33.31
Almost all the States of Greece
welcomed peace on these terms. The Aetolians formed a solitary exception.
They did not venture upon open opposition, but they criticised the
commissioners' decision bitterly in private. It was, they said, a mere form of
words vaguely suggesting the delusive image of pretended liberty. Why, they
asked, were some cities to be given to the Romans without being named, and
others which were named to retain their freedom, unless it was thought that
the cities in Asia might be safely left free because of their remoteness, whilst
those in Greece which are not even named might be appropriated, viz.
Corinth, Chalcis, Oreus, together with Eretria and Demetrias? Nor was this
charge altogether groundless, for there was much hesitation as to three of
those cities. In the decree of the senate which the commissioners had
brought with them the rest of the cities in Greece and Asia were
unequivocally declared free, but in the case of Corinth, Chalcis and
Demetrias the commissioners were instructed to do and determine as the
interests of the commonwealth and the circumstances of the time and their
own sense of duty required. It was Antiochus they had in their minds; they
were convinced that as soon as he deemed his strength adequate he would
invade Europe, and they did not intend to leave it open to him to occupy
cities which would form such favourable bases of operations. Quinctius
proceeded with the ten commissioners to Anticyra, and from there sailed
across to Corinth. Here the commissioners discussed for days the measures
for securing the freedom of Greece. Again and again Quinctius urged that
the whole of Greece must be declared free if they wanted to stop the tongues
of the Achaeans and inspire all with a true affection for Rome and an
appreciation of her greatness -if, in fact, they desired to convince the Greeks
that they had crossed the seas with the sole purpose of winning their
freedom and not of transferring Philip's dominion over them to themselves.
The commissioners took no exception to his insistence on making the cities
free, but they argued that it would be safer for the cities themselves to
remain for a time under the protection of Roman garrisons rather than have
to accept Antiochus as their master in the place of Philip. At last they came
to a decision; the city of Corinth was to be restored to the Achaeans, but a
garrison was to be placed in Acrocorinthus, and Chalcis and Demetrias were
to be retained until the menace of Antiochus was removed.
