44.12
For a
moment the enemy wondered what this sudden cheer meant. Then, on
learning that the city lay open, the commandants of the garrison, Pytho and
Philip, thinking that this would be an advantage to whichever side was the
first to attack, made a sortie with a strong body of Agrianes and Illyrians and
charged the Romans who were coming up from all sides and were massing
with the intention of entering the city in regular formation. Unable to present
a firm front or proper line of battle, they were routed and pursued as far as
the fosse, into which they were driven headlong, and lay in heaps. Nearly
600 were killed there, and almost all who were caught between the wall and
the fosse were wounded. His attempt thus recoiling on himself made the
praetor somewhat slow in forming other plans. Eumenes, too, who was
making a combined attack by land and sea, was equally unsuccessful. It was
decided therefore to post strong detachments on both sides of the city to
prevent any succour being introduced from Macedonia, and then, as direct
assault had failed, to commence a regular siege. Whilst they were preparing
for this, ten swift ships belonging to Perseus's fleet were sent up from
Thessalonica with a picked force of Gaulish mercenaries on board. When
they caught sight of the Roman fleet standing out to sea, they waited till the
depth of night, and then sailing in single line they made for the nearest point
on which to disembark, and so entered the city. The news of this addition to
the defence compelled Eumenes and the Romans to raise the siege. Sailing
round the promontory they brought up at Torone. This place, too, they
prepared to attack, but on finding that there was a strong body of defenders
they gave up the attempt and shaped their course to Demetrias. On
approaching the walls they saw that they were fully manned, so they sailed
on to Iolcus, intending after devastating the district to attack Demetrias from
that side.
