in each battle. Whence, as the
Aetolians were compelled by fear to keep themselves under the walls of
Lamia, Philip led back his army to Phalara. This place is situated in
the Malian bay, and was formerly thickly inhabited on account of its
excellent harbour, the safe anchorage in its neighbourhood, and other
conveniences of sea and land. Hither came ambassadors from Ptolemy,
king of Egypt, the Rhodians, Athenians, and Chians, to put a stop
to hostilities between the Aetolians and Philip. The Aetolians also
called in one of their neighbours as a mediator, Amynander, king of
the Athamanians. But all these were less concerned for the Aetolians,
whose arrogance of disposition exceeded that of any other nation of
Greece, than lest Philip and his empire, which was likely to prove
injurious to the cause of liberty, should be intermixed with the
affairs of Greece. The deliberations concerning a peace were put off,
to a council of the Achaeans, for which a place and certain day were
fixed upon; for the mean time a truce of thirty days was obtained. The
king, setting out thence, went through Thessaly and Boeotia to Chalcis
in Euboea, to prevent Attalus, who he heard was about to come to
Euboea with a fleet, from entering the harbours and approaching the
coasts. Leaving a force to oppose Attalus, in case he should cross
over in the mean time, he set out thence with a small body of cavalry
and light-armed troops, and came to Argos. Here the superintendence
of the Heraean and Nemaean games having been conferred upon him by the
suffrages of the people, because the kings of the Macedonians trace
their origin from that state, after completing the Heraean games, he
set out directly after the celebration for Aegium, to the council
of allies, fixed some time before. Here measures were proposed for
putting an end to the Aetolian war, in order that neither the Romans
nor Attalus might have a pretext for entering Greece; but they
were all upset by the Aetolians, before the period of the truce had
scarcely expired, after they heard that Attalus had arrived at Aegina,
and that a Roman fleet was stationed at Naupactus. For when called
into the council of the Achaeans, where the same embassies were
present which had negotiated for peace at Phalara, they at first
complained of some trifling acts committed during the period of the
truce, contrary to the faith of the convention; but at last they
asserted, that it was impossible the war could be ter