42.39
On
this Perseus left Dium and went back into Macedonia, cheered by a faint
breath of hope because he had heard that Marcius had said it was for his
sake that he had undertaken the mission. They met at the appointed place.
The king was attended by a large suite consisting of his personal friends and
his bodyguard, and the Romans appeared with quite as numerous an escort,
many accompanying them from Larisa, as well as the delegations from the
various cities who wanted to take trustworthy reports of what they heard.
Men were naturally anxious to witness the meeting of a famous monarch
with the representatives of the foremost people in the whole world. When
they stood to view with only the river between them, there was a slight delay
while it was being settled which party should cross the river. The one party
thought that precedence ought to be given to royalty, the other considered
that something was due to the great name of Rome, especially as it was
Perseus who had sought the interview. While they were hesitating Marcius
quickened their movements by a jest: "Let the younger come to the elder
and" -his own cognomen was "Philippus" -"the son to the father." The king
fell in with this at once. Then a fresh difficulty arose as to the number that
should accompany him. The king thought that he ought to cross with the
whole of his suite, but the Romans said he must cross with three attendants,
or if all that number did cross he must give securities against any treachery
during the conference. He gave as hostages Hippias and Pantauchus, chief
among his friends whom he had formerly sent as envoys. The hostages were
not so much needed to guarantee the king's good faith as to make the allies
see that the king was by no means meeting the Romans on equal teems. They
greeted one another not as foes but in a friendly and genial tone, and then sat
down on the seats placed for them.
