Close of the Way in Sicily .-Laevinus' arrival in Sicily had been looked forward to by all the friendly cities, both those who had been old allies of Rome. and those who had recently joined her. His first and most important task was the settleinent of the affairs of Syracuse, which. as peace had onlv suite ，，，，·，广·，、，1人气 recently been established. were sT,lll in coniusion. vv nen he naa mplished this task he marched to AzriLyentum. where the 几J Vl 'embers of war were still smouldering, and a Carthaginian rrison still in .tion. Fortune favoured his enterprise. was m ,'id, but the Carthaginians placed their IV 749 C chief reliance on Muttines and his Numidians. He was scouring the island from end to end and carrying off plunder from the friends of Rome;neither force nor stratagem could keep him from enteV -6呼Agrigentum and勺 raving it on his raids whenever. . he chose. tiis reputation as a a ashmg otticer was beguining to eclipse that of the commandant himself, and at last created so much jealousy that even the successes he gained were unwelcome to Hanno, because of the man who gained them. -It ended in his giving the command of the cavalry to his own son in the hope that h.且 y甘U depriving Muttines of his post he would also destroy his m ence with the Numidians. It had just the opposite effect, O the ill-feeling created only made Muttines more popular. and he showed his resentment at the injustice a a产 done to him by at once entering into secret negotiations with Laevinus for the surrender of the city. When his emissaries had come to an understanding with the consul and arrange尽 the， plan of， operations, the Numidians seized the gate leading. . r. 1 " " it . , to the sea alter anvmg on or massacring the men on guard, and admitted a Roman force which was in readiness into the city. As thev were marching in serried ranks into the forum and the heart mi the citv. anuast great coniusion. rtanno. tninxina it was only a riotous disturbance caused by the Numidians, such as had often happened before, went to allay the tumult. When, however, he saw in the distance a larger body of troops than the Numidians amounted to, and when the well-known battle shout of the Romans reached his ears. he at once took to flight before a missile couia reacn nun.乙scams with书vicvaes tnrougn a gate on the other side 01 the city, and attenaea ay a sman escort. he reached the shore. Here thev were fortunate enouLyh to nna a smau snip, m wmcn tney sauea across to mnca, aaand onmg Sicily, for which they had fought -through so many vears. to their victorious enemy. The mixed population of Sicilians and Carthaginians whom they had left behind, made no attempt at resistance, but rushed away in wild flight, and, as the exits were all closed, they were slaughtered round the g侃en he had gained possession。，the place, Laevinus ordered the men who had been at the head ofbe scourged and beheaded; the rest o恕爵Agrigentum toulation he sold with the vlunder. and sent all the monev to Rome. a short time twentv towns were clandestinely surrendered and six taken by storm.and as manv as forty voluntarily surrendered on terms. The consul meted out rewards and punishments to the chief men. in these cities, according to each man's deserts, and now that the. Sicilians had at !ast laid arms aside, he obliged them to turn their attention to a护culture. That fertile island was not only capable of supporting its own population, but had on many occasions relieved the scarcity in Rome, and the consul intended that it should do so a}_,ain if necessar v. Aaatnvrna naa pecome the seat or a mouev uonuiauon。 numbering some 4000 men, made up of all sorts of characters-refugees, insolvent debtors一most of them had committed capital offences at the time when they were living in their own cities and under their own laws and afterwards when similarity of fortunes arising from various causes had drawn them together at Agathyrna. Laevinus did not think it safe to leave these men behind in the island, as a material for fresh disturbances, whilst things were settling down under the newly established peace. The Regians too would find a body so eXAerienced in briLyandaLye as thev were. verv useful:accordingly Laevinus transported them all to Italy. As far as Sicily was concerned, the state of war was put are end to this year.