a garrison into Ithome to overawe Messenia.
The omens were doubtful, and Philip asked his two friends what they
thought. Demetrius said, "If you have the soul of a priest, you will
restore the fort to the Messenians; if you have the soul of a prince, you
will hold the ox by both his horns."

The ox was, of course, the Peloponnesus, and the other horn was the
Acro-Corinthus, which, with Ithome, gave Philip power over the whole
peninsula. The king then asked Aratus' advice. He said, "Thieves nestle
in the fastnesses of rocks. A king's best fortress is loyalty and love;"
and at his words Philip turned away, and left the fort to its own people.
He was at that time a youth full of good promise, but he let himself be
led astray by the vices and pleasures of his court, and withdrew his
favour from Aratus. Then he began to misuse the Messenians, and had
their country ravaged. Aratus, who was for the seventeenth time general
of the League, made a complaint, and Philip, in return, contrived that he
should be slowly poisoned. He said nothing; only once, when a friend
noticed his illness, he said, "This is the effect of the friendship of
kings." He died in 213, and just about this time Philopoemen of
Megalopolis returned from serving in the Cretan army to fight for his
country. He was a thoroughly noble-hearted man, and a most excellent
general, and he did much to improve the Achaian army. In the meantime
Sparta had fallen under the power of another tyrant, called Nabis, a
horribly cruel wretch, who had had a statue made in the likeness of his
wife, with nails and daggers all over her breast. His enemies were put
into her arms; she clasped them, and thus they died. He robbed the
unhappy people of Sparta; and all the thieves, murderers, and outlaws of
the country round were taken into his service, and parties of them sent
out to collect plunder all over the Peloponnesus. At last one of his
grooms ran away with some horses, and took refuge at Megalopolis, and
this Nabis made a cause for attacking both that city and Messenia; but at
last Philopoemen was made general of the Achaian League, and gave the
wretch such a defeat as forced him to keep at home, while Philopoemen
ravaged Laconia.

Philip of Macedon offered to come and drive out Nabis if the Achaians
would help him, but they distrusted him, and did not choose to go to war
with the Romans, whom the robber AEtolians had called from Italy to
assist them. However, Phi