Antiochus received no greater satisfaction from the Boeotians, who answered that they would consider on what was to be done, when that prince should come into Baotia.

In the mean time, Antiochus made a new attempt, and advanced to Chalcis with a much greater body of troops than before. The faction opposed to the Romans, prevailed, and the city opened its gates to him. The rest of the cities soon following their example, he made himself master of all Eubora. He fancied he had made a great acquisition, in having reduced so considerable an island in his first campaign. But can that be called a conquest where there are no enemies to make opposition?

But great preparations were making against that prince. The Romans, after consulting the will of the gods, by omens and auspices, proclaimed war against Antiochus and his adherents. Processions were appointed during two days, to implore the aid and protection of the gods. They made a vow to solemnize the great games for ten days, in case they should be successful in the war, and to make offerings in all the temples of the gods.* What a reproach would so religious, though blind a paganism, reflect on Christian generals, who should be ashamed of piety and religion!

At the same time, they neglected no human means for their success. The senators and inferior magistrates were forbidden to remove to any distance from Rome, from which they could not return the same day; and five senators were not allowed to be absent from it at the same time. The love of their country took place of every thing. Acilius, the consul, to whom Greece had fallen by lot, ordered his troops to rendezvous at Brundusium, on the fifteenth of May; and set out from Rome himself some days before.

About the same time, ambassadors from Ptolemy, Philip, the Carthaginians, and Massinissa, arrived there, to offer the Romans money, corn, men, and ships. The senate said, that the people of Rome thanked them, but would accept of nothing except the corn, and that, upon condition of paying for it. They only desired Philip to assist the consul.

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In the mean time, Antiochus, after having solicited many cities, either by his envoys or in person, to enter into an alliance with him, went to Demetrias, and there held a council of war with the chief commanders of his army, on the operations of the campaign that was about to be opened. Hannibal, who was now restored to favour, was present at it, and his opinion was first asked. He began, by insisting on the necessity there was to use the utmost endeavours to engage Philip in the interest of Antiochus; which, he said, was so important a step, that if he succeeded, they might assure themselves of the success of the war. "And indeed," said he, as Philip sustained so long the whole weight of the Roman power, what may not be expected from a war, in which the two greatest kings of Europe and Asia will unite their forces; especially, as the Romans will be opposed in it by those who gave them the superiority before; I mean the Etolians and Athamanians, to whom, as is well known, they were indebted for victory? Now, who can doubt that Philip may easily be brought over from the Roman interest, if what Thoas so often repeated to the king, in order to induce him to cross into Greece, be true, that this prince, highly incensed to see himself reduced to a shameful servitude under the name of peace, waited only an opportunity to declare himself? And, could he ever hope for one more favourable than that which now offers itself?" If Philip should refuse to join Antiochus, Hannibal advised him to send his son Seleucus at the head of the army he had in Thrace, to lay waste the frontiers of Macedonia, and by that means, to render Philip incapable of assisting the Romans.

He insisted on a still more important point, and asserted, as he had always done, that it would be impossible to reduce the Romans, except in Italy; which

A. M. 3813. Ant. J. C. 191. Liv. 1. xvi. n. 1-15. Appian in Syr. p. 93–96.

had been his reason for always advising Antiochus to begin the war there. That since another course had been taken, and the king was at that time in Greece; it was his opinion, in the present state of affairs, that the king should send immediately for all his troops out of Asia; and not rely on the Atolians, or his other allies of Greece, who might possibly fail him on a sudden. That the instant those forces should arrive, it was proper to march toward those coasts of Greece, opposite to Italy, and order his fleet also to sail thither. That he should employ half of it to alarm and ravage the coasts of Italy, and keep the other half in some neighbouring harbour, as if on the point of crossing into Italy; and actually to do so, in case a favourable opportunity should present itself. By this means, said he, the Romans will be kept at home, from the necessity of defending their own coasts; and, at the same time, it will be the best method for carrying the war into Italy, the only place, in his opinion, where the Romans could be conquered. "These," concluded Hannibal, "are my thoughts; and if I am not so well qualified for presiding in another war, I ought at least to have learned, by my good and ill successes, how to act in the field against the Romans. My zeal and fidelity may be depended on. As to the rest, I beseech the gods to prosper all your undertakings, whatever they may be."

The council could not then but approve of what Hannibal had said, and indeed, it was the only good advice that could be given Antiochus in the present posture of his affairs. He, however, complied only with the article which related to the troops of Asia, immediately sending orders to Polyxenides, his admiral, to bring them over into Greece. With regard to all the rest of Hannibal's plan, his courtiers and flatterers diverted him from putting it in execution, by assuring him, that he could not fail of being victorious. They observed farther, that should he follow Hannibal's plan, all the honour would be ascribed to Hannibal, because he had formed it; that the king ought to have all the glory of the war, and for that reason, it was necessary for him to draw up a different plan, without regarding that of the Carthaginian. In this manner are the best councils lost, and the most powerful empires ruined.

The king, having joined the troops of the allies to his own, took several cities of Thessaly; he was, however, obliged to raise the siege of Larissa, Bebius, the Roman prætor having sent it a speedy aid, after which he retired to Demetrias.

From thence he went to Chalcis, where he fell distractedly in love with the daughter of the man at whose house he lodged. Though he was upwards of fifty, he was so passionately fond of that girl, who was not twenty, that he resolved to marry her. Forgetting the two enterprises he had formed, the war against the Romans, and the deliverance of Greece, he spent the rest of the winter in feasts and diversions on the occasion of his nuptials. This taste for pleasure soon communicated itself from the king to the whole court, and occasioned a general neglect of military discipline.

He did not wake out of the lethargy into which this effeminate life had thrown him, till news was brought that Acilius the consul was advancing toward him in Thessaly with the utmost diligence. The king immediately set out; and finding at the place appointed for the rendezvous but a very small number of the confederate troops, whose officers told him, that it was impossible for them, though they had used their utmost endeavours, to bring more forces into the field, the king then found, but too late, how much he had been imposed upon by the great promises of Thoas; and the truth of Hannibal's words, that it would not be safe for him to rely on the troops of such allies. All he could do at that time was, to seize the pass of Thermopyla, and send to the Etolians for a reinforcement. Either the inclemency of the weather, or contrary winds, had prevented the arrival of the Asiatic forces, which Po lyxenides was bringing, and the king had only those troops he had brought the year before, which scarcely exceeded ten thousand men.

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Antiochus imagined he had provided sufficiently for his security against the Romans, who were advancing against him, by having seized the pass of Thermopyla, and strengthening the natural fortifications with intrenchments and walls. The consul came forward, determined to attack him. Most of his officers and soldiers had been employed in the war against Philip. These he animated, by reminding them of the famous victory they had gained over that king, who was a much braver prince, and infinitely more practised in military affairs than Antiochus, who being recently married, and enervated by pleasures and voluptuousness, vainly fancied that war was to be carried on in the same manner as nuptials are solemnized. Acilius had despatched Cato, his lieutenant, with a large detachment, in quest of some by-path that led to the hill above the enemy. Cato, after inexpressible fatigues, went over the mountains, through the same path where Xerxes and Brennus afterwards, opened themselves a passage; when falling suddenly on some soldiers, whom he met there, he soon put them to flight. Immediately, he ordered the trumpets to sound, and advanced at the head of his detachment, sword in hand, and with loud shouts. A body of six hundred Etolians, who guarded some of the eminences, seeing him come down the mountains, fled, and retired toward their army, where they spread universal terror. At the same instant the consul attacked the intrenchments of Antiochus with all his troops, and forced them. The king, having his teeth shattered by a stone, suffered such excessive pain, that he was forced to leave the field. After his retreat, no part of his army dared to stand their ground, or wait the coming up of the Romans. They were now universally routed in a place where there was scarcely an outlet to escape through; for, on one side they were stopped by deep fens, and on the other by craggy rocks, so that there was no getting off either on the right or left. The soldiers, however, crowding and pushing forward, to avoid the enemy's swords, threw one another into the morasses and down the precipices, in which manner a great number of them perished.*

After the battle was over, the consul embraced Cato a long time in his arms, who was still heated and out of breath; and cried out aloud in the transports of his joy, that neither himself nor the Romans could ever reward his services as they deserved. Cato, who was now lieutenant-general under Acilius, had been consul, and had commanded the armies in Spain: but he did not think that the accepting of a subaltern employment for the service of his country, was any disgrace to him; and this was a frequent practice among the Romans. In the mean time, the victorious army continued the pursuit, and cut to pieces all the forces of Antiochus, five hundred excepted, with whom he escaped to Chalcis.

Acilius sent Cato to Rome with the news of this victory, and related in his letters, how greatly his lieutenant had contributed to it. It is noble in a general, to do justice in this manner to virtue, and not to harbour any thing so mean as jealousy of another's merit. The arrival of Cato at Rome, filled the citizens with a joy so much the greater, as they had very much doubted the success of the war against so powerful and renowned a prince. Orders were thereupon given for public prayers and sacrifices to be offered up to the gods, by way of thanksgiving, for three days together.

The reader has doubtless often admired, to see the heathens so very careful in beginning and ending all their wars with solemn acts of religion; endeavouring, in the first place, by vows and sacrifices, to acquire the favour of those whom they honoured as gods; and afterwards, returning them public and solemn thanks for the success of their arms. This was a double testimony they paid to an important and capital truth, the tradition of which, of the same antiquity with the world, has been preserved by all nations, that there is a Supreme Being, and a Providence who presides over all human events.

* Liv. l. xxxv. n. 16-21. Plut. iu Caton. p. 343, 344. Appian. in Syr. p. 96–98.

The victory gained over Antiochus was followed by the surrender of all the cities and fortresses which that prince had taken, and especially of Chalcis and of all Euboea. The consul, after his victory, discovered such a moderation in every thing, as reflected greater honour on him than the victory itself.*

Though the Etolians, by their injurious and insolent conduct, had rendered themselves unworthy of the least regard, Acilius endeavoured to bring them over by gentle methods. He represented, that experience ought to teach them, how little they could depend on Antiochus: that it was not too late for them to have recourse to the clemency of the Romans: that to give an unexceptionable proof of the sincerity of their repentance, they should surrender to him Heraclea, their capital city. These remonstrances being all to no purpose, he saw plainly that he should be obliged to employ force, and accordingly he besieged that place with all his troops. Heraclea was a very strong city, of great extent, and able to make a long and vigorous defence. The consul having employed the balistas, catapultas, and all the other machines of war, attacked the city in four places at the same time. The besieged defended themselves with inexpressible courage, or rather fury. They immediately repaired such parts of the wall as were beat down. In their frequent sallies, they charged with an almost irresistible impetuosity, for they fought in the deepest despair. They burned in an instant the greatest part of the machines employed against them. The attack was continued in this manner for twenty-four days, without the least intermission either day or night.t

It was evident, that as the garrison was far inferior in numbers to the Roman army, it must necessarily be greatly weakened by such violent and uninterrupted assaults. The consul now formed a new plan. He discontinued the attack at twelve every night, and did not renew it till about nine the next morning. The Etolians not doubting that this proceeded from the over fatigue of the besiegers, and persuaded that they were as much exhausted as themselves, took advantage of the repose allowed them, and retired at the same time with the Romans. They continued this practice for some time; but the consul having drawn off his troops at midnight as usual, at three that morning he assaulted the city in three places only; placing, at a fourth, a body of troops, who were commanded not to move till a signal should be given. Such Etolians as were asleep, being very drowsy and heavy from fatigue, were waked with the utmost difficulty; and those who rose from their slumbers, ran confusedly wherever the noise called them. At daybreak, the signal being given by the consul, the assault was made in that part of the city which had not yet been attacked; and from whence the besieged, on that account, had drawn off their people. The city was taken in an instant, and the Etolians fled with the utmost precipitation into the citadel. The general suffered the city to be plundered, not so much from a spirit of hatred and revenge, as to reward the soldiers, who, till now, had not been allowed to plunder any of the cities they had taken. As the citadel was in want of provisions, it could not nold out long, and accordingly, at the first assault, the garrison surrendered. Among the prisoners was Damocritus, a person of the greatest distinction among the Etolians, who, in the beginning of the war, had answered Quintius, "that he would bring him the decree to Italy, by which he had just before called in Antiochus."

At the same time Philip was besieging Lamiat, which was but seven miles from Heraclea. It did not hold out long after the latter was taken.

Some days before this, the Etolians had deputed ambassadors, with Thoas at their head, to Antiochus. The king promised them a speedy succour; gave them immediately a considerable sum of money, and kept Thoas, who staid very willingly with him, to hasten the execution of his promises.

* Multo modestior post victoriam, quam ipso victoria, laudabilior.-Liv.

Liv. 1. xxxvi. n. 22-26.

Both Lamia and Heraclea were in Phthistis.

But

The Etolians, who were exceedingly discouraged by the taking of Heraclea, considered how they might best put an end to a war, which had already been attended with very unhappy effects, and might have much worse. the populace not approving the conditions of peace which were prescribed, the negotiation came to nothing.*

In the mean time, the consul laid siege to Naupactus, in which the Ætolians had shut themselves up with all their forces. The siege had already been carried on two months, when Quintius, who during this time had been employed 1 in Greece in other matters, came thither and joined the consul. The destction of that city would involve almost all the people in the same fate. The atment which Quintius had met with from the Etolians, had given him the eatest reason to be dissatisfied with them. He however, was moved to comsson, when he saw them on the brink of destruction; and therefore adaed so near the walls, as to be known by the besieged. The city was ced to the last extremities. A rumour being spread that Quintius was roaching, immediately the citizens ran from all quarters to the walls. se unfortunate people stretching forth their hands toward Quintius, and ng him by his name, all burst into tears, and implored his assistance with most mournful cries. Quintius, moved by their condition, even to shedg tears, expressed, by his gesture, that he could do nothing for them, and urned to the consul. In their conversation he represented, that as he had rcome Antiochus, it was but lost time to continue the siege of those two es, and that the year of his command was near expiring. Acilius agreed h him; but being ashamed to raise the siege, he left Quintius at liberty to as he pleased. The latter advancing near the walls a second time, the burnful cries were again heard, and the citizens besought him to take comssion on them. Quintius, by a sign with his hand, directed them to send deties to him; when Phineas and the principal citizens immediately came out, d threw themselves at his feet. Seeing them in that humble posture, "Your damity," said he, "banishes from my mind all thoughts of resentment and venge. You now find that all things have happened as I foretold you they ould; and you have not the consolation of being able to say, that none of ese misfortunes were owing to yourselves. But destined as I am, by Providence to preserve Greece, your ingratitude shall not cancel my inclination to do good. Depute, therefore, some persons to the consul, and beg a truce for as much time as may suffice for sending ambassadors to Rome, in order > make your submissions to the senate. I will be your mediator and advoe with the consul." They followed the advice of Quintius in every thing. Ine consul granted them a truce, broke up the siege, and marched back his army to Phocis.

King Philip sent ambassadors to Rome, to congratulate the Romans on the happy success of this campaign, and to offer presents and sacrifices to the gods in the capitol. They were received there with the highest marks of distinction; and the Romans gave up to them Demetrius, the son of Philip, who had been a hostage in their city. Thus ended the war which the Ro mans carried on against Antiochus in Greece.

SECTION VII.-POLYXENIDES DEFEATED BY LIVIUS. L. SCIPIO CARRIES ON THE WAR AGAINST ANTIOCHUS, AND DEFEATS HIM NEAR MAGNESIA. WHILE the affairs I have just related were passing in Greece, Antiochus lived easy and undisturbed at Ephesus; relying on the assurances of his flatterers and courtiers, that he had no reason to be under any apprehensions from the Romans, who, they declared, did not intend to cross into Asia. Hannibal was the only person capable of rousing him from this lethargy. He told the king plainly, that instead of entertaining vain hopes, and suffering

Liv. 1. xxxvi. n. 27-35.