34.23
After
the Roman commander's speech others were asked to express their views.
The Athenian delegate began by expressing the utmost gratitude for the
services which the Romans had rendered to Greece. He pointed out that they
had given assistance against Philip in answer to most pressing appeals, but
their offer of help against Nabis was purely spontaneous, and he expressed
strong indignation against remarks which some had made who had tried to
belittle these great services and thrown out dark hints about the future when
they ought rather to have expressed their grateful acknowledgments for the
past. It was obvious that this was a hit at the Aetolians, and Alexander, their
foremost citizen, replied with a bitter attack upon the Athenians, who, he
said, had in old days been the first champions of liberty and were now
betraying the common cause and trying to curry favour for themselves. He
then protested against the action of the Achaeans in first fighting under
Philip's banner and then, when his fortunes declined, turning renegades and
after capturing Corinth scheming to get possession of Argos. The Aetolians,
he declared, were the first to oppose Philip, they had always been allies of
Rome, and though it was laid down in the treaty that after Philip was
conquered their cities and territories should be restored, they were
fraudulently kept out of Echinus and Pharsalus. He accused the Romans of
hypocrisy, for after their ostentatious and empty proclamation of liberty to
Greece they were holding Chalcis and Demetrias with their garrisons,
although while Philip hesitated to withdraw his garrisons from those cities
they were always protesting that as long as Demetrias, Chalcis and Corinth
were held by him Greece could never be free. And now they were putting
forward Argos and Nabis as an excuse for keeping their armies in Greece.
Let them carry their armies back to Italy, the Aetolians would guarantee that
Nabis would withdraw his garrison from Argos either voluntarily or for a
consideration, otherwise they would forcibly compel him to submit to the
will of a united Greece.
