The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian/Book XIV/Chapter X

Chapter X

 * The quarrel between the Rhegians and Dionysius. Mago, the Carthaginian, settles affairs in Sicily. Routed at Abacene by Dionysius. Rhegium nearly surprised by Dionysius. The acts of Iphocrates at Corinth, Phlius, and Sicyon. Amyntas lost his kingdom of Macedonia, but was restored. The Romans take Veii; dedicate a golden cup to Apollo. Their ambassadors are taken by the pirates of the Lipari islands, but discharged by Timasitheus.

MOREOVER, about this time they of Rhegium quarrelled with Dionysius in Sicily, because he had fortified Messana, as if he intended thereby some mischief against them. Upon which they received into their protection all that were driven out by Dionysius, and all others that hated his government. Then they gave Mylas to the late inhabitants of Naxos to be inhabited by them; and sent Heloris with an army to besiege Messana; and while he in the first place besieges the castle, the townsmen with the mercenaries of Dionysius drew out and fell upon him, routed him, and killed above five hundred of his followers. Then they presently set upon Mylas and took it, and discharged all the Naxians that were there upon terms of mutual friendship, who went to the Sicilian and Grecian cities, some to one place, and some to another. Dionysius having now made a league with the cities that lay on the sea-coasts, determined to pass over with an army against Rhegium; but for the present his design was retarded by the Sicilians of Taurominium, whom therefore he resolved in the first place to reduce; to which end he marched thither with all his forces, and encamped on that side towards Naxos, and continued the siege all winter, in hopes that the Sicilians would leave the hill, because they had not been long there. But they having heard their fathers declare that the antient Sicilians (the former inhabitants of that place) were expelled thence by the Grecians when they arrived there, and built Naxos, they therefore concluded that they had just cause both to defend their own country, and to revenge the injury done to their ancestors by the Greeks, and so they defended the place with great resolution.

In the mean time, while the dispute was hot on both sides, the winter solstice drew near at hand, and winter coming on apace, all the places near the castle were full of snow; and Dionysius conceiving that the Sicilians, by reason of the strength of the place and height of the walls, kept but a slender guard in the castle, he ascends those high and steep places in a dark tempestuous night, and with much difficulty (by reason of the steepness of the rock and depth of the snow) at length, with a scarred face, and half blind with cold and snow, possessed himself of one part of the castle. Then presently forcing into another, he laid open a passage for his army into the city: upon which the whole power and strength of the Sicilians ran together, and drove the Dionysians out of the city and castle: and he himself (by a blow upon his brigandine) in the pursuit was knocked down, and was very near falling alive into the hands of his enemies. And in regard the Sicilians had the advantage of high ground, (from whence they galled the other), above six hundred of Dionysius's men were killed, and many lost their arms; Dionysius himself saved only by his corslet. After this misfortune, they of Agrigentum and Messana, (those that sided with Dionysius being at a great distance), were altogether intent upon regaining their liberty, and therefore sent back Dionysius's ambassador, who was ordered to them to renew and continue the confederacy and league that then was between them and the tyrant.

About this time Pausanias, king of Sparta, fled out of his country, by reason of some heinous crimes laid to his charge by the citizens, when he had reigned fourteen years; Agisipolis his son succeeded him, and continued as many years more. Then likewise died Pausanias, king of Macedon, who Amyntas treacherously murdered after he had reigned only one year. Amyntas, who thus got the kingdom, held it four-and-twenty years.

At the end of the year, Demostratus was chosen archon of Athens; and six military tribunes, Lucius Titinius, Publius Licinius, Publius Melius, Quintus Mallius, Cneius Genutius, and Lucius Attilius, governed as consuls of Rome. In their time Mago, the Carthaginian general, was busy in Sicily, endeavouring to settle the affairs of Carthage there, which were then but in a bad condition, since the last slaughter and ruin of their army. To this end he carried himself with all mildness and humanity towards all the cities within his government, and received all others into his protection that were enemies to Dionysius, and entered into leagues with many of the Sicilians. At length he raised an army, and marched against Messana; and when he had wasted the country, he returned with rich booty and encamped near Abacene, a city of his confederates. But Dionysius with his army marched up to him, and, upon his approach, both armies were drawn out in order of battle; upon which there was a sharp and hot engagement, in which the Carthaginians were routed and fled to the city, with the loss of above eight hundred men; and Dionysius returned to Syracuse. But within a few days after, he made an expedition against Rhegium with a hundred sail well manned; and coming upon them on a sudden in the night, he set the gates on fire; and reared scaling ladders to the walls. A few only of the Rhegians at first ran to repulse the enemy, and busied themselves in extinguishing the fire; but by the advice of Heloris the governor, they left the fire, and fell with all their force upon the enemy, and by that means saved their city. For if they had continued still in quenching the flames, so small a number could not keep out the Dionysians till the rest of the citizens had come in to their assistance. For by throwing of timber and other combustible matter from the tops of the houses next adjoining, they rather increased the fire. Dionysius being thus disappointed in his design, wastes and destroys all the country round with fire and sword; but afterwards made a truce with them for one year, and so returned to Syracuse.

In the meantime, the Grecians in Italy, perceiving that Dionysius's covetousness and ambition extended as far as to their countries, entered into a general league, and appointed a public place for their common assemblies. By this means they hoped that they should both be able to oppose Dionysius, and likewise have an army always ready to fight the Lucanians, who were ever and anon making inroads upon them.

While these things were doing, the exiles that were in the Lechæum at Corinth, being let into the city in the night, endeavoured to possess themselves of the walls, but were driven out again by Iphicrates, and forced to fly to the arsenal, with the loss of three hundred men. Within a few days after, part of the Spartan army marched through the territories of Corinth, and were suddenly fallen upon by Iphocrates and some other confederates, who cut off the greater part of them. And, marching from thence with his light-armed men against Philus, he engaged with them that came out of the town, and killed above three hundred of them. Hence he made against Sicyon, where the inhabitants drew out under the walls and fought him, but were beaten and forced into the city, with the loss of five hundred citizens.

After these things, the Argives, with all their forces, came against Cdorinth, and took both the castle and the city, and joined that territory to their own. Iphicrates the Athenian had had a design to be master of that territory, as a place conducing much to the gaining and keeping of the principality of Greece: but the people opposing it, he abdicated the government, and the Athenians ordered Cabrias to Corinth in his room.

In Macedonia, Amyntas, the father of Philip, was ejected out of his city by the Illyrians, who made an inroad into his country, and, despairing to keep his kingdom, he gave the Olynthians the territory next adjoining to them. However, he lost his kingdom at this time, yet soon after he recovered it by the help of the Thessalonians, and reigned afterwards four-and-twenty years. Yet there are some who write, that, after the expulsion of Amyntas, Argeus reigned in Macedonia for the space of two years, and then Amyntas was restored. About the same time, Satyrus, the son of Spartacus, king of Bosphorus, died, after he had reigned fourteen years, and Leucon, his son, succeeded him for the space of forty years.

In Italy, after eleven years of siege of the Veians, the Romans created Marcus Furius dictator, and Publius Cornelius general of the horse. Having raised an army, they stormed Veii by undermining the castle, razed the city, and sold the inhabitants for slaves; after which the dictator triumphed, and the people of Rome dedicated a golden cup to the oracle at Delphos, out of the tenth of the spoils. But they that carried the offering were fallen upon by thieves or pirates belonging to the Lipari islands, and were carried thither.Yet, when Timasitheus, who was then chief magistrate of Lisopara, heard of it, he not only protected the messengers from all injuries, but caused the cup to be restored, and suffered them to pass safely to Delphos; who, when they had delivered the cup into the treasury of the Messenians , returned to Rome. And, when the Romans understood how nobly Timasitheus had dealt with the ambassadors, they presently so far honoured him, as to enter into a league of alliance and friendship with him, and, an hundred and thirty-seven years after, when they took Lipara from the Carthaginians, they ordered all the posterity of Timasitheus to be quit of tribute, and free in all other respects.