When they had advanced into the open sea, the Romans wished to come to close
fight, and to make a trial of strength hand to hand. The Carthaginians, on the
contrary, eluded them, and sought to maintain the fight by art, not by force,
and to make it a battle of ships rather than of men and arms: for though they
had their fleet abundantly supplied with mariners, yet it was deficient in soldiers;
and when a ship was grappled, a very unequal number of armed men fought on board
of it. When this was observed, their numbers increased the courage of the Romans,
and their inferiority of force diminished that of the others. Seven Carthaginian
ships were immediately surrounded; the rest took to flight: one thousand seven
hundred soldiers and mariners were captured in the ships, and among them were
three noble Carthaginians. The Roman fleet returned without loss to the harbour,
only one ship being pierced, and even that also brought back into port. After
this engagement, before those at Messana were aware of its occurrence, Titus
Sempronius the consul arrived at Messana. As he entered the strait, king Hiero
led out a fleet fully equipped to meet him; and having passed from the royal
ship into that of the general, he congratulated him on having arrived safe with
his army and fleet, and prayed that his expedition to Sicily might be prosperous
and successful. He then laid before him the state of the island and the designs
of the Carthaginians, and promised that with the same spirit with which he had
in his youth assisted the Romans during the former war, he would now assist
them in his old age; that he would gratuitously furnish supplies of corn and
clothing to the legions and naval crews of the consul; adding, that great danger
threatened Lilybaeum and the maritime states, and that a change of affairs would
be acceptable to some of them. For these reasons it appeared to the consul that
he ought to make no delay, but to repair to Lilybaeum with his fleet. The king
and the royal squadron set out along with him, and on their passage they heard
that a battle had been fought at Lilybaeum, and that the enemy's ships had been
scattered and taken.
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