Ancient authors tell Corculum argued that the loss of Rome's hereditary enemy would result in the decline of Roman morals and discipline, and bring social division, because the fear of Carthage kept the Romans in check. Using the same rhetorical trick as Cato, he ended all his speeches by saying that Carthage must be saved ("Carthago servanda est"). Cato had actually developed the same argument as Corculum when he spoke against the destruction of Rhodes after it had supported Perseus."" Lintott writes that this argument was later embellished by historians living after the Gracchi to explain the hundred years of social crisis that prevailed in Rome once Carthage destroyed; Sallust is especially known for having theorised this concept of the necessary fear of a common enemy ("Metus hostilis"). This gave a prophetic tone to Corculum's speech, and has therefore been doubted by several historians who argue that he could not have foreseen the events of the late Republic. Scholars have given alternative explanations for his opposition to the war. He might have favoured traditional Roman foreign policy of balance of powers, against the new "brute force" policy emerging in this decade (like Carthage, Corinth was razed in 146); or he could have wanted a just cause before declaring war.