Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/515

CAPTURE OF MESSENE. 49J rored the advance of the ships, that they entered the harbor full gail, and found the city on that side almost unguarded. The troops who had marched out towards Pelorus hastened back, but were too late ; ' while Imilkon himself also, pushing forward by land, forced his way into the town over the neglected parts of the wall. Messene was taken ; and its unhappy population fled in all directions for their lives. Some found refuge in the neighbor- ing cities ; others ran to the hill-forts of the Messenian territoiy, plar ted as a protection against the indig snous Sikels ; while about two hundred of them near the harbor, cast themselves into the sea, and undertook the arduous task of swimming across to the Italian coast, in which fifty of them succeeded. 2 Though Imilkon tried in vain to carry by assault some of the Messenian hill-forts, which were both strongly placed and gal- lantly defended, yet his capture of Messene itself was an event both imposing and profitable. It deprived Dionysius of an impor- tant ally, and lessened his facilities for obtaining succor from Italy. But most of all, it gratified the anti- Hellenic sentiment of the Pu- nic general and his army, counterbalancing the capture of Motye in the preceding year. Having taken scarce any captives, Imilkon had nothing but unconscious stone and wood upon which to vent his antipathy. He ordered the town, the walls, and all the buildings, to be utterly burnt and demolished ; a task which his numerous host are said to have executed so effectually, that there remained hardly anything but ruins, without a trace of human residence- 3 1 Kleon and the Athenians took Torone by a similar manoeuvre (Thu cyd. v, 2). 2 Diodor. xiv, 57. 3 Diodor. xiv, 58. 'Ifj.iA.Kuv 6e TTJC M.eaarjvrif TO, Teixn KaraaKutpaf, irpoae rags roZf OTpaTiuTaic Karafiahelv raf oiKiaf elf I(5a0of, Kal PITS Kepa.ft.ov, UTI& v2,T]v, HTjT 1 u/iko [Hjdev imohnrelv, a/U.& rll fiev KaraKavaai, TU. 6e avvrpl- pai. Ta%v <5 ry TUV arpariuTuv Tro^,v%eipia 2,a(36vTuv TUV epyuv avvre^eiav, q Trohii; uyvGJOTOf r]v, OTTOU -nporepov avrijv otKeiafiat avve(3aivev. 'Opuv yap TOV TO7COV HoflpU (jLEV UTT() TUV 0V[t[ia%i6aV TTO?lUV Ke%UpiafieVOV, EVKatpOTUTOV c5e TUV irepi Iiinehiav OVTO., irportprjTO dvolv duTepov, ij re/lewf UOIKIJTOV SiaTTi- pelv, Jj dvaxcpf/ nat TroTivxpoviov TTJV uriaiv ovTjjf yivea-&at. 1 Eva.TTo6Ei!;u/j.evoe ovv TO Trpdf TOVQ 'E2.hr/vat; fj.iffOf kv rrj TUV M.eacrriviuv drf^i?, etc. It would appear, however, that the demolition of Messene can hardl) have been carried so far in fact as Imilkon intended ; si^ce the city reap pears shortly afterwards in renewed dignity.