39.25
When
all had taken their seats -the Roman commissioners appearing as arbitrators,
the Thessalians, Perrhaebians and Athamanians as open accusers, and Philip,
who had to listen to the charges against him, as defendant -the leaders of the
different delegations revealed their characters in the attitude they assumed
towards Philip, whether of sympathy or of more or less violent antagonism.
The dispute turned upon the status of the cities of Philippopolis, Tricca,
Phaloria, Eurymenae, and the other towns in their neighbourhood. Did they
belong of right to the Thessalians, though they had been forcibly seized and
taken possession of by the Aetolians -for it was admitted that it was from
the Aetolians that Philip had wrested them -or had they always been
Aetolian towns? It was argued that Acilius had granted them to the king on
the understanding that they belonged to the Aetolians, and had joined their
League voluntarily, not under the compulsion of arms. A similar question
arose with regard to the towns in Perrhaebia and Magnesia, for the
Aetolians, by seizing all these towns as they had opportunity, had made their
rightful position uncertain. To these matters in dispute were added the
complaints of the Thessalians, who pointed out that if those towns were
restored to them as they were, he would restore them plundered and
deserted. Besides those lost through the accidents of war, he had carried off
500 of their young men to Macedonia, where they were wasting their
energies in servile tasks, and whatever he was compelled to restore to the
Thessalians, he took care to render of no further use. In former times the one
mercantile port which the Thessalians had access to was Phthian Thebes,
from which they derived profit and revenue. The king fitted out a number of
merchant ships there which made their voyages past Thebes to Demetrias,
and so diverted all sea-borne traffic from that port. Now things had come to
such a pass that he did not shrink from doing violence to their envoys, who
were protected by the law of nations; he had waylaid and captured them on
their way to T. Quinctius. The whole of Thessaly was in consequence so
intimidated that no one dared to open his mouth, either in their cities or in
their national council. The Romans, the authors of their liberties, were far
away; an oppressive tyrant was close at their side, making it impossible for
them to enjoy the benefits which the people of Rome had conferred upon
them. What liberty was there, where there was no liberty of speech? Even
now, whilst relying on the protection of the commissioners, they were
uttering groans rather than coherent words. Unless the Romans devised
some means of checking Philip's audacity and relieving the fears of the Greek
neighbours of Macedonia, his defeat and their liberation would be in vain. If
he does not obey, he must, like a stubborn horse, be coerced with a severer
bit. These bitter invectives were from those who spoke last; the former
speakers had softened his resentment by asking him to pardon their speaking
in defence of their liberties. They expressed a hope that he would lay aside
the harshness of a master and reconcile himself to becoming their friend and
ally, and so follow the example of the Romans who prefer to extend their
alliances through affection and not through fear. After the Thessalians, the
Perrhaebians stated their case. They claimed Gonnocondylum, which Philip
had re-named Olympias, as belonging to Perrhaebia, and pleaded for its
restoration. The same request was made with regard to Malloea and
Ericinium. The Athamanians sought to recover their independence and the
fortified posts of Athenaeum and Poetneum.
