Page 710 Oath, and with the whole power of the City, fell upon the Garison and flew every Man, and afterwards recover'd their Hostages, and freed themselves from the Yoke of Agathocles. Lenity is to be prefer'd before Revenge.
9. Most Generals of Armies when they are brought into Straits and Difficulties, (out of Fear) do generally humour the Multitude.
10. When the Thebans made a Second defection, Demetrius batter'd down their Walls, and took the City by Storm, and put only Ten Men to Death, who were the Ring-leaders of the Rebellion.
11. Agathocles sent his Son Agathocles to Demetrius to enter into a League with him, Offensive and Defensive. The King kindly receiv'd the young Man, and bestow'd on him a Royal Robe, and many other Rich and Princely gifts: And sent along with him Oxythemes his special Friend, under colour to confirm the League, but in truth to be a Spy in Sicily.
12. King Agathocles after a long Peace between him and the Carthaginians, at length Rigg'd out a great Fleet. For he design'd to transport an Army into Lybia, and with his Navy to hinder the Exportation of all Corn and Provision, from Sardinia, and Sicily to the Carthaginians, who by the last War had gain'd the Dominion of the Sea, and thereby had secur'd their Countrey from Invasions. And tho' Agathocles had a well furnish'd Fleet, to the number of Two hundred Gallies of four and six Tire of Oars, yet he fail'd in his design, by reason of what shortly happen'd. For there was one Menon an Agestone, a beautiful Captive then Servant to the King, who for some time conform'd himself to a strict compliance to the Kings humour, so that he was taken into the number of his beloved and intimate Friends. But because of the ruin of his Country and the dishonourable abuse of his own Person, he bore a secret hatred to the King, and watch'd an opportunity to be reveng'd. The King because he was old, intrusted Archagathus with the Command of the Army: he was the Son of Archagathus who was kill'd in Lybia, and so was King Agathocles's Granchild, he was a Man of a strong Body, and of a brave and generous Spirit, far above all the rest of his Family. When he was Encamp'd with the Army near Aetna, the King had a desire to promote his Son Agathocles to be his Successor in the Kingdom, and to that end recommended the young Man to the Syracusians, and declar'd his purpose and design to have him Succeed. Afterwards he sent him to the Camp, with Letters to Archagathus, which order'd him to deliver up the Command of all the Forces both by Sea and Land to his Son; Upon which Archagathus perceiving that the Kingdom was design'd for another, contriv'd the destruction of them both: And to that end sent a Messenger to Menon of Aegista, who perswaded him to poyson the King: He himself celebrating a Sacrifice in a certain Island, where Agathocles then lay with the Fleet, Invited him to the Festival; and in the Night (when he was dead drunk) cut his throat, and threw his Body into the Sea, which being afterward cast up by the Violence of the Waves, was known by the Inhabitants, and carry'd to Syracuse. And whereas it was the King's Custom always after Supper to pick his Teeth with a Quill, now rising from the Table, he call'd to Menon for his Toothpicker: Who having dipt the end of it in Poyson, deliver'd it to the King; who never suspecting any thing, ply'd all his Teeth with that care and earnestness, that none of his Guns scap'd the touch of the Poyson. Upon ths the Kingbegan by little and little to be very ill, which was succeeded by violent Torments in his Body every Day. Then an incurable putrefaction and rottenness cover'd hs Gums and Teeth, and now drawing near to his end, he call'd a Senate, where he complain'd of the wickedness of Archagathus, and incited the People to take revenge of him for his Villanies, declaring that he would forthwith restore them to their Democracy. Afterwards when he was in the very height of his Extremity, Oxythemes (that had been there a little before, sent by King Demetrius) hurri'd him to the Funeral Pile, and • urnt him while he was yet alive, and not able to speak by reason of the foulness and filthness of his Mouth through the Poyson. And thus Agathocles for the many Slaughters and Murders of his Reign, and Cruelties towards his own Subjects, and Impieties against the • ods came to an end, such as he justly deserv'd for his former wickednesses, after he hd Reign'd Twenty eight Years, and liv'd Seventy two, as Timeus the Syracusian relates, and Callias another Syracusian (who writ Two and twenty Books) and Antander likewise the Brother of Agathocles an Historian. The Syracusians having now Regain'd ther Democratical Government Consiscated all the Goods and Estate of Agathocles, and boke down all his Statues. Menon in the mean time (who had Plotted and Executed the T • ason) was at the Camp with Archagathus, having fled thither from Syracuse: And now beginning to look very big upon it (as being the Man that had ruin'd the Monarchy) • e secretly Murthers Archagathus,