The general history of Spain from the first peopling of it by Tubal, till the death of King Ferdinand, who united the crowns of Castile and Aragon : with a continuation to the death of King Philip III / written in Spanish by the R.F.F. John de Mariana ; to which are added, two supplements, the first by F. Ferdinand Camargo y Salcedo, the other by F. Basil Varen de Soto, bringing it down to the present reign ; the whole translated from the Spanish by Capt. John Stevens.

CHAP. 1. Actions of the Spaniards in Sicily. The Government of Hanno. An Embassy sent to Alexander the Great. The first Roman and Carthaginian War.

WE have no Account of any thing remarkable that hap'ned in Spain, for some time, till the Year of Rome 327. which was the time of the Peloponnesian War. * 1.1 * 1.2 In the second Year whereof, a terrible Plague rag'd all over the World; it began in Aethiopia, and thence running thro' several Countries, at last came into Spain, where it swept away vast Multitudes of Men and Cattle. Thucydides, Li∣vy, and Dionysius Halicarnassaeus, make mention of this Plague; and our Authors say, it proceeded from the great dryness of the Air; but Hippocrates, who lived at that time, says, that to free Thessaly, his Country, from it, he caused all the Woods and Forests to

be Fired. In Sicily, at this time, the Carthaginians were possest of some Towns near the Promontory Libybaeum, not far from Trepana, which was a great Eye-sore to the People of Agrigentum, now Gergento. It hap'ned, the Carthaginians went out into a Wood, near the City Minoa, to offer Sacrifice, which the Agrigentines, who watch'd their Opportu∣nity, laying hold of, fell upon, and slaughter'd all, but some few that fled, and lurk'd a∣bout the Woods. This News being come to Carthage, the People resolving to take Re∣venge, * 1.3 sent over 2000 Carthaginians, a like Number of Spaniards, and 500 Mallorquines with Slings. With these Supplies the Carthaginians took the Field, and coming to a Battle, not only Vanquished their Enemies, but Besieged them in the City Agrigentum, whither they were fled; and after a Siege of two Years, made themselves Masters of it, in the Year af∣ter the building of Rome 346. The end of this War, was the beginning of a greater; for Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracuse, taking into his Protection those that fled from Agri∣gentum; * 1.4 and on the other side, the Carthaginians having to do with so powerful an Enemy, raised an Army of 15000 African Foot, and 5000 Horse, besides 10000 Spaniards; to oblige whom, they restor'd Cadiz, and withdrew all their Garrisons, except from the Temple of Hercules, and some other small Forts. Himilco Cipo, was appointed General of these Forces, who, at his first Landing in Sicily, took the City Camarina, which he Burnt, and put all the Inhabitants to the Sword. The People of Gela terrifi'd at this Cruelty, abandon'd the Town. Dionysius was not idle, but having gather'd a great Force, meets the Carthaginians, and at first put them so hard to it, that their Horse began to give way, till Himilco coming up with a Reserve of 2000 fresh Men, obliged the Sicilians to betake themselves to Flight. Night prevented the Pursuit; but Morning being come, Himilco At∣tacks the Enemy in their Camp, and after a great slaughter, makes himself Master of it, Dionysius saving himself by flight. But to see how uncertain Humane Prosperities are, af∣ter all this Success, so violent a Plague rag'd among the Carthaginian Forces, that Himilco returned Home with a very small Number, where, for Grief of this Loss, he Slew him∣self. After this, some will have it, that Dionysius endeavour'd by his Embassadors to with∣draw the Spaniards from siding with the Carthaginians; but they with Kindness, and all manner of Courtesie, kept them in their Friendship. About the same time, certain Cartha∣ginians sailing from Spain, whether designedly, or forced by bad Weather, is not known; * 1.5 having travers'd the vast Ocean, discover'd a large, rich, and beautiful Island, which being Uninhabited, some of those People stay'd, and Planted there; the rest return'd, and gave an Account of what they had seen, to the Senate; where, as Aristotle says, it was agreed, this Discovery ought to be Conceal'd; and to that purpose, the Discoverers put to Death, lest the Citizens allur'd by the Riches of the Island, and weary of War, should abandon the City. Some are of Opinion, this Island was one of the Canaries, others, that it was Hispaniola, or some part of the Continent of America.

The Carthaginians burning with the desire of renewing the War in Sicily, raised Men in Spain and Africk; but the Spaniards were averse to the War, by reason of the distance, because of the two great Losses sustain'd there, and for that, as they said they, had received no wrong from the Sicilians. This oblig'd the Carthaginians to lay aside that de∣sign till a fitter Opportunity, which was soon offered; for a great Famine hap'ned in Spain, and after it, as usual, a Plague; the Spaniards became more inclinable to take up Arms, to fly from the Miseries of their own Country. 20000 Spanish Foot, 1000 Horse, and 300 Sling Men of Majorca were raised. Hanno was appointed General for this War, * 1.6 who with these Forces; and 10000 Africans sailed over into Sicily. Dionysius, who was then in Italy, at the Siege of Cotron, a Greek City, having received Intelligence of the Storm that threatned him, was forced to haste back, to secure his own. His Fleet which served to Transport his Army from Rhegio into Sicily, was Defeated by the Carthagians, and several Ships taken, in which was his own Equipage. Among the other things taken, were found some Letters, written in Greek, by one Sunniatus, a Carthaginian; giving Dionysius an Account of the Preparations made against him; which he did in Revenge, for that he had not been appointed General; but it cost him his Life, and it was Enacted, that for the future, no Carthaginian should ever learn the Greek Language, that they might not have the opportunity of Conversing with an Enemy, without an Interpreter. After this Victo∣ry at Sea, many Places submitted themselves to Hanno; and the War was continu'd with various Success, till the sixteenth Year thereof; which, according to Eusebius, was from the Foundation of Rome 336. or rather, according to others, the second of the 99th Olym∣piad, * 1.7 which was of Rome 371. Then Dionysius the Elder dying, Dio, who Govern'd the * 1.8 Young Dionysius, made a Truce with the Carthaginians; yet the Quiet of Sicily lasted not long; but it is time to return to Spain.

It has been already said, how the Carthaginians at the beginning of the War of Sici∣ly, in part, restored those of Cadiz to their Liberty. This War being ended, they sent Bostar to Govern the Balearick Islands, with Orders to endeavour to gain the Good Will of the People of Saguntum; but they fearing all his fair Words tended to deprive them of their Liberty, would never entertain any Correspondence with him. Hanno was sent to * 1.9 Govern Cadiz, but he being Covetous, oppress'd the Natives, and by violent means seiz'd upon all the Treasure as well of private Persons, as what belong'd to the Publick, which

provok'd the Spaniards to Conspire against the Carthaginians. All on a sudden, they ap∣pear'd in Arms, slew many of their Enemies, and Plundred their Goods. Hanno having lost many of his Men, and being forsaken by his Allies in Spain, sent into Africk for Suc∣cour. These Auxiliaries committed great Cruelties, and made Havock in that part of Spain, now called Andaluzia. What had hap'ned, being known at Carthage, they sent a∣nother to succeed Hanno; but we have no account of his Name, or any thing, he did in that Government, his coming, was about the Year of Rome 398. The War which em∣ployed the Carthaginians in Sicily, gave Peace to Spain for some time; but the joy and * 1.10 satisfaction of this Tranquility, was allayed by great Floods, which destroyed infinite * 1.11 Numbers of Cattle, and bore down many Buildings. The Year following, the Earth∣quakes were so violent, that many Cities on the Coast of the Mediterranean, suffered extreamly, more especially Saguntum, by how much it exceeded all the others in Beauty and Grandeur. The third Year, which was 405. after the building of Rome, was noted for mighty Storms at Sea, which caused extraordinary Shipwracks. * 1.12

The Governour that succeeded Hanno, Dying, one Boodes was sent in his place, and * 1.13 after him, Maherbal, but no Account can be had of any Actions of theirs, or what Go∣vernour followed. It is agreed by all, as certain, that the Inhabitants of Marseilles in France, being grown too numerous, in the Year of Rome 419. sent a Colony into Spain, * 1.14 and Inhabited that part of the City Empurias, which was next the Sea, at the Foot of the Pyreneans, opposite to Roses, in Latin called Emporia. Tho' small, it was divided from the rest of the City by a Wall; whence in Greek it was formerly call'd Palaeopolis, that is, Old Town, signifying the oldest part of it, and also Diospolis, that is two Towns. Another * 1.15 part of the Fleet from Marseilles, passed Cape Denia, and built a Town near the Temple of Diana. Three remarkable things were made known in Spain by the coming of this * 1.16 Fleet, the first, the great Power of the Romans, and how Religiously they Assisted and Supported their Allies; the second, that the Syracusans after recovering their Liberty, con∣triv'd to expel the Carthaginians out of Sicily; and the third, that Alexander of Macedon, Sirnam'd, the Great, had Vanquished Darius, Conquered the Empire of the Persians, and Subdu'd more Countries than another Man in that time could have Travelled through. This * 1.17 mov'd the Spaniards Inhabiting along the Coast of the Mediterranean, to send an Embassy to him, to desire his Protection against the Carthaginians, who aim'd at the enslaving of all that Province. Paulus Orosius says, Maurinus was Chief of this Embassy, who joyning by the way with the Embassadors of France, went in their Company to Babylon, where they found those of all other Provinces, that were there by Alexander's appointment, expecting his coming. Alexander being come to Babylon, they gave him an ample Account of their Commission, received a favourable Answer, with promise of his Protection; and having been richly presented, returned Home well satisfi'd. No doubt, but this Embassy was very displeasing to the Carthaginians, but it was no time to take notice of it, they being then employed in the War in Sicily, whence they were totally Expell'd by Agathocles.

Not long after, ensu'd the first War betwixt Rome and Carthage; and at the same time, * 1.18 our Authors say, Spain suffered by Civil War, without naming the Parties or Places, only ex∣press that it was carried on with the greatest Cruelty, Killing, Plundering, and Burning on all Hands, without Mercy. Much about this time, which was the Year of Rome 502. the Mallorquines Revolted from the Carthaginians, and having put their Garrisons to the Sword, * 1.19 oblig'd the Fleet that lay in the Harbour with Showers of Stones, to put to Sea; and at last, there being no hopes of appeasing those People, to return to Carthage. To retrieve this loss, the Senate sent Hamilcar Barchinus, who with great Prudence, by Courtesie and Address, re∣duc'd those Islanders to Obedience without using any Force or Violence. The Year 507, of Rome, and last of the first Punick War, was fatal to Spain, for a great Drought and violent * 1.20 * 1.21 Earthquakes, by which, part of the Island of Cadiz was broken off, and sunk in the Sea.

Notes

• * 1.1

  327.
• * 1.2

  An uni∣versal Plague.
• * 1.3

  Wars in Sicily.
• * 1.4

  346.
• * 1.5

  Carthagi∣nians di∣scover a new Island.
• * 1.6

  Hanno in Sicily with 21000 Spa∣niards, and 1000 A∣fricans.
• * 1.7

  336.
• * 1.8

  371.
• * 1.9

  Hanno's Actions in Spain.
• * 1.10

  398.
• * 1.11

  Floods. Earth∣quakes.
• * 1.12

  405.
• * 1.13

  Storms.
• * 1.14

  A Colony from Mar∣seilles builds Em∣purias.
• * 1.15

  419.
• * 1.16

  Three re∣markable things.
• * 1.17

  An Em∣bassy to Alexander the Great.
• * 1.18

  The first Roman and Carthagi∣nian War.
• * 1.19

  502.
• * 1.20

  507.
• * 1.21

  Earth∣quakes.