Summary of book XXXI
The causes of the renewal of the war against King Philip
of Macedonia, for some time interrupted, are reported thus:
At the time of the mysteries, two young Acarnanians who
had not been initiated came to Athens and entered the
temple of Ceres with others of their countrymen. For this
reason they were killed by the Athenians as if guilty of a
monstrous crime. The Acarnanians, incensed by their
death, asked help of Philip to avenge them and laid siege
to Athens; the Athenians asked aid of the Romans a few
months after the grant of peace to the Carthaginians.
When the ambassadors of the Athenians who were being
besieged by Philip had asked the senate for assistance and
the senate thought that it should be granted, the assembly
dissenting because the long-continued toil of so many wars
was a burden, the authority of the senate prevailed upon
the assembly also to vote that aid be sent to the allied state.
This war was entrusted to the consul Publius Sulpicius,
who, leading his army to Macedonia, fought successfully
with Philip in cavalry battles. The people of Abydus,
besieged by Philip, slew themselves and their families after
the manner of the Saguntines. Lucius Furius the praetor
defeated in pitched battle the Insubrian Gauls who were in
revolt and Hamilcar the Carthaginian who was stirring up
war in that part of Italy. Hamilcar and thirty-five thousand men were killed in that campaign. It contains in
addition the raids of King Philip and Sulpicius the consul
and the captures of cities by each. The consul Sulpicius
conducted the war with the aid of King Attalus and the
Rhodians. Lucius Furius the praetor triumphed over the
Gauls.
