33.40
In his
reply Antiochus expressed his surprise that the Romans should go so
carefully into the question as to what Antiochus ought to do, whilst they
never stopped to consider what limits were to be set to their own advance by
land and sea. Asia was no concern of the senate, and they had no more right
to ask what Antiochus was doing in Asia than he had to ask what the Roman
people were doing in Italy. As for Ptolemy and their complaint that he had
appropriated his cities, he and Ptolemy were on perfectly friendly terms and
arrangements were being made for them to be connected by marriage
shortly. He had not sought to take advantage of Philip's misfortunes nor had
he come into Europe with any hostile intent against the Romans. After the
defeat of Lysimachus all that belonged to him passed by the right of war to
Seleucus, and therefore he counted it part of his dominion. Ptolemy, and
after him Philip, alienated some of these places at a time when his
(Antiochus') ancestors were devoting their care and attention to other
matters. Could there be a shadow of doubt that the Chersonese and that part
of Thrace which lies round Lysimachia once belonged to Lysimachus? To
recover the ancient right over these was the object of his coming and also to
rebuild from its foundations the city of Lysimachia, which had been
destroyed by the Thracians, in order that his son Seleucus might have it as
the seat of empire.
