lip reduced Nabis to make all sorts of promises
and treaties, which, of course, he did not keep, but invited in the
AEtolians to assist him. This, however, brought his punishment on him,
for soon after their arrival these allies of his murdered him, and began
to rob all Laconia. Philopoemen and his Achaians at once marched into
the country, helped the Spartans to deliver themselves from the robbers,
and persuaded them to join the League. They were so much pleased with
him that they resolved to give him Nabis' palace and treasure, but he was
known to hate bribes so much that nobody could at first be found to make
him the offer. One man was sent to Megalopolis, but when he saw
Philopoemen's plain, grave, hardy life, and heard how much he disapproved
of sloth and luxury, he did not venture to say a word about the palace
full of Eastern magnificence, but went back to Sparta. He was sent
again, and still found no opportunity; and when, the third time, he did
speak, Philopoemen thanked the Spartans, but said he advised them not to
spend their riches on spoiling honest men, whose help they might have at
no cost at all, but rather to use them in buying over those who made
mischief among them.

Wars were going on at this time between Philip of Macedon, on the one
side, and the AEtolians on the other. Philip's ally was Antiochus the
Great, the Greek king of Syria; the AEtolians had called in the Romans,
that great, conquering Italian nation, whose plan was always to take the
part of some small nation against a more powerful one, break the strength
of both, and then join them to their own empire. But the Achaians did
not know this, and wished them well, while they defeated the Macedonians
at the great battle of Cynocephalae, or the Dog's Head Rocks, in
Thessaly. Philip was obliged to make peace, and one condition required
of him was that he should give up all claims to power over Greece. Then
at Corinth, at the Isthmian games, the Roman consul, Quintius Flaminius,
proclaimed that the Greek states were once more free. Such a shout of
joy was raised that it is said that birds flying in the air overhead
dropped down with the shock, and Flaminius was almost stifled by the
crowds of grateful Greeks who came round him to cover him with garlands
and kiss his hands.

[Picture: Crowning the Victor in the Isthmian Games]

But, after all, the Romans meant to keep a hold on Greece, though they
left the cities to themsel