The year 146 B.C. was an annus mirabilis in the development of Roman dominion. Of course it had long been a foregone conclusion that Carthage and Corinth must fall before her, but the actual time of their overthrow was made all the more striking by the fact that both cities perished in the same year, and that both were visited by the same fate. I have attempted in this story to group some picturesque incidents round the person of a young Greek who struggles in vain to resist the destiny of the conquering race. The reader will also find some suggestion of the thought which the Roman historian had in his mind when he wrote: "Carthage, the rival of the Roman Empire, perished root and branch, sea and land everywhere lay open before us, when at last Fortune began to rage against us and throw everything into confusion". The day when Rome rid herself of her rivals seemed to some of her more thoughtful sons to be the first of her corruption and decline.
A. J. C.
Ashley
April 22, 1897.
[CONTENTS.]
| Chap. | Page | |
| I. | The Fate of the Melcart, | [11] |
| II. | Cleanor, Son of Lysis, | [20] |
| III. | The Last of a Veteran, | [26] |
| IV. | Scipio, | [41] |
| V. | A Great Scheme, | [48] |
| VI. | The Mission, | [61] |
| VII. | The Last of the Greeks, | [70] |
| VIII. | The Corinthian Assembly, | [82] |
| IX. | At Thermopylæ, | [93] |
| X. | A Pinchbeck Alexander, | [109] |
| XI. | The Two Hasdrubals, | [125] |
| XII. | Scipio sets to Work, | [138] |
| XIII. | In the Roman Camp, | [149] |
| XIV. | The Megara, | [155] |
| XV. | The Prisoners, | [165] |
| XVI. | Baal Hammon, | [179] |
| XVII. | Move and Countermove, | [198] |
| XVIII. | Help from the Hills, | [206] |
| XIX. | The Battle on the Isthmus, | [213] |
| XX. | Treachery, | [222] |
| XXI. | Polybius, | [230] |
| XXII. | A Pleasure Trip, | [241] |
| XXIII. | Diplomacy, | [253] |
| XXIV. | In Sore Need, | [266] |
| XXV. | A Refuge in the Storm, | [276] |
| XXVI. | The Storming of the Upper City, | [284] |
| XXVII. | A Precious Book, | [297] |
| XXVIII. | The End of Carthage, | [309] |
| XXIX. | At Delos, | [317] |
| XXX. | Corinth, | [326] |
| XXXI. | Mummius, | [336] |
| XXXII. | The Slave-dealer, | [342] |
| XXXIII. | To Italy, | [351] |
| XXXIV. | At Misenum, | [355] |
| XXXV. | The World well lost, | [369] |
| XXXVI. | Beyond the Sunset, | [378] |
[ILLUSTRATIONS.]
| Page | |
| "Fasten his hands, and firmly too; that youth might give us trouble," [Frontispiece.] | [26] |
| "The old king, though his eyes were open, did not seem to see Cleanor," | [39] |
| The Roman Envoys to Corinth are compelled to leave the amphitheatre, | [92] |
| The Macedonian Pretender performs the Pyrrhic Dance, | [119] |
| "Do you yield?" said Cleanor when the Roman had reached the Shore, | [164] |
| "The High Priest placed the sacrifice on the outstretched arms of the god," | [196] |
| "I saw you stoop and lift your companion from the ground," | [226] |
| "Cleanor produced from the pack which he carried some twice-baked bread," | [271] |
| The Lady Salamo defies the Romans from the Walls of Carthage, | [295] |
| "Scipio, throwing his toga over his face, burst into a passion of tears," | [317] |
| A Corinthian Nobleman being sold as a Slave in the Market-place, | [333] |
| "Half an hour afterwards Cleoné emerged as a brilliant young beauty," | [367] |