¶ Gracchus was thoroughly a man of the people and a very fluent public speaker, but his disposition was very different from Cato’s.  Although he had an enmity of long standing against the Scipios, he would not endure what was taking place but spoke in defence of Africanus, who was accused while absent, and exerted himself to prevent any smirch from attaching to that leader; and he prevented the imprisonment of Asiaticus.  Consequently the Scipios, too, relinquished their hatred of him and made a family alliance, Africanus bestowing upon him his own daughter. (Valesius, p. 610.)

[Frag.  LXIII]

[Sidenote:  B.C. 187 (a.u. 567)] ¶ Some youths who had insulted the Carthaginian envoys that had come to Rome were sent to Carthage and delivered up to the people; they received no injury, however, at the hands of the citizens and were released. (Ursinus, p. 381.)

[Frag.  LXIV]

[Sidenote:  B.C. 183 (a.u. 571)] ¶ He himself [i.e.  Hannibal] died by drinking poison near Bithynia, in a certain place called Libyssa by name; though he thought to die in Libyssa his own proper country.  For an oracle had once been written down for Hannibal to the following effect:  “A Libyssan clod shall hide the form of Hannibal.”  Later the Roman Emperor Severus, being of Libyan birth, interred in a tomb of white marble this man, the general Hannibal. (Tzetzes.  Hist. 1, 798-805.  Cp.  Zonaras, 9, 21.)

[Frag.  LXV]

[Sidenote:  B.C. 169 (a.u. 585)] 1. ¶ Perseus hoped to eject the Romans from Greece completely, but through his excessive and inopportune parsimony and the consequent contempt of his allies he became weak once more.  When Roman influence was declining slightly and his own was increasing, he was filled with scorn and thought he had no further need of his allies, but believed that either they would assist him free of cost or he could prevail by himself.  Hence he paid neither Eumenes nor Gentius the money that he had promised, thinking that they must have reasons of their own strong enough to insure hostility towards the Romans.  These princes, therefore, and the Thrasians—­they, too, were not receiving their full pay—­became indifferent; and Perseus fell into such depths of despair again as actually to sue for peace. (Valesius, p. 610.  Zonaras, 9, 22.)

2. ¶ Perseus sued for peace at the hands of the Romans, and would have obtained it but for the presence in his embassy of the Rhodians, who joined it through fear that a rival to the Romans might be annihilated.  Their language had none of the moderation which petitioners should employ, and they talked as if they were not so much asking peace for Perseus as bestowing it, and adopted a generally haughty tone:  finally they threatened those who should be responsible for their failing to come to a satisfactory agreement by saying that they would fight on the opposite side.  They had previously been somewhat under the ban of Roman suspicion, but after this many more hard things were said of them and they prevented Perseus from obtaining peace. (Ursinus, p. 382.  Zonaras, 9, 22.)