33.3
After his
envoys had returned from their fruitless mission to Rome, Philip decided to
raise troops in every town in his kingdom. Owing to the perpetual wars
which had for so many generations drained the manhood of Macedonia there
was a serious lack of men of military age, and under Philip's own rule vast
numbers had perished in the naval battles against the Rhodians and Attalus
and in the campaigns against the Romans. Under these circumstances he
even enrolled youths of sixteen and recalled to the colours men who had
served their time, provided they had any stamina left. After his army was
brought up to its proper strength he concentrated the whole of his forces at
Dium and formed a standing camp there in which he drilled and exercised his
soldiers day by day whilst waiting for the enemy. During this time Quinctius
left Elatia and marched by way of Thronium and Scarphea to Thermopylae.
The Aetolian Council had been summoned to meet at Heraclea to decide the
strength of the contingent which was to follow the Roman general to war,
and he waited at Thermopylae for a couple of days to learn the result. When
he had been informed of their decision he started, and marching past Xyniae
fixed his camp where the frontiers of Acarnania and Thessaly meet. Here he
waited for the Aetolian contingent, who came up without any loss of time
under the command of Phaeneas. They numbered 600 infantry and 400
cavalry. To remove any doubt as to why he had waited he resumed his march
as soon as they arrived. On his advance through Phthiotis he was joined by
500 Cretans from Gortynium and 300 Apollonians, armed like the Cretans,
and not long after by Amynander with 1200 Athamanian infantry. As soon as
Philip ascertained that the Romans had started from Elatia he realised that a
struggle lay before him which would decide the fate of his kingdom, and he
thought it well to address words of encouragement to his soldiers. After
repeating the familiar phrases about the virtues of their ancestors and the
military reputation of the Macedonians, he dwelt more especially on the
considerations which tended to depress their courage and then on those from
which they ought to derive consolation and hope.
