44.31
One
after another the cities in that part of the country took the same course; their
natural inclinations were strengthened by the clemency and justice with
which the Roman praetor treated them all. He marched on to Scodra, the
most important place in the war. Gentius had selected it as the stronghold, so
to speak, of his kingdom, and it was by far the most strongly fortified and
most difficult of access of any place in the country of the Libeates. It is
surrounded by two rivers, the Clausal on the eastern side and the Barbanna,
which rises in the Libeatus Lake, on the west. These two rivers meet and
flow into the Oriundis, which rises in Mount Scordus and, augmented by
many tributaries in its course, empties itself into the Hadriatic. Mount
Scordus is quite the loftiest mountain in the country, and overlooks Dardania
on the east, Macedonia on the south, and Illyria on the west. Although the
town was protected by its situation and defended by the whole strength of
Illyria under the king himself, the Roman praetor determined to attack it. His
first operations had been successful, and he believed that the same good
fortune would carry him through, and that the alarm created by his sudden
appearance would have its effect. Had the gates been kept shut and the
defenders stationed on the walls and towers, the attempt would have failed
and the Romans would have been driven away from the walls. As it was,
however, they made a sortie from the gate, and they began a battle on open
ground with more courage than they kept it up. They were driven back, and
more than 200 men were killed as they squeezed together in their flight
through the confined space of the gate. This created such a panic that
Gentius at once sent two of the foremost men in the country, Teuticus and
Bellus, to the praetor to ask for a cessation of hostilities, to allow him time
to consider his position. He was allowed three days -the Roman camp was
only five miles away -and went on board ship and sailed up the Barbanna to
Lake Libeatus as though in quest of a retired spot for reflection but, as it
turned out, he had been misled by a false report that his brother Caravantius
was approaching with several thousand men, whom he had raised in the
country to which he had been sent. After the rumour proved groundless he
went down in the same ship to Scodra, and sent to ask for permission to
interview the praetor. His request was granted and he went to the camp. He
began his speech by blaming his own folly, and then, falling on his knees,
amidst tears and supplications he placed himself entirely in the hands of the
praetor. He was told to be of good courage, and even received an invitation
to supper. He went back to the city to see his friends, and was for that day
treated with all honour at the praetor's table. The next thing was his being
handed over to the custody of C. Cassius, one of the military tribunes, after
having, himself a king, received from a king a paltry ten talents -hardly as
much as a gladiator earns -in order that he might sink into this condition.
