37.26
Now
that he had lost all hope of securing Prusias as an ally, Antiochus left Sardis
for Ephesus in order to inspect the fleet which had been fitted out and in
readiness for several months. It was the impossibility of offering an effective
resistance to the Roman army with the two Scipios in command rather than
any naval successes in the past or any well-grounded confidence he felt at
the time which made him interest himself in his fleet. For the moment,
however, there were some things to encourage him. He had learned that a
large part of the Rhodian fleet was at Patara and that Eumenes had gone
with all his ships to the Hellespont to meet the consul. The destruction of the
Rhodian fleet at Samos, as the result of treachery, also did something to
raise his spirits. These considerations led him to send Polyxenidas with his
fleet to try the chances of battle at all hazards, whilst he himself led his
forces to Notium. This place belongs to Colophon and is about two miles
distant from it and overlooks the sea. He wanted to get Colophon itself into
his power, for it was so near Ephesus that he could take no action by sea or
land which was not visible to the people of Colophon who at once informed
the Romans. When once the Romans heard that Notium was besieged he felt
sure that they would bring up their fleet from Samos to help their ally, and
this would give Polyxenidas his opportunity.
Accordingly he commenced the siege of the city in regular form; his
lines were extended equally in two directions down to the sea; on both sides
he carried the agger and the vineae up to the walls and the battering-rams
with their shelters were placed in position. Appalled at these dangers the
people of Colophon sent to L. Aemilius at Samos to implore him for his own
honour and the honour of Rome to come to their assistance. Aemilius was
chafing under his protracted inactivity at Samos, the last thing he was
expecting was that Polyxenidas, after being twice challenged by him in vain,
would give him an opportunity of fighting. He also felt it a humiliation to be
tied and bound to the assistance of besieged Colophon whilst the fleet of
Eumenes was helping the consul to transport his legions to Asia. Eudamus,
who had kept him at Samos, now with all the other officers urged him to go
to Colophon. They pointed out how much more satisfactory it would be to
relieve their friends or inflict a second defeat upon a fleet which had been
worsted once, and so wrest the command of the sea from the enemy, than it
would be if he were to abandon his allies, desert his proper sphere of action
by sailing to the Hellespont and so leave Asia at the mercy of Antiochus both
by sea and land.