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Tables of Ancient Coins ,

which there were six armed with Rostra, with which the ConsulManias adorn’d the publick place of Oratory. These are plainProofs of the Romans having applied themselves to the Sea, beforethe first Carthaginian War.

It was in vain for the Romans to think of carrying on the Warin Sicily against the Carthaginians, without a naval Force j and per-haps nothing can give a greater Idea of the most invincible Cou-rage and Industry of that People, than this first Essay of their na-val Preparations j having built in the space of sixty Days fromthe time of cutting down the Timber a Fleet of an hundredQuinquiremes and twenty Triremes, upon a Model of one of the Ene-my’s Ships which chance had made them Masters of. They hadbeen us’d before to waft over their Troops into Sicily in borrow’dopen Vessels. The Reader will find a very particular Account ofthis War in the first Book of Polyhius, by which he may formlikewise some Idea of the Vessels of that time : For five years afterthe beginning of that War the Romans rigged out a Fleet, inwhich there were 140000 Men that bore arms. The Fleet con-sisted of three hundred and thirty Vessels; in each Galley theyhad three hundred Rowers and an hundred and twenty Soldiers;for the number of Men being divided by the number of Shipsgives four hundred and twenty four men a-piece.

The Carthaginian Fleet consisted of three hundred and fifty fail,with 150000 fighting men aboard, which is more than four hun-dred and twenty eight men in every Ship. This shews that theirShips were very large. And who now (as Polyhius faith) wouldcontemplate the mighty Hazard to which those two contendingStates were exposed, and but hear the relation of the Preparationof such Fleets and Armies without Astonishment, and taking partof the Peril with which they threatned each other. The Eventwas, that the Roman Fleet (although built by Shipwrights, and con-ducted by Pilots, both without Experience) defeated that of theCarthaginians *, both in the first and second Battle - and had made

the

* OJyinp. 131. U. C. <198.