Delphi Complete Works of Polybius

by Polybius

  87. Apelles however by no means abandoned his policy. He began undermining the position of Taurion also, who had been placed in command of the Peloponnese by Antigonus, not indeed openly attacking him, but rather praising his character, and asserting that he was a proper person to be with the king on a campaign; his object being to get some one else appointed to conduct the government of the Peloponnese. This was indeed a novel method of defamation, — to damage one’s neighbours, not by attacking, but by praising their characters; and this method of wreaking one’s malice, envy, and treachery may be regarded as primarily and specially the invention of the jealousy and selfish ambition of courtiers. In the same spirit he began making covert attacks upon Alexander, the captain of the bodyguard, whenever he got an opportunity; being bent on reconstituting by his own authority even the personal attendants of the king, and on making a clean sweep of all arrangements left existing by Antigonus. For as in his life Antigonus had managed his kingdom and his son with wisdom, so at his death he made wise provisions for every department of the State. For in his will he explained to the Macedonians the nature of these arrangements; and also gave definite instructions for the future, how and by whom each of these arrangements was to be carried out: being desirous of leaving no vantage-ground to the courtiers for mutual rivalry and strife. Among these arrangements was one selecting Apelles from among his companions in arms to be one of the guardians of his son; Leontius to command the peltasts; Megaleas to be chief secretary; Taurion to be governor of the Peloponnese; and Alexander to be captain of the bodyguard. Apelles had already got Leontius and Megaleas completely under his influence: and he was now desirous to remove Alexander and Taurion from their offices, and so to control these, as well as all other departments of the government, by the agency of his own friends. And he would have easily succeeded in doing so, had he not raised up an opponent in the person of Aratus. As it was, he quickly reaped the fruits of his own blind selfishness and ambition; for that which he purposed inflicting on his neighbours he had to endure himself, and that within a very brief space. How and by what means this was brought about, I must forbear to tell for the present, and must bring this book to an end: but in subsequent parts of my work I will endeavour to make every detail of these transactions clear.

  For the present, after concluding the business which I have described, Philip returned to Argos, and there spent the rest of the winter season with his friends, while he sent back his forces to Macedonia.

  BOOK 5

  [1] τὸ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν Ἀράτου τοῦ νεωτέρου στρατηγίαν ἔτος ἐτύγχανε διεληλυθὸς περὶ τὴν τῆς Πλειάδος ἐπιτολήν: οὕτως γὰρ ἦγε τοὺς χρόνους τότε τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνος. [2] διόπερ οὗτος μὲν ἀπετίθετο τὴν ἀρχήν, Ἐπήρατος δὲ παρελάμβανε τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἡγεμονίαν: Αἰτωλῶν δὲ Δωρίμαχος ἐστρατήγει. [3] κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς ἀρχομένης τῆς θερείας Ἀννίβας μὲν ἐκφανῶς ἤδη τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον ἀνειληφώς, ὁρμήσας ἐκ Καινῆς πόλεως καὶ διαβὰς τὸν Ἴβηρα ποταμὸν ἐνήρχετο τῆς ἐπιβολῆς καὶ πορείας τῆς εἰς Ἰταλίαν: [4] Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ Τεβέριον μὲν Σεμπρώνιον εἰς Λιβύην μετὰ δυνάμεως, Πόπλιον δὲ Κορνήλιον εἰς Ἰβηρίαν ἐξαπέστελλον: [5] Ἀντίοχος δὲ καὶ Πτολεμαῖος, ἀπεγνωκότες τὰς πρεσβείας καὶ τὸ λόγῳ διεξάγειν τὴν ὑπὲρ Κοίλης Συρίας ἀμφισβήτησιν, ἐνήρχοντο πολεμεῖν ἀλλήλοις. [6] ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Φίλιππος, ἐνδεὴς ὢν σίτου καὶ χρημάτων εἰς τὰς δυνάμεις, συνῆγε τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς διὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων εἰς ἐκκλησίαν. [7] ἁθροισθέντος δὲ τοῦ πλήθους εἰς Αἴγιον κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, ὁρῶν τοὺς μὲν περὶ Ἄρατον ἐθελοκακοῦντας διὰ τὴν περὶ τὰς ἀρχαιρεσίας γεγενημένην εἰς αὐτοὺς τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀπελλῆν κακοπραγμοσύνην, τὸν δ᾽ Ἐπήρατον ἄπρακτον ὄντα τῇ φύσει καὶ καταγινωσκόμενον ὑπὸ πάντων, [8] συλλογισάμενος ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀπελλῆν καὶ Λεόντιον, ἔκρινεν αὖθις ἀντέχεσθαι τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον. [9] πείσας οὖν τοὺς ἄρχοντας μεταγαγεῖν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰς Σικυῶνα, λαβὼν τόν τε πρεσβύτερον καὶ τὸν νεώτερον Ἄρατον εἰς τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ πάντων τῶν γεγονότων ἀναθεὶς τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀπελλῆν, παρεκάλει μένειν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς αἱρέσεως. [10] τῶν δὲ συγκαταθεμένων ἑτοίμως, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καὶ χρησάμενος συνεργοῖς τοῖς προειρημένοις, πάντα κατέπραξε τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβολήν. [11] πεντήκοντα μὲν γὰρ ἔδοξε τάλαντα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς εἰς τὴν πρώτην ἀναζυγὴν αὐτῷ δοῦσι παραχρῆμα τριμήνου μισθοδοτῆσαι τὴν δύναμιν καὶ σίτου προσθεῖναι μυριάδας: [12] τὸ δὲ λοιπόν, ἕως ἂν παρὼν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ συμπολεμῇ, τάλαντα λαμβάνειν ἑκάστου μηνὸς παρὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἑπτακαίδεκα.

  1. The year of office as Strategus of the younger Aratus had now come to an end with the rising of the Pleiades; for that was the arrangement of time then observed by the Achaeans. Accordingly he laid down his office and was succeeded in the command of the Achaeans by Eperatus; Dorimachus being still Strategus of the Aetolians.

  It was at the beginning of this summer that Hannibal entered upon open war with Rome; started from New Carthage; and crossing the Iber, definitely began his expedition and march into Italy; while the Romans despatched Tiberius Sempronius to Libya with an army, and Publius Cornelius to Iberia.

  This year, too, Antiochus and Ptolemy, abandoning diplomacy, and the support of their mutual claims upon Coele-Syria by negotiation, began actual war with each other.

  As for Philip, being in need of corn and money for his army, he summoned the Achaeans to a general assembly by means of their magistrates. When the assembly had met, according to the federal law, at Aegium, the king saw that Aratus and his son were indisposed to act for him, because of the intrigues against them in the matter of the election, which had been carried on by Apelles; and that Eperatus was naturally inefficient, and an object of general contempt. These facts convinced the king of the folly of Apelles and Leontius, and he once more decided to stand by Aratus. He therefore persuaded the magistrates to transfer the assembly to Sicyon; and there inviting both the elder and younger Aratus to an interview, he laid the blame of all that had happened upon Apelles, and urged them to maintain their original policy. Receiving a ready consent from them, he then entered the Achaean assembly, and being energetically supported by these two statesmen, earned all the measures that he desired. For the Achaeans passed a vote decreeing “that five hundred talents should be paid to the king at once for his last campaign, that three months’ pay should be given to his army, and ten thousand medimni of corn; and that, for the future, so long as the king should remain in the Peloponnese as their ally in the war, he should receive seventeen talents a month from the Achaeans.

  [1] δοξάντων δὲ τούτων, οἱ μὲν Ἀχαιοὶ διελύθησαν ἐπὶ τ�
�ς πόλεις: τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ βουλευομένῳ μετὰ τῶν φίλων, ἐπειδὴ συνῆλθον αἱ δυνάμεις ἐκ τῆς παραχειμασίας, ἔδοξε χρῆσθαι κατὰ θάλατταν τῷ πολέμῳ. [2] οὕτως γὰρ ἐπέπειστο μόνως αὐτὸς μὲν δυνήσεσθαι ταχέως πανταχόθεν ἐπιφαίνεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, τοὺς δ᾽ ὑπεναντίους ἥκιστ᾽ ἂν δύνασθαι παραβοηθεῖν ἀλλήλοις, [3] ἅτε διεσπασμένους μὲν ταῖς χώραις, δεδιότας δ᾽ ἑκάστους περὶ σφῶν διὰ τὴν ἀδηλότητα καὶ τὸ τάχος τῆς κατὰ θάλατταν παρουσίας τῶν πολεμίων: πρὸς γὰρ Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους ἔτι δ᾽ Ἠλείους ὁ πόλεμος ἦν αὐτῷ. [4] κριθέντων δὲ τούτων, ἥθροιζε τάς τε τῶν Ἀχαιῶν νῆας καὶ τὰς σφετέρας εἰς τὸ Λέχαιον, καὶ συνεχεῖς ποιούμενος ἀναπείρας ἐγύμναζε τοὺς φαλαγγίτας καὶ συνείθιζε ταῖς εἰρεσίαις, προθύμως αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ παραγγελλόμενον συνυπακουόντων τῶν Μακεδόνων: [5] πρός τε γὰρ τοὺς ἐν γῇ κινδύνους ἐκ παρατάξεως γενναιότατοι πρός τε τὰς κατὰ θάλατταν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ χρείας ἑτοιμότατοι, λειτουργοί γε μὴν περὶ τὰς ταφρείας καὶ χαρακοποιίας καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τοιαύτην ταλαιπωρίαν φιλοπονώτατοί τινες, [6] οἵους Ἡσίοδος παρεισάγει τοὺς Αἰακίδας, πολέμῳ κεχαρηότας ἠΰτε δαιτί. [7] ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸ τῶν Μακεδόνων πλῆθος ἐν τῷ Κορίνθῳ διέτριβε, περὶ τὴν κατὰ θάλατταν ἄσκησιν καὶ παρασκευὴν γινόμενος: [8] ὁ δ᾽ Ἀπελλῆς, οὔτ᾽ ἐπικρατεῖν τοῦ Φιλίππου δυνάμενος οὔτε φέρειν τὴν ἐλάττωσιν παρορώμενος, ποιεῖται συνωμοσίαν πρὸς τοὺς περὶ Λεόντιον καὶ Μεγαλέαν, ὥστ᾽ ἐκείνους μὲν συμπαρόντας ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν τῶν καιρῶν ἐθελοκακεῖν καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι τὰς τοῦ βασιλέως χρείας, αὐτὸς δὲ χωρισθεὶς εἰς Χαλκίδα φροντίζειν ἵνα μηδαμόθεν αὐτῷ χορηγία παραγίνηται πρὸς τὰς ἐπιβολάς. [9] οὗτος μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα συνθέμενος καὶ κακοτροπευσάμενος πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους ἀπῆρεν εἰς τὴν Χαλκίδα; σκήψεις τινὰς εὐλόγους πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα πορισάμενος: [10] κἀκεῖ διατρίβων οὕτως βεβαίως ἐτήρει τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, πάντων αὐτῷ πειθαρχούντων κατὰ τὴν προγεγενημένην πίστιν, ὥστε τὸ τελευταῖον ἀναγκασθῆναι τὸν βασιλέα δι᾽ ἀπορίαν ἐνέχυρα τιθέντα τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἀργυρωμάτων ἀπὸ τούτων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν διαγωγήν. [11] ἡθροισμένων δὲ τῶν πλοίων, καὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων ἤδη ταῖς εἰρεσίαις κατηρτισμένων, σιτομετρήσας καὶ μισθοδοτήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν δύναμιν ἀνήχθη, καὶ κατῆρε δευτεραῖος εἰς Πάτρας, ἔχων Μακεδόνας μὲν ἑξακισχιλίους, μισθοφόρους δὲ χιλίους καὶ διακοσίους.

  2. Having passed this decree, the Achaeans dispersed to their various cities. And now the king’s forces mustered again from their winter quarters; and after deliberations with his friends, Philip decided to transfer the war to the sea. For he had become convinced that it was only by so doing that he would himself be able to surprise the enemy at all points at once, and would best deprive them of the opportunity of coming to each others’ relief; as they were widely scattered, and each would be in alarm for their own safety, because the approach of an enemy by sea is so silent and rapid. For he was at war with three separate nations, — Aetolians, Lacedaemonians, and Eleans.

  Having arrived at this decision, he ordered the ships of the Achaeans as well as his own to muster at Lechaeum; and there he made continual experiments in practising the soldiers of the phalanx to the use of the oar. The Macedonians answered to his instructions with ready enthusiasm: for they are in fact the most gallant soldiers on the field of battle, the promptest to undertake service at sea if need be, and the most laborious workers at digging trenches, making palisades, and all such engineering work, in the world: just such as Hesiod describes the Aeacidae to be

  “Joying in war as in a feast.”

  The king, then, and the main body of the Macedonian army, remained in Corinth, busied with these practisings and preparations for taking the sea. But Apelles, being neither able to retain an ascendency over Philip, nor to submit to the loss of influence which resulted from this disregard, entered into a conspiracy with Leontius and Megaleas, by which it was agreed that these two men should stay on the spot and damage the king’s service by deliberate neglect; while he went to Chalcis, and contrived that no supplies should be brought the king from thence for the promotion of his designs. Having made this arrangement and mischievous stipulation with these two men, Apelles set out for Chalcis, having found some false pretexts to satisfy the king as to his departure. And while protracting his stay there, he carried out his sworn agreement with such determination, that, as all men obeyed him because of this former credit, the king was at last reduced by want of money to pawn some of the silver-plate used at his own table, to carry on his affairs. However, when the ships were all collected, and the Macedonian soldiers already well trained to the oar; the king, giving out rations of corn and pay to the army, put to sea, and arrived at Patrae on the second day, with six thousand Macedonians and twelve hundred mercenaries.

  [1] κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς Δωρίμαχος ὁ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν στρατηγὸς Ἀγέλαον καὶ Σκόπαν ἐξαπέστειλε τοῖς Ἠλείοις μετὰ Νεοκρήτων πεντακοσίων: οἱ δ᾽ Ἠλεῖοι δεδιότες μὴ τὴν Κυλλήνην ὁ Φίλιππος ἐπιβάληται πολιορκεῖν, στρατιώτας τε μισθοφόρους συνήθροιζον καὶ τοὺς πολιτικοὺς ἡτοίμαζον, ὠχυροῦντο δὲ καὶ τὴν Κυλλήνην ἐπιμελῶς. [2] εἰς ἃ βλέπων ὁ Φίλιππος, τούς τε τῶν Ἀχαιῶν μισθοφόρους καὶ τῶν παρ᾽ αὑτῷ Κρητῶν καὶ τῶν Γαλατικῶν ἱππέων τινάς, σὺν δὲ τούτοις τῶν ἐξ Ἀχαΐας ἐπιλέκτων εἰς δισχιλίους πεζοὺς ἁθροίσας, ἐν τῇ τῶν Δυμαίων πόλει κατέλειπεν, ἅμα μὲν ἐφεδρείας ἔχοντας, ἅμα δὲ προφυλακῆς τάξιν πρὸς τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἠλείας φόβον. [3] αὐτὸς δ᾽, ἔτι πρότερον γεγραφὼς τοῖς Μεσσηνίοις καὶ τοῖς Ἠπειρώταις, ἔτι δὲ τοῖς Ἀκαρνᾶσι καὶ Σκερδιλαΐδᾳ, πληροῦν ἑκάστοις τὰ παρ᾽ αὑτοῖς πλοῖα καὶ συναντᾶν εἰς Κεφαλληνίαν, ἀναχθεὶς ἐκ τῶν Πατρῶν κατὰ τὴν σύνταξιν ἔπλει, καὶ προσέσχε τῆς Κεφαλληνίας κατὰ Πρόννους. [4] ὁρῶν δὲ τό τε πολισμάτιον [τοὺς Πρόννους] δυσπολιόρκητον ὂν καὶ τὴν χώραν στενήν, παρέπλει τῷ στόλῳ, καὶ καθωρμίσθη πρ
ὸς τὴν τῶν Παλαιῶν πόλιν. [5] συνιδὼν δὲ ταύτην τὴν χώραν γέμουσαν σίτου καὶ δυναμένην τρέφειν στρατόπεδον, τὴν μὲν δύναμιν ἐκβιβάσας προσεστρατοπέδευσε τῇ πόλει, τὰς δὲ ναῦς συνορμίσας τάφρῳ καὶ χάρακι περιέλαβε, τοὺς δὲ Μακεδόνας ἐφῆκε σιτολογεῖν. [6] αὐτὸς δὲ περιῄει τὴν πόλιν, ἐπισκοπῶν πῶς δυνατὸν εἴη προσάγειν ἔργα τῷ τείχει καὶ μηχανάς, βουλόμενος ἅμα μὲν προσδέξασθαι τοὺς συμμάχους, ἅμα δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐξελεῖν, [7] ἵνα πρῶτον μὲν Αἰτωλῶν παρέληται τὴν ἀναγκαιοτάτην ὑπηρεσίαν — ταῖς γὰρ τῶν Κεφαλλήνων ναυσὶ χρώμενοι τάς τ᾽ εἰς Πελοπόννησον ἐποιοῦντο διαβάσεις καὶ τὰς Ἠπειρωτῶν ἔτι δ᾽ Ἀκαρνάνων ἐπόρθουν παραλίας — [8] δεύτερον δ᾽ ἵνα παρασκευάσῃ μὲν αὑτῷ, παρασκευάσῃ δὲ τοῖς συμμάχοις ὁρμητήριον εὐφυὲς κατὰ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων χώρας. [9] ἡ γὰρ Κεφαλληνία κεῖται μὲν κατὰ τὸν Κορινθιακὸν κόλπον ὡς εἰς τὸ Σικελικὸν ἀνατείνουσα πέλαγος, [10] ἐπίκειται δὲ τῆς μὲν Πελοποννήσου τοῖς πρὸς ἄρκτον καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν μέρεσι κεκλιμένοις καὶ μάλιστα τῇ τῶν Ἠλείων χώρᾳ, τῆς δ᾽ Ἠπείρου καὶ τῆς Αἰτωλίας ἔτι δὲ τῆς Ἀκαρνανίας τοῖς πρὸς μεσημβρίαν καὶ πρὸς τὰς δύσεις μέρεσιν ἐστραμμένοις.