by Polybius
Just as the king had finished the settlement of Thebes, ambassadors once more came from Chios, Rhodes, Byzantium, and King Ptolemy to negotiate terms of peace. He answered them in much the same terms as he had the former, that he was not averse to peace; and bade them go and find out what the feelings of the Aetolians were. Meanwhile he himself cared little about making peace, but continued steadily to prosecute his designs.
[1] διόπερ ἀκούων τοὺς Σκερδιλαΐδου λέμβους περὶ Μαλέαν λῄζεσθαι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐμπόροις ὡς πολεμίοις χρῆσθαι, παρεσπονδηκέναι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἰδίων τινὰ πλοίων ἐν Λευκάδι συνορμήσαντα, [2] καταρτίσας δώδεκα μὲν καταφράκτους ναῦς, ὀκτὼ δ᾽ ἀφράκτους, τριάκοντα δ᾽ ἡμιολίους, ἔπλει δι᾽ Εὐρίπου, σπεύδων μὲν καταλαβεῖν καὶ τοὺς Ἰλλυριούς, καθόλου δὲ μετέωρος ὢν ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν πόλεμον διὰ τὸ μηδέν πω συνεικέναι τῶν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ γεγονότων. [3] συνέβαινε δέ, καθ᾽ οὓς καιροὺς ἐπολιόρκει τὰς Θήβας Φίλιππος, ἡττῆσθαι Ῥωμαίους ὑπ᾽ Ἀννίβου τῇ περὶ Τυρρηνίαν μάχῃ, τὴν δὲ φήμην ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγονότων μηδέπω προσπεπτωκέναι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν. [4] ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος, τῶν λέμβων ὑστερήσας καὶ καθορμισθεὶς πρὸς Κεγχρεαῖς τὰς μὲν καταφράκτους ναῦς ἐξαπέστειλε, συντάξας περὶ Μαλέαν ποιεῖσθαι τὸν πλοῦν ὡς ἐπ᾽ Αἰγίου καὶ Πατρῶν, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῶν πλοίων ὑπερισθμίσας ἐν Λεχαίῳ παρήγγελλε πᾶσιν ὁρμεῖν. [5] αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ σπουδὴν ἧκε μετὰ φίλων ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν Νεμέων πανήγυριν εἰς Ἄργος. [6] ἄρτι δ᾽ αὐτοῦ θεωμένου τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν γυμνικόν, παρῆν ἐκ Μακεδονίας γραμματοφόρος διασαφῶν ὅτι λείπονται Ῥωμαῖοι μάχῃ μεγάλῃ καὶ κρατεῖ τῶν ὑπαίθρων Ἀννίβας. [7] παραυτίκα μὲν οὖν Δημητρίῳ τῷ Φαρίῳ μόνῳ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπέδειξε, σιωπᾶν παρακελευσάμενος: [8] ὃς καὶ λαβόμενος τῆς ἀφορμῆς ταύτης τὸν μὲν πρὸς τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ᾤετο δεῖν τὴν ταχίστην ἀπορρῖψαι πόλεμον, ἀντέχεσθαι δὲ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα πραγμάτων ἠξίου καὶ τῆς εἰς Ἰταλίαν διαβάσεως. [9] τὰ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πάντα καὶ νῦν ἤδη ποιεῖν αὐτῷ τὸ προσταττόμενον ἔφη καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ποιήσειν, Ἀχαιῶν μὲν ἐθελοντὴν εὐνοούντων, Αἰτωλῶν δὲ καταπεπληγμένων ἐκ τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα πόλεμον: [10] τὴν δ᾽ Ἰταλίαν ἔφη καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ διάβασιν ἀρχὴν εἶναι τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιβολῆς, ἣν οὐδενὶ καθήκειν μᾶλλον ἢ ‘κείνῳ τὸν
101. Accordingly, when he heard that the galleys of Scerdilaidas were committing acts of piracy off Malea, and treating all merchants as open enemies, and had treacherously seized some of his own vessels which were at anchor at Leucas, he fitted out twelve decked ships, eight open vessels, and thirty light craft called hemioliae, and sailed through the Euripus in hot haste to come up with the Illyrians; exceedingly excited about his plans for carrying on the war against the Aetolians, as he knew nothing as yet of what had happened in Italy. For the defeat of the Romans by Hannibal in Etruria took place while Philip was besieging Thebes, but the report of that occurrence had not yet reached Greece. Philip arrived too late to capture the galleys: and therefore, dropping anchor at Cenchreae, he sent away his decked ships, with orders to sail round Malea in the direction of Aegium and Patrae; but having caused the rest of his vessels to be dragged across the Isthmus, he ordered them to anchor at Lechaeum; while he went in haste with his friends to Argos to attend the Nemean festival. Just as he was engaged in watching the gymnastic contest, a courier arrived from Macedonia with news of the Romans having been defeated in a great battle, and of Hannibal being in possession of the open country. Philip showed the letter to no one at the moment, except to Demetrius of Pharos, enjoining him not to say a word. The latter seized the occasion to advise Philip to throw over the war against the Aetolians as soon as possible; and to concentrate his efforts upon Illyria, and an expedition into Italy. “For Greece,” said he, “is already entirely obedient to you, and will remain so: the Achaeans from genuine affection; the Aetolians from the terror which their disasters in the present war have inspired them. Italy, and your crossing into it, is the first step in the acquirement of universal empire, to which no one has a better claim than yourself. And now is the moment to act when the Romans have suffered a reverse.”
[1] δὲ καιρὸν εἶναι νῦν, ἐπταικότων Ῥωμαίων. τοιούτοις δὲ χρησάμενος λόγοις ταχέως παρώρμησε τὸν Φίλιππον, ὡς ἄν, οἶμαι, καὶ νέον βασιλέα καὶ κατὰ τὰς πράξεις ἐπιτυχῆ καὶ καθόλου τολμηρὸν εἶναι δοκοῦντα, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐξ οἰκίας ὁρμώμενον τοιαύτης, ἣ μάλιστά πως ἀεὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων ἐλπίδος ἐφίεται. πλὴν ὅ γε Φίλιππος, [2] ὡς εἶπον, τότε μὲν αὐτῷ τῷ Δημητρίῳ τὰ προσπεπτωκότα διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐδήλωσε, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συνῆγε τοὺς φίλους καὶ διαβούλιον ἀνεδίδου περὶ τῆς πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς διαλύσεως. [3] ὄντων δὲ καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἄρατον οὐκ ἀλλοτρίων διεξαγωγῆς τῷ δοκεῖν ὑπερδεξίους ὄντας τῷ πολέμῳ ποιεῖσθαι τὴν διάλυσιν, [4] οὕτως ὁ βασιλεύς, οὐδὲ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ἔτι προσδεξάμενος τοὺς κοινῇ πράττοντας τὰ περὶ τὰς διαλύσεις, παραχρῆμα Κλεόνικον μὲν τὸν Ναυπάκτιον πρὸς τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς διεπέμψατο — [5] κατέλαβε γὰρ ἔτι τοῦτον ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπιμένοντα τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν σύνοδον — αὐτὸς δὲ παραλαβὼν ἐκ Κορίνθου τὰς ναῦς καὶ τὴν πεζὴν δύναμιν ἧκεν ἔχων εἰς Αἴγιον. [6] καὶ προελθὼν ἐπὶ Λασιῶνα καὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς Περιππίοις πύργον παραλαβών, καὶ συνυποκριθεὶς ὡς ἐμβαλῶν εἰς τὴν Ἠλείαν, τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν λίαν ἕτοιμος εἶναι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πολέμου κατάλυσιν, [7] μετὰ ταῦτα δὶς ἢ τρὶς ἀνακάμψαντος τοῦ Κλεονίκου, δεομένων τῶν Αἰτωλῶν εἰς λόγους σφίσι συνελθεῖν ἐπήκουσε, [8] καὶ πάντ᾽ ἀφεὶς τὰ τοῦ πολέμου πρὸς μὲν τὰς συμμαχίδας πόλεις γραμματοφόρους ἐξαπέστειλε, παρακαλῶν πέμπειν τοὺς συνεδρεύσοντας καὶ μεθέξοντας τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν διαλύσεων κοινολογίας, [9] αὐτὸς δὲ διαβὰς μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ καταστρατοπεδεύσας περὶ Πάνορμον, ὃς ἔστι μὲν τῆς Πελοποννήσου λιμήν, κεῖται δὲ
καταντικρὺ τῆς τῶν Ναυπακτίων πόλεως, ἀνέμενε τοὺς τῶν συμμάχων συνέδρους. [10] κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον, καθ᾽ ὃν ἔδει συναθροίζεσθαι τοὺς προειρημένους, πλεύσας εἰς Ζάκυνθον δι᾽ αὑτοῦ κατεστήσατο τὰ κατὰ τὴν νῆσον, καὶ παρῆν
102. By using such arguments he found no difficulty in firing Philip’s ambition: as was natural, I think, considering that he was but a youthful monarch, who had as yet been successful in all his undertakings, and was in any case of a singularly daring character; and considering too that he was sprung from a family which above all families has somehow a tendency to aim at universal monarchy.
At the moment then, as I said, Philip communicated the news conveyed by the letter to Demetrius alone; and afterwards summoning a council of his friends consulted them on the subject of making peace with the Aetolians. And when even Aratus professed no disinclination to the measure, on the ground that they would be making peace as conquerors, the king without waiting for the ambassadors, who were officially engaged in negotiating its terms, sent Cleonicus of Naupactus at once to Aetolia, whom he found still awaiting the meeting of the Achaean league after his captivity; while he himself, taking his ships and land force from Corinth, came with it to Aegium. Thence he advanced as far as Lasion and took the Tower in Perippia, and pretended, in order to avoid appearing too eager for the conclusion of the war, that he was meditating an invasion of Elis. By this time Cleonicus had been backwards and forwards two or three times; and as the Aetolians begged that he would meet them personally in conference, he assented, and abandoning all warlike measures, he sent couriers to the allied cities, bidding their commissioners to sit in the conference with him and take part in the discussion of the terms of peace: and then crossed over with his army and encamped near Panormus, which is a harbour of the Peloponnese, and lies exactly opposite Naupactus. There he waited for the commissioners from the allies, and employed the time required for their assembling in sailing to Zacynthus, and settling on his own authority the affairs of the island; and having done so he sailed back to Panormus.
[1] αὖθις ἀναπλέων. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῶν συνέδρων ἡθροισμένων, ἐξέπεμψε πρὸς τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς Ἄρατον καὶ Ταυρίωνα καί τινας τῶν ἡκόντων ἅμα τούτοις. [2] οἳ καὶ συμμίξαντες τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς πανδημεὶ συνηθροισμένοις ἐν Ναυπάκτῳ, βραχέα διαλεχθέντες καὶ θεωροῦντες αὐτῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν τὴν πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις, ἔπλεον ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον χάριν τοῦ διασαφῆσαι περὶ τούτων. [3] οἱ δ᾽ Αἰτωλοί, σπεύδοντες διαλύσασθαι τὸν πόλεμον, ἐξαπέστελλον ἅμα τούτοις πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον, ἀξιοῦντες παραγενέσθαι μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως πρὸς σφᾶς, ἵνα τῆς κοινολογίας ἐκ χειρὸς γινομένης τύχῃ τὰ πράγματα τῆς ἁρμοζούσης διεξαγωγῆς. [4] ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς παρορμηθεὶς τοῖς παρακαλουμένοις διέπλευσε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα Κοῖλα τῆς Ναυπακτίας, ἃ τῆς πόλεως εἴκοσι μάλιστα σταδίους ἀφέστηκε: [5] στρατοπεδεύσας δὲ καὶ περιλαβὼν χάρακι τὰς νῆας καὶ τὴν παρεμβολήν, ἔμενε προσανέχων τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐντεύξεως. [6] οἱ δ᾽ Αἰτωλοὶ χωρὶς τῶν ὅπλων ἧκον πανδημεί, καὶ διασχόντες ὡς δύο στάδια τῆς Φιλίππου παρεμβολῆς διεπέμποντο καὶ διελέγοντο περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων. [7] τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ὁ βασιλεὺς πάντας ἐξέπεμπε τοὺς ἥκοντας παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων, κελεύσας ἐπὶ τούτοις προτείνειν τὴν εἰρήνην τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς, ὥστ᾽ ἔχειν ἀμφοτέρους ἃ νῦν ἔχουσι: [8] δεξαμένων δὲ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἑτοίμως, τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη περὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος συνεχεῖς ἐγίνοντο διαποστολαὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὧν τὰς μὲν πλείους παρήσομεν διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν ἄξιον μνήμης, [9] τῆς δ᾽ Ἀγελάου τοῦ Ναυπακτίου παραινέσεως ποιησόμεθα μνήμην, ᾗ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἔντευξιν ἐχρήσατο πρός τε τὸν
103. The commissioners having now assembled, Philip sent Aratus and Taurion, and some others who had come with them, to the Aetolians. They found them in full assembly at Naupactus; and after a short conference with them, and satisfying themselves as to their inclination for peace, they sailed back to Philip to inform him of the state of the case. But the Aetolians, being very eager to bring the war to a conclusion, sent ambassadors with them to Philip urging him to visit them with his army, that by a personal conference the business might be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. Moved by these representations, the king sailed across with his army to what is called the Hollows of Naupactus, about twenty stades from the town. Having pitched a camp there, and having caused both it and his ships to be surrounded by a palisade, he waited for the time fixed for the interview. The Aetolians came en masse without arms; and keeping at a distance of two stades from Philip’s camp, interchanged messages and discussions on the subjects in question. The negotiation was begun by the king sending all the commissioners of the allies, with instructions to offer the Aetolians peace, on the condition of both parties retaining what they then held. This preliminary the Aetolians readily agreed to; and then there began a continuous interchange of messages between the two, most of which I shall omit as containing no point of interest: but I shall record the speech made by Agelaus of Naupactus in the first conference before the king and the assembled allies. It was this.
[1] βασιλέα καὶ τοὺς παρόντας συμμάχους. ὃς ἔφη δεῖν μάλιστα μὲν μηδέποτε πολεμεῖν τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλὰ μεγάλην χάριν ἔχειν τοῖς θεοῖς, εἰ λέγοντες ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸ πάντες καὶ συμπλέκοντες τὰς χεῖρας, καθάπερ οἱ τοὺς ποταμοὺς διαβαίνοντες, δύναιντο τὰς τῶν βαρβάρων ἐφόδους ἀποτριβόμενοι συσσῴζειν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς πόλεις. [2] οὐ μὴν ἀλλ᾽ εἰ τὸ παράπαν τοῦτο μὴ δυνατόν, κατά γε τὸ παρὸν ἠξίου συμφρονεῖν καὶ φυλάττεσθαι, προϊδομένους τὸ βάρος τῶν στρατοπέδων καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ συνεστῶτος πρὸς ταῖς δύσεσι πολέμου: [3] δῆλον γὰρ εἶναι παντὶ τῷ καὶ μετρίως περὶ τὰ κοινὰ σπουδάζοντι καὶ νῦν, ὡς ἐάν τε Καρχηδόνιοι Ῥωμαίων ἐάν τε Ῥωμαῖοι Καρχηδονίων περιγένωνται τῷ πολέμῳ, διότι κατ᾽ οὐδένα τρόπον εἰκός ἐστι τοὺς κρατήσαντας ἐπὶ ταῖς Ἰταλιωτῶν καὶ Σικελιωτῶν μεῖναι δυναστείαις, ἥξειν δὲ καὶ διατείνειν τὰς ἐπιβολὰς καὶ δυνάμεις αὑτῶν πέρα τοῦ δέοντος. διόπερ ἠξίου πάντας μὲν φυλάξασθαι τὸν καιρόν, [4] μάλιστα δὲ Φίλιππον. [5] εἶναι δὲ φυλακήν, ἐὰν ἀφέμενος τοῦ καταφθείρειν τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ ποιεῖν εὐχειρώτους τοῖς ἐπιβαλλομέ�
�οις κατὰ τοὐναντίον ὡς ὑπὲρ ἰδίου σώματος βουλεύηται, καὶ καθόλου πάντων. τῶν τῆς Ἑλλάδος μερῶν ὡς οἰκείων καὶ προσηκόντων αὑτῷ ποιῆται πρόνοιαν: [6] τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν τρόπον χρωμένου τοῖς πράγμασι τοὺς μὲν Ἕλληνας εὔνους ὑπάρχειν αὐτῷ καὶ βεβαίους συναγωνιστὰς πρὸς τὰς ἐπιβολάς, τοὺς δ᾽ ἔξωθεν ἧττον ἐπιβουλεύσειν αὐτοῦ τῇ δυναστείᾳ, καταπεπληγμένους τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων πρὸς αὐτὸν πίστιν. [7] εἰ δὲ πραγμάτων ὀρέγεται, πρὸς τὰς δύσεις βλέπειν αὐτὸν ἠξίου καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ συνεστῶσι πολέμοις προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν, ἵνα γενόμενος ἔφεδρος ἔμφρων πειραθῇ σὺν καιρῷ τῆς τῶν ὅλων ἀντιποιήσασθαι δυναστείας. [8] εἶναι δὲ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα καιρὸν οὐκ ἀλλότριον τῆς ἐλπίδος ταύτης. [9] τὰς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας διαφορὰς καὶ τοὺς πολέμους εἰς τὰς ἀναπαύσεις αὐτὸν ὑπερτίθεσθαι παρεκάλει, καὶ μάλιστα σπουδάζειν περὶ τούτου τοῦ μέρους, ἵν᾽ ἔχῃ τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὅταν βούληται, καὶ διαλύεσθαι καὶ πολεμεῖν πρὸς αὐτούς: [10] ὡς ἐὰν ἅπαξ τὰ προφαινόμενα νῦν ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας νέφη προσδέξηται τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τόποις ἐπιστῆναι, καὶ λίαν ἀγωνιᾶν ἔφη μὴ τὰς ἀνοχὰς καὶ τοὺς πολέμους καὶ καθόλου τὰς παιδιάς, ἃς νῦν παίζομεν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἐκκοπῆναι συμβῇ πάντων [11] ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὥστε κἂν εὔξασθαι τοῖς θεοῖς ὑπάρχειν ἡμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην, καὶ πολεμεῖν ὅταν βουλώμεθα καὶ διαλύεσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους, καὶ καθόλου κυρίους εἶναι τῶν ἐν αὑτοῖς ἀμφισβητουμένων.
