complete the subjugation of Southern Italy without farther
interruption. When both parties had the same wishes it was not difficult
to find a fair pretext for bringing the war to a conclusion. This was
afforded at the beginning of the following year (B.C. 278) by one of the
servants of Pyrrhus deserting to the Romans, and proposing to the
Consuls to poison his master. They sent back the deserter to the king,
saying that they abhorred a victory gained by treason. Thereupon
Pyrrhus, to show his gratitude, sent Cineas to Rome with all the Roman
prisoners, without ransom and without conditions; and the Romans granted
him a truce.

Leaving Milo with part of his troops in possession of Tarentum, Pyrrhus
now crossed over into Sicily. He remained there upward of two years. At
first he met with brilliant success, and deprived the Carthaginians of a
great part of the island. Subsequently, however, he received a severe
repulse in an attempt which he made upon the impregnable town of
Lilybaeum. The fickle Greeks now began to form cabals and plots against
him. This led to retaliation on his part, and he soon became as anxious
to abandon the island as he had been before to leave Italy. Accordingly,
when his Italian allies again begged him to come to their assistance, he
readily complied with their request, and arrived in Italy in the autumn
of B.C. 276. His troops were now almost the same in number as when he
first landed in Italy, but very different in quality. The faithful
Epirots had for the most part fallen, and his present soldiers consisted
chiefly of mercenaries, whom he had levied in Italy. One of his first
operations was the recovery of Locri, which had revolted to the Romans;
and as he here found himself in great difficulties for want of money to
pay his troops, he was induced to take possession of the treasures of
the Temple of Proserpine in that town; but the ships conveying the money
were wrecked. This circumstance deeply affected the mind of Pyrrhus; he
ordered the treasures which were saved to be restored to the temple, and
from this time became haunted by the idea that the wrath of Proserpine
was pursuing him, and dragging him down to ruin.

The following year (B.C. 274) closed the career of Pyrrhus in Italy. The
Consul M'. Curius marched into Samnium, and his colleague into Lucania.
Pyrrhus advanced against Curius, who was encamped in the neighborhood of
Beneventum, and resolved to fight with him before he was joine