ry naval
victory. The Roman commander in this case was the consul Duilius. The
rostral column was erected in honor of him. In digging among the ruins
of Rome, there was found what was supposed to be the remains of this
column, about three hundred years ago.

The Romans now prepared to carry the war into Africa itself. Of course
it was easy, after their victory over the Carthaginian fleet, to
transport troops across the sea to the Carthaginian shore. The Roman
commonwealth was governed at this time by a senate, who made the laws,
and by two supreme executive officers, called consuls. They thought it
was safer to have two chief magistrates than one, as each of the two
would naturally be a check upon the other. The result was, however,
that mutual jealousy involved them often in disputes and quarrels. It
is thought better, in modern times, to have but one chief magistrate
in the state, and to provide other modes to put a check upon any
disposition he might evince to abuse his powers.

The Roman consuls, in time of war, took command of the armies. The
name of the consul upon whom it devolved to carry on the war with the
Carthaginians, after this first great victory, was Regulus, and his
name has been celebrated in every age, on account of his extraordinary
adventures in this campaign, and his untimely fate. How far the story
is strictly true it is now impossible to ascertain, but the following
is the story, as the Roman historians relate it:

At the time when Regulus was elected consul he was a plain man, living
simply on his farm, maintaining himself by his own industry, and
evincing no ambition or pride. His fellow citizens, however, observed
those qualities of mind in him which they were accustomed to admire,
and made him consul. He left the city and took command of the army. He
enlarged the fleet to more than three hundred vessels. He put one
hundred and forty thousand men on board, and sailed for Africa. One or
two years had been spent in making these preparations, which time the
Carthaginians had improved in building new ships; so that, when the
Romans set sail, and were moving along the coast of Sicily, they soon
came in sight of a larger Carthaginian fleet assembled to oppose them.
Regulus advanced to the contest. The Carthaginian fleet was beaten as
before. The ships which were not captured or destroyed made their
escape in all directions, and Regulus went on, without further
opposition, and landed his forces on