Romans, continue inactive. Amynander, having
little confidence in his own troops, requested a slight auxiliary
force from the consul; and then advancing towards Gomphi, he stormed
on his march a place called Pheca, situate between that town and the
narrow pass which separates Thessaly from Athamania. He then attacked
Gomphi, and though the inhabitants defended it for several days with
the utmost vigour, yet, as soon as he had raised the scaling ladders
to the walls, the same apprehension (which had operated on others) at
length compelled them to surrender. This capture of Gomphi spread
the greatest consternation among the Thessalians: their fortresses of
Argenta, Pherinus, Thimarus, Lisinae, Stimon, and Lampsus
surrendered, one after another, with several other garrisons equally
inconsiderable. While the Athamanians and Aetolians, delivered from
fear of the Macedonians, converted to their own profit the fruits of
another's victory; and Thessaly, ravaged by three armies at once, knew
not which to believe its foe or its friend; the consul marched on,
through the pass which the enemy's flight had left open, into the
country of Epirus. Though he well knew which party the Epirots,
excepting their prince Charopus, were disposed to favour, yet as he
saw that, even from the motive of atoning for past behaviour, they
obeyed his orders with diligence, he regulated his treatment of them
by the standard of their present rather than of their former temper,
and by this readiness to pardon conciliated their affection for the
future. Then, sending orders to Corcyra for the transport ships to
come into the Ambrician bay, he advanced by moderate marches, and on
the fourth day pitched his camp on Mount Cercetius. Hither he ordered
Amynander to come with his auxiliary troops; not so much as being
in want of his forces, as that he might avail himself of them as his
guides into Thessaly. With the same purpose, many volunteers of the
Epirots also were admitted into the corps of auxiliaries.

15. Of the cities of Thessaly, the first which he attacked was
Phaloria. The garrison here consisted of two thousand Macedonians,
who at first resisted with the utmost vigour so far as their arms and
fortifications could protect them. The assault was carried on without
intermission or relaxation either by day or by night, because the
consul thought that it would have a powerful effect on the spirits of
the rest of the Thessalians, if the first who made tr