safety of herself and her children, and behaved in other ways more boldly on account of his despair.  He, therefore, and some others, mastered by frenzy, fought both night and day; and sometimes they would be defeated and sometimes gain advantage; and they devised machinery to oppose the Roman engines.  Bithias, who held a high-perched fortress and scoured wide stretches of the mainland, did what he could to help the Carthaginians and damage the Romans.  Hence Scipio also divided his army, assigning one half of it to invest Carthage while he sent the other half against Bithias, placing at the head of it his lieutenant Gaius Laelius.  He himself spent his time in passing from one division to the other for inspection.  Then the fortress was taken, and the siege of Carthage was once more conducted by an undivided force.

[Sidenote:  B.C. 146 (a.u. 608)] The Carthaginians despairing consequently of being any longer able to save both walls betook themselves to the enclosure of the Byrsa, since it was higher up, at the same time transferring thither all the objects that they could.  By night they burned the dockyard and most of the other structures in order to deprive the enemy of any benefit from them.  When the Romans became aware of their action, they occupied the harbor and advanced against Byrsa.  Occupying the houses on each side of it some of the besiegers walked straight along on top of the roofs by successively stepping to those immediately adjacent, and others by digging through the walls pushed onward below until they reached the very citadel.  When they had got so far, the Carthaginians offered no further opposition, but all except Hasdrubal sued for clemency.  He together with the deserters (for Scipio would not grant them a truce) was crowded into the temple of AEsculapius, as were also his wife and children, and there he defended himself against assailants until the deserters set fire to the temple and climbed to the roof to await the last extremity of the flames.  Then, beaten, he came to Scipio holding the suppliant branch.  His wife, who witnessed his entreaty, after calling him by name and reproaching him for securing safety for himself when he had not allowed her to obtain terms threw her children into the fire and likewise cast herself in.

Thus did Scipio take Carthage, and he forwarded to the senate a letter in these terms:  “Carthage is taken.  What are your orders?” This being read they held a session to consider what should be done.  Cato advanced the opinion that they ought to raze the city and blot out the Carthaginians, whereas Scipio Nasica still advised sparing the Carthaginians.  From this beginning the senate became involved in great dispute and contention until some one said that if for no other reason it must be considered necessary to spare them for the Romans’ own sake.  With this nation for antagonists they would be sure to practice excellence and not turn aside to pleasures and luxury; for if those who were able to compel them