Philip Takes Lissus in Illyria, B.C. 213
Philip had long had his thoughts fixed upon Lissus and
note
its citadel; and, being anxious to become master
of those places, he started with his army, and
after two days' march got through the pass and
pitched his camp on the bank of the river
Ardaxanus, not far from the town. He found
on surveying the place that the fortifications of
Lissus, both on the side of the sea and of the land, were
exceedingly strong both by nature and art; and that the citadel,
which was near it, from its extraordinary height and its other
sources of strength, looked more than any one could hope to
carry by storm. He therefore gave up all hope of the latter,
but did not entirely despair of taking the town. He observed
that there was a space between Lissus and the foot of the Acrolissus which was fairly well suited for making an attempt upon
the town. He conceived the idea therefore of bringing on a
skirmish in this space, and then employing a strategem suited
to the circumstances of the case. Having given his men a day
for rest; and having in the course of it addressed them in
suitable words of exhortation; he hid the greater and most
effective part of his light-armed troops during the night in
some woody gulleys, close to this space on the land side; and
next morning marched to the other side of the town next the
sea, with his peltasts and the rest of his light-armed. Having
thus marched round the town, and arrived at this spot, he
made a show of intending to assault it at that point. Now as
Philip's advent had been no secret, a large body of men from
the surrounding country of Illyria had flocked into Lissus;
but feeling confidence in the strength of the citadel, they had
assigned a very moderate number of men to garrison it.
