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favourable reception at Rhodes. A decree was impart ed to them, by which the republic had refolved to employ all their credit and power to oblige the two parties to make peace, and to declare against that which should refufe to accept propofals for an accommodation.

The Roman generals had each of them repaired to their pofts in the beginning of the fpring; the conful to Macedonia, Octavius to Orea with the fleet, and Anicius into Illyria.

The fuccefs of the laft was as rapid as fortunate. He was to carry on the war against Gentius, and put an end to it before it was known at Rome that it was begun. Its duration was only of thirty days. Having treated Scorda, the capital of the country, which had furrendered to him, with great moderation, the other cities foon followed its example. Gentius himself was reduced to come and throw himself at Ancius's feet to implore his mercy; confeffing, with tears in his eyes, his fault, or rather folly, in having abandoned the party of the Romans. The prætor treated him with humanity. His first care was to take the two ambaffadors out of prison. He fent one of them, named Perpenna, to Rome, to carry the news of his victory, and fome days after caufed Gentius to be conducted thither, with his wife, chilren, brother, and the principal lords of the country. The fight of fuch illuftrious prifoners very much augmented the people's joy. Public thanksgivings were made to the gods, and the temples crowded with a vaft concourse of perfons of all fexes and ages.

When Paulus Æmilius approached the enemy, he found Perfeus encamped near the fea, at the foot of the mountain Olympus, in places which feemed inacceffible. He had the Enipaus in front, whofe banks were very high; and on the fide where he lay, he had thrown up good entrenchments, with towers from space to space, on which were placed baliste, and other machines for dif charging darts and ftones upon the enemy if they ventur- ed to approach. Perfeus had fortified himfelf in fuch a manner, as made him believe himself entirely secure, and gave him hopes to weaken, and at laft repulfe, Paulus

Æmilius

Amilius by lenghth of time, and the difficulties he would find to fubfift his troops, and maintain his ground, in a country already eaten up by the enemy.

He did not know what kind of adverfary he had to cope with. Paulus Æmilius employed his thoughts folely in preparing every thing for action, and was continually meditating expedients and measures for executing fome enterprise with fuccefs. He began by establishing an exact and severe discipline in his army, which he found corrupted by the licence wherein it had been fuffered to live. He reformed feveral things, as well with regard to the arms of the troops as the duty of centinels. It had been a custom amongst the foldiers to criticise upon their general, to examine all his actions amongst themfelves, to prescribe him conduct, and to explain upon what he fhould or should not do. He spoke to them with refolution and dignity. He gave them to understand, that such discourses did not become a foldier, that he ought to make only three things his bufinefs; the care of his body, in order to render it robuft and active; that of his arms, to keep them always clean, and in good condition; and of his provifions*, that he might be always in a readiness to march upon the first notice; that for the rest, he ought to rely upon the goodness of the immortal gods, and the vigilance of his general. That for himself, he fhould omit nothing that might be neceffary to give them occafion to evidence their valour, and that they had only to take care to do their duty well, when the fignal was given them.

It is incredible how much they were animated by this difcourfe. The old foldiers declared, that they had never known their duty aright till that day. A furprising change was immediately obferved in the camp. Nobody was idle in it. The foldiers were feen fharpening their fwords, polishing their helmets, cuiraffes, and fhields; practifing an active motion under their arms; whirling their javelins, and brandifhing their naked fwords; in fhort, forming and inuring themselves in all military exercifes;

*The Roman foldiers fometimes carried provifions for ten or tavelve days.

ercifes; so that it was eafy to forefee, that upon the firft opportunity they fhould have of coming to blows with the enemy, they were determined to conquer or die.

The camp was fituated very commodiously, but wanted water, which was a great inconvenience to the army. Paulus Æmilius, whofe thoughts extended to every thing, feeing mount Olympus before him very high, and covered all over with trees extremely green and flourishing, judged, from the quantity and quality of thofe trees, that there must be fprings of water in the caverns of the mountain, and at the fame time ordered openings to be made at the foot of it, and pits to be dug in the fand. The furface* was fearce broke up, when fprings of water were feen to run, muddy at firft, and in fmall quantities, but in a little while very clear, and in great abundance. This event, though natural, was looked upon by the fol diers as a fingular favour of the gods, who had taken Paulus Æmilius under their protection, and made him more beloved and refpected by them than before.

When Perfeus faw what paffed in the Roman camp, the ardour of the foldiers, their active behaviour, and the various exercises by which they prepared themselves for combat, he began to be greatly difquieted, and perceived plainly, that he had no longer to deal with a Licinius, and Hoftilius, or a Marcius; and that the Roman army was entirely altered with the general. He redoubled his attention and application on his fide, animated his foldiers, employed himself in forming them by different exercises, added new works to the old, and ufed ail means to put his camp out of danger of infult.

In the mean time came the news of the victory in Illyria, and of the taking of the king with all his family. This caufed incredible joy in the Roman army, and excited amongst the foldiers an inexpreffible ardour to fignalize themfelves alfo on their fide. For it is common, when two armies act in different parts, for the one to be unwilling

*Vix deducta fumma arena erat, cum fcatutigenes turbidæ primo. & tenues emicare, dein liquidam multamque fundere aquam, velut deûm dono, cœperunt. Aliquantum eo quoq; res duci famæ & aucto. ritatis apud milites adjecit. Liv.

ing to give place to the other, either in valour or glory. Perfeus endeavoured at firft to fupprefs this news, but his care to diffemble it only served to make it more public and certain. The alarm was general amongst his troops, who apprehended the fame fate.

At this time arrived the Rhodian ambafladors, who came to make the fame propofals to the army in regard to the peace, that at Rome had fo highly offended the fenate. It is eafy to judge in what manner they were received in the camp. Some, in the height of their anger, were for having them difmified with infult. The conful thought the best way to exprefs his contempt for them, was to reply coldly, that he would give them an answer in fifteen days.

To fhow how little he made of the pacific mediation of the Rhodians, he affembled his council to deliberate upon the means of entering upon action. It is probable, that the Roman army, which the year before had penetrated into Macedonia, had quitted it, and returned into Theffaly; perhaps upon account of provisions; for at prefent they confulted upon measures for opening a paffage into Macedonia. Some, and those the oldeft officers, were for attempting to force the enemy's entrenchments upon the banks of the Enipæus. They obferved that the Macedonians, who the year before had been driven from higher and better fortified places, could not fuftain the charge of the Roman legions. Others were of opinion, that Octavius, with the flect, fhould go to Theffalonica, and attack the fea coafts, in order to oblige the king, by that diverfion, to detach part of his troops from the Enipæus, for the defence of his country, and thereby leave the paffage open. It is highly important for an able and experienced general to have it in his power to choose what measures he pleafes. Paulus Æmilius had quite different views. He faw, that the Enipæus, as well from its natural fituation as the fortifications which had been added

to it, was inacceffible. He knew befides, without mentioning the machines difpofed on all fides, that the enemy's troops were much more expert than his own in difcharg ing javelins and darts. To undertake the forcing of fuch impenetrable lines as thofe were, had been to expofe his

troops

troops to inevitable flaughter; and a good general spares the blood of his foldiers, because he looks upon himself as their father, and believes it his duty to preserve them as his children. He kept quiet therefore for fome days, without making the least motion. Plutarch fays, that it was believed there never was an example of two armies fo numerous, that lay fo long in the prefence of each other, in such profound peace, and fo perfect a tranquil-. lity. In any other times the foldiers would have murmured out of ardour and impatience; but Paulus milius had taught them to acquiefce in the conduct of their leader.

At length, after diligent inquiry, and ufing all means for information, he was told by two Perrhæbian merchants, whose prudence and fidelity he had experienced, that there was a way through Perrhæbia, which led to Pythium, a town fituate upon the brow of mount* Olympus: that this way was not of difficult accefs, but was well guarded. Perfeus had fent thither a detachment of five thousand men. He conceived, that in causing this poft to be attacked in the night, and at unawares, by good troops, the enemy might be beat out, and he take poffeffion of it. It was neceffary, therefore, to amuse the enemy, and to conceal his real defign. He fent for the prætor Octavius, and having opened himself to him, he ordered him to go with his fleet to Heraclea, and to take ten days provifions with him for a thousand men; in order to make Perfeus believe that he was going to ravage the fea coaft. At the fame time he made his fon Fabius Maximus, then very young, with Scipio Nafica, the fonin-law of Scipio Africanus, fet out: he gave them a detachment of five thousand chofen troops, and ordered them to march by the fea-fide towards Heraclea, as if they were to embark there, according to what had been propofed in the council. When they arrived there, the prætor told them the conful's orders. As foon as it was night, quitting their route by the coaft, they advanced, without halting, towards Pythium, over the mountains and rocks, conducted

*The perpendicular height of the mountain Olympus, where Pythium was fituated, was upwards of ten ftadia, or half a league

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