§7.4.1Ἱερώνυμος δὲ προχειρισάμενος Ἀγάθαρχον καὶ Ὀνησιγένη καὶ Ἱπποσθένη πέμπει μετʼ Ἀννίβου πρὸς Καρχηδονίους, δοὺς ἐντολὰς ἐπὶ τοῖσδε ποιεῖσθαι τὰς συνθήκας, §7.4.2ἐφʼ ᾧ Καρχηδονίους βοηθεῖν καὶ πεζικαῖς καὶ ναυτικαῖς δυνάμεσι, καὶ συνεκβαλόντας Ῥωμαίους ἐκ Σικελίας οὕτως διελέσθαι τὰ κατὰ τὴν νῆσον ὥστε τῆς ἑκατέρων ἐπαρχίας ὅρον εἶναι τὸν Ἱμέραν ποταμόν, ὃς μάλιστά πως δίχα διαιρεῖ τὴν ὅλην Σικελίαν.
And Hieronymus, having appointed Agatharchus, Onesigenes, and Hipposthenes, sent them with Hannibal to the Carthaginians, giving instructions to make the treaty on the following terms: on the condition that the Carthaginians should assist with both land and naval forces, and, after jointly expelling the Romans from Sicily, should divide the island in such a way that the river Himeras, which divides the whole of Sicily more or less in half, should be the boundary of their respective territories.
§7.4.3οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἀφικόμενοι πρὸς Καρχηδονίους διελέγοντο περὶ τούτων καὶ ταῦτʼ ἔπραττον, εἰς πᾶν ἑτοίμως συγκαταβαινόντων τῶν Καρχηδονίων· §7.4.4οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἱπποκράτην, λαμβάνοντες εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τὸ μειράκιον τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς ἐψυχαγώγουν, ἐξηγούμενοι τὰς ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ πορείας Ἀννίβου καὶ παρατάξεις καὶ μάχας, §7.4.5μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα φάσκοντες μηδενὶ καθήκειν μᾶλλον τὴν ἁπάντων Σικελιωτῶν ἀρχὴν ὡς ἐκείνῳ, πρῶτον μὲν διὰ τὸ τῆς Πύρρου θυγατρὸς υἱὸν εἶναι Νηρηίδος, ὃν μόνον κατὰ προαίρεσιν καὶ κατʼ εὔνοιαν Σικελιῶται πάντες εὐδόκησαν σφῶν αὐτῶν ἡγεμόνʼ εἶναι καὶ βασιλέα, δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἱέρωνος τοῦ πάππου δυναστείαν.
These men, then, having arrived among the Carthaginians, discussed these matters and carried this out, with the Carthaginians readily agreeing to everything; but Hippocrates and his companions, getting the youth into their hands, at first won his heart by recounting the marches, deployments, and battles of Hannibal in Italy, and after this, claiming that the rule over all the Siceliots belonged to no one more than to him, first because he was the son of Nereis, the daughter of Pyrrhus—whom alone of their own free will and goodwill all the Siceliots had consented to have as their leader and king—and secondly, by virtue of the power of his grandfather Hiero.
§7.4.6καὶ τέλος ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξωμίλησαν τὸ μειράκιον ὥστε καθόλου μηδενὶ προσέχειν τῶν ἄλλων διὰ τὸ καὶ φύσει μὲν ἀκατάστατον ὑπάρχειν, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ὑπʼ ἐκείνων τότε μετεωρισθέν· §7.4.7ἀκμὴν τῶν περὶ Ἀγάθαρχον ἐν τῇ Καρχηδόνι τὰ προειρημένα διαπραττομένων, ἐπιπέμπει πρεσβευτάς, τὴν μὲν τῆς Σικελίας ἀρχὴν φάσκων αὑτῷ καθήκειν ἅπασαν, ἀξιῶν δὲ Καρχηδονίους μὲν βοηθεῖν περὶ Σικελίας, αὐτὸς δὲ Καρχηδονίοις ὑπισχνούμενος ἐπαρκεῖν εἰς τὰς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν πράξεις.
and finally they so completely won over the youth that he paid no attention to anyone else at all, both because he was naturally unstable, and still more because he had been puffed up by them at that time; while Agatharchus and his companions were just in the middle of concluding the aforementioned terms in Carthage, he sent additional envoys, claiming that the sovereignty of all Sicily belonged to him, and demanding that the Carthaginians should assist him in Sicily, while he himself promised to help the Carthaginians in their operations in Italy.
§7.4.8τὴν μὲν οὖν ὅλην ἀκαταστασίαν καὶ μανίαν καλῶς συνθεώμενοι Καρχηδόνιοι τοῦ μειρακίου, νομίζοντες δὲ κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους συμφέρειν σφίσι τὸ μὴ προέσθαι τὰ κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν, §7.4.9ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἅπαντα συγκατένευον, αὐτοὶ δὲ καὶ πρότερον ἤδη παρασκευασάμενοι ναῦς καὶ στρατιώτας, ἐγίνοντο πρὸς τὸ διαβιβάζειν τὰς
The Carthaginians, therefore, clearly perceiving the complete instability and madness of the youth, but thinking that in many ways it was to their advantage not to abandon the affairs of Sicily, agreed to all his demands, while they themselves, having already previously prepared ships and soldiers, set about transporting their forces.