Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/484

 452 HISTORY OF GREECE. and he as well as they, kept up vigorously the old conflict a^iraJust the Carthaginian power in the island. Grecian history in Sicily thus continues down to the death of Agathokles ; but it continues no longer. After his death, Hellenic power and interests become incapable of self-support, and sink into a secondary and subser- vient position, overridden or contended for by foreigners. Syra- cuse and the other cities passed from one despot to another, and were torn with discord arising out of the crowds of foreign mer- cenaries who had obtained footing among them. At the same time, the Carthaginians made increased efforts to push their con- (piests in the island, without finding any sufficient internal resist- ance ; so that they would have taken Syracuse, and made Sicily their own, had not Pyrrhus king of Epirus (the son-in-law of Agathokles) interposed to arrest their progress. From this time forward, the Greeks of Sicily become a prize to be contended for — first between the Carthaginians and PjTrhus — next, between the Carthaginians and Romans^ — until at length they dwindle into subjects gf Rome ; corn-growers for the Roman plebs, cli- ents under the patronage of the Roman Marcelli, victims of the rapacity of Verres, and suppliants for the tutelary eloquence of Cicero. The historian of self-acting Hellas loses sight of them at the death of Agathokles. ' Tho poet Theokritus (xvi. 75-80) expatiates on the bravery of the Syra- cusan Hiero II., and on the great warlike power of the Syracusans under him (b. C. 260-240), which he represents as making the Carthaginians tremble for their possessions in Sicily. Personally, Hiero seems to have de- served this praise — and to have deserved yet more praise for his mild and prudent internal administration of Syracuse. But his military force was altogether secondary in the great struggle between Romo and Canhage foi the m?.stery of Sicily.