cities should fall to the Aetolians.  “Yourselves,” replied Quinctius, “annulled the conditions of that treaty, at the time when ye deserted us, and made peace with Philip; but supposing it still remained in force, yet that clause could affect only captured cities.  Now, the states of Thessaly submitted to us by a voluntary act of their own.”—­These words were heard by their allies with universal approbation; but to the Aetolians they were both highly displeasing at the present, and proved afterwards the cause of a war, and of many great disasters attending it.  The terms settled with Philip were, that he should give his son Demetrius, and some of his friends, as hostages; should pay two hundred talents[1] and send ambassadors to Rome, respecting the other articles:  for which purpose there should be a cessation of arms for four months.  An engagement was entered into, that, in case the senate should refuse to conclude a treaty, his money and hostages should be returned to Philip.  It is said, that one of the principal reasons which made the Roman general wish to expedite the conclusion of a peace, was, that he had received certain information of Antiochus intending to commence hostilities, and to pass over into Europe.

[Footnote 1:  38,750l.]

14.  About the same time, and, as some writers say, on the same day, the Achaeans defeated Androsthenes, the king’s commander, in a general engagement near Corinth.  Philip, intending to use this city as a citadel, to awe the states of Greece, had invited the principal inhabitants to a conference, under pretence of agreeing with them as to the number of horsemen which the Corinthians could supply towards the war, and these he detained as hostages.  Besides the force already there, consisting of five hundred Macedonians and eight hundred auxiliaries of various kinds, he had sent thither one thousand Macedonians, one thousand two hundred Illyrians, and of Thracians and Cretans (for these served in both the opposite armies) eight hundred.  To these were added Botians, Thessalians, and Acarnanians, to the amount of one thousand, all carrying bucklers; with as many of the young Corinthians themselves, as filled up the number of six thousand men under arms,—­a force which inspired Androsthenes with a confident wish to decide the matter in the field.  Nicostratus, praetor of the Achaeans, was at Sicyon, with two thousand foot and one hundred horse; but seeing himself so inferior, both in the number and kind of troops, he did not go outside the walls:  the king’s forces, in various excursions, were ravaging the lands of Pellene, Phliasus, and Cleone.  At last, reproaching the enemy with cowardice, they passed over into the territory of Sicyon, and, sailing round Achaia, laid waste the whole coast.  As the enemy, while thus employed, spread themselves about too widely and too carelessly, (the usual consequence of too much confidence,) Nicostratus conceived hopes of attacking them by surprise.  He therefore sent