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

Chapter XII

 * Dionysius's expedition against Rhegium. The war between the Lucanians and Thurians, in Italy. The Thurians cut off by their own rashness. Leptines generously saved those that swam to his ships, though he was a friend to their enemies. Dionysius's second expedition into Italy; besieges Caulonia, and routs Heloris. Makes peace with the Rhegians. Razes Caulonia to the ground, and transplants the inhabitants to Syracuse. Watches an occasion to be revenged on them of Rhegium. Besieges it. He sends rich chariots to the Olympic games. His poetry ridiculed.

IN Sicily, Dionysius the tyrant of Syracuse, though he had a design, and did what he could, to bring all Sicily and the neighbouring Greeks in Italy under his power, yet deferred the expedition against them to some other times, as we said before. Having, therefore, in the meantime considered how greatly it would advance his affairs, if he could gain Rhegium, (the key of Italy), he now drew out his army into the field. He had then under his command twenty thousand foot, and a thousand horse, and a hundred and twenty gallies. With these he passed over to the borders of Locris, and, thence marching through the heart of the country, he wasted and spoiled all the territories of Rhegium with fire and sword; his fleet attending over against him, he at length encamped, with all his forces, near the sea. But the Italians, hearing of the arrival of Dionysius, and his design upon Rhegium, with all speed put forth sixty sail from Crotona, for the aid of the Rhegians. Whereupon Dionysius made forth against them with fifty gallies, and though they made to the shore to avoid him, yet he pursued them so close, that he threw grappling irons into them, to draw them off from the land; and all the sixty sail had certainly fallen into his hands, if the whole body of the Rhegians had not with showers of darts, forced him from the shore, and, by the advantage of a storm (that then arose) hauled up the ships to land. And, though Dionysius fought very valiantly, yet he lost seven gallies, and no less than fifteen hundred men on the Rhegian shore; and, both ships and men being thrown upon the shore by the storm, many of the seamen were taken prisoners by the citizens. The tyrant himself, flying in a vessel of five oars, very narrowly escaped drowning, and landed at length, with much difficulty, about midnight, at the port of Messana; and because winter now drew on, having made a league with the Lucanians, he returned with his army to Syracuse.

After this, the Lucanians made an incursion into the territories of the Thurians; upon which they sent forthwith to their confederates for assistance: for the Greek cities throughout all Italy had agreed together, that if the Lucanians fell upon any one of them, all the rest should come in to the help of them that were so oppressed; and if any city should not have their forces ready to defend them, the chief commanders should be put to death.

As soon, therefore, as the cities had notice by the posts of the march of the enemy, the Thurians all unanimously prepared for the encounter, and hastily and unadvisedly, in an imprudent heat, (not waiting for their confederates,) with above fourteen thousand foot and a thousand horse, marched against the enemy.

The Lucanians, hearing of their approach, suffered them to enter into their country: upon which they pierced into Lucania with a great violence, and at the first were so successful as that they took a castle, and carried away thence much plunder, which was in truth but as a bait laid in their way for their destruction. For, while they were puffed up and grown high-crested with this success, they contemned the enemy, so far as that they daringly ventured through strait and craggy passages, (through the heat of ambition and covetousness), eager to possess themselves of a city and a country so blessed with the fullness of all things as that was; but, as soon as they came into the plain, surrounded with high and steep hills on every side, the Lucanians, coming in with their force from all parts, intercepted all the passages, leaving them no hopes of return any way; and, shewing themselves on every side from the tops of the hills, the Grecians were struck with great fear and terror, both with the greatness of their army, and the difficulty of the places; for the Lucanians were no fewer than thirty thousand foot, and four thousand horses. While the Grecians were in this perplexity, unexpectedly surrounded with insuperable danger, the barbarians marched down into the plain, and battle being joined, the Italians were overpowered by multitude, and above ten thousand of them killed upon the spot, (for the Lucanians gave no quarter, as they were before ordered); the rest fled to a hill near the sea-side, from whence, espying some long ships sailing towards them, hoping that they came from Rhegium, (out of eagerness to save themselves) they leaped into the sea, and some of them, by swimming, got to the ships. But the fleet proved to be ships sent by Dionysius to the assistance of the Lucanians, under the command of Leptines, his brother, who very generously received them that swam, into his ships, and set them all on shore, (being about a thousand, and prevailed with the Lucanians to accept a mina for every man, for their ransom, and he himself engaged for the payment, and so ordered matters among them, that the Lucanians and Italians made peace one with another.

From this time Leptines was in great favour and much esteem with the Italians, having made an end of the war, more to his own, than to the advantage of Dionysius, who was in hopes that, by means of the differences between the Lucanians and the Greeks of Italy, he should be able with much ease to accomplish his designs there; but, if he should make peace, he judged his conquest would be difficult. Therefore he discarded Leptines, and created Thearidas, his other brother, admiral of the fleet. During these transactions, the Romans divided the country of the Veians, distributing to every one four plethra of land, but, as others say, eight-and-twenty. At the same time they made war upon the Equi, and took Liflus by storm. They sent forces, likewise, against the Veliterni who had revolted. Satricum, likewise, made a defection, and a colony was sent forth into Certium.

At the close of the year, Antipater was chosen chief governor of Athens, and Lucius Valerius, and Aulus Manlius, were Roman consuls. Now Dionysius, king of Syracuse, declared openly his design of a descent upon Italy, and to that end marched from Syracuse with a numerous army; for he had with him above twenty thousand foot and three thousand horse, a navy of forty long ships, or men of war, besides three hundred transport-ships, for carrying of corn and provisions. He arrived at Messana the fifth day, and there refreshed his army; from thence he sent away Thearidas, his brother, with forty sail to the Lipari islands, for it was reported that ten ships of Rhegium lay there; Thearidas, therefore, hastening thither, found out the ships in a place fit for his purpose, and, possessing himself of them, with all their men on board, he forthwith returned to Messana to Dionysius, who delivered the prisoners bound in chains to the custody of the Messanians. Hen then transported his forces to Caulonia, and laid close siege to the city on every side, and battered it with his engines.

But the Greeks in Italy, as soon as they heard of the landing of Dionysius's foces, raised men and got together an army from all parts. Crotona at that time was very populous, and many that fled and that were forced out of Syracuse inhabited there. The chief command and management, therefore, of the war was committed to them, and Heloris the Syracusan was made general of all the forces. He was a valiant man, and they concluded he would be faithful, because he hated the tyrant, who had banished him out of his country. When he had mustered all the confederate army at Crotona, and ordered all things as he thought fit, he hastened away with a swift march towards Caulonia, hoping, by coming upon them suddenly and unexpectedly, he should not only raise the siege, but likewise rout them with ease, being harassed and tired out with their continual toil and labour in assaulting the town. His army consisted of twenty thousand foot, and two thousand horse. Having marched the greatest part of the way, He encamped at the river Helorus: thereupon Dionysius drew off from the city to meet the Italians; upon which Heloris, at the head of five hundred of the choicest men in the army, marched before the rest. Dionysius encamping about forty stages from the enemy, understood by his spies that the Italians drew near; upon which he forthwith, very early in the morning, rouzed his soldiers from sleep, and commanded them to march forward, and, about break of day, fell upon the Helorians, with his army in good order of battle, giving the enemy no time to get into a body: so that Heloris as in a great strait, and, with those he had with him, bore the brunt of the enemy's whole force; but, in the mean time, he sent away some friends to the camp to bring up the rest of the army with all speed, who diligently executed their orders; upon which the Italians, hearing in what hazard their general was, ran in a great hurry to his assistance. But Dionysius, with a well-ordered body of men, doing execution in every place, cut of Heloris and almost all his party, though they fought with great resolution and gallantry. For, the Italians coming in to their help but scattering, and by parties, and the Sicilians (keeping orderly together) easily overcame them. However, the Grecians for some time despised danger, and suffered much, though they saw great numbers of their fellows lie dead upon the spot. But, when they heard of the death of their general, (in great confusion), they trod down and killed one another, and at last, being totally discouraged and out of heart, they fled outright: upon which many were killed up and down in the fields, and the rest betook themselves to a mount sufficiently fortified and very defensible, save that it wanted water. Dionysius blocked up the place with his army, and closely guarded it all that day and the following night; the next day that they were on the hill (being much incommoded by the heat and the want of water) sent a trumpet to Dionysius, that they might have liberty to ransom themselves; who at length (growing moderate in the height of his good fortune) sent them word, that they should lay down their arms, and surrender themselves upon discretion. On return of these harsh and hard terms, they held out for some short time longer; but, being grievously pressed by the necessity of nature, and almost starved, they surrendered themselves about the eighth hour. Dionysius hereupon numbered them as they came down, by striking the ground with a staff, and they amounted to above ten thousand. They were all afraid he would have been as cruel as a wild beast; but he then approved himself the mildest of all men living: for he discharged all the prisoners without ransom, and made peace with them, and suffered their cities to govern according to their own laws: for which great grace and favour he was highly honoured; and his name was so great, that they presented him with golden crowns. And this was the most noble action that ever he did almost throughout his whole life.

From hence he marched with his forces against Rhegium, with a design to besiege it, to be revenged for their slight of him, in denying him a wife from some of their own city. The Rhegians were greatly terrified at his approach, for they had neither confederates nor forces of their own sufficient to cope with him; besides, they foresaw that there was no mercy to be expected, if the city were taken: therefore they sent an ambassador to him, to entreat him to shew them favour, and to use them like men. Upon which he demanded a tribute of three hundred talents, and that they should deliver into his hands all their fleet, (which were seventy in number), and send out to him a hundred hostages, all which terms were agreed to.

Whereupon he moved toward Caulonia, and transported all the inhabitants of that place to Syracuse, and incorporated them into the city, and granted to them freedom from the public taxes for the space of five years. As for Caulonia itself, he razed it to the ground, but gave the territory to the Locrians. About the same time, the Romans (after the taking of the city Liflus from the Equi) celebrated the stately plays which the consuls had vowed to Jupiter.

After the end of the year, Pyrrhio executed the office of lord-chancellor of Athens the next; and four military tribunes, Lucius Lucretius, Servius Sulpitius, Caius Æmilius, and Caius Rufus, were invested with the consular dignity at Rome. Then was acted the ninety-eighth Olympiad, wherein Sosippus the Athenian carried away the prize. About the same time Dionysius, the prince of Syracuse, entered Hipponium with his army, and transported all the citizens to Syracuse, and, when he had razed the town, he gave the lands to the Locrians; for he was always very desirous to oblige them, because they so readily complied with him in the business of his marriage. On the other hand, he studied revenge upon the Rhegians for their denial: for, when he sent an ambassador to them, to treat with them to send him a virgin of some of their citizens to be his wife, it is said the Rhegians answered his ambassadors—That he should none from them, except it were the hangman's daughter. Being highly incensed at this gross abuse, (as he took it to be), he continually studied how to be revenged. For he made not peace with them the year before out of any design of kindness or friendship with them, but only out of a desire he had to possess himself of their fleet of seventy sail. For he knew he could easily take the city, when they could have no aid or assistance by sea. To this end he made several halts, and delayed as much as he could his drawing his forces out of Italy, waiting for some colourable pretence or occasion to break his league with the Rhegians, without any reflection upon his honour. Drawing, therefore, his forces down to the sea-side, he prepares all things necessary for his passage; and then desires that the Rhegians would furnish him with provisions for his army, and he would send them as much back again from Syracuse. His design in this was, that, if they refused to supply him, he thought he might have a just ground to raze their city; and, if they readily answered his request, then, after their corn and provision was spent, (upon laying siege to the town), he might with more ease, (through their scarcity of food) possess himself of the place. The Rhegians, not suspecting anything, for some days furnished him liberally. But, when he delayed and trifled away the time, sometimes pretending himself sick, and other times framing other excuses, they at length suspected his designs, and therefore forebore sending any further provision to his camp. Upon which Dionysius, seeming to be much enraged at this affront, returned to them all the hostages, and, encompassing the town round with his forces, assaulted it every day; and, with a great number of engines (of an incredible bigness) so battered the walls, as if they had been shaken by a storm and tempest, so earnest was he to gain the city. The Rhegians, on the other hand, (having made Philo their general), ordered all that were of age and strength to take up arms, and to keep strict guard; and, spying a fit opportunity, they made a vigorous sally, and burnt the enemy's engines; and often skirmished out of the walls with that valour and resolution (to the exasperating of the enemy) that they both lost many of their own, and killed no few of the Sicilians; nay, Dionysius himself was so wounded with a lance about the scrotum, that he was very near losing his life, it being a long time before he recovered. Notwithstanding, though the siege was tedious, and the Rhegians resolved to defend their liberty, yet he employed his soldiers in continual assaults, not in the least receding from his former design and purpose. The Olympic games in the mean time drawing on, he sent to that solemnity many chariots drawn with four horses a-piece, and exceeding swift; and likewise tents gilstering with gold, and adorned with rich and various embroideries of admirable workmanship; and with these he sent, likewise, the most skilful singers, to advance his own praise by the reciting of poems composed by himelf; for he was (even to madness) given to poetry: and he committed the care and oversight of all these things to his brother Thearidas, (who, when he came to the ground, by the multitude of the chariots, and richness and splendour of the tents and pavilions), attracted the eye of all the beholders. And, when the singers began to recite the poems of Dionysius, the people at first ran together, and greatly admired the sweet and pleasant airs of the stage-players. But, as soon as they perceived how bad and ballad-like the verses were, they ridiculed Dionysius, and despised him to that degree, that they rifled the tents. Lysias, likewise the orator, then at Olympia, advised the people that they should not admit any of those procurators, sent by so wicked a tyrant, to have any thing to do with those sacred sports. At which time he made the speech stiled by him the Olympic Oration. And now the race began, and it so happened, that the chariots of Dionysius were some of them driven out of the line, others were broken in pieces by dashing one upon another. Neither did the ship prosper better which conveyed the procurators: for, in their return from the games to Sicily, they were forced by the violence of a tempest to Tarentum, a city in Italy. And it is reported, that when they came to Syracuse they spread it abroad—That the badness of Dionysius's verses had not only disgraced the singers, but prejudiced both the chariots and the ships. However, though he knew that his verses were hissed at, yet still he addicted himself to poetry, being told by his flatterers, that those that envied every thing that was noble and brave, would at length admire what they then despised. At that time the Romans slew a great number of the Volsci in the battle of Gurasum.