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As the years went by the influence of Carthage upon her neighbours increased until the greater part of the African coast, Spain and certain regions of France were Carthaginian possessions, and paid tribute, taxes and dividends to the mighty city on the African Sea.
隨著歲月不斷流逝，迦太基對臨近地區(qū)的影響力也日漸增強(qiáng)，直到北非的大部分海岸地區(qū)。西班牙以及法國的部分地區(qū)都成為了它的屬地，定期向這個阿非利加海濱的強(qiáng)大城市進(jìn)貢、繳稅、上繳紅利。迦太基也因此富甲一方。
Of course, such a "plutocracy"was forever at the mercy of the crowd. As long as there was plenty of work and wages were high, the majority of the citizens were quite contented, allowed their"betters" to rule them and asked no embarrassing questions. But when no ships left the harbor, when no ore was brought to the smelting-ovens, when dockworkers and stevedores were thrown out of employment, then there were grumblings and there was a demand that the popular assembly be called together as in the olden days when Carthage had been a self-governing republic.
當(dāng)然，這樣一個富人政權(quán)的存在，總是要經(jīng)過民眾們的同意或默許的。只要它能夠保證較多的工作機(jī)會及充足的薪水，大多數(shù)的市民就感到心滿意足，任由那些個"能人"和"精英"們來發(fā)號施令，也不會問些令人尷尬的問題來為難政府。可是一旦船只不能出海，也不再有礦石運(yùn)進(jìn)港口來供熔爐冶煉，當(dāng)碼頭工人和裝卸工人無事可做，盡日面對饑腸轆轆的家人，大眾中就會怨聲四起，就會出現(xiàn)要求召開平民會議的呼聲。當(dāng)迦太基還是一個古代的自治共和國時，這是一個慣例。
To prevent such an occurrence the plutocracy was obliged to keep the business of the town going at full speed. They had managed to do this very successfully for almost five hundred years when they were greatly disturbed by certain rumors which reached them from the western coast of Italy. It was said that a little village on the banks of the Tiber had suddenly risen to great power and was making itself the acknowledged leader of all the Latin tribes who inhabited central Italy. It was also said that this village, which by the way was called Rome, intended to build ships and go after the commerce of Sicily and the southern coast of France.
為防止平民騷動的發(fā)生，富人政府不得不盡力維持整個城市的商業(yè)全速運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，不能有絲毫的懈怠。在500年的時間里，他們兢兢業(yè)業(yè)地推 進(jìn)城市的商業(yè)擴(kuò)張，非常成功地做到了這一點(diǎn)。可到了某一天，從意大利西海岸傳來了一些謠言，頓時讓這些統(tǒng)治迦太基的富人寢食難安。據(jù)說，臺伯河邊的一個毫不起眼的小村子突然崛起，成為意大利中部所有拉丁部落公認(rèn)的領(lǐng)袖。傳言還說，這個村莊名叫羅馬，它正打算大建船只，積極謀求與西西里及法國南部地區(qū)通商。
