these exploits of Philopoemen are without doubt glorious to
him; but he was much blamed for going a second time to Crete at the
request of the people of Gortyna, to act as their general, leaving his
own country to be attacked by Nabis, because he avoided the war at
home to gather unseasonable laurels abroad. Indeed, the citizens of
Megalopolis were so hard pressed at that period as to be forced to
live entirely within their walls, and grow corn in the very streets,
as they were quite cut off from their fields by the enemy, who was
encamped before the gates. Philopoemen, by his remaining beyond seas at
this time acting as general for the Cretans, gave his enemies an
opportunity of charging him with dishonourably shirking the war at
home. Some, however, said that since the Achaeans had chosen other men
generals, Philopoemen, who had no office to fill, had a right to use
his leisure in acting as general to the people of Gortyna when they
begged him to do so. Indeed, his nature abhorred rest, and he desired
his courage and generalship to be in constant action, like everything
else belonging to him. This is clearly shown by his saying about king
Ptolemy. When some one praised that prince for carefully training his
army and exercising himself under arms every day, Philopoemen answered,
"Who can admire a king of Ptolemy's age who is still practising and
not performing." However, the citizens of Megalopolis were much vexed
by his conduct, which they considered to be that of a traitor, and
would have banished him had they not been restrained by the whole body
of the Achaeans. They sent the general Aristaenetus to Megalopolis, who,
although he was politically opposed to Philopoemen, would not allow
sentence of banishment to be passed against him. After this
Philopoemen, being treated with neglect and indifference by his
fellow-citizens, induced many of the outlying villages to rebel
against the city, telling them to say that they were not originally
made subject to it, and he himself openly took their part against his
own city when the matter was referred to the general council of the
Achaean league. But these things happened afterwards. At the time of
which we speak he carried on war in Crete with the Gortynians, not in
a simple straightforward manner, as one would expect a Peloponnesian,
and especially an Arcadian would do, but he adopted the Cretan
character, and by using all their subtle devices and ambushes against
themselve