Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/406

 398 ARATUS. This image, therefore, they say, the priestess produced at that time, and, holding it directly in the faces of the iEtolians, made them lose their reason and judgment. But Aratus mentions no such thing in his commentaries, but says, that, having put to flight the ^tolians, and fall- ing in pell-mell with them into the city, he drove them out by main force, and killed seven hundred of them. And the action was extolled as one of the most famous exploits, and Timanthes the painter made a picture of the battle, giving by his composition a most lively repre- sentation of it. But many great nations and potentates combining against the Achseans, Aratus immediately treated for friendly arrangements with the ^tolians, and, making use of the assistance of Pantaleon, the most powerful man amongst them, he not only made a peace, but an alliance between them and the Acha3ans. But being desirous to free the Athenians, he got into disgrace and ill-repute among the Achseans, because, notwithstanding the truce and suspension of arms made between them and the Mace- donians, he had attempted to take the PirEeus. He denies this fact in his commentaries, and lays the blame on Ergi- nus, by whose assistance he took Acro-Corinthus, alleging that he upon his own private account attacked the Piraeus, and, his ladders happening to break, being hotly pursued, he called out upon Aratus as if present, by which means deceiving the enemy, he got safely off This excuse, however, sounds very improbable ; for it is not in any way likely that Erginus, a private man and a Syrian stranger, should conceive in his mind so great an attempt, without Aratus at his back, to tell him how and when to make it, and to sujiply him with the means. Nor was it twice or thrice, but very often, that, like an ob- stinate lover, he repeated his attempts on the Piraeus, and was so far from being discouraged by his disappointments,