34.50
These
sentiments, such as a father might have uttered called forth tears of joy from
all who heard them, and for some time the voice of the speaker was drowned
amidst the expressions of approval and the exhortations which the audience
addressed to each other to let these words sink into their hearts and minds as
though they were the words of an oracle. At last, when silence was restored,
he asked them to find out any Roman citizens who were living as slaves
amongst them and send them within two months' time to him in Thessaly.
They would not, he felt sure, think it right or honourable for their liberators
to be in the position of slaves in the land which they had liberated. They all
exclaimed that among the other things for which they were grateful they
thanked him especially for reminding them of so sacred and imperative a
duty. There was an immense number who had been made prisoners in the
Punic War, and as they were not ransomed by their countrymen Hannibal
sold them as slaves. That they were very numerous is evident from what
Polybius says. He asserts that this undertaking cost the Achaeans 100
talents, as they fixed the price to be paid to the owners at 500 denarii a head.
On this reckoning Achaia must have held 1200 of them; you can estimate
proportionally what was the probable number throughout Greece. The
assembly was still sitting when, on looking round, they saw the troops
coming from Acrocorinthus; they marched straight through to the gate and
left the city. The general followed them amidst universal applause and shouts
of "Saviour and Liberator." Then taking his final leave of them he returned
to Elatia by the same route by which he had come. From there he despatched
Appius Claudius with the whole of his forces, they were to march through
Thessaly and Epirus to Oricum and wait for him there, as he intended to sail
from there with his army to Italy. His brother Lucius, who was in command
of the fleet, received written instructions to collect ships from every part of
the Greek coast.
