Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/655

Rh REGULUS. 2. M. Atilius Rkgulus, probably son of No. 1., was consul b. c. 294, with L. Postumius Megellus, and carried on war with his colleague against the Saranites. The events of this year were related very differently by the annalists. According to the account which Livy followed, Regulus was first de- feated with great loss near Luceria, but on the fol- lowing day he gained a brilliant victory over the Samnites, of whom 7200 were sent under the yoke. Livy says that Regulus was refused a triumph, but this is contradicted by the Fasti Capitolini, accord- ing to which he triumphed de Volsordbus et Samni- tibus. The name of the Volsones does not occur elsewhere. Niebuhr conjectures that they may be the same as the Volcentes, who are mentioned along with the Hirpini and Lucani (Liv. xxvii. 15), or perhaps even the same as the Volsinii or Volsinienses. (Liv. x. 32 — 37 ; Zonar. viii. 1 ; Niebuhr, Hist, of Rome, vol.iii. pp. 389, 390.) 3. M. Atilius, M. f. L. n. Rkgulus, was con- sul for the first time in B. c. 267, with L. Julius Libo, conquered the Sallentini, took the town of Brundusium, and obtained in consequence the honour of a triumph. (Eutrop. ii. 17 ; Fior. i. 20 ; Zonar. viii. 7 ; comp. Liv. Epit. 15.) Eleven years afterwards, B. c. 256, he was consul a second time with L. Manlius Vulso Longus, and was elected in the place of Q. Caedicius, who had died soon after he came into office. This was the ninth year of the first Punic war. The Romans had resolved to make a strenuous effort to bring the contest to a conclusion, and had accordingly determined to in- vade Africa with a great force. The two consuls set sail with 330 ships, took the legions on board in Sicily, and then put out to sea from Ecnomus in order to cross over to Africa. The Carthaginian fleet, however, was waiting for them under the com- mand of Hamilcar and Hanno at Heraclea Minoa, and immediately sailed out to meet them. In the battle which followed, the Romans were victorious ; they lost only twenty-four ships, while they de- stroyed thirty of the enemy's vessels, and took sixty-four with all their crews. The passage to Africa was now clear ; and the Carthaginian fleet hastened home to defend the capital. The Romans, however, did not sail straight to Car- thage, but landed their forces near the town of Clypea or Aspis, which they took, and there esta- blished their head quarters. From thence they devastated the Carthaginian territory with fire and Bword, and collected an immense booty from the defenceless country. On the approach of winter, Manlius, one of the consuls, returned to Rome with half of the army, by order of the senate ; while Regulus remained with the other half to prosecute the war. He carried on operations with the utmost vigour, and was greatly assisted by the incompetency of the Carthaginian generals. The enemy had collected a considerable force, which they intrusted to three commanders, Hasdrubal, Bostar, and Hamilcar ; but these generals avoided the plains, where their cavalry and elephants would have given them an advantage over the Roman army, and withdrew into the mountains. There they were attacked by Regulus, and utterly de- feated with great loss ; 1 5,000 men are said to have been killed in battle, and 5000 men with eighteen elephants to have been taken. The Car- thaginian troops retired within the walls of the city, and Regulus now overran the country with- out opposition. Numerous towns fell into the REGULUS. 643 power of the Romans, and among others Tunis, at the distance of only 20 miles from the capital To add to the distress of the Carthaginians, the Numidians took the opportunity of recovering their independence, and their roving bands com- pleted the devastation of the country. The Car- thaginians in despair sent a herald to Regulus to solicit peace. But the Roman general, who was intoxicated with success, would only grant it on such intolerable terms that the Carthaginians re- solved to continue the war, and hold out to the last. Tn the midst of their distress and alarm, success came to them from an unexpected quarter. Among the Greek mercenaries who had lately ar- rived at Carthage, was a Lacedaemonian of the name of Xanthippus, who appears to have already acquired no small militarj'- reputation, though his name is not mentioned previously. He pointed out to the Carthaginians that their defeat was owing to the incompetency of their generals, and not to the superiority of the Roman arms ; and he inspired such confidence in the people, that he was forthwith placed at the head of their troops. Re- lying on his 4000 cavalry and 100 elephants, Xan- thippus boldly marched into the open country to meet the enemy, though his forces were very in- ferior in number to the Romans. Regulus was neither able nor willing to refuse the battle thus offered ; but it ended in his total overthrow. Thirty thousand of his men were slain ; scarcely two thousand escaped to Clypea ; and Regulus himself was taken prisoner with five hundred more. This was in the year b. c. 255. (Polvb. i. 26—34 ; Liv. Epit. 17, 18 ; Eutrop. ii. 21, 22 ; Oros. iv. 8 ; Zonar. viii. 12, 13 ; Aurel. Vict, de Vir. III. 40.) Regulus remained in captivity for the next five years, till b. c. 250, when the Carthaginians, after their defeat by the proconsul Metellus, sent an embassy to Rome to solicit peace, or at least an exchange of prisoners. They allowed Regulus to accompany the ambassadors on the promise that he would return to Rome if their proposals were de- clined, thinking that he would persuade his country- men to agree to an exchange of prisoners in order to obtain his own liberty. This embassy of Regulus is one of the most celebrated stories in Roman history. The orators and poets related how Re- gulus at first refused to enter the city as a slave of the Carthaginians ; how afterwards he would not give his opinion in the senate, as he had ceased by his captivity to be a member of that illustrious body : how, at length, when he was allowed by his countrymen to speak, he endeavoured to dis- suade the senate from assenting to a peace, or even to an exchange of prisoners, and when he saw them wavering, from their desire of redeeming him fiom captivity, how he told them that the Cartha- ginians had given him a slow poison, which would soon terminate his life ; and how, finally, when the senate through his influence refused the offers of the Carthaginians, he firmly resisted all the persuasions of his friends to remain in Rome, and returned to Carthage, where a martyr's death awaited him. On his arrival at Carthage he is said to have been put to death with the most ex- cruciating tortures. It was related that he was placed in a chest covered over in the inside with iron nails, and thus perished ; and other writers stated in addition, that after his eyelids had been cut off, he was first thrown into a dark dun- X T 2