+The Cause of the Third Samnite War.+ The democratic party among the Lucanians made overtures to the Samnites. The Romans peremptorily ordered the Samnites not to interfere in Lucania, an arrogant command which the Samnites declined to obey, and war broke out anew.
+Results of the War.+ After an obstinate struggle peace was concluded in 290 B.C., the Samnites retaining their independence.
THE WAR WITH THE TARENTINES AND PYRRHUS, 281-275 B.C. (1)
_The Aims of Pyrrhus. Battle of Heraclea, 280 B.C._
Pyrrhus rex Epiri cum iterata Tarentinorum legatione additis Samnitium et Lucanorum precibus, fatigaretur, non tam supplicum precibus quam spe invadendi Italiae imperii inductus venturum se cum exercitu pollicetur. In quam rem inclinatum semel { 5} animum praecipitem agere coeperant exempla maiorum, ne aut inferior patruo suo Alexandro videretur, quo defensore idem Tarentini adversus Bruttios usi fuerant, aut minores animos magno Alexandro habuisse, qui tam longa a domo militia Orientem subegerat. { 10} Igitur relicto custode regni Ptolemaeo filio annos xv nato exercitum in portu Tarentino exponit. Cuius audito adventu consul Romanus Valerius Laevinus festinans, ut prius cum eo congrederetur, quam auxilia sociorum convenirent, exercitum in { 15} aciem educit. Nec rex, tametsi numero militum inferior esset, certamini moram fecit. Sed Romanos vincentes iam inusitata ante elephantorum forma stupere primo, mox cedere proelio coegit, victoresque iam nova Macedonum repente monstra vicerunt. { 20} Nec hostibus incruenta victoria fuit. Nam et Pyrrhus ipse graviter vulneratus est, et magna pars militum eius caesa, maioremque gloriam eius victoriae quam laetitiam habuit.
[Linenotes: 1. +iterata legatione+ = _by a second embassy_. 3. +fatigaretur+ = _was importuned_. 3-4. +non tam ... inductus.+ Pyrrhus aimed at founding a western Grecian Empire in Italy and Sicily. 7-9. +patruo suo Alexandro ... fuerant.+ Alexander of Epirus had almost succeeded in uniting the whole of Magna Graecia (332-326 B.C.) when he was cut off by the hand of an assassin. 9. +magno Alexandro.+ Pyrrhus was acknowledged to be the first general of the school of Alexander, and Hannibal (so Plutarch tells us) considered him the greatest military genius. 18. +inusitata ante ... forma+ = _the unfamiliar appearance of_. 22-23. +magna pars militum.+ Pyrrhus is said to have lost 4000 men, ‘a serious matter to him in a foreign country, where he could not easily replace the loss of his tried old warriors.’ --Ihne.]