When the exchange of provinces had been decided, the Sicilians were introduced into the senate. After expatiating at some length upon the unbroken loyalty of Hiero to Rome, and claiming the credit of it for the people rather than for the king, they proceeded:“There were many reasons for the hatred we felt towards Hieronymus and afterwards towards Hippocrates and Epicydes, but the principal one was their abandoning Rome for Hannibal. It was this that led some of the foremost of our younger men to assassinate Hieronymus close to the senate-house, and also induced some seventy who belonged to our noblest houses to form a plot for the destruction of Epicydes and Hippocrates. As Marcellus failed to support them by bringing up his army to Syracuse at the time he promised, the plot was disclosed by an informer, and they were all put to death饰the tyrants.Marcellus was really responsible for the tyranny, owing to his ruthless sacking of Leontium. m that time the Syracusan leaders never ceased ‘L.卜别 0。J go over arcellus and undertake to deliver up the city to m w ·he wished. He would rather have taken it by st orm when all his attempts by sea and land failed, and he saw the thing was impossible, he chose as agents of the surrender artisan called Sosis and the Spaniard Moericus, rather than anletdo the leaders of the city, who had so often offered in vain to so, undertake the task. No doubt he considered that he plundering and massac- revolt to Hannibal had not simply of Hierony- Mus:if it had been the zovernment of Syracuse who closed the grates against Marcellus, and not the tyrants Hippocrates and Epicydes who had ousted the zovernment: we had warred a脚nst Rome in the spirit and temper of the Cartha gunans what greater severity could Marcellus have shown towards us than that which he actually practised, unless he had blotted Syracuse out from the face of the eart h?At all events, nothing has been left to us beyond our walls and our houses stripped of e verything, and the defaced and despoiled even the gods themselves and their votive offerings have been carried off. Many have been de洲ved of their land, so that they have not even the bare soil on which to support themselves.and all who belong to them. with the remains of their wrecked fortunes. We bez and entreat you, senators, if you cannot order all that we have lost to be restored to us, at least to insist upon the restitution of what can be found and identified." After they had stated their grievances, Laevinus ordered them to withdraw, that their position而zht be discussed. 一’l.et them stop,,‘exciaimea marcenus,”that 1 may maice my reply in their presence, since we who conduct war on your behalf, senators, must do so on condition of those whom we have vanquished coming forward as our accusers. Two cities have been taken this year:let Capua call Fabius to account, and S yracuse, Marcellus.”