SECT. III. Various expeditions of Philip. A peace concluded between him and the Achæans and the Etolians. a We have already related, that Philip king of Macedon, being called in by the Achæans to their aid, had come to Corinth, where their general assembly was held, and that there war had been unanimously declared against the Ætolians. The king returned afterwards to Macedonia, to make the necessary preparations for carrying on the war. Philip brought over Scerdiledes to the alliance with the Achæans. He was, as has been observed, a petty king of Myria. The Ætolians, whose ally he was, had broken their engagements with him, by refusing to give him a certain share of the spoils they had gained at the taking of Cynethium, according to the articles agreed upon between them. Philip embraced with joy this opportunity of revenging their perfidy. Demetrius of Pharos joined also with Philip. We have already seen that the Romans, in whose favour he had declared at first, had bestowed on him several of the cities they had conquered in Illyria. As the chief revenue of those petty princes had consisted hitherto in the plunder they got from their neighbours; when the Romans were removed, he could not forbear pillaging the cities and territories subject to them. Besides, Demetrius, as well as Scerdiledes, had sailed on the same design, beyond the city of Issus; which was a direct infraction of the chief article of the treaty, concluded with queen Teuta. For these reasons the Romans declared war against Demetrius. Accordingly Æmilius attacked him with great vigour, dispossessed him of his strongest fortresses, and besieged him in Pharos, from whence he escaped with the utmost difficulty. The city surrendered to the Romans. Demetrius, being dispossessed of all his dominions, fled to Philip, who received him with open arms. This offended the Romans very much, who thereupon sent. ambassadors to him, demanding Demetrius to be delivered up. However Philip, who meditated at that time the design which broke out soon after, paid no regard to their demand, and Demetrius spent the remainder of his days with that monarch. He was a valiant and bold man, but at the same time rash and inconsiderate in his enterprises; and his Courage was entirely void of prudence and judgment. с The Achæans, being on the point of engaging in a considerable war, sent to their allies. The Acarnanians joined a A. M. 3784. Ant J. C. 220. Polyb. I. iv. p. 294-306. Polyb. l. iii. p. 171-174. Lib. iv. p. 285-305-330. c Liv. 1. xxi. n. 33. them very cheerfully, though they incurred great danger, as they lay near st the Ætolians, and consequently were most exposed to the inroads of that people. Polybius praises their fidelity exceedingly. The people of Epirus did not show so much good will, and seemed desirous of continuing neuter: nevertheless, they engaged in the war a little after. Deputies were also sent to king Ptolemy, to desire him not to assist the Etolians either with troops or money. The Messenians, for whose sake that war had been first begun, no way answered the hopes which had been naturally entertained of their employing their whole force to carry it on. The Lacedæmonians had declared at first for the Achaans; but the contrary faction caused the decree to be reversed, and they joined the Ætolians. It was on this occasion, as I have said before, that Agesipolis and Lycurgus were elected kings of Sparta. Aratus the younger, son of the great Aratus, was at that time supreme magistrate of the Achæans, as was Scopas of the Etolians. a : Philip marched from Macedonia with fifteen thousand foot and eight hundred horse. Having crossed Thessaly, he arrived in Epirus. Had he marched directly against the Etolians, he would have come upon them unawares, and have defeated them but at the request of the Epirots, he laid siege to Ambracia, which employed him forty days, and gave the enemy time to make preparations, and wait his coming up. They did more: Scopas, at the head of a body of Ætolians, advanced into Macedonia, made dreadful havoc, and returned in a very short time laden with spoils : this action did him prodigious honour, and greatly animated his forces. However, this did not hinder Philip from entering Ætolia, and seizing on a great number of fortresses. He would have entirely conquered it, had not the news he received, that the Dardanians intended to make an inroad into his kingdom, obliged him to return thither. At his departure, he promised the ambassadors of the Achæans to return soon to their assistance. His sudden arrival disconcerted the Dardanians, and put a stop to their enterprise. He then returned to Thessaly, with an intention to pass the rest of the summer in Larissa. In the mean time Dorimachus, whom the Ætolians had just before nominated their general, entered Epirus, laid waste all the open country, and did not spare even the tem ple of Dodona. a Polyb. l. iv. p. 325–330. These were a people bordering on Macedonia, to the north of that kingdom. Philip, though it was now the depth of winter, had left Larissa, and arrived at Corinth, without any one's having had the least notice of his march. He there ordered the elder Aratus to attend him, and by a letter to his son, who commanded the forces this year, gave him orders whither to march them. Caphy was to be the rendezvous. Euripidas, who knew nothing of Philip's arrival, was then marching a detachment of above two thousand natives of Elis, to lay waste the territory of Sicyon. They fell into the hands of Philip, and all except an hundred were either killed or taken prisoners. The king, having joined Aratus the younger with his forces, at the rendezvous appointed, marched towards Psophis a, in order to besiege it. This was a very daring attempt; for the city was thought almost impregnable, as well from its natural situation, as from the fortifications which had been added to it. As it was the depth of winter, the inhabitants were under no apprehension that any one would, or even could, attack them: Philip, however, did it with success; for, first the city, and afterwards the citadel, surrendered, after making some resistance. As they were very far from expecting to be besieged, the want of ammunition and provisions very much facilitated the taking of that city. Philip gave it very generously to the Achæans, to whom it was a most important post, assuring them that there was nothing he desired more than to oblige them; and to give them the strongest proofs of his zeal and affection for their interest. A prince who acts in this manner is truly great, and does honour to the royal dignity. From thence, after possessing himself of some other cities, which he also gave to his allies, he marched to Elis, in order to lay it waste. It was very rich and populous, and the inhabitants of the country were in a flourishing condition, Formerly this territory had been deemed sacred, on account of the Olympic games solemnized there every four years; and all the nations of Greece had agreed not to infest it, or carry their arms into it. But the Eleans had themselves been the occasion of their losing that privilege, because, like other states, they had engaged in the wars of Greece. Here Philip got a very considerable booty, with which he enriched his troops, after which he retired to Olympia. b Among the several courtiers of king Philip, Apelles held the chief rank, and had a considerable influence on the mind of his sovereign, whose governor he had been: but, as too frequently happens on these occasions, he very much abused his power, which he employed wholly in oppressing individuals and states. He had taken it into his head to reduce a & city of Arcadia. Polyb. I. iv. p. 338, 339. the Achæans to the same condition as that in which Thessaly was at that time; that is, to subject them absolutely to the commands of the ministers of Macedonia, by leaving them only the name and a vain shadow of liberty; and to accustom them to the yoke, he caused them to suffer every kind of injurious treatment. Aratus complained of this to Philip, who was highly exasperated upon that account; and accordingly assured him, he would give such orders, that nothing of that kind should happen for the future. Accordingly, he enjoined Apelles never to lay any commands on the Achæans, but in concert with their general. This was behaving with an indolent tenderness towards a minister, who had so shamefully abused his master's confidence, and had therefore deserved to be entirely disgraced. The Achæans, overjoyed at the favour which Philip showed them, and at the orders he had given for their peace and security, were continually bestowing the highest encomiums on that prince, and extolling his exalted qualities. And, indeed, he possessed all those which can endear a king to his people; such as a lively genius, an happy memory, easy elocution, and an unaffected grace in all his actions; a beautiful aspect, heightened by a noble and majestic air, which struck the beholders with awe and respect; a sweetness of temper, affability, and a desire to please universally; to finish the picture, a valour, an intrepidity, and an experience in war, which far exceeded his years: so that one can hardly conceive the strange alteration that afterwards appeared in his morals and behaviour. a Philip having possessed himself of Aliphera, which was a post of great strength, the greatest part of the people of that country, astonished at the rapidity of his conquests, and weary of the Ætolian tyranny, submitted to his arms. Thus he soon made himself master of all Triphylia. At this time, Chilo, the Lacedæmonian, pretending that he had a better right to the crown than Lycurgus, on whose head they had placed it, resolved to dispossess him of it, and to set it on his own. Having engaged in his party about two hundred citizens, he entered the city in a forcible manner, killed the Ephori who were at table together, and marched directly towards Lycurgus's house, intending to kill him; but hearing the tumult, he had made his escape. Chilo then went into the great square of the city, exhorted the citizens to recover their liberty; making them, at the same time, the greatest promises. Seeing, however, that he could make no impression on them, and that he had failed in his attempt, he sentenced himself to banishment, and retired to Achaia. It is surprising to see Sparta, formerly so jealous of its liber a Polyb. 1. iv. p. 339-313. b Idem. p. 343,344. ty, and mistress of all Greece till the battle of Leuctra, now filled with tumults and insurrections, and ignominiously subjected to a kind of tyrants, whose very name formerly she could not endure. Such were the effects of their having vio→ lated Lycurgus's laws; and especially of their introducing gold and silver into Sparta, which drew after them, by insensible degrees, the lust of power, avarice, pride, luxury, effeminacy, immorality, and all those vices which are generally inseparable from riches. Philip, being arrived at Argos, spent the rest of the winter there. Apelles had not yet laid aside the design he meditated of enslaving the Achæans. But Aratus, for whom the king had a very particular regard, and in whom he reposed the highest confidence, was an invincible obstacle to his project. He therefore resolved, if possible, to get rid of him; and for this purpose he sent privately for all those who were his secret enemies, and used his utmost endeavours to gain them the prince's favour. After this, in all his conversations with him, he hinted, that so long as Aratus should enjoy any authority in the republic of the Achæans, he (Philip) would have no power; and would be as much subject to their laws and usages as the meanest of their citizens; whereas, were he to raise to the chief administration of affairs some person who might be entirely dependent on him, he then might act as sovereign, and govern others, instead of being himself governed. The new friends inforced these reflections, and refined on the arguments of Apelles. This idea of despotic power pleased the young king; and indeed it is the strongest temptation that can be laid in the way of princes. Accordingly he went for that purpose to Ægium, where the assembly of the states was held for the election of a new general; and prevailed so far by his promises and menaces, that he got Philoxenus, whose election Aratus had supported and gained, excluded; and obliged them to make choice of Eperatus, who was his direct enemy. Implicitly devoted to the will of his prime minister, he did not perceive that he degraded himself in the most ignominious manner; nothing being more disgusting to free assemblies such as those of Greece, than the least attempt to violate the freedom of elections. A person was thus chosen entirely unworthy of the post, as is commonly the case in all forced elections. Eperatus, having neither merit nor experience, was universally despised. Ås Aratus intermeddled no longer in public affairs, nothing was well done, and all things were hastening to their ruin. Philip, on whom the whole blame fell, became sensible that very pernicious counsels had been given him. Upon Polyb. 1. iv. p. 344-349, |