60.
That day there fell on the Roman side two hundred cavalry, and hardly less than two thousand infantry; about six hundred were captured.1 Of the king's men, however, twenty cavalrymen and forty infantrymen were killed.
[2]
After the victors returned to camp, all indeed rejoiced, but above the others the swaggering joy of the Thracians was conspicuous; for they returned bearing with songs the heads of their enemies impaled on spears.
[3]
On the Roman side there was not only gloom because of their lack of success, but also fear that the enemy might immediately attack the camp. Eumenes advised the consul to move his camp across the Peneüs, so that he might have the river as a fortification while the soldiers were recovering their shattered morale. The consul was affected by the disgrace [p. 479]of admitting timidity; but being overcome by reason,2 he led his troops across in the dead of night and fortified a camp on the farther bank.
[4]
The king came up next day to harass the enemy with battle, and, after finding out that the camp
[5??]
had been placed in safety across the river, admitted that he had indeed been at fault in not having pressed home the previous day his attack against the conquered, but that a somewhat greater mistake was that he had been inactive during the night;
[6]
for even if he had not stirred one other man of his forces, he could, by an attack of the light troops, have to a great extent destroyed the enemy's troops while they were in confusion as they crossed the river.
[7]
For the Romans indeed the immediate fear was removed, since they had a camp safely placed; but the loss, among other things, of reputation particularly disturbed them.
[8]
And in the conference before the consul each in his own defence assigned the blame to the Aetolians; the beginning, they said, of the flight and panic had been made by them; the other allies from the peoples of Greece had also followed the rout of the Aetolians.
[9]
Five chiefs of the Aetolians, who were the first said to have been seen turning their backs, were sent to Rome.3 The Thessalians were praised before an assembly, and their leaders were even rewarded presents for valour.
[10]
1 Plutarch, Aemilius Paullus ix. 2, gives the loss in dead as 2500; in Sayings of Romans 197 F (L.C.L., Moralia III., p. 173) the total dead and captured are given as 2800, as here.
2 B.C. 171
3 Polybius, XXVII. 15. 14, regarded the charge against the Aetolians as a piece of party politics originated by their countryman, the general Lyciscus, and foolishly believed by he Romans. Cf. Appian, Macedonian Wars, IX. xii: αιτωῶν δὲ καὶ ἑτέρων ῾ελλήνων κατεψεύσατο ὡς πρῶτω τραπέντων.
Livy. Books XL-XLII With An English Translation. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1938: published without copyright notice.
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