36.3
Six
commissioners were sent to Africa to procure corn for Greece, the cost to be
borne by Rome; three went to Carthage and three to Numidia. So
determined were the citizens to be in perfect readiness for the war that the
consul published an edict forbidding anyone who was a senator or had the
right of speaking in the senate, or held office as an inferior magistrate, from
leaving Rome for any place from which he could not return in a day. It was
also forbidden for five senators to be absent from the City at any one time.
Whilst C. Livius was doing his utmost to make the fleet ready for sea he was
for some time delayed by a dispute with the citizens of the maritime colonies.
When they were impressed for the fleet they appealed to the tribunes of the
plebs, who referred them to the senate. The senate unanimously decreed that
there was no exemption from service for the colonists. The colonies
concerned were Ostia, Fregenae, Castrum Novum, Pyrgi, Antium, Tarracina,
Minturnae and Sinuessa. The consul Acilius, in compliance with a resolution
of the senate, submitted two questions to the College of Fetials. One was
whether the declaration of war had to be made to Antiochus personally, or
whether it would be sufficient to announce it at one of his frontier garrisons.
The other was whether a separate declaration of war must be made to the
Aetolians and whether in that case the league of amity and alliance must first
be denounced. The Fetials replied that they had already on a previous
occasion, when they were consulted in the case of Philip, decided that it was
a matter of indifference whether the declaration were made personally or in
one of his garrison towns. As to the league of amity, they held that it was
obviously denounced, seeing that after the frequent demands put forward by
our ambassadors the king had neither surrendered the towns nor given any
satisfaction. In the case of the Aetolians, they had actually declared war on
Rome by taking forcible possession of Demetrias, a city belonging to the
allies of Rome, by going to attack Chalcis by land and sea, and by bringing
Antiochus into Europe to levy war on Rome. When all the preparations were
at last completed, Acilius issued an edict for a general muster at Brundisium
by the 15th of May of the Roman soldiers whom L. Quinctius had called up
and those who had been supplied to him by the Latins and allies, who were
under orders to go with him to his province as well as the military tribunes of
the first and third legions. He himself left the City wearing his paludamentum
on the 3rd of that month. The praetors left at the same time for their
respective provinces.
