42.61
The
spoils taken from the fallen were brought to the king. These he gave to his
soldiers; to some splendid armour, to others horses, and to some prisoners.
There were over 1500 shields, the cuirasses and coats of mail numbered
more than 1000, the helmets, swords, and missiles of all kinds were much
more numerous. The value of these gifts, ample and welcome as they were,
was enhanced by the speech which the king made to his army. "You have
pronounced," he said, "upon the issue of the war. The best part of the
Roman army, their cavalry, who used to boast that they were invincible, have
been routed by you. Their cavalry are the flower of their youth, the nursery
of their senate, the men whose fathers are chosen as consuls, from whom
their commanders are selected; these are the men whose spoils we have now
distributed amongst you. And no less a victory have you won over their
infantry, those legions who, withdrawn from your reach in a nocturnal flight,
filled the river with confusion and disorder like shipwrecked men swimming
for their lives. The passage of the Peneus will be easier for us, the pursuers,
than it was for them in their haste to get away, and as soon as we have
crossed we shall attack their camp, which we should have taken today if they
had not fled. Or if they are willing to fight in the open field, look for the
same result in an infantry battle which you have seen in the cavalry action."
Those who had taken part in the victory and were carrying the enemy's spoils
on their shoulders listened eagerly to the recital of their exploits and formed
their hopes of the future from what had already happened. The infantry, too,
especially the men of the phalanx, were fired by the glory which their
comrades had won, and looked forward to the opportunity of doing their
king signal service and winning equal glory from their vanquished foe. The
soldiers were dismissed, and the next day he marched away and fixed his
camp at Mopselus. This is a hill situated at the entrance of the Vale of
Tempe and commands a wide view of the plain of Larisa.