42.48
These
preliminary measures carried out, it was agreed that the senate should give
audience to the king's envoys, although war was now definitely resolved
upon. The envoys repeated almost the same arguments which the king had
used in his conference with Marcius. Their answer to the charge of plotting
against the life of Eumenes was the most laboured part of their speech and
the one which made the least impression, for the facts were beyond dispute.
The rest of their speech was apologetic and deprecatory, but their hearers
refused to be either convinced or persuaded. They were warned to leave
Rome at once and Italy within thirty days. The consul, P. Licinius, who was
to command in Macedonia, was warned to fix as early a day as possible for
the assembling of his army. C. Lucretius, who had been put in command of
the fleet, sailed from Rome with only forty quinqueremes, as it was decided
that some of the refitted ships should be kept at the City for different
purposes. He sent his brother Marcus with one quinquereme to take up the
ships which the allies were bound by treaty to furnish and join the main fleet
at Cephallania. One trireme was provided by Rhegium, two by Locri, and
four came from the Sallentines of Uria. Sailing along the coast of Italy and
round the furthest headland of Calabria, he crossed the Ionian Sea to
Dyrrhachium. Here he obtained ten vessels from Dyrrhachium itself, twelve
from Issa and fifty-four light vessels which belonged to Gentius and which
M. Lucretius affected to believe had been got together for the use of the
Romans. Carrying them all off, he reached Corcyra after a three days'
voyage, and then went direct to Cephallania. C. Lucretius sailed from Naples
and reached Cephallania in five days. Here the fleet anchored, waiting till the
land army had crossed and the transports which had fallen out had rejoined.