It Is
Remarked By The Ancient Historians Who Relate This Battle, That It Was The
First Time The Rhodians Were Fairly Overcome In A Sea-Fight.
Cassius followed up his success by bringing against Rhodes a fleet of
eighty ships of war, and 200 transports.
Against this formidable armament
the Rhodians again put to sea, and a second battle ensued, which was more
obstinately contested than the first: the Romans however were again
victorious, and the city of Rhodes was blocked up by sea and land. Its fate
was soon determined; for some of the inhabitants, dreading a famine, opened
the gates to the Romans. Cassius, besides other severe terms, obliged the
Rhodians to deliver up all their ships, and all their public treasures; the
temples were plundered, and 8000 talents extorted from private individuals,
besides a fine of 500 levied on the city.
From this time till the reign of Vespasian, when the island became a Roman
province, it was sometimes oppressed, and sometimes favoured by the Romans;
according, as Tacitus remarks, as they obliged them with their assistance
in foreign wars, or provoked them with their seditions at home.
In order to complete the maritime history of Rhodes, we have rather
advanced beyond the period to which we had brought down our notices of the
Roman navigation and commerce: these therefore we shall now resume at the
war between Perseus king of Macedonia and the Romans. Perseus harassed the
coasts of Italy, plundered and sunk all their ships, while they found it
difficult to oppose him by sea, or protect their coasts, for want of a
fleet. This induced them to prepare for service fifty vessels; but though
their allies augmented this number, the Romans do not seem to have
performed any thing of consequence by sea. This is attributed principally
to the circumstance, that the fleet, on examination, was discovered to be
in bad condition, neither equipped sufficiently in stores or provisions,
and the seamen who were to have navigated it were either dead or absent,
while those who did appear were ill paid and worse clothed; these facts
sufficiently demonstrate the little care which the Romans, even at this
period, bestowed on maritime affairs. The defeat of Perseus at Pidna, and
his subsequent capture by the Romans in the island of Samothrace, rendered
it unnecessary for them to supply the deficiences of their fleet. The
immense ship, which, as we have already mentioned, Philip, Perseus's
father, employed in his war against the Romans, was taken on this occasion;
and Paulus Emilius, the consul, sailed up the Tiber in it: it had 16 banks
of oars. Many other ships of large size were also captured; these were
brought to Rome, and drawn into the Campus Martius.
One of the allies of the unfortunate Perseus was the king of Illyria, who
was powerful at sea, and ravaged the coasts of Italy opposite to his
dominions. While the consul was sent against Perseus, the management of the
naval war against the Illyrians was committed to the praetor: as he was
well aware of the maritime force of his opponent, he acted with great
caution; his first success, in capturing some of their snips, induced him
to land all his forces in Illyria, where, after an obstinate battle, he
compelled the king to surrender at discretion. Macedonia and Illyria were
thus reduced to the state of Roman provinces; but the Romans regarded these
victories as of importance, more on account of the accession they made to
their territories, than on account of the advantages which they might
thence derive to their commerce or their naval power: so little, indeed,
did they regard them in the latter point of view, that they gave the 220
ships which were surrendered to them by the king of Illyria, to the
inhabitants of Cephalonia, of Apollonia, and Dyrrhachium, who at the time
were much celebrated for their trade and navigation. Although their
seacoasts had been repeatedly ravaged, we are informed by Polybius, that,
from the time of Philip, king of Macedonia, till long after the defeat of
Perseus, they entirely neglected the coasts of Illyria, from which, till
this country was subdued by them, their own coasts were generally invaded,
and by means of the ports and produce of which, after it became a Roman
province, they might greatly have augmented their navy and commerce.
The Carthaginians had been gradually recovering from the losses which they
had sustained during the second Punic war, and witnessed with satisfaction
their enemies involved in constant hostilities, in the hope that the issue
of these would prove fatal to them, or, at least, so far weaken them, as to
enable them to oppose Rome with more success than they had hitherto done.
While the war was carried on between the Romans and the Macedonians, they
made great, but secret, preparations to regain their former power; but the
Romans, who always kept a watchful and jealous eye on the operations of all
their rivals, were particularly nearsighted with regard to whatever was
doing by the Carthaginians. They received information that at Carthage
there was deposited a large quantity of timber, and of other naval stores:
on learning this, Cato, their inveterate enemy, who had been sent into
Africa, to mediate between them and Masinissa, with whom they were at war,
went to Carthage himself, where he examined every thing with a malicious
eye. On his return to Rome, he reported that Carthage was again become
excessively rich, - that her magazines were filled with all kinds of warlike
stores, - that her ports were crowded with ships, and that by her war with
Masinissa, she was only preparing to renew the war against Rome. His
exhortations to his countrymen to anticipate the Carthaginians, by
immediately commencing hostilities, had no effect at first; but being
frequently repeated, and intelligence being received, that preparations
were making at Carthage for an open declaration of war, and that the
Carthaginians were fitting out a fleet, contrary to the terms of their
treaty with the Romans; and this information being confirmed by the report
of deputies sent to Carthage; war was declared against Carthage in the year
of Rome 605.
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