The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-02-27
From GOdey'S Lady's Book.
RETRIBUTIoNS OF HISTORY
BY PROFESSOR JOHN FROST.


ones of the earth may still study with
advantage. Let US open DR.. Arnold's
" History of the Later Roman Common
wealth." and look at one of tine many
specimens of national crime for which
she was so remarkable The learned
doctor thus described the last scene and
grand catastrophe of the Third Punic
War.
sin the third year of the war. P. Scipio
Emilianus, the son of Emylius Paulus,
but adopted into the family of Scipio by
the son of the famous Africanus, was
elected consul, and appointed to the COM
mand in Africa by an especial vote of the
people. He had greatly distinguished
himself under the former consuls, when
serving as a military tribune; and there
was, besides, a superstitious persuasion
among the people in his favor, that the
Scipios were destined 10 be the conquerors
of Carthage. On his succeeding to the
command, his first care was TO restore the
discipline of his army, which had suffered
greatly from the misconduct of the last
consul; and, by his ability in this respect,
as well as by his skill in the conduct Of
the war, he soon destroyed all the hopes
~
Carthage, from this time, began TO resem-
ble the picture left of the miseries of Jeru-
salem IN its last siege by Titus. Numbers
died of famine through the strIctness of
the blockade; numbers deserted TO the
enemy; while Asdrubal, who commanded
the principal military force in the town,
was himself rioting in luxury, and eXercl-
sing the greatest tyranny over his cOun-
trvmen; his conduct as a general, at the
same time, being wholly destitute of cour
age and wisdom, and marked only by
savage cruelty to the prisoners who fell
into his power. ct the city continued
TO hold ont during the year of Scipio's
cousulship; and the winter was employed
by him successfully in reducing the strong
holds which still remained IN the power
of the CarthagenIaus in the neighboring
country. In the following spring, his
command being still continued, he resumed
the siege with yigOr: and, by a cOmbina-
ton of assaults, succeeded IN forcing his
way into one of the quarters of the city,
where famine had enleebed the bodies
and spirits of lis defenders. But the
Byrsa, or citadel, was still unlaken; and
six days were consumed in a horrible
struggle from street 10 street, and from
house TO house, in the course of which
fire and the sword, and the ruin of the
falling buildings, combined to carry out
tGe work Of cioctrtrutIu=T the -r:tcrrTrve..-
At last, the remnant of the inhabitants
sued for mercy, and 1t was granted them
such mercy as was practised in ancient
times, when hopeless slavery, without
distinction OF age or sex, was the lot of
all whom the sword had spared. Fifty
! thousand individuals were thus made prs-
oners, 10 enrich their conqucrors by the
( price to be paid for them in a slave market
at Rome, and the victorious army was
/ then allowed TO plunder the city for seye-
! raj days. Shortly after, a commission of
J ten senators was sent from Rome, as usual,
/ to determine the future condition of the
conquered country. By their orders,
whatever part of the buildings Of Carthage
had survived the siege was now levelled
/ to the ground; and curses were imprecated
on any man who should hereafter attempt
I to build upon The spot The territory was
subjected to q tribute, and governed hence
forth as 4 Roman province, with the ex-
ceptlon OF certain portions, which were
given 10 the people of Utica and Hippo.
as a reward for their timely deserrion OF
the Carthagenian cause. Thus was the
great rival OF Rome totally destroyed, only
"a few months before the final conquest of
( Greece, in the year of Rome COS, and
about hundred and foriv-sx years before
the Christian era
Thus far DR.. Arnold. 1t has been very
Justly remarked, by some great writer
Shakespeare, | thiuk-that, when ones
brains are fairly knocked out, one may be
considered dead; and it is probable thai
some such consideration was the essence
of the Roman policy in their mode OF
putting an end to the third Punic war
Carthage might now be considered dead;
and no Roman, indeed no human, foresight
could apprehend any future annoyance
from that quarter to the city which proud
ly styled herself the mistress of the world
But the march of retribution, though slow,
is sure, aud Rome was destined to hear
from Carthage again. For a long and
dreary period did the conquered Africans
grOan in bitter vassaIagc under the iron
rule of Roman despotism; but national,
like individual crimes, must at last meet
their punishment.
In the fifth century after the birth o.
( Christ" says another historian, 1.-The Van
dals, under Genseric, completely overthrew
the Roman dominion in Africa. But the
ambition of the barbarans was not salts
fed with this success. Genseric resolved
to create a naval power, and his resolution