from being plundered, and of preferving its citi

zens.

I should have believed myself wanting in fome measure to the glory of the French nation, and to that of a city which holds one of the highest ranks in the kingdom, if I had not collected in this place part of thofe favourable reports antiquity makes of it. I hope the reader will pardon this digreffion; which befides comes into my plan, and is part of the Grecian history.

The affairs of Greece, Bithynia, Pergamus, and fome other countries, which I thought it neceflary to treat in a feries, and without interruption, have made me fufpend those of Macedonia, Syria, and Egypt; to which it is now time to return. I fhall begin with Macedonia.

SECT. III. ANDRISCUS, who gave himself out for the fon of PERSEUS, makes himself mafter of Macedonia, and caufes himself to be proclaimed king. The prator JUVENTIUS attacks him, and is killed in the battle with part of his army. METELLUS, who fucceeds him, retrieves that lofs. The ufurper is overthrown, taken, and fent to Rome. A fecond and third ufurper are alj

defeated.

F

IFTEEN or fixteen years (k) after the defeat and death of Perfeus, Andrifcus of Adramytta, a city of Troas, in Afia Minor, a person of the meaneft birth, giving himself out for the fon of Perfeus, took upon him the name of Philip, and entered Macedonia, in hopes of making the inhabitants of the country acknowledge him. for their king. He had invented a flory in regard to his birth, which he reported wherever he paffed, pretending that he was the fon of Perfeus by a concubine, and that the prince his father had caufed him to be fecretly brought up at Adramytta, that in cafe of ill fortune in the war against the Romans, fome fhoot of the royal line. might remain: That after the death of Perfeus, he had been

G 5

(*) A. M. 3852. Ant. J. C. 15. Epiton. Liv. 1. xlviii.. Zonar. ex Dione, l. i. c 11. Florus, l. ii. c. 34.

been nurtured and brought up at Adramytta, till he was twelve years of age; and that the perfon who pafled for his father, finding himself at the point of death, had revealed the fecret to his wife, and entrusted her with a writing, figned by Perfeus with his own hand, which attefted all that has been faid; which writing fhe was to deliver to him (Philip) as foon as he fhould attain to years of difcretion. He added, that her husband having conjured her abfolutely to conceal the affair till then, fhe had been most faithful in keeping the fecret, and had delivered that important writing to him at the appointed time; preffing him to quit the country before the report fhould reach the ears of Eumenes, the declared enemy of Perfeus, left he fhould caufe him to be put to death. He was in hopes that he should be believed upon his own word, and make Macedonia rife in his favour. When he faw that all continued quiet, he retired into Syria, to the court of Demetrius Soter, whose fifter Perfeus had efpoufed. That prince, who immediately perceived the fraud, caufed him to be feized and fent to Rome.

As he did not produce any proof of his pretended nobility, and had nothing in his mien or manners that expressed the prince, no great notice was taken of him at Rome, and he was treated with great contempt, without much trouble to keep a ftrict guard upon him, or to confine him clofe. He took the advantage of the negligence of his guards, and made his efcape from Rome. Having found means to raise a confiderable army amongst the Thracians, who entered into his views, for the fake of delivering themfelves by his means from the Roman yoke, he made himself master of Macedonia, either by confent or force, and affumed the marks of the royal dignity. Not content with this first conqueft, which had coft him little, he attacked Thefialy, and fubjected a part of it to his obedience.

The affair then began to feem more important to the Romans. They elected Scipio Nafica to go thither, and appeafe this tumult in its birth, deeming him well qualified for that conumiffion. He had, indeed, the art of ma

naging men's minds, and of bringing them into his meafures by perfuafion; and if he should find it neceflary to decide this affair by arms, he was very capable of forming a project with wisdom, and executing it with valour. As foon as he arrived in Greece, and had been fully in-formed of the state of affairs in Macedonia and Theffaly, he gave the fenate advice of them; and, without lofs of time, visited the cities of the allies, in order to the immediate raising of troops for the defence of Theffaly. The Achæans, who continued at that time the most powerful people of Greece, fupplied him with the greatest number, forgetting paft fubjects of difcontent. He prefently took from the falfe Philip all the places he had poffeffled himself of in Theffaly, and drove him back into Macedonia.

(7) However, it was well known at Rome, from Scipio's letters, that Macedonia had occafion for a speedy support.The prætor, P. Juventius Thalna, had orders to repair thither as foon as poffible with an army, which he did: without lofs of time. But looking upon Andrifcus as only a pageant king, he did not think it incumbent upon him to take any great precautions against him, and en-gaged precipitately in a battle, wherein he loft his life, with part of his army; the reft faving themfelves only by favour of the night.. The victor, elate with this fuc-cefs, and believing his authority sufficiently established, abandoned himfelf to his vicious inclinations, without any moderation or referve as if the being truly a king confifted in knowing no law nor rule of conduct, but his paffions. He was covetous, proud, infolent, and cruel. Nothing was feen every where but violence,. confifcations of eftates, and murders. Taking the advantage of the terror occafioned by the defeat of the Ro-man army, he foon recovered all he had loft in Theffaly.. An embaffy fent to him from the Carthaginians, who were at that time actually at war with the Romans, very much augmented his courage..

Q. Cæcilius Metellus, lately elected prætor, had fuc-ceeded Juventius. Andrifcus had refolved to advance to G 6

(4) A. M. 3856. Ant. J. C. 148,

meet

meet him, but did not think it proper to remove far from the fea, and halted at Pydna, where he fortified his camp. The Roman prætor foon followed him. The two armies were in view of each other, and skirmished every day. Andrifcus gained an advantage sufficiently confiderable in a small combat of the cavalry. Succefs generally blinds and proves fatal to people of little experience. Andrifcus, believing himself superior to the Romans, fent off a great detachment to defend his conquefts in Theffaly. This was a grofs error; and Metellus, whofe vigilance nothing efcaped, did not fail to take the advantage of it. The army that remained in Macedonia was beat, and Andriscus obliged to fly. He retired amongst the Thracians, from whom he returned foon after with another army. He was fo rash as to hazard another battle, which was ftill lefs fuccefsful than the former. He had above fiveand-twenty thoufand men killed in these two battles; and nothing was wanting to the Roman glory, but to feize Andrifcus, who had taken refuge with a petty king of Thrace, to whofe fidelity he had abandoned himself. But the Thracians did not stand much upon breach of faith, and made that the means to their intereft. That prince delivered up his gueft and fuppliant into the hands of Metellus, to avoid drawing upon himself the wrath and arms of the Romans: Andrifcus was fent to Rome.

Another adventurer, who also called himself the son of Perfeus, and took upon him the name of Alexander, had the fame fate with the firft, except being feized by Metellus: he retired into Dardania, where he effectually concealed himself.

It was at this time Macedonia was entirely fubjected to the Romans, and reduced into a province.

A third ufurper, fome years after, appeared again, and fet himself up as the fon of Perfeus, under the name of. Philip. His pretended royalty was but of fhort duration. He was overcome, and killed in Macedonia by Tremeļlius, afterwards furnamed Scrofa, from having said that he would difperfe the enemy, ut Scrofa Porcos..

SECT

SECT. IV. Troubles in Achaia, which declares war againft the Lacedemonians. METELLUS fends deputies to Corinth, to appease those troubles; they are ill-ufed and infulted. METELLUS, after having exhorted them ineffectually to peace, gives them battle, and defeats them. The conful MUMMIUS fucceeds him; and, after having gained a battle, takes Corinth, fets it on fire, and entirely demolifbes it. Greece is reduced into a Roman province. Various actions and death of POLYBIUS. Triumphs of METELLUS and MUMMIUS.

ETELLUS (m), after having pacified Macedonia,

M continued there fome time. Great commotions

had arisen amongst the Achæans of the league, occafioned by the temerity and avarice of those who held the firft offices. The refolutions of their affemblies were no longer guided by reafon, prudence, and equity, but by the interest and paffions of the magiftrates, and the blind caprice of an untractable multitude. The Achæan league and Sparta had fent ambaffadors to Rome, upon an affair about which they were divided. Damocritus, notwithstanding, who was the fupreme magistrate of the Achæans, caufed war to be declared against Sparta. Metellus had fent to defire that hoftilities might ceafe till the arrival of the commiffioners from Rome, who were appointed for terminating their differences. But neither he, nor Diæus, who fucceeded him, paid any regard to that requeft. Both of them entered Laconia. with their troops, and laid waste the country.

The commiffioners being arrived, the affembly was fummoned to Corinth (Aurelius Oreftes was at the head of the commission). The fenate had given them orders to weaken the body of the league, and for that end, to separate as many cities as they could from it. Oreftes notified to the affembly the decree of the fenate, whereby Sparta

(m) A M. 3857. Ant. J. C. 147. Paufan. in Achaic. p. 421-428. Polyb. Legat. cxlii. cxliv. Id. in Excerpt. de Virt. & Vit. p. 181–189 Juftin. 1. xxxiv. c. I. Flor. 1. ii. c. 16.