Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 45
Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D., Ed.

25. Following a speech to this effect all the envoys again cast themselves down in the posture of suppliants, waving their olive-branches; after some time they were made to rise and left the senate-house. [2] Then the roll-call of opinions began. The chief enemies of the Rhodians were those who had been conducting the war in Macedonia as consuls, praetors, or staff-officers. [3] Great aid to the cause of Rhodes was given by Marcus Porcius Cato, who, though of a harsh temperament, on this occasion played the part of a tolerant and mild senator. [4] I shall not include here a pale wraith of this eloquent man by reporting what he said; his own speech is [p. 331]preserved in written form, as part of the fifth book of¹ his “Beginnings.”² [5] The reply to the Rhodians was couched in such form that they were neither declared enemies nor continued to be allies.

Philocrates and Astymedes were the leaders of this embassy. [6] It was decided that some of them with Philocrates should report to Rhodes about the embassy, while some remained at Rome with Astymedes to keep track of what was being done and inform their people. For the time being orders were given that they should withdraw their governors from Lycia and Caria by a certain date. [7] These actions were reported at Rhodes; of themselves they would have been grievous, but were turned into a cause for rejoicing, because the Rhodians were relieved of fear of a greater evil, since they had feared war. So they immediately voted a crown of twenty thousand gold pieces. They sent Theodotus,³ the admiral of their fleet, on this embassy. They wanted to ask the Romans for an alliance in such fashion that no decree of the people concerning it should be passed or committed to dispatches, because if they did not obtain their request, the disgrace of an open repulse would be greater. [8] The admiral of the fleet alone had the right to negotiate for such a purpose without the passing of any enabling resolution.

[9] For the Rhodians had for all these years⁴ maintained their friendship in such a way as not to bind themselves to the Romans by any treaty of alliance, [p. 333]precisely for the purpose of not cutting off hope on⁵ the part of the kings that they would come to their aid, if need arose, as well as their own hope of reaping a harvest from the good will and good fortune of the kings. [10] At this time they felt that they should by all means seek an alliance, not to protect themselves against other peoples, for they feared no one but the Romans, but to alleviate the Romans' suspicion of themselves.

[11] At about the same time the Caunians revolted from them, and Mylassa seized the towns of the Euromenses. [12] The spirit of Rhodes was not so broken that they did not perceive that if Lycia and Caria were taken away by the Romans, and the rest of their possessions either freed themselves by revolt or were seized by the neighbours, they would be hemmed in by the shores of a small island of infertile soil, which could by no means support the population of so large a city. Troops were therefore promptly sent and the Caunians compelled to accept their rule, even though forces of Cibyra were called in by the Caunians. [13] Mylassa too and Alabanda, which had also come to join Mylassa in taking away the province of Euromus,⁶ were defeated in battle near Orthosia.