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After seven months, hunger forced them to withdraw. The policy of Rome to treat the "foreigner"on equal terms had proved a great success and Rome stood stronger than ever before.
在苦苦支撐7個月后，饑餓和身陷異鄉的恐慌感在高盧軍隊中蔓延開來，他們只得狼狽地撤退了。羅馬人以平等之心接納"外來者"的政策不僅在戰時獲得了巨大成功，也最終造就了它空前絕后的強盛。
This short account of the early history of Rome shows you the enormous difference between the Roman ideal of a healthy state, and that of the ancient world which was embodied in the town of Carthage. The Romans counted upon the cheerful and hearty co-operation between a number of"equal citizens." The Carthaginians, following the example of Egypt and western Asia, insisted upon the unreasoning (and therefore unwilling) obedience of "Subjects" and when these failed they hired professional soldiers to do their fighting for them.
從這段對羅馬歷史的簡要描述可以看出，羅馬人對于建立一個健全國家的理想與迦太基式的古代世界對于國家的理想，有著多么巨大的差別。羅馬人依賴的是一大群"平等公民"之間的和諧而真誠的臺作，共同捍衛自己的城市。而迦太基人則沿襲埃及和西亞的舊有模式，要求其屬民無條件，因而也是不情愿的服從。當這種要求達不到時，他們便按典型的商人思維，花錢雇傭職業軍人為他們作戰。
You will now understand why Carthage was bound to fear such a clever and powerful enemy and why the plutocracy of Carthage was only too willing to pick a quarrel that they might destroy the dangerous rival before it was too late.
現在你們就能理解，為什么迦太基會懼怕這個聰明而強大的敵人，為什么他們情愿找一些微不足道的借口來挑起戰火，伺機將個危險的對手扼殺于羽翼未豐之中！
But the Carthaginians, being good business men, knew that it never pays to rush matters. They proposed to the Romans that their respective cities draw two circles on the map and that each town claim one of these circles as her own "sphere of influence" and promise to keep out of the other fellow's circle. The agreement was promptly made and was broken just as promptly when both sides thought it wise to send their armies to Sicily where a rich soil and a bad government invited foreign interference.
可作為精明老練的商人，迦太基深知貿然行事往往會適得其反。他們向羅馬人提出建議，由各自的城市分別在地圖上畫一個圓圈，作為自己的"勢力范圍"，并承諾互不侵犯對方的利益。協議迅速被達成，也同樣迅速地被撕毀。土地富饒的西西里島當時由一個腐敗無能的政府統治，無疑正在"期待"著外來人侵者的干預，于是迦太基和羅馬不約而同地把自己的軍隊派往了那里。
