Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/293

Rh PHI LI FPUS, fluence which might have been anticipated. A more dangerous rival had already made his appear- ance in Demetrius of Pharos, who, after his expul- sion from his own dominions by the Romans [De- metrius, p. 966, a.], had taken refuge at the court of Philip, and soon acquired unbounded influence over the mind of the young king. It was the Pha- rian exile who first gave a new turn to the foreign policy of Philip, by directing his attention to the state of affairs beyond the Ionian sea ; and per- suaded him to conclude peace with the Aetolians, in order to watch the contest which was going on in Italy. (Polyb. iv. 66, v. 12, 101, 105 ; Justin, xxix. 2, 3). The ambition of the young king was flattered by the prospect thus held out to him, but he did not deem the time yet come openly to take part in the contest, and in the meanwhile his at- tention was turned to the side of Illyria. Scer- dilaidas, king of that country, had abandoned the alliance of the Macedonian monarch, by whom he deemed himself aggrieved ; and had taken advan- tage of Philip's absence in Greece to occupy some towns and fortresses on the frontiers of the two countries. The recovery of these occupied Philip during the remainder of the summer of 217, and the winter was spent principally in the preparation and equipment of a fleet with which he designed to attack the coasts of Illyria. But scarcely had he en- tered the Adriatic in the following summer (b. c. 216), when the rumour that a Roman fleet was coming to the assistance of Scerdilai'das inspired him with such alarm that he made a hast}'^ retreat to Cephallenia, and afterwards withdrew to Macedonia, without attempting anything farther (Polyb. v. 108 • — 110). But the news of the great disaster sus- tained by the Roman arms at Cannae soon after decided Philip openly to espouse the cause of Car- thage, and he despatched Xenophanes to Italy to conclude a treaty of alliance with Hannibal. Unfor- tunately the ambassador, after having successfully accomplished his mission, on his return fell into the hands of the Romans, who thus became aware of the projects of Philip, and immediately stationed a fleet at Brundusium, to prevent him from crossing into Italy ; while the king himself, on the contrary, re- mained for a long time in ignorance of the result of his negotiations, and it was not till late in the fol- lowing year (b. c. 215) that he sent a second embassy, and a treaty of alliance was defini- tively concluded between him and the Cartha- ginian general. (Li v. xxiii. 33, 34, 38, 39 ; Polyb. iii. 2, vii. 9 ; Appian, Mac. 1 ; Justin, xxix. 4.) Whether Philip really meditated at this time the invasion of Italy, or was merely desirous of establishing his power over all the countries east of the Adriatic, it is certain that his proceedings were marked by an unaccountable degree of hesita- tion and delay. He suflfered the remainder of the season of 215 to pass away without any active mea- sures, and though in the following year (b. c. 214), he at length appeared in the Adriatic with a fleet, with which he took the town of Oricus, and laid siege to the important city of ApoUonia, his arms were soon paralysed by the arrival of a small Ro- man force under M. Laevinus, and he was not only compelled to raise the siege of Apollonia, but destroyed his own ships to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy, and effected his retreat to Macedonia by land. (Liv. xxiv. 40.) The fol- lowing year (213), he was more successful, having PHILIPPUS. 281 made himself master of the strong fortress of Lissus, the capture of which was followed by the submis- sion of great part of Illyria (Polyb. viii. 15): but this decisive blow was not followed up ; and the apparent inaction of the king during the two fol- lowing years is the more remarkable, because the occupation of Tarentum by Hannibal would have seemed likely, at this juncture, to facilitate his communications with Italy. Meanwhile, the proceedings of Philip in Greece were but too well calculated to alienate all the favourable dispositions previously entertained to- wards him. In B.C. 215, he had interposed in the affairs of Messenia, in a manner that led to a fearful massacre of the oligarchical party in that state : the reproaches of Aratus on this occasion Avere bitter and vehement, and from henceforth all friendship was at an end between them. Philip was, however, still so far swayed by his influence as to refrain at that time from the design of seizing by treachery on the fortress of Ithome : but after his return from his unsuccessful expedition to Il- lyria (b. c. 214) he returned to this project, and sent Demetrius of Pharos to carry it into execu- tion. The latter was killed in the attempt ; but his death produced no change in the counsels of Philip, who now invaded Messenia himself, and laid waste the open country with fire and sword. Meanwhile, the breach between him and Aratus had become daily more complete, and was still farther widened by the discovery that the king was car- rying on a criminal intercourse with the wife of the younger Aratus. At length the king was induced to listen to the insidious proposal of Tau- rion, and to rid himself of his former friend and counsellor by means of a slow and secret poison, B.C. 213. (Polyb. vii. 10—14, viii. 10, 14 ; Plut. Arat. 49—52.) The war between Philip and the Romans had been carried on, for some time, with unaccountable slackness on both sides, when it all at once assumed a new character in consequence of the alliance en- tered into by the latter with the Aetolians. In the treaty concluded by the Roman praetor, M.Valerius Laevinus, with that people (before the end of B. c. 211), provision was also made for comprising in the alliance Scerdilaidas, king of Illyria, and Attains, king of Pergamus, and the king of Ma- cedonia thus found himself threatened on all sides by a powerful confederacy. (Liv. xxvi. 24 ; Justin, xxix. 4.) This news at length roused him from his apathy. Though it was then midwinter, he hastened to provide for the safety of his frontiers, both on the side of Illyria and that of Thrace, and then marched south wcirds, with an army, to the succour of the Acarnanians, who were attacked by the Aetolians, but the latter withdrew on learning the approach of Philip, and the king returned to Macedonia. Hostilities were renewed in the spring (b, c. 210), and the Romans opened the campaign by the capture of Anticyra ; but after this, instead of supporting their allies with vigour, they withdrew the greater part of their forces, and P. Sulpicius Galba, who had succeeded Lae- vinus in the command, found himself unable to effect anything more than the conquest of Aegina, while Philip succeeded in reducing the strong fortress of Echinus in Thessaly, notwithstand- ing all the efforts of the Romans and Aetolians to relieve it. (Liv. xxvi. 25, 26, 28 ; Polyb. ix. 41, 42.)