, mildly

• The bridegroom made a present to the bride, the third day after the wedding, when according to the modesty of those ancient times, the bride appeared first without a veil; for which reason the present was called avanaλυπτήριον.

Icetes finding himself in want of provisions, withdrew from the siege of Syracuse towards his own country; whereupon Dionysius marched out and attacked his rear. But Icetes facing about, defeated him, killed three thousand of his men, and pursuing him into the city, got possession of part of it. Our author observes, a little below, that Syracuse being divided by strong was, was as it were an assemblage of cities.

said,"He would submit to their proposal," for what could he gain by opposing them?-"but he was desirous that they would give them in publicly before the people of Rhegium, ere he quitted that place, since it was a Grecian city, and common friend to both parties; for that this tended to his security, and they themselves would stand more firmly to their engagements, if they took that people for witnesses to them."

This overture he made only to amuse them, intending all the while to steal a passage; and the magistrates of Rhegium entered heartily into his scheme; for they wished to see the affairs of Sicily in Corinthian hands, and dreaded the neighbourhood of the barbarians. They summoned, therefore, an assembly, and shut the gates, lest the citizens should go about any other business. Being convened, they made long speeches, one of them taking up the argument where another laid it down, with no other view than to gain time for the Corinthian galleys to get under sail; and the Carthaginians were easily detained in the assembly, as having no suspicion, because Timoleon was present, and it was expected every moment that he would stand up and make his speech. But upon secret notice that the other galleys had put to sea,* and his alone was left behind, by the help of the Rhegians, who pressed close to the rostrum, and concealed him amongst them, he slipped through the crowd, got down to the shore, and hoisted sail with all speed.

He soon arrived, with all his vessels, at Tauromenium in Sicily, to which he had been invited some time before, and where he was now kindly received by Andromachus, lord of that city. This Andromachus was father to Timæus the historian; and being much the best of all the Sicilian princes of his time, he both governed his own people agreeably to the laws and principles of justice, and had ever avowed his aversion and enmity to tyrants. On this account he readily allowed Timoleon to make his city a place of arms, and persuaded his people to co-operate with the Corinthians with all their force, in restoring liberty to the whole island.

The Carthaginians at Rhegium, upon the breaking up of the assembly, seeing that Timoleon was gone, were vexed to find themselves outwitted; and it afforded no small diversion to the Rhegians that Phoenicians should complain of any thing effected by guile. They despatched, however, one of their galleys with an ambassador to Tauromenium, who represented

*The Carthaginians believed that the departure of those nine galleys for Corinth had been agreed on between the officers of both parties, and that the tenth was left behind to carry Timoleon to Icetes.

Fraus Punica, Phoenician fraud, had passed into a proverb.

the affair at large to Andromachus, insisting with much insolence and barbaric pride, that he should immediately turn the Corinthians out of his town; and, at last, showing him his hand, with the palm upwards, and then turning it down again, told him, if he did not comply with that condition, the Carthaginians would overturn his city, just as he had turned his hand. Andromachus only smiled; and without making him any other answer, stretched out his hand, first with one side up, and then the other, and bade him begone directly, if he did not choose to have his ship turned upside down in the same manner.

*

The one

Icetes, hearing that Timoleon had made good his passage, was much alarmed, and sent for a great number of the Carthaginian galleys. The Syracusans then began to despair of a deliverance; for they saw the Carthaginians masters of their harbour, Icetes possessed of the city, and the citadel in the hands of Dionysius; while Timoleon held only by a small border of the skirts of Sicily, the little town of Tauromenium, with a feeble hope, and an inconsiderable force, having no more than a thousand men, and provisions barely sufficient for them. Nor had the Sicilian states any confidence in him, plunged as they were in misfortunes, and exasperated against all that pretended to lead armies to their succour, particularly on account of the perfidy of Calippus and Pharax. was an Athenian, and the other à Lacedæmonian; and both came with professions to do great things for the liberty of Sicily, and for demolishing the tyrants; yet the Sicilians soon found that the reign of former oppressors was comparatively a golden age, and reckoned those far more happy who died in servitude, than such as lived to see so dismal a kind of freedom. Expecting, therefore, that this Corinthian deliverer would be no better than those before him, and that the deceitful hand of art would reach out to them the same bait of good hopes and fair promises, to draw them into subjection to a new master, they all, except the people of Adranum, suspected the designs of the Corinthians, and declined their proposals. Adranum was a small city, consecrated to the god Adranus,† who was held in high veneration throughout all Sicily. Its inhabitants were at variance with each other; some calling in Icetes and the Carthaginians, and others applying to Timoleon. Both generals, striving which should get there first, as fortune would have it, arrived about the same time. But Icetes had five thousand men with him, and Timoleon twelve hundred at the

The Carthaginians had a hundred and fifty men of war, fifty thousand foot, and three hundred chariots.

This deity, by his insignia, afterwards mentioned, should seem to be Mars. His temple was guarded by a hundred dogs.

VOL. II.

2

most, whom he drew out of Tauromenium, which was forty two miles and a half from Adranum. . The first day he made but a short march, and pitched his tents in good time. The next day he marched forward at a great pace, though the road was very rugged, and towards evening was informed that Icetes had just reached the town, and was encamping before it. At the same time his officers made the foremost division halt, to take some refreshment that they might be the more vigorous in the ensuing engagement. This, however, was against the opinion of Timoleon, who entreated them to march forward as fast as possible, and to attack the enemy before they were put in order; it being probable, now they were just come off their march, that they were employed in pitching their tents and preparing their supper. He had no sooner given this order, than he took his buckler, and put himself at the head of them, as leading them on to undoubted victory.

As soon

His men, thus encouraged, followed him very cheerfully, being now not quite thirty furlongs from Adranum. as they came up, they fell upon the enemy, who were in great confusion, and ready to fly at their first approach. For this reason not many more than three hundred were killed, but twice as many were made prisoners, and the camp was taken. Upon this the people of Adranum opened their gates to Timoleon, and joined his party; declaring with terror and astonishment, that during the battle, the sacred doors of the temple opened of their own accord, the spear of their god was seen to shake to the very point, and his face dropped with sweat. These things did not foreshow that victory only, but the future successes to which this dispute was a fortunate prelude; for several cities, by their ambassadors, immediately joined in alliance with Timoleon; and Mamercus, sovereign of Catana, a warlike and wealthy prince, entered into the confederacy. But what was still more material, Dionysius himself, having bid adieu to hope, and unable to hold out much longer, despising Icetes, who was so shamefully beaten, and admiring the bravery of Timoleon, offered to deliver up to him and the Corinthians both himself and the citadel.

Timoleon accepted of this good fortune, so superior to his hopes, and sent Euclides and Telemachus, two Corinthian officers into the citadel, as he did four hundred men besides, not altogether, nor openly, for that was impossible, because the en y were upon their guard, but by stealth, and a few at a time. This corps then took possession of the citadel, and the tyrant's moveables, with all that he had provided for carrying on the war, namely, a good number of horses, all manner of engines, and a vast quantity of darts. They found