Cineas appears to have gone once more to Rome, and Carthage seems to have been seriously apprehensive that Rome might come to terms.

But the senate remained firm, and repeated its former answer.

Unless the king was willing to allow Syracuse to fall into the hands of the Carthaginians and to have his grand scheme thereby disconcerted, no other course remained than to abandon his Italian allies and to confine himself for the time being to the occupation of the most important seaports, particularly Tarentum and Locri.

In vain the Lucanians and Samnites conjured him not to desert them; in vain the Tarentines summoned him either to comply with his duty as their general or to give them back their city.

The king met their complaints and reproaches with the consolatory assurance that better times were coming, or with abrupt dismissal.