34.41
The
famous Nemean Games, the most popular of all their festivals, had been
suspended by he Argives owing to the sufferings of the war, but on the
arrival of the Roman commander with his army they manifested their delight
by ordering the Games to be celebrated and making the general himself the
president. There were many circumstances which enhanced their joy -those
of their fellow-citizens whom Pythagoras had lately removed and those
whom Nabis had previously carried off had now been brought back from
Lacedaemon; those who had succeeded in escaping after the discovery of the
plot by Pythagoras and the consequent bloodshed had returned home; once
more after a long interval they had their liberty restored, and they saw with
their own eyes the Romans who were the authors of its restoration and who
for their sake had undertaken the war with the tyrant. Moreover, on the very
day the Nemean Games were exhibited the voice of the herald confirmed by
public proclamation "the liberty of the Argives." The satisfaction which the
Achaeans felt at the restoration of Argos to their league was considerably
impaired by the fact that Lacedaemon was left in servitude to the tyrant, who
remained as a thorn in their side. As for the Aetolians, they were perpetually
harping upon the subject at every meeting of their council. They declared
that the war was not at an end till Philip had evacuated every city in Greece;
Lacedaemon was left to the tyrant, but her rightful king, who was in the
Roman camp, and the noblest of her citizens would have to live in exile;
Rome had made herself the minister to his tyranny. Quinctius led his forces
back to Elatia, which had been his starting-point for the Spartan War. Some
authorities state that the tyrant did not conduct operations by making sorties
from the town, but after fixing his camp face to face with that of the Romans
and waiting for a considerable time in expectation of assistance from the
Aetolians, he was in the end compelled to give battle owing to the Romans
attacking his foragers. In that battle they state that he was defeated and lost
his camp and so was driven to ask for peace, after losing 14,000 in killed and
wounded and more than 4000 who were made prisoners.
