31.25
The
following day the closed gates were suddenly thrown open to admit a body
of troops sent by Attalus and the Romans from the Piraeus. The king now
removed his camp to a distance of about three miles from the city. From
there he marched to Eleusis in the hope of securing by a coup-de-main the
temple of the fort which surrounded it and protected it on all sides. When,
however, he found that the defenders were quite on the alert, and that the
fleet was on its way from the Piraeus to render assistance, he abandoned his
project and marched to Megara, and then straight to Corinth. On learning
that the Council of the Achaeans was sitting at Argos he made his
appearance in the assembly quite unexpectedly. They were at the time
discussing the question of war with Nabis, tyrant of the Lacedaemonians.
When the supreme command was transferred from Philopoemen to
Cycliades. who was by no means his equal as a general, Nabis, finding that
the Achaeans had dismissed their mercenaries, resumed hostilities, and after
devastating his neighbours' fields was now threatening their cities. To
oppose this enemy the council were deliberating as to what proportion of
troops should be furnished by each State. Philip promised to relieve them
from all anxiety so far as Nabis and the Lacedaemonians were concerned; he
would not only protect the soil of his allies from their ravages, but he would
at once roll back all the terror of war upon Laconia itself by marching his
army thither. When these words were greeted with loud applause he went on
to say, "If, however, your interests are to be protected by my arms it is only
fair that my own should not be left undefended. Furnish me then, if you
approve, with such a force as shall suffice to garrison Oreus, Chalcis and
Corinth, so that with all safe in my rear I may make war upon Nabis and the
Lacedaemonians free from misgivings." The Achaeans were not slow to
detect his motive in making such a generous promise and offering aid against
the Lacedaemonians. They saw that his real aim was to draw the fighting
strength of the Achaeans out of the Peloponnese as hostages and so bind the
nation to a war with Rome. Cycliades, seeing that further argument would be
irrelevant, simply observed that the laws of the Achaeans did not allow
discussion on any matters other than those which the council had been
convened to consider. After a decree had been passed for raising an army to
act against Nabis, he dismissed the council over which he had presided with
courage and independence. Before that day he had been looked upon as a
strong supporter of the king. Philip, whose high hopes were thus suddenly
dashed, succeeded in enlisting a few volunteers, after which he returned to
Corinth and from there to Attica.
