Quinctius over to his opinion,
which was, that he should not enter the city of Argos. Not far from
it, however, was a place called Mycenica; and there the parties agreed
to meet. Quinctius came, with his brother and a few military tribunes;
Attalus, with his royal retinue; and Nicostratus the praetor of the
Achaeans, with a few of the auxiliary officers: and they there found
Nabis waiting with his whole army. He advanced, armed, and attended
by his armed guards, almost to the middle of the interjacent plain;
Quinctius unarmed, with his brother and two military tribunes; the
king was accompanied by one of his nobles, and the praetor of the
Achaeans, unarmed likewise. The tyrant, when he saw the king and the
Roman general unarmed, opened the conference, with apologizing for
having come to the meeting armed himself, and surrounded with armed
men. "He had no apprehensions," he said, "from them; but only from
the Argive exiles." When they then began to treat of the conditions of
their friendship, the Roman made two demands: one, that the war with
the Achaeans should be put an end to; the other, that he should send
him aid against Philip. He promised the aid required; but, instead of
a peace with the Achaeans, a cessation of hostilities was obtained, to
last until the war with Philip should be concluded.

40. A debate concerning the Argives, also, was set on foot by king
Attalus, who charged Nabis with holding their city by force, which
was put into his hands by the treachery of Philocles; while Nabis
insisted, that he had been invited by the Argives themselves to afford
them protection. The king required a general assembly of the Argives
to be convened, that the truth of that matter might be known. To
this the tyrant did not object; but the king alleged, that the
Lacedaemonian troops ought to be withdrawn from the city, in order
to render the assembly free; and that the people should be left
at liberty to declare their real sentiments. The tyrant refused
to withdraw them, and the debate produced no effect. To the Roman
general, six hundred Cretans were given by Nabis, who agreed with the
praetor of the Achaeans to a cessation of arms for four months,
and thus they departed from the conference. Quinctius proceeded to
Corinth, advancing to the gates with the cohort of Cretans, in order
that it might be evident to Philocles, the governor of the city, that
the tyrant had deserted the cause of Philip. Philocles himself came
out