在苦苦支撑7个月后，饥饿和身陷异乡的恐慌感在高卢军队中蔓延开来，他们只得狼狈地撤退了。罗马人以平等之心接纳"外来者"的政策不仅在战时获得了巨大成功，也最终造就了它空前绝后的强盛。

　　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.

　　从这段对罗马历史的简要描述可以看出，罗马人对于建立一个健全国家的理想与迦太基式的古代世界对于国家的理想，有着多么巨大的差别。罗马人依赖的是一大群"平等公民"之间的和谐而真诚的台作，共同捍卫自己的城市。而迦太基人则沿袭埃及和西亚的旧有模式，要求其属民无条件，因而也是不情愿的服从。当这种要求达不到时，他们便按典型的商人思维，花钱雇佣职业军人为他们作战。

　　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.

　　现在你们就能理解，为什么迦太基会惧怕这个聪明而强大的敌人，为什么他们情愿找一些微不足道的借口来挑起战火，伺机将个危险的对手扼杀于羽翼未丰之中！

　　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.

　　可作为精明老练的商人，迦太基深知贸然行事往往会适得其反。他们向罗马人提出建议，由各自的城市分别在地图上画一个圆圈，作为自己的"势力范围"，并承诺互不侵犯对方的利益。协议迅速被达成，也同样迅速地被撕毁。土地富饶的西西里岛当时由一个腐败无能的政府统治，无疑正在"期待"着外来人侵者的干预，于是迦太基和罗马不约而同地把自己的军队派往了那里。