42.44
After
their arrival in Chalcis the first magistrates of the different cities, in
accordance with the decrees of their respective councils, denounced the
league with Perseus, to the great gratification of the Romans, and declared
themselves on the side of Rome. Ismenias thought that the right course to
adopt would be for the Boeotian nation as a whole to place itself under the
suzerainty of Rome. This led to a quarrel, and if he had not taken refuge at
the commissioners' tribunal he would have had a narrow escape from being
killed by the exiles and their supporters. Thebes, the capital of Boeotia, was
itself in a state of great excitement, one faction trying to bring the city over
to the king, the other to the Romans. People from Coronea and Haliartus
had flocked in crowds to Thebes to defend the decree for alliance with the
king. But the magistrates were firm, they pointed to the final defeats of
Philip and Antiochus as proving the power and good fortune of the Roman
government, and the citizens were at last convinced. They decreed that the
alliance with the king should be put an end to, and sent those who had
advocated friendship with Perseus to make their peace with the
commissioners, and ordered the citizens to place themselves at the disposal
of the commissioners. Marcius and Atilius were glad to hear this decision of
the Thebans, and advised them and the other cities to send each their own
envoys to renew friendly relations with Rome. They insisted on the
restoration of the exiles as the first thing, and issued a decree condemning
the authors of the alliance with Perseus. Thus, what they wanted most of all,
the dissolution of the Boeotian League, was effected. They then left for the
Peloponnese and sent for Ser. Cornelius to Chalcis. A council was
summoned to meet them at Argos. They only asked the Achaeans to furnish
them with 1000 soldiers. These were sent to garrison Chalcis until the
Roman army landed in Greece. Having thus completed their business in
Greece, Marcius and Atilius returned to Rome at the commencement of
winter.
