12.
When these events were happening in Aeolis and Abydus had for some days withstood the siege, a royal garrison defending the walls, and all were now
[2??]
wearied, with the consent of even Philotas, prefect of the garrison, their magistrates treated with Livius as to the terms for surrendering the city. The question that delayed a settlement was that there was no agreement as to whether they should be released armed or unarmed.
[3]
As they were discussing this the arrival of the announcement of the disaster to the Rhodians caused the matter to pass out of their hands;
[4]
for Livius, fearing that Polyxenidas, elated by his success in so great an enterprise, would attack the fleet which was at Canae, immediately abandoned the siege of Abydus and the guarding of the Hellespont and launched the ships which had been drawn up on the beach at Canae; Eumenes too came to Elaea.
[5]
Livius with the entire fleet, to which were added two triremes from Mitylene, sailed for Phocaea.
[6]
When he heard that this was held by a strong royal garrison and that the camp of Seleucus was not far away, he ravaged [p. 327]the sea-coast and, quickly loading the booty,1 especially the men, into the ships, waiting only until Eumenes with his fleet should overtake him, he set sail for Samos.
[7]
To the Rhodians the news of the disaster brought at first mingled terror and grief; for besides the destruction of ships and marines, they had lost all the beauty and strength of their youth, many nobles having been attracted, among other things, by the prestige of Pausistratus, which had justly been very great among his people;
[8]
then the fact that they had been entrapped by guile, and, more than that, by their own fellow-citizen, turned their grief into anger.
[9]
They straightway sent ten ships and a few days later ten more, all under the prefect Eudamus, who, they believed, would be a leader in no respect equal to Pausistratus in other military qualities, but the more cautious as he was less high-spirited. The Romans and King Eumenes sailed first to Erythraea.
[10]
Then, after a wait of one night, on the following day they gained the promontory of Corycus. Wishing to cross from there to the nearest parts of the land of Samos, without
[11??]
waiting for sunrise, so that from it the pilots might be able to judge the state of the heavens, they started out into uncertain weather.
[12]
Half-way across, the north-east wind veering to the north, the ships began to be tossed by seas roughened by the wind.
1 B.C. 190
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