沟扣irs in Rome,-The- summer was now drawing to a close, and the date of the consular elections was near at hand. Marcellus wrote to say that it would be against the interests of the republic to lose touch with Hannibal, as he was b ein g pressed steadilv back. and avoided anything like a battle. Th senate were reluctant to recall him just when he was most effectivelv eMDloved:at the same time thev were anxious lest there should be no consuls for the coming year. They decided that the best course would be to recall the consul Valerius from Sicilv. thouzh he was outside the borders of Italv. The senate Mnstructed L. Manlius the City praetor to write to him to that effect, and at the same time to send on the despatch from M. Marcellus that he might understand the reason for the senate recalling him rather than his colleague from his province, It was about this time that envoys from King Syphax came to Rome. They enumerated the successful battles which the king had fought against the Carthaginians, and declared that there was no people 奋‘D C不11 whom he was a more uncompromising foe than the people Carthage, and none towards whom he felt more friendly than the people of Rome. He had already sent envoys to the two Scipios in Spain, now he wished to ask for the friendship of Rome from the fountain-head. The senate not only gave the envoys a gracious reply, but they in their turn sent envoys and presents to the king-the men selected for the mission being L. Genucius. P. Poetelius, and P. Popillius. The presents they took with them were a pu创e toga and a purple tunic, an ivory chair -and a golden bowl weighing five pounds. After their visit to Syph ax they were commissioned to visit other petty kings in Africa and carry as apre sent to each of them a toga praetexta and a golden bowl, three pounds in weight. M. Atilius and Manlius Acilius were also despatched to Alexandria. to Ptolemv and Cleopatra. to 1子 remind them of the alliance already existing,2 and to renew the friendly relations with Rome. The presents they carried to the king were a purple toga and a purple tunic and an ivory chair;to the queen they gave an embroidered palls s and a purple cloak. During the summer in which these incidents occurred numerous portents were reported from the neighbouring cities and country disti cts. A lamb is said to have been yeaned at Tusculum with: s udder full of milk;the summit of the temple i struck by lightning and nearly the whole of the the gate of was similarly struck almost at the same time and con 夕uring扣radayand.an. r嘴卜t without anything to feed the nre:at Anagnia Lompitum the birds had deserted their nests 产马J l 运the grove of Diana;at Tarracina snakes of an extraord inary size leaped out of the sea like sporting fishes close to the harbour; at Tarqu呼;pig had been farrowed with the face of ar n r . , r. Iran;in the alstnct or Capena lour statues near the Grove of Feronia had sweated blood for a day and a night. ThePontiffsdecreedthathThe pontiffs decreed thaeseportentsshOuld b ttese portents shouldb e expiated by the sacrifice of oxen;a day was appointed for solemn intercessions to be offered up at all the shrines in Rome, and on the following day similar intercessions were to be offered in Cam-