Message to Antigonus Doson from Aratus
The points suggested by Aratus for the envoy to dwell
note
on were "the scope and object of the understanding between the Aetolians and Cleomenes,
and the necessity of caution on the part primarily
of the Achaeans, but still more even on that of Antigonus himself: first, because the Achaeans plainly could not resist the
attack of both; and, secondly, because if the Aetolians and
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Cleomenes conquered them, any man of sense could easily see
that they would not be satisfied or stop there. For the
encroaching spirit of the Aetolians, far from being content to
be confined by the boundaries of the Peloponnese, would find
even those of Greece too narrow for them. Again, the ambition
of Cleomenes was at present directed to the supremacy in the
Peloponnese: but this obtained, he would promptly aim at that
of all Greece, in which it would be impossible for him to
succeed without first crushing the government of Macedonia.
They were, therefore, to urge him to consider, with a view to
the future, which of the two courses would be the more to his
own interests,—to fight for supremacy in Greece in conjunction with the Achaeans and Boeotians against Cleomenes in
the Peloponnese; or to abandon the most powerful race, and to
stake the Macedonian empire on a battle in Thessaly, against a
combined force of Aetolians and Boeotians, with the Achaeans
and Lacedaemonians to boot. If the Aetolians, from regard
to the goodwill shown them by the Achaeans in the time of
Demetrius, were to pretend to be anxious to keep the peace
as they were at present doing, they were to assert that the
Achaeans were ready to engage Cleomenes by themselves;
and if fortune declared in their favour they would want no
assistance from any one: but if fortune went against them,
and the Aetolians joined in the attack, they begged him to
watch the course of events, that he might not let things go
too far, but might aid the Peloponnesians while they were
still capable of being saved. He had no need to be anxious
about the good faith or gratitude of the Achaeans: when the
time for action came, Aratus pledged himself to find guarantees
which would be satisfactory to both parties; and similarly
would himself indicate the moment at which the aid should
be given."
