A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

MARCELLUS. MARCELLUS. 929
unable to defend the town against Marcellus, who ever, made himself master of the fort of Euryalus,
took it by storm, and though he spared the in- and now closely beset Achradina, when the Carhabitants, executed in cold blood 2000 Roman thaginian army under Himilco and Hippocrates
deserters whom he found among the troops that advanced to the relief of the city. Their efforts
had formed the garrison. This sanguinary act at were, however, in vain: all their attacks on the
once alienated the minds of the Sicilians, and camp of Marcellus were repulsed, and they were
alarmed the mercenary troops in the service of unable to effecta junction with Epicydes and the
Syracuse. The latter immediately joined Hippo- Syracusan garrison. The unhealthiness of the
crates and Epicydes, who had made their escape to country soon gave rise to a pestilence, which
Herbessus; the gates of Syracuse were opened to committed frightful ravages in both armies, but
them by their partisans within the walls, and the especially in that of the Carthaginians, where it
party hostile to Rome thus established in the un- carried off both their generals, and led to the entire
disputed command of that city. (Liv. xxiv. 27 — break-up of the army. Thus freed from all appre32; Plut. Marc. 13, 14; Appian, Sic. 3.) hensions from without, Marcellus renewed his
Marcellus, whose severities had given rise to attacks upon those quarters of the city which still
this revolution, now appeared before Syracuse at held out; but though the officers on whom the
the head of his army, and after a fruitless summons command devolved after the departure of Epicydes
to the inhabitants, proceeded to lay siege to the made several attempts at negotiation, nothing was
city both by sea and land. His attacks were effected. At length the treachery of Mericus, a
vigorous and unremitting, and were directed espe- leader of Spanish mercenaries in the Syracusan
cially against the quarter of Achradina from the service, opened to Marcellus the gates of Achradina,
side of the sea; but though he brought many pow- and in the general attack that ensued he made
erful military engines against the walls, these were himself master of the island of Ortygia also. The
rendered wholly unavailing by the superior skill city was given up to plunder, and though the lives
and science of Archimedes, who directed those of of the free inhabitants were spared, they were
the besieged. All the efforts of the assailants were reduced to such distress, that many of them were
baffled, and the Roman soldiers inspired with so compelled to sell themselves as slaves, in order to
great a dread of Archimedes and his engines, that obtain the means of existence. (Diod. Ee'. Vat.
Marcellus was compelled to give up all hopes of p. 60.) Yet the clemency and liberality of Marcarrying the city by open force, and to turn the cellus have been extolled by almost all the writers
siege into a blockade. (Liv. xxiv. 33, 34; Plut. of antiquity. The booty found in the captured
Alarc. 14-17; Polyb. viii. 3, 5 —9; Zonar. ix. city was immense: besides the money in the royal
4; Tzetz. Ch/il. ii. 35.) During the continuance treasury, which was set apart for the coffers of the
of this, he himself with a part of his army carried state, Marcellus carried off many of the works of
on operations in the other parts of the island, art with which the city had been adorned, to grace
leaving App. Claudius to keep watch before Sy- his own triumph and the temples at Rome. This
racuse. In -this manner he took Helorus and was the first instance of a practice which afterwards
Herbessus, and utterly destroyed Megara; and became so general; and it gave great offence not
though he failed in preventing the Carthaginian only to the Greeks of Sicily, but to a large party
general Himilco from making himself master of at Rome itself, who drew unfavourable comparisons
Agrigentum, he defeated Hippocrates near Acrae. between the conduct of Marcellus in this instance
The advance of Himilco compelled Marcellus to and that of Fabius at Tarentum. (Liv. xxv. 23
retreat to his camp before Syracuse; but here the -31, 40; Plut. Marc. 18, 19, 21; Polyb. viii.
Carthaginian general was unable to molest him, 37, ix. 10; Zonar. ix. 5.)
and the war was again reduced to a series of de- But though Syracuse had fallen, the war in
sultory and irregular operations in different parts Sicily was not yet at an end. A considerable
of the island. These were by no means all favour- Carthaginian force still occupied Agrigentum under
able to the Romans: Murgantia, an important Epicydes and Hanno; and Mutines, with a body
town, where they had established large magazines, of Numidian cavalry, carried his incursions far into
surrendered to the Carthaginians, and the strong the interior. Marcellus now turned his arms
fortress of Enna was only prevented from following against these remaining enemies, attacked Epicydes
its example by the barbarous massacre of its in- and Hanno in the absence of Mutines, and totally
habitants by order of the Roman governor, L. Pi- defeated them, after which he returned to Syracuse.
narius [PINARIUs], an act of cruelty which had (Liv. xxv. 40, 41.) The early part of the followthe effect of alienating the minds of all the other ing year (211) seems to have been devoted to the
Sicilians. (Liv. xxiv. 35-39; Plut. Marc. 18.) settlement of affairs in Sicily; but it is strange
Meanwhile, the blockade of Syracuse had been that Marcellus does not seem to have made any
prolonged far on into the summer of 212, nor did efforts to put an end altogether to the war in that
there -appear any prospect of its termination, as the island before he returned to Rome, and when
communications of the besieged by sea were almost towards the close of the summer he resigned the
entirely open. In this state of things Marcellus command of the province to the praetor M. Corfortunately discovered a part of the walls more nelius, Mutines was still in arms, and Agrigentum
accessible than the rest, and having prepared still in the possession of the Carthaginians. On
scaling ladders, effected an entrance at this point this account the senate refused him the honours of
during the night which followed a great festival, a triumph, notwithstanding his great successes, and
and thus made himself master of the Epipolae, he wias obliged to content himself with the inferior
The two quarters called Tyche and Neapolis were distinction of an ovation. Previous to this, hownow at his mercy, and were given up to plunder; ever, he celebrated with great magnificence a trihut Epicydes still held the island citadel, and the umphal procession to the temple of Jupiter on the
important quarter of Achradina, which formed two Alban Mount, and even his ovation was rendered
separate and strong fortresses. Marcellus, how- more eorspicuous than most triumphs by the numVOL. II.o 0