Factions At Cynaetha
But the Aetolian Strategus Ariston, ignoring everything
that was going on, remained quietly at home, asserting that he
was not at war with the Achaeans, but was maintaining peace:
a foolish and childish mode of acting,—for what better epithets
could be applied to a man who supposed that he could cloak
notorious facts by mere words? Meanwhile Dorimachus and
his colleague had marched through the Achaean territory and
suddenly appeared at Cynaetha.
Cynaetha was an Arcadian city
1 which,
for many years past,
The previous history of Cynaetha. |
had been afflicted with implacable and violent
political factions. The two parties had frequently retaliated on each other with massacres,
banishments, confiscations, and re-divisions of lands; but
finally the party which affected the Achaean connexion prevailed and got possession of the city, securing themselves by a
city-guard and commandant from
Achaia. This was the state
of affairs when, shortly before the Aetolian invasion, the exiled
party sent to the party in possession intreating that they would
be reconciled and allow them to return to their own city;
whereupon the latter were persuaded, and sent an embassy to
the Achaeans with the view of obtaining their consent to the
pacification. The Achaeans readily consented, in the belief
that both parties would regard them with goodwill: since the
party in possession had all their hopes centred in the Achaeans,
while those who were about to be restored would owe that
restoration to the consent of the same people. Accordingly
the Cynaethans dismissed the city-guard and commandant, and
restored the exiles, to the number of nearly three hundred,
after taking such pledges from them as are reckoned the most
inviolable among all mankind. But no sooner had they
secured their return, than, without any cause or pretext arising
which might give a colour to the renewal of the quarrel, but
on the contrary, at the very first moment of their restoration,
they began plotting against their country, and against those who
had been their preservers. I even believe that at the very
sacrifices, which consecrated the oaths and pledges which they
gave each other, they were already, even at such a solemn
moment, revolving in their minds this offence against religion
and those who had trusted them. For, as soon as they were
restored to their civil rights they called in the Aetolians, and
betrayed the city into their hands, eager to effect the utter ruin
both of the people who had preserved, and the city which had
nourished, them.