The Commissioners Carry Word Throughout Greece
This business completed, the commissioners separated
note
in various directions: Publius Lentulus sailed
to Bargylia and announced its freedom; Leucius
Stertinius did the same to Hephaestia, Thasus,
and the cities in Thrace; while Publius Ventilius and Lucius Terentius started to visit
Antiochus; and Gnaeus Cornelius with his
colleagues went to king Philip. note They met him
near Tempe, and after speaking with him on the other
matters about which they had instructions, they advised him to
send an embassy to Rome, to ask for an alliance, in order to
obviate all suspicion of being on the watch for an opportunity
in expectation of the arrival of Antiochus. note The king
agreeing to follow this advice, Cornelius left
him and went to the league congress at Thermus;
and coming into the public assembly urged the
Aetolians in a lengthy speech to abide by the
policy they had adopted, from the first, and maintain their good
disposition towards the Romans. Many rose to answer: of
whom some expressed dissatisfaction with the Romans in
moderate and decorous language, for not having used their good
fortune with sufficient regard to their joint interests, and for
not observing the original compact; while others delivered
violent invectives, asserting that the Romans would never have
set foot on Greece or conquered Philip if it had not been for
them. Cornelius disdained to answer these speeches in detail,
but he advised them to send ambassadors to Rome, for they
would get full justice in the Senate: which they accordingly
did. Such was the conclusion of the war with Philip. . . .
