XIII.  All 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induced many of the outlying villages to rebel against the city, telling them to say that they were not originally made subject to it, and he himself openly took their part against his own city when the matter was referred to the general council of the Achaean league.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 themselves, proved that such contrivances are but child’s play when tried against a truly experienced general.

XIV.  Returning to Peloponnesus with a great reputation from his Cretan successes, he found Philip beaten by Titus Quintius, and Nabis at war both with the Romans and the Achaeans.  He was at once elected general to attack Nabis, and in a sea fight suffered the same misfortune as Epameinondas, that is to say, he effected much less at sea than was expected of a man of his courage and reputation.