36.28
When
they appeared before the consul, Phaeneas, the head of the deputation, made
a long speech, adapted in various ways to mitigate the victor's wrath, and
concluded by saying that the Aetolians committed themselves and all that
they had to the honour and good faith of the people of Rome. When the
consul heard that he said, "Be quite sure that these are the terms on which
you surrender." Phaeneas showed him the decree in which they were
expressly stated. "Since then," he replied, "you do make this complete
surrender, I require you to give up at once Dicaearchus, your fellow-citizen,
and Menestus the Epirote" -he was the man who introduced a body of
troops into Naupactus and drove the citizens into revolt -"and Amynander
and the Athamanian leaders who persuaded you to revolt from us." Phaeneas
hardly allowed the Roman to finish his sentence before he replied: "We have
not surrendered ourselves into slavery, but to your protection and good
faith, and I am quite sure that it is because you do not know us that you lay
upon us commands which are opposed to the usage of the Greeks." To this
the consul retorted: "No, I do not trouble myself much as to what the
Aetolians consider the usage of the Greeks as long as I follow the usage of
the Romans and impose my commands on those who, after being vanquished
by force of arms, have just surrendered by their own formal decree. If, then,
my command is not promptly obeyed, I shall at once order you to be thrown
into irons." He then ordered fetters to be brought and the lictors to close
round Phaeneas. Phaeneas and the other Aetolians were now thoroughly
cowed, they at last realised their position, and he said that he and the
Aetolians with him quite saw that they must carry out the consul's
commands, but it was necessary that a decree to that effect should be made
at a meeting of the national council. In order that this might be done he
asked for a ten days' armistice. Flaccus supported the request, which was
granted, and they returned to Hypata. Here Phaeneas reported to the inner
council -known as the Apokleti -the commands laid upon them and the fate
which had all but overtaken him and his colleagues. The magnates deplored
the situation to which they were reduced, but they decided that their
conqueror must be obeyed and that the Aetolians from every town should be
summoned to a general council.