§1.15.1ἡμῶν εἰρημένα σκοπεῖν ἐκ τούτων πάρεστιν.
...what has been said by us can be examined from these facts.
ὁ γὰρ Φιλῖνος ἀρχόμενος ἅμα τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς δευτέρας βύβλου φησὶ προσκαθῆσθαι τῇ Μεσσήνῃ πολεμοῦντας τούς τε Καρχηδονίους καὶ τοὺς Συρακοσίους, §1.15.2παραγενομένους δὲ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους κατὰ θάλατταν εἰς τὴν πόλιν εὐθὺς ἐξελθεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς Συρακοσίους· λαβόντας δὲ πολλὰς πληγὰς ἐπανελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Μεσσήνην· αὖθις δʼ ἐπὶ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἐκπορευθέντας οὐ μόνον πληγὰς λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωγρίᾳ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἱκανοὺς ἀποβαλεῖν. §1.15.3ταῦτα δʼ εἰπὼν τὸν μὲν Ἱέρωνά φησι μετὰ τὴν γενομένην συμπλοκὴν οὕτως ἔξω γενέσθαι τοῦ φρονεῖν ὥστε μὴ μόνον παραχρῆμα τὸν χάρακα καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς ἐμπρήσαντα φυγεῖν νυκτὸς εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ φρούρια πάντα καταλιπεῖν τὰ κείμενα κατὰ τῆς τῶν Μεσσηνίων χώρας· §1.15.4ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους μετὰ τὴν μάχην εὐθέως ἐκλιπόντας τὸν χάρακα διελεῖν σφᾶς εἰς τὰς πόλεις, τῶν δʼ ὑπαίθρων οὐδʼ ἀντιποιεῖσθαι τολμᾶν ἔτι· διὸ καὶ συνθεωρήσαντας τοὺς ἡγουμένους αὐτῶν ἀποδεδειλιακότας τοὺς ὄχλους βουλεύσασθαι μὴ κρίνειν διὰ μάχης τὰ πράγματα· §1.15.5τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους ἑπομένους αὐτοῖς οὐ μόνον τὴν χώραν πορθεῖν τῶν Καρχηδονίων καὶ Συρακοσίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς Συρακούσας αὐτὰς προσκαθίσαντας ἐπιβαλέσθαι πολιορκεῖν. §1.15.6ταῦτα δʼ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, τῆς πάσης ἐστὶν ἀλογίας πλήρη καὶ διαστολῆς οὐ προσδεῖται τὸ παράπαν. §1.15.7οὓς μὲν γὰρ πολιορκοῦντας τὴν Μεσσήνην καὶ νικῶντας ἐν ταῖς συμπλοκαῖς ὑπέθετο, τούτους φεύγοντας καὶ τῶν ὑπαίθρων ἐκχωροῦντας καὶ τέλος πολιορκουμένους καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἀποδεδειλιακότας ἀπέφηνεν· §1.15.8οὓς δʼ ἡττωμένους καὶ πολιορκουμένους ὑπεστήσατο, τούτους διώκοντας καὶ παραχρῆμα κρατοῦντας τῶν ὑπαίθρων καὶ τέλος πολιορκοῦντας τὰς Συρακούσας ἀπέδειξε. §1.15.9ταῦτα δὲ συνᾴδειν ἀλλήλοις οὐδαμῶς δύναται· πῶς γάρ;
For Philinus, at the beginning both of the events and of his second book, says that the Carthaginians and the Syracusans were besieging Messene, and that the Romans, having arrived at the city by sea, immediately sallied out against the Syracusans; but having received many blows, they returned to Messene; and that having marched out again against the Carthaginians, they not only received blows but also lost a considerable number of their soldiers captured alive. Having said this, he says that Hiero, after the clash that took place, became so out of his mind that he not only immediately burned his palisade and tents and fled by night to Syracuse, but also abandoned all the forts situated in the territory of the Messenians; and likewise that the Carthaginians, immediately after the battle, abandoned their palisade and dispersed themselves into their cities, and no longer dared to dispute for the open country; wherefore their leaders, seeing that the multitudes had lost courage, resolved not to decide the issue by battle; and that the Romans, following them, not only plundered the territory of the Carthaginians and Syracusans, but also, sitting down before Syracuse itself, undertook to besiege it. This narrative, in my opinion, is full of complete contradiction and does not require any explanation at all. For those whom he assumed to be besieging Messene and conquering in the clashes, these he represented as fleeing, evacuating the open country, and finally being besieged and utterly cowed in spirit; while those whom he set down as defeated and besieged, these he showed to be pursuing, immediately mastering the open country, and finally besieging Syracuse. These things can by no means harmonize with one another; for how could they?
ἀλλʼ ἀναγκαῖον ἢ τὰς ὑποθέσεις εἶναι τὰς πρώτας ψευδεῖς ἢ τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν συμβαινόντων ἀποφάσεις. §1.15.10εἰσὶ δʼ αὗται μὲν ἀληθεῖς· καὶ γὰρ ἐξεχώρησαν οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ Συρακόσιοι τῶν ὑπαίθρων, καὶ τὰς Συρακούσας ἐπολέμουν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ πόδας, ὡς δʼ οὗτός φησι, καὶ τὴν Ἐχέτλαν, ἐν μέσῃ κειμένην τῇ τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ Καρχηδονίων ἐπαρχίᾳ. §1.15.11λοιπὸν ἀνάγκη συγχωρεῖν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποθέσεις εἶναι ψευδεῖς, καὶ νικώντων εὐθέως τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὴν Μεσσήνην συμπλοκαῖς ἡττημένους αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ συγγραφέως ἀπηγγέλθαι. §1.15.12Φιλῖνον μὲν οὖν παρʼ ὅλην ἄν τις τὴν πραγματείαν εὕροι τοιοῦτον ὄντα, παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ Φάβιον, ὡς ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δειχθήσεται τῶν καιρῶν. §1.15.13ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐπειδὴ τοὺς ἁρμόζοντας πεποιήμεθα λόγους ὑπὲρ τῆς παρεκβάσεως, ἐπανελθόντες ἐπὶ τὰς πράξεις πειρασόμεθα προστιθέντες ἀεὶ τὸν ἑξῆς λόγον εἰς ἀληθινὰς ἐννοίας ἄγειν διὰ βραχέων τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας ὑπὲρ τοῦ προειρημένου πολέμου.
Rather, it is necessary that either the first assumptions are false, or the assertions about what happened. But the latter are true; for the Carthaginians and Syracusans did evacuate the open country, and the Romans attacked Syracuse close on their heels, and, as this writer says, also Echetla, which lies in the middle of the Syracusan and Carthaginian province. Consequently, one is forced to admit that the beginnings and assumptions are false, and that, although the Romans immediately conquered in the clashes around Messene, they were reported to us by the historian as defeated. Philinus, then, one would find to be of this character throughout his whole work, and likewise Fabius, as will be shown on the actual occasions. But since we have made the fitting remarks concerning our digression, we shall return to the actions and, by always adding the next part of the narrative, try to lead our readers briefly to a true understanding of the aforementioned war.