45.7
Paulus
regarded the capture of the king as a second victory, as it really was, and on
receiving the news offered sacrifices. He then called his council together and
read the praetor's despatch to them. Q. Aelius Tubero was sent to meet the
king, the rest were ordered to remain together at the headquarters tent.
Never has so great a crowd been brought together at any other sight. In the
time of our fathers Syphax was brought as a captive monarch into the
Roman camp. But he is not to be compared with Perseus in respect either of
his own renown or that of his nation, and besides, he had only played a
subordinate part in the Punic War, as Gentius had done in the Macedonian.
Whereas Perseus was the head and supreme director of the war; and not only
were all eyes drawn to him through his own reputation and that of his father
and grandfather and others to whom he was allied by blood relationship, but
he was heir to the glory of Philip and Alexander the Great, who raised the
Macedonian Empire to a supreme position in the world. Perseus entered the
camp in mourning garb without a single attendant to make him more pitiable
by sharing his misfortunes. His only companion was his son. Owing to the
crowd who surrounded him he was unable to make any progress until the
consul sent his lictors to clear a passage for him to the headquarters tent.
After asking the rest to keep their seats the consul went forward a few steps
and held out his hand to the king as he entered, and when he was going to
prostrate himself he raised him to his feet and would not allow him to
embrace his knees as a suppliant. Once inside the tent, he bade him take his
seat facing the members of the council.
