ch he had a great number, were rendered
unavailing by the skillful management of Scipio; and the battle ended in
his complete defeat, notwithstanding the heroic exertions of his veteran
infantry. Twenty thousand of his men fell on the field of battle, as
many were made prisoners, and Hannibal himself with difficulty escaped
the pursuit of Masinissa. Upon his arrival at Carthage he was the first
to admit the magnitude of the disaster, and to point out the
impossibility of the farther prosecution of the war. The terms, however,
now imposed by Scipio were much more severe than before. Carthage had
no alternative but submission; but the negotiations were continued for
some time, and a final treaty was not concluded till the following year
(B.C. 201). By this treaty it was agreed that the Carthaginians were to
preserve their independence and territory in Africa, but to give up all
claims to any foreign possessions; that they were to surrender all
prisoners and deserters, all their ships of war except ten triremes, and
all their elephants; that they were not to make war in Africa, or out of
Africa, without the consent of Rome; that they were to acknowledge
Masinissa as king of Numidia; that they were to pay 10,000 talents in
silver in the course of fifty years.

Scipio returned to Italy in B.C. 201, and entered Rome in triumph. He
was received with universal enthusiasm; the surname of Africanus was
conferred upon him, and the people, in their gratitude, were anxious to
distinguish him with the most extraordinary marks of honor. It is
related that they wished to make him Consul and Dictator for life, and
to erect his statue in the Comitia, the Senate-house, and even in the
Capitol, but that he prudently declined all these invidious
distinctions.

[Illustration: The Capitoline Wolf.]

[Illustration: Coin of Antiochus the Great.]

CHAPTER XV.

WARS IN THE EAST. THE MACEDONIAN, SYRIAN, AND GALATIAN WARS. B.C.
214-188.

The Second Punic War made the Romans undisputed masters of the western
shores of the Mediterranean. Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica were Roman
provinces; Spain owned the Roman supremacy; Carthage was completely
humbled, and her powerful neighbor Masinissa was the steadfast ally of
Rome. The Roman Republic was now the most powerful state in the ancient
world. Her legions had been trained to war by long struggles with Gauls,
Spaniards, and Africans, and were superior to all other troops in
discipline, e