35.26
The
tyrant had, as one of the conditions of peace, surrendered his old fleet to the
Romans, but he had collected a small naval force, consisting of three decked
ships with some barques and despatch-boats, to prevent any assistance
reaching the besieged city by sea. In order to test the hardiness of these new
vessels and make everything fit for battle, he made them put out to sea every
day, and the sailors and soldiers were exercised in sham fights, for he
regarded the prospect of a successful siege as dependent upon his
intercepting all relief attempted by sea. Though the chief magistrate of the
Achaeans could vie with the most famous commanders in military skill and
experience he was totally inexperienced in naval matters. He was a native of
Arcadia, an inland country, and knew nothing of the outside world with the
exception of Crete where he had commanded a force of auxiliary troops.
There was an old quadrireme which had been captured eighty years ago
when it was conveying Nicaea, the wife of Craterus, from Naupactus to
Corinth. Attracted by what he had heard of this ship -for it had been in its
day a famous unit of the royal fleet -he ordered it to be brought from
Aegium, though it was now very rotten and its timbers were parting through
age. Whilst this vessel, with Tisus of Patrae, the fleet commander, on board,
was leading the armament it was met by the Lacedaemonian ships which
were coming from Gytheum. At the very first shock against a new and firm
ship the old vessel, which was leaking at every joint, completely broke up
and all on board were made prisoners. The rest of the fleet, after seeing the
commander's vessel lost, fled away as fast as their oars could carry them.
Philopoemen himself escaped in a light scouting boat and did not end his
flight till he had reached Patrae. This incident did not in the least depress the
spirits of a man who was a thorough soldier and had had a very chequered
experience; on the contrary, he declared that if he had made an unfortunate
mistake in naval matters of which he knew nothing he had all the more
reason to hope for success in things with which experience had made him
thoroughly familiar, and he promised that he would make the tyrant's
rejoicing over his victory a short-lived one.
