A. M. 3820.

184.

that, no alteration could take place, without violating human laws, as well as the reverence due to the gods. When Cecilius quitted the assembly, the members of it, moved with Philopomen's discourse, came to a resolution, that nothing should be changed in what had been decreed, and that this answer should be made the Roman ambassador.

When it was told Cecilius, he desired that the general assembly of the country might be convened. To this the magistrates replied, that he must first produce a letter from the senate of Rome, by which the Achæans should be desired to meet. As Cecilius had no such letter, they told him plainly, that they would not assemble; which exasperated him to such a degree, that he left Achaia, and would not hear what the magistrates had to say. It was believed that this ambassador (and before him Marcus Fulvius) would not have delivered themselves with so much freedom, had they not been sure that Aristenes and Diophanes were in their interest. And, indeed, they were accused of having invited those Romans into that country, purely out of hatred to Philopœmen; and accordingly were greatly suspected by the populace.

Cecilius, at his return to Rome, acquainted the senate with whatever had been transacted by him in Ant. J.C. Greece. After this, the ambassadors of Macedonia and Peloponnesus were brought in. Those of Philip and Eumenes were introduced first, and then the exiles of Enea and Maronea; who all repeated what they had before said in the presence of Cecilius in Thessalonica. The senate after hearing them, sent to Philip other ambassadors, of whom Appius Claudius was the principal, to examine on the spot whether he was withdrawn (as he had promised Cecilius) from the cities of Perrhobia; to command him, at the same time, to evacuate Enea and Maronea; and to draw off his troops

Polyb. in Legat. c. xlii. Liv. 1. xxxix. n. 33.

from all the castles, territories, and cities, which he possessed on the sea coast of Thrace.

They next admitted to audience Apollonidas, the ambassador whom the Achæans had sent to justify their having refused to give an answer to Cecilius; and to inform the senate of all that had been transacted with regard to the Spartans, who on their side had deputed to Rome Areus and Alcibiades, who both were of the number of the first exiles whom Philopomen and the Achæans had restored to their country. The circumstance which most exasperated the Achæans was, to see that, notwithstanding the valuable and recent obligation conferred upon them, they had, however, charged themselves with the odious commission of accusing those who had saved them so unexpectedly, and had procured them the invaluable blessing of returning to their houses and families. Apollonidas endeavoured to prove, that it would be impossible to settle the affairs of Sparta with greater prudence than Philopomen and the rest of the Achæans had done; and they likewise exculpated themselves, for having refused to call a general assembly. On the other side, Areus and Alcibiades represented, in the most affecting manner, the lamentable condition to which Sparta was reduced; its walls were demolished; its citizens dragged into Achaia, and reduced to a state of captivity: the sacred laws of Lycurgus, which had made it subsist during so long a series of years, and with so much glory, had been entirely abolished.

The senate, after weighing and comparing the reasons on both sides, ordered the same ambassadors to inquire into this affair as had been nominated to inspect those of Macedon; and desired the Achæans to convene their general assembly, whenever the

By the decree of the Achæans, it had been enacted, that such slaves as had been adopted among the citizens of Sparta, should leave the city and all Laconia; in default of which, the Achæans were empowered to seize and sell them as slaves, which had accordingly been executed.

Roman ambassadors should require it; as the senate admitted them to audience in Rome, as often as they asked it.

When Philip was informed by his ambassadors, who had been sent back to him from Rome, that he must absolutely evacuate all the cities of Thrace; in the highest degree of rage, to see his dominions - contracted on every side, he vented his fury on the inhabitants of Maronea. Onomastes, who was governor of Thrace, employed Cassander, who was very well known in the city, to execute the barbarous command of the prince. Accordingly, in the dead of night, he led a body of Thracians into it, who fell with the utmost violence on the citizens, and cut a great number of them to pieces. Philip having thus wreaked his vengeance on those who were not of his faction, waited calmly for the commissioners, being firmly persuaded that no one would dare to impeach him.

The

Some time after, Appius arrives, who, upon being informed of the barbarous treatment which the Maroneans had met with, reproached the king of Macedon, in the strongest terms, on that account. latter resolutely asserted, that he had not been in any manner concerned in that massacre, but that it was wholly occasioned by an insurrection of the populace. "Some, (says he) declaring for Eumenes,

and others for me, a great quarrel arose, and they "butchered one another." He went so far as to challenge them to produce any person, who pretended to have any articles to lay to his charge. But who would have dared to impeach him? His punishment had been immediate; and the aid he might have expected from the Romans was too far off. “It

is to no purpose," says Appius to him, "for you to apologise for yourself; I know what things have been done, as well as the author of them." These words gave Philip the greatest anxiety. However,

Polyb. in Legat. c. xliv. Liv. 1. xxxix. n. 34, 35.

matters were not carried farther at this first interview.

But Appius, the next day, commanded him to send immediately Onomastes and Cassander to Rome to be examined by the senate on the affair in question, declaring, that there was no other way left for him to clear himself. Philip, upon receiving this order, changed colour, wavered within himself, and hesitated a long time before he made answer. At last, he declared that he would send Cassander, whom the commissioners suspected to be the contriver of the massacre: but he was determined not to send Onomastes, who (he declared) so far from having been in Maronea at the time this bloody tragedy happened, was not even in the neighbourhood of it. The true reason of this conduct was, Philip was afraid lest Onomastes, in whom he reposed the utmost confidence, and had never concealed any thing from, should betray him to the senate. As for Cassander, the instant the commissioners had left Macedon, he put him on board a ship; but, at the same time, sent some persons in his company, who poisoned him in Epirus.

After the departure of the commissioners, who were fully persuaded that Philip had contrived the massacre in Maronea, and was upon the point of breaking with the Romans; the king of Macedon, reflecting in his own mind, and with his friends, that the hatred he bore the Romans, and the strong desire he had to wreak his vengeance on the people, must necessarily soon display itself; would have been very glad to take up arms immediately, and declare war against that people; but, not being prepared, he conceived an expedient to gain time. He resolved to send his son Demetrius to Rome, whom, as having been many years an hostage, and having acquired great esteem in that city, he judged very well qualified either to defend him against the accusations with which he might be charged before the senate, or apologize for such faults as he really had committed.

He accordingly made all the preparations necessary for this embassy, and nominated several friends to attend the prince his son on that occasion.

He, at the same time promised to succour the Byzantines; not that he was sincerely desirous of defending them, but because his bare advancing to aid that people, would strike terror into the petty princes of Thrace, in the neighbourhood of the Propontis, and would prevent their opposing the resolution he had formed of engaging in a war against the Romans. And accordingly having defeated those petty sovereigns in a battle, and taken their chief prisoner, he hereby put it out of their power to annoy him, and returned into Macedon.

The arrival of the Roman commissioners was expected in Peloponnesus, who were commanded to go from Macedon into Achaia. Lycortas, in order that an answer might be ready for them, summoned a council, in which the affair of the Lacedemonians was examined. He represented to the assembly, such things as they might fear from them; the Romans seeming to favour their interest much more than that of the Achæans. He expatiated chiefly on the ingratitude of Areus and Alcibiades, who though they owed their return to the Achæans, had however been so base as to undertake the embassy against them to the senate, where they acted and spoke like professed enemies; as if the Achæans had driven them from their country, when it was they who had restored them to it. Upon this, great shouts were heard in every part of the assembly, and the president was desired to bring the affair into immediate deliberation. Nothing prevailing but passion and a thirst of revenge, Areus and Alcibiades were condemned to die.

The Roman commissioners arrived a few days after, and the council met at Clitor in Arcadia. This filled the Achæans with the utmost terror; for

* Liv. 1. xxxix. n. 35-37.