Demetrius Fortifies Dimale
While this was taking place, Demetrius, discovering
note
the intentions of Rome, threw a sufficient garrison into Dimale and victualled it in proportion.
In the other towns he put those who were opposed to him
to death, and placed the chief power in the hands of his own
partisans; and selecting six thousand of the bravest of his
subjects, quartered them in Pharos. When the Consul
arrived in Illyria with his army, he found the enemies of
Rome confident in the strength of Dimale and the elaborate
preparations in it, and encouraged to resistance by their belief in
its impregnability; he determined, therefore, to attack that town
first, in order to strike terror into the enemy. Accordingly,
after addressing an exhortation to the several officers of the
legions, and throwing up siege works at several points, he began
the siege in form. In seven days he took the town by assault,
which so dismayed the enemy, that envoys immediately
appeared from all the towns, surrendering themselves unconditionally to the protection of Rome. The Consul accepted their submission: and after imposing such conditions
as appeared suitable to the several cases, he sailed to Pharos
to attack Demetrius himself. Being informed that the city
there was strongly fortified, thronged with excellent soldiers,
and well-furnished with provisions and all other munitions of
war, he began to entertain misgivings that the siege would be
long and difficult; and therefore, with a view to these difficulties,
he adopted on the spur of the moment the following
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strategem. He crossed to the island by night with his whole
army. The greater part of it he disembarked at a spot where
the ground was well-wooded and low; while with only twenty
ships he sailed at daybreak to the harbour nearest the town.
The smallness of the number of the ships moved only the
contempt of Demetrius when he saw them, and he immediately
marched out of the town down to the harbour to oppose the
landing of the enemy.
