Notwithstanding these remonstrances of the ancient senators, who could not relish these new maxims of policy, that part of the senate which preferred the useful to the honourable, were much the majority upon. this occasion, and the conduct of the two commissioners was approved. Marcius was sent again with some gallies into Greece, to regulate affairs, as he should think most consistent with the service of the public; and Atilius into Thessaly, to take possession of Larissa, lest, upon the expiration of the truce, Perseus should make himself master of that important place, the capital of the country. Lentulus was also sent to Thebes, to have an eye upon Beotia.

Though the war with Perseus was resolved at Rome, the senate gave audience to his ambassadors. They repeated the same things. which had been said in the interview with Marcius; and, endeavoured to justify their master, principally upon the attempt he was accused of having made on the person of Eumenes. They were heard with little or no attention; and the senate ordered them, and all the Macedonians at Rome, to quit the city immediately, and Italy in thirty days. The consul Licinius, who was to command in Macedonia, had orders to march, as soon as possible, with his army. The pretor Lucretius, who had the command of the fleet, set out with forty five gallies from Cephalonia, and arrived, in five days, at Naples, where he was to wait for the land forces.

SECTION II.

LICINIUS AND PERSEUS TAKE THE FIELD. THE LATTER HAS AT FIRST CONSIDERABLY THE ADVANTAGE.

THE Consul Licinius, after having offered his vows to the gods in the capitol, set out from Rome, covered with a coat of arms, according to the custom. The departure of the consuls, says Livy, was always attended with great solemnity, and an incredible concourse of the people, especially upon an important war, and against a powerful enemy.. Besides the interest every particular might have in the glory of the consul, the citizens were induced to throng about him, out of a curiosity to see the general, to whose prudence and valor the fate of the republic was confided. A thousand anxious thoughts presented themselves, at that time, to their minds, upon the events of the war, which are always precarious and uncertain. They remembered the defeats which had happened through the bad conduct and temerity, and the victories for which they were indebted to the wisdom and courage of their generals. "What mortal," said they, know the fate of a consul, at his departure; whether we shall see him with his victorious army, return in triumph to the capitol, from whence he sets out, after having offered up his prayers to the gods, or whether the enemy may not rejoice in his overthrow ?" The an cient glory of the Macedonians; that of Philip, who had made himself famous by his wars, and particularly by that against the Romans, added very much to the reputation of Perseus; and, every body knew, that,

↑ A. M. 3833. Ant. J. C. 171.

can

from his succession to the crown, a war had been expected from him. Full of such thoughts, the citizens conducted the consul out of the city. C.Claudius, and Q. Mutius, who had both been consuls, did not think it below them to serve in his army, in quality of military tribunes, or as colonels or brigadiers, and went with him; as did P. Lentulus, and the two Manlii Acidini. The consul repaired in their company to Brundusium, which was the rendezvous of the army; and, passing the sea with all his troops, arrived at Nympheum, in the country of the Apollonians.

Perseus, some days before, upon the return of his ambassadors from Rome, and their assuring him that there remained no hope of peace, held a great council, in which opinions were different. Some thought it necessary for him either to pay tribute, if required, or give up a part of his dominions, if the Romans insisted upon it; in a word, to suffer every thing supportable, for the sake of peace, rather than expose his person and kingdom to the danger of entire destruction; that, if a part of his kingdom was left him, time and chance might produce favourable conjunctures, to put him in a condition, not only to recover all he had lost, but to render him formidable to those, who, at present, made Macedonia tremble.

The greater number were of a quite different opinion. They insisted, that by making cession of a part, he must determine to lose all his kingdom; that it was neither money nor lands that incited the ambition of the Romans, but universal empire; that they knew the greatest kingdoms and most powerful empires, were subject to frequent revolutions; that they had

humbled, or rather ruined Carthage, without taking possession of its territories; contenting themselves with keeping it in awe by the neighbourhood of Masinissa; that they had driven Antiochus, and his son, beyond mount Taurus; that there was no kingdom but Macedonia, to give umbrage to, or make head against the Romans; that prudence required Perseus, whilst he was still master of it, seriously to consider with himself, whether by making the Romans sometimes one concession, and sometimes another, he was resolved to see himself deprived of all power, expelled from his dominions, and obliged to ask, as a favour, of the Romans, permission to retire, and confine himself in Samothracia, or some other island, there to pass the rest of his days in contempt and misery, with the mortification of surviving his glory and empire; or, whether he would choose to hazard, in arms, all the dangers of the war, in defence of his fortunes and dignity, as became a man of courage; and, in case of being victorious, have the glory of delivering the universe from the Roman yoke. That it would be no more a wonder to drive the Romans out of Greece, than it had been to drive Hannibal out of Italy; besides, was it consistent for Perseus, after having opposed his brother, with all his efforts, when he attempted to usurp the crown, to resign it meanly to strangers, who endeavoured to wrest it out of his hands? That, in fine, all the world agreed, that there was nothing more inglorious than to give up empire without resistance, nor more laudable than to have used all possible endeavours to preserve

it.

This council was held at Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. "Since you think it so necessary,' said the king, "let us make war then, with the help of the gods." He gave orders, at the same time, to his generals, to assemble all their troops at Citium, whither he went, soon after, himself, with all the lords of his court, and his regiments of guards, after having offered a sacrifice of an hecatomb, or an hundred oxen, to Minerva Alcidema. He found the whole army assembled there. It amounted, including the foreign troops, to thirty nine thousand foot, of whom, almost half composed the phalanx, and four thousand horse. It was agreed, that since the army, Alexander the Great led into Asia, no king of Macedonia had commanded one so numerous.

It was twenty six years since Philip had made peace with the Romans; and as, during all that time, Macedonia had remained in tranquillity, and without any considerable war, there were in it great numbers of youth, capable of bearing arms, who had already begun to exercise and form themselves in the wars Macedonia had supported against the Thracians, their neighbours. Philip, besides, and Perseus after him, had long before formed the design of undertaking a war with the Romans. Hence it was, that, at the time we speak of, every thing was ready for beginning it.

Perseus, before he took the field, thought it necessary to harangue his troops. He mounted his throne, therefore, and from thence, having his two sons on each side of him, spoke to them with great force. He began with a long recital of all the injuries the Romans