33.39
Very
shortly after this L. Cornelius, who had been sent by the senate to settle the
differences between Antiochus and Ptolemy, made a halt at Selymbria, and
three of the ten commissioners went to Lysimachia: P. Lentulus from
Bargyliae, P. Villius and L. Terentius from Thasos. They were joined there
by L. Cornelius from Selymbria, and a few days later by Antiochus, who
returned from Thrace. The first meeting with the commissioners and the
invitation which Antiochus gave them were kindly and hospitable, but when
it came to discussing their instructions and the position of affairs in Asia a
good deal of temper was shown on both sides. The Romans told Antiochus
plainly that everything he had done since his fleet set sail from Syria met with
the disapproval of the senate and they considered it right that all the cities
which had been subject to Ptolemy should be restored to him. With regard to
those cities which had formed part of Philip's possessions and which while he
was preoccupied with the war against Rome Antiochus had seized the
opportunity of appropriating himself, it was simply intolerable that after the
Romans had sustained such risks and hardships by sea and land for all those
years Antiochus should carry off the prizes of war. Granting that it was
possible for the Romans to take no notice of his appearance in Asia as being
no concern of theirs, what about his entrance into Europe with the whole of
his army and navy? What difference was there between that and an open
declaration of war against Rome? Even if he had landed in Italy he would say
that he did not mean war, but the Romans were not going to wait until he
was in a position to do that.