10.
Perseus at length recovered his courage from the panic which had struck him down. and would have preferred that his commands had not been obeyed when he ordered the treasure at Pella to be cast into the sea and the dockyards at Thessalonica to be burned.
[
2]
Andronicus, the envoy to Thessalonica, had killed time to allow for the very thing which happened, a change of mind.
1
[
3]
Nicias at Pella was less wary in casting away part of
[
4??]
the money which was in Phacus, but he seemed to have made his mistake in a manner not irreparable, since almost all the money was brought up by divers. So great was the king's shame at this panic of his that he ordered the divers secretly to be put to death, and after them Andronicus and Nicias, too, so that there should be no one having knowledge of so crazy an order.
[
5]
Meanwhile, Gaius Marcius set out with the fleet from Heracleum for Thessalonica, ravaged the countryside far and wide by setting ashore forces at several points, and in several successful battles drove back those who sallied from the city headlong within their walls.
[
6]
He was striking terror into the city itself, when
[p. 123]from the engines of all types which were distributed
2 about, stones shot by machine struck down not only the skirmishers about the walls who rashly approached, but even the men in the ships.
[
7]
Recalling the soldiers to the ships and abandoning the siege of Thessalonica, they made thence for Aenea. This city is fifteen miles away, set opposite Pydna in fertile land.
[
8]
After devastating its territory they followed the shore and arrived at Antigonea. There they disembarked and for a time both ravaged the fields round about and carried some booty off to their ships.
[
9]
Then the Macedonians, cavalry and infantry together, attacked the scattered raiders and pursuing as they fled in disorder, killed about five hundred and captured as many.
[
10]
Nothing but utter necessity, when they were kept from finding safety in their ships, aroused the spirits of the Roman soldiers, both by despair of other means of safety and by indignation. The fight was renewed on the shore; those aboard the ships came to the rescue.
[
11]
Here about two hundred of the Macedonians were slain and an equal number captured. From Antigonea the fleet sailed to the peninsula of Pallene and landed troops to ravage it. This land belonged to the territory of Cassandrea
3 and was by far the most fertile of all the coast they had passed.
[
12]
Here they were met by King Eumenes, who had set out from Elaea
4 with twenty decked
5 ships, as well as by five decked ships sent by King Prusias.
6