Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/34

 8 HISTORY OF GREECE. and Morgantine ; in an enemy's country, harassed by natives wno perfectly knew the ground, and who cut off in detail all his parties sent out to obtain provisions. The Syracusans, indetd, disliking or mistrusting such tardy methods, impatiently demanded leave to make a vigorous attack ; and when Dionysius refused, affirming that with a little patience the enemy must be speedily starved out, they left the camp and returned home. Alarmed at their desertion, he forthwith issued a requisition for a large number of slaves to supply their places. But at this very juncture, there arrived a proposition from the Carthaginians to be allowed to make peace and retire ; which Dionysius granted, on condition that they should abandon to him the Sikels and their territory especially Tauromenium. Upon these terms peace was accord- ingly concluded, and Magon again returned to Carthage. 1 llelieved from these enemies, Dionysius was enabled to restore those slaves, whom he had levied under the recent requisition, to their masters. Having established his dominion fully among the Sikels, he again marched against Tauromenium, which on this occasion was unable to resist him. The Sikels, who had so valiantly defended it, were driven out, to make room for new in- habitants, chosen from among the mercenaries of Dionysius. 2 Thus master both of Messene and Tauromenium, the two mosl important maritime posts on the Italian side of Sicily, Dionysius prepared to execute his ulterior schemes against the Greeks ir- the south of Italy. These still powerful, though once far mort powerful, cities, were now suffering under a cause of decline com- mon to all the Hellenic colonies on the coast of the continent. The indigenous population of the interior had been reinforced, or enslaved, by more warlike emigrants from behind, who now pressed upon the maritime Grecian cities with encroachment difficult to resist. It was the Samnites, a branch of the hardy Sabellian race, mountaineers from the central portion of the Apennine range, who had been recently spreading themselves abroad as formidable assailants. About 420 B. c., they had established themselves in Cnpua and the fertile plains of Campania, expelling or diapos- 1 Dioilor. xiv. 95, 96. * Piodor. xh J6.