Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/450

 418 HISTOPwY OF GREECE. oars, coni^trueted expressly for the purpose — since lie had no ships of liis own remaining. Having fortified Tunes and estab- lished it as his central position, he commenced operations along the eastern coast (Zeugitana and Byzakium, as the northern and southern portions of it were afterwards denominated by the Romans) against the towns dependent on Carthage.^ In that city, meanwhile, all was terror and despondency in consequence of the recent defeat. It was well known that the African subjects generally entertained nothing but fear and hatred towards the reigning city. Neither the native Libyans or Africans, — nor the mixed race called Liby-Phoenicians, who inhabited the towns^ — could be depended on if their services were really needed. The distress of the Carthaginians took the form of religious fears and repentance. They looked back with remorse on the impiety of their past lives, and on their omissions of duty towards the gods. To the Tyrian Ilcrakles, they had been slack in transmitting the dues and presents required by their religion ; a backwardness which they now endeavored to make up by sending envoys to Tyre, with prayers and supplica- tions, Avith rich presents, and especially with models in gold and silver of their sacred temples and shrines. Towards Kronus, or Moloch, they also felt that they had conducted themselves sinfully. The worship acceptable to that god required the sacrifice of young children, born of free and opulent parents, and even the choice child of the family. But it was now found out, on inves- tigation, that many parents had recently put a fraud upon the jrod, by surreptitiously buying poor children, feeding them well, and then sacrificing them as their own. This discovery seemed at once to explain why Kronus had become offended, and what had brought upon them the recent defeat. They made an em- phatic atonement, by selecting 200 children from the most illus- trious families in Carthage, and offering them up to Kronus at a great public sacrifice ; besides which, 300 parents, finding them- selves denounced for similar omissions in the past, displayed their repentance by voluntarily immolating their own children for the public safety. The statue of Kronus, — placed with out- stretched hands to receive the victim tendered to him, with fire ' Dioilor. XX 17. " Piodor. xx. 55.