ciates are thrust into the treaty, rather to give it countenance, than for any readiness which they disclose to enter thereinto. The Etolians alone, and chiefly Scopas their pretor, with Dorymachus and others, are yet a while the only men, of whom the Roman generals must make much; as the late French king, Henry the Fourth, when he had only the title of Navarre, was said to court the majors of Rochel. Philip was not idle, when he heard whereunto the Etolians tended. He repaired his army, made a counte nance of war upon the Illyrians, and other his borderers, that were wont in times of danger to infest the kingdom of Macedon; wasted the country about Oricum and Apollonia, and overrunning the Pelagonians, Dardanians, and others, whom he held suspected, came down into Thessaly, whence he made show as if he would invade Ætolia. By the fame of this expedition he thought to stir up all the Greeks adjoining against the Ætolians; whom they generally detested as a nest of robbers, troublesome to all the country. To which purpose, and to hinder the Etolians from breaking into Greece, he left Perseus his son and heir, with four thousand men, upon their borders; with the rest of his army, before greater business should overtake and entangle him, he made a long journey into Thrace, against a people called the Medes, that were wont to fall upon Macedon whensoever the king was absent. The Ætolians, hearing of his departure, armed as many as they could against the Acarnanians, in hope to subdue those their daily enemies, and win their little country ere he should be able to return. Hereto it much availed, that the Romans had already taken Eniada and Naxos, Acarnanian towns, conveniently situated to let in an army; and consigned them unto the Ætolians, according to the tenor of the contract lately made with them. But the stout resolution of the Acarnanians to die (as we say) every mother's son of them in defence of their country, together with the great haste of the Macedonian (who laid aside all other business) to succour these his friends, caused the Ætolians to forsake their enterprise. When this expedition was given over, the Ro

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mans and Etolians fell upon Anticyræ, which they took the Romans assailing it by sea, the Ætolians by land. The Ætolians had the town, and the Romans the spoil.

For these good services M. Valerius was chosen consul at Rome, and P. Sulpicius sent in his stead to keep the war on foot in Greece. But besides the Roman help Attalus out of Asia came over to assist the Etolians. He was chiefly moved by his own jealousy of Philip's greatness, though somewhat also tickled with the vanity of being chosen by the Etolians their principal magistrate; which honour, though no better than titulary, he took in very loving part. Against the forces which Attalus and the Romans had sent, being joined with the main power of Ætolia, Philip tried the fortune of two battles, and was victorious in each of them. Hereupon these his troublesome neighbours desired peace of him, and used their best means to get it. But when the day, appointed for the conclusion thereof, was come, their ambassadors, instead of making submission, proposed unto him such intolerable conditions, as ill beseemed vanquished men to offer, and might therefore well testify that their minds were altered. It was not any love of peace, but fear of being besieged in their own towns, that had made them desirous of composition. This fear being taken away by the encouragements of Attalus and the Romans, they were as fierce as ever, and thrust a garrison of their own, and some Roman friends, into Elis, which threatened Achaia, wherein Philip then lay. The Romans, making a cut over the strait from Naupactus, wasted the country in a terrible bravery; wherein Philip requited them, coming upon them in haste from the Nemæan games, (which he was then celebrating,) and sending them faster away, but nothing richer, than they came.

In the heat of this contention, Prusias king of Bithynia, fearing the growth of Attalus, no less than Attalus held suspected the power of Philip, sent a navy into Greece to assist the Macedonian party. The like did the Carthaginians, and upon greater reason; as being more interested in the success of his affairs. Philip was too weak by sea;

and though he could man some two hundred ships, yet the vessels were such as could not hold out against the Roman quinqueremes; wherefore it behoved him to use the help of his good friends the Carthaginians. But their aid came somewhat too late; which might better at first have kept those enemies from fastening upon any part of Greece, than afterwards it could serve to drive them out, when they had pierced into the bowels of that country. Ere Philip could attempt any thing by sea, it was needful that he should correct the Eleans, bad neighbours to the Achaians his principal confederates. But in assailing their town, he was encountered by the Ætolian and Roman garrison, which drave him back with some loss. In such cases, especially where God intends a great conversion of empire, fame is very powerful in working. The king had received no great detriment in his retreat from Elis; rather he had given testimony of his personal valour, in fighting well on foot, when his horse was slain under him. He had also soon after taken a great multitude of the Eleans, to the number of four thousand; with some twenty thousand head of cattle, which they had brought together into a place of safety, as they thought, when their country was invaded. But it had happened, that, in his pursuit of the Roman foragers about Sicyon, his horse, running hastily under a low tree, had torn off one of the horns which (after the fashion of those times) the king wore in his crest. This was gathered up by an Etolian, who carried it home, and shewed it as a token of Philip's death. The horn was well known, and the tale believed. All Macedon therefore was in an uproar; and not only the borderers ready to fall upon the country, but some captains of Philip easily corrupted; who, thinking to make themselves a fortune in that change of things, ran into such treason, as they might better hope to make good than to excuse. Hereupon the king returned home, leaving not three thousand men to assist his friends the Achæans. He also took order to have beacons erected, that might give him notice of the enemy's doings; upon whom he meant shortly to return. The affairs of Macedon his

presence quickly established; but in Greece all went ill-favouredly; especially in the isle of Euboea, where one Plator betrayed to Attalus and the Romans the town of Oreum, ere Philip could arrive to help it; where also the strong city of Chalcis was likely to have been lost, if he had not come the sooner. He made such hasty marches, that he had almost taken Attalus in the city of Opus. This city, lying over against Euboea, Attalus had won, more through the cowardice of the people, than any great force that he had used. Now because the Roman soldiers had defrauded him in the sack of Oreum, and taken all to themselves, it was agreed that Attalus should make his best profit of the Opuntians, without admitting the Romans to be his sharers. But whilst he was busy in drawing as much money as he could out of the citizens, the sudden tidings of Philip's arrival made him leave all behind him, and run away to the sea-side, where he got aboard his ships; finding the Romans gone before upon the like fear. Either the indignity of this misadventure, or tidings of Prusias the Bithynian's invasion upon the kingdom of Pergamus, made Attalus return home, without staying to take leave of his friends. So Philip recovered Opus, won Torone, Tritonos, Drymus, and many small towns in those parts; performing likewise some actions, of more bravery than importance, against the Etolians. In the mean season Machanidas, the tyrant of Lacedæmon, had been busy in Peloponnesus, but hearing of Philip's arrival, was returned home.

The Lacedæmonians, hearing certain report of Cleomenes's death in Egypt, went about to choose two new kings, and to conform themselves to their old manner of government. But their estate was so far out of tune, that their hope of redressing things within the city proved no less unfortunate, than had been their attempts of recovering a large dominion abroad. Lycurgus, a tyrant, rose up among them; unto whom succeeded this Machanidas, and shortly after came Nabis, that was worse than both of them. They held on the Ætolian and Roman side for fear of the Achæans, that were the chief confederates of Philip, and

hated extremely the name both of tyrant and of Lacedæmonian. But of these we shall speak more hereafter.

The

Philip entering into Achaia, and seeing his presence had brought the contentment of assurance to that country, spake brave words to the assembly of their states, saying, that he had to do with an enemy that was very nimble, and made war by running away. He told how he had followed them to Chalcis, to Oreum, to Opus, and now into Achaia; but could no where find them, such haste they made, for fear of being overtaken. But flight, he said, was not always prosperous; he should one day light upon them, as ere this he sundry times had done, and still to their loss. The Achaians were glad to hear these words, and much the more glad, in regard of his good deeds accompanying them. For he restored unto their nation some towns that were in his hand, belonging to them of old. Likewise to the Megalopolitans, their confederates, he rendered Aliphera. Dymæans, that had been taken by the Romans, and sold for slaves, he sought out, ransomed, and put in quiet possession of their own city. Further, passing over the Corinthian gulf, he fell upon the Etolians, whom he drave into the mountains and woods, or other their strongest holds, and wasted their country. This done, he took leave of the Achæans, and returning home by sea, visited the people that were his subjects or dependants, and animated them so well, that they rested fearless of any threatening danger. Then had he leisure to make war upon the Dardanians, ill neighbours to Macedon, with whom nevertheless he was not so far occupied, but that he could go in hand with preparing a fleet of an hundred galleys, whereby to make himself master of the sea; the Romans (since the departure of Attalus) having not dared to meet or pursue him, when he lately ran along the coast of Greece fast by them where they lay.

This good success added much reputation to the Macedonian, and emboldened him to make strong war upon the Etolians at their own doors. As for the Romans, either some displeasure conceived against their confederates, or some fear of danger at home, when Asdrubal was ready to