drove them back to their camp, and even fought round their tents, yet
Aratus would not move on with the heavy-armed force, but halted them
behind a water-course which he forbade them to cross. Lydiades,
irritated at this, reproached Aratus, called upon the cavalry to follow
him and reinforce the victorious light troops, and not to lose the
victory or desert him when he was fighting for his country. Many brave
men joined him, and with them he charged the right wing of the enemy,
overthrew them, and pursued with reckless ardour until he became
entangled in difficult ground, full of fruit trees and wide ditches,
where he was attacked by Kleomenes, and fell fighting bravely in the
noblest of causes, at the very gates of his native city. His companions
fled back to the main body, where they disordered the ranks of the
hoplites, and brought about the defeat of the entire army. Aratus was
greatly blamed, because he was thought to have left Lydiades to perish.
The Achæans angrily retired to Ægium, and forced him to accompany them.
There they held a meeting, at which it was decided that he should not be
supplied with any money nor any mercenary troops maintained for him, but
that if he wished to go to war he must furnish them for himself.
XXXVIII. After being thus disgraced, Aratus determined at once to give
up the seals[595] and lay down his office of general, but after
consideration he put up with the affront led out the army of the
Achæans, and fought a battle with Megistonous, the step-father of
Kleomenes, in which he was victorious, slew three hundred of the enemy,
and took prisoner Megistonous himself. He had hitherto been always
elected general every other year, but now, when the time for his
election came round, he refused to take the office, although pressed to
do so, and Timotheus was chosen general. It was thought that his anger
with the people was merely a pretext for his refusal, and that the real
reason was the perilous situation of the Achæan league; for Kleomenes no
longer operated against it by slow degrees as before, when he was
embarrassed by the other Spartan magistrates, but now that he had put
the Ephors to death, redistributed the land, and admitted many of the
resident aliens to the franchise, he found himself an irresponsible
ruler at the head of a large force, with which he at once assailed the
Achæans, demanding himself to be acknowledged as their chief. For this
reason Aratus has been blamed for behaving like a pilot during a
terrible storm and tempest yielded up the helm to another when it was
his duty to stand by it, even against the will of the people, and save
the commonwealth; or, if he despaired of the Achæans being able to
resist, he ought to have made terms with Kleomenes and not to have
allowed Peloponnesus to fall back into the hands of the uncivilised
Macedonians and be occupied by their troops, and to have garrisoned the
citadel of Corinth with Illyrian and Gaulish soldiers, thus inviting
into the cities, under the name of allies, those very men whom he had
passed his life in out-manoeuvring and over-reaching, and whom in his
memoirs he speaks of with such hatred. Even if Kleomenes were, as some
might call him, a despot and a law-breaker, yet Sparta was his native
country, and the Herakleidæ were his ancestors, and surely any man who
respected Greek nobility of birth would have chosen the least
illustrious of such a family for his chief rather than the greatest man
in all Macedonia. Moreover, Kleomenes, when he asked the Achæans to
appoint him as their ruler, promised that in return for that title he
would do great things for them by land and sea, whereas Antigonus, when
offered the title of supreme ruler by land and sea, would not accept it
until he received the citadel of Corinth as a bribe, exactly like the
huntsman in Æsop's fable; for he would not mount upon the backs of the
Achæans, though they begged him to do so, and offered themselves to him
by embassies and decrees, before, by means of his garrison in Corinth
and the hostages which he received, he had, as it were, placed a bit in
their mouths.
Aratus makes a laboured defence of his conduct, pleading the necessities
of his situation. Yet Polybius tells us that long before any such
necessities existed, Aratus had felt alarm at the daring spirit of
Kleomenes, and had not only been carrying on secret negotiations with
Antigonus, but even had urged the people of Megalopolis to propose to
the Achæans that Antigonus should be invited to assist them. It was the
people of Megalopolis who were the greatest sufferers by the war, as
Kleomenes constantly ravaged their territories. The historian Phylarchus
gives a similar account of the transaction, though we could hardly
receive his narrative with confidence if it were not supported by the
testimony of Polybius; for he is so enthusiastic an admirer of the
character of Kleomenes that in his history he writes as though he were
pleading his cause in a court of justice, and continually disparages
Aratus, and, vindicates Kleomenes.
XXXIX. The Achæans now lost Mantinea, which was recaptured by Kleomenes,
and they were so dispirited by a great defeat, which they sustained near
Hekatombæon, as to send at once to Kleomenes, inviting him to come to
Argos and assume the supreme command. Aratus, as soon as he learned
that Kleomenes had set out, and was marching past Lerna at the head of
his army, became alarmed, and sent an embassy to him, begging him, to
come to the Achæans as to friends and allies, with only three hundred
men, and offering hostages to him, if he suspected them of treachery.
Kleomenes regarded this message as a mockery and an insult to himself.
He immediately retired, after writing a letter to the Achæans in which
he brought many grave charges against Aratus. Aratus, in turn, wrote
several letters to them assailing Kleomenes; and they abused one another
so outrageously as not even to spare the reputation of each other's
wives. After this, Kleomenes sent a herald to declare war against the
Achæans, and very nearly succeeded in making himself master of Sikyon by
the treachery of some of its citizens. Failing in this, he turned aside,
attacked Pellene, drove out the commander, and took the city. Shortly
afterwards he took Phenes and Penteleum. Upon this the Argives at once
joined him, and the citizens of Phlius admitted a Spartan garrison: so
that the Achæans seemed to be in danger of losing all their conquests,
and Aratus became seriously alarmed at the disturbed condition of the
Peloponnesus, for he saw that in every quarter cities, encouraged by
revolutionary agitators, were preparing to throw off their allegiance to
the league.
XL. None were quiet or satisfied with things as they were, but many
citizens of Corinth and of Sikyon itself openly corresponded with
Kleomenes, and expressed the disaffection which they had long felt to
the league, and their wish to obtain the supreme power for themselves.
In dealing with these persons, Aratus took the law into his own hands
and put to death all Sikyonians whom he found corrupted; but when he
attempted to seek out and punish the Corinthian conspirators, he enraged
the populace which already was disaffected, and weary of the Achæan
domination. The people ran together to the temple of Apollo, and sent
for Aratus, being determined either to kill him or take him prisoner,
before they proceeded openly to revolt from the league. Aratus appeared
before them, leading his horse, without betraying any suspicion or
alarm, and when many of them leaped up and showered abusive language
upon him, he, with an admirable composure of countenance and manner,
quietly bade them be seated, and not stand up talking loudly and
confusedly but let in also those who were outside the gates. While
speaking thus he retired at a foot's pace, as though he were looking for
some one to take care of his horse. By this means he got away from them
and proceeded on his way, talking unconcernedly to all the Corinthians
whom he met, whom he bade go to the temple of Apollo, until he came near
to the citadel. Here he sprang upon his horse's back, gave orders to
Kleopater, the commander of the garrison, to hold the place stoutly, and
rode away to Sikyon, followed by only thirty soldiers, as the rest had
all remained behind and dispersed.
After a short time the Corinthians discovered that he had taken to
flight, and pursued, but as they could not overtake him, they sent to
Kleomenes and delivered up their city to him. Yet Kleomenes considered
that he had lost more by the escape of Aratus than he had gained by the
acquisition of Corinth. Kleomenes was at once joined by the inhabitants
of the sea-side district known as Akte, who surrendered their cities to
him, and with their assistance he completely invested the citadel of
Corinth with a rampart and palisade.
XLI. Aratus was joined at Sikyon by the representatives of most of the
cities of the Achæan league. An assembly was held, at which he was
elected general, with unlimited powers. He now surrounded himself with a
bodyguard selected from among his fellow-citizens. Aratus had conducted
the affairs of the league for thirty-three years, during which he had
made himself the first man in Greece, both in power and in renown,
though now he was utterly ruined and cast down, forced to cling to his
native city as his only chance of safety amidst the general wreck of his
fortunes. For the Ætolians refused to help him when he implored their
aid, and Eurykleides and Mikion held back the Athenians from offering
any assistance, though they were eager to do so out of regard for
Aratus. Aratus had a house at Corinth and some property, which Kleomenes
refused to touch, or to let any one else meddle with, but sent for
Aratus's friends and those whom he had left in charge of his property,
and bade them keep everything in good order, as they would have to
answer to Aratus for their conduct. Kleomenes also sent Tripylus and his
uncle Megistonous to Aratus to negotiate with him, promising him among
many other advantages a yearly pension of twelve talents, thus
over-bidding Ptolemy by one half: for Ptolemy paid Aratus six talents a
year. Kleomenes proposed that he himself should receive the title of
chief of the Achæans, and that the citadel of Corinth should be
garrisoned partly by Achæans and partly by Spartan troops. To this
Aratus answered that he was not able to direct events, but rather was
directed by them. As this language proved that he had no intention of
negotiating seriously, Kleomenes at once invaded the territory of
Sikyon, ravaged the country, and encamped for three months before the
walls of the city. Aratus remained quiet within the walls, but began to
consider whether it would be necessary for him to obtain the assistance
of Antigonus by surrendering the citadel of Corinth to him: for his help
was not to be had on any other terms.
XLII. The Achæans now assembled at Ægium and invited Aratus thither. The
journey was a dangerous one for him to make, at a time when Kleomenes
was encamped outside the city of Sikyon; and his fellow-countrymen
endeavoured to keep him back by entreaties and even by threatening that,
when the enemy was so close, they would not permit him to leave the
city; while the women and children hung upon him weeping, as though he
were the common father and preserver of them all. However, after
addressing a few words of encouragement to them he rode away towards the
sea, accompanied by ten of his friends and by his son, who was now grown
up. At the beach they embarked on board of some vessels which were
riding at anchor, and proceeded by sea to the assembly at Ægium, at
which it was decreed that Antigonus should be invited to aid them, and
that the citadel of Corinth should be handed over to him. Aratus even
sent his son to Antigonus among the other hostages. The Corinthians,
disgusted with these proceedings, now confiscated his property, and
presented his house to Kleomenes.
XLIII. Antigonus now approached with his army, which was composed of
twenty thousand Macedonian foot soldiers, with thirteen hundred cavalry.
Aratus, with the chief officers of the Achæan league, proceeded by sea
to Pegæ to meet him, thus avoiding the enemy, although he had no great
confidence in Antigonus, and distrusted the Macedonians. He felt that he
owed his own greatness to the injuries which he had done them, and that
his first rise as a politician was due to his hatred of the old
Antigonus. Yet, driven by inexorable necessity, and by the exigencies of
the times, to which men in authority are really slaves, he took this
desperate course.
Antigonus, as soon as he learned that Aratus was approaching, met him,
and welcomed his companions in a friendly manner, but showed him
especial honour at their first meeting, and as he found upon trial that
Aratus was a worthy and sensible man, he contracted closer relations
with him than those of mere business. Indeed, Aratus was not only useful
to Antigonus for the management of great political negotiations, but
when the king was at leisure, proved a more agreeable companion to him
than any one else. Antigonus, young as he was, perceived that Aratus was
not spoiled by royal favour, and soon preferred him not only above all
other Achæans, but even beyond his own Macedonian courtiers. Thus was
the sign which the god had given him in the sacrifice brought to pass:
for it is said that a short time before this, Aratus was offering
sacrifice and that there appeared in the liver of the victim two gall
bladders enclosed in one caul. The soothsayer explained this to portend
that Aratus would shortly form an intimate friendship with his greatest
enemy. At the time he disregarded this saying, for he was always more
inclined to follow the dictates of common sense than to be guided by
prophecies and portents. Afterwards, however, as the war proceeded
successfully, Antigonus made a great feast at Corinth to which he
invited many guests. Among these was Aratus, whom he placed next to
himself. Presently he sent for a wrapper, and asked Aratus if he also
did not feel chilly. Aratus answered that he was very cold, and
Antigonus then bade him come closer to himself, so that the servants who
brought the wrapper enveloped them both in it. Then Aratus, remembering
the portent, burst out laughing, and told the king about the sacrifice
and the prophecy. This, however, happened after the times of which I am
writing.
XLIV. At Pegæ Aratus and Antigonus each plighted their faith to the
other, and then at once marched against the enemy. Before Corinth
several battles took place, for Kleomenes was securely entrenched there,
and the Corinthians vigorously assisted him. But now one Aristoteles of
Argos, a friend of Aratus, sent secretly to him to say that he could
cause that city to revolt from Kleomenes, if Aratus would appear before
it with some Macedonian soldiers. Aratus laid the matter before
Antigonus, and hurriedly crossed over to Epidaurus by sea with a force
of fifteen hundred men. The Argives rose in revolt before his arrival,
attacked the troops of Kleomenes, and drove them to take refuge in the
citadel; and Kleomenes, hearing of this, and fearing that if the enemy
made themselves masters of Argos they might cut off his retreat,
abandoned Corinth and marched by night to help the garrison of Argos. He
arrived there before Aratus, and won a partial success, but soon
afterwards, as Aratus was marching to attack him, and King Antigonus was
coming on behind Aratus, he retired to Mantinea. Upon this all the
cities of Peloponnesus again joined the Achæans, and Antigonus received
the citadel of Corinth. The people of Argos now elected Aratus their
commander-in-chief, and he persuaded them to make a present to Antigonus
of all the property of their late despots and of all traitors.
Aristomachus was put to the torture at Cenchreae and then drowned in the
sea, a proceeding which brought great discredit upon Aratus for having
allowed a man of considerable merit, with whom he had formerly been
intimately connected, and whom he had persuaded to abdicate his throne
and bring over Argos to the league, to be put to death in this cruel and
illegal manner.
XLV. By this time also many other charges were brought against Aratus by
the other cities, as, for instance, that the league had given Corinth to
Antigonus just as if it were some obscure village, and that it had
permitted him to sack Orchomenus and place in it a Macedonian garrison;
that it had passed a decree, that no letter or embassy should be sent to
any other king if Antigonus did not approve of it; that they were forced
to maintain and pay the Macedonians, and that they celebrated religious
services, processions, and games in honour of Antigonus, in which the
fellow-citizens of Aratus took the lead, and invited him into their city
where he was the guest of Aratus. All blamed Aratus for this, not
considering that he had given over the reins to Antigonus, and was now
compelled to follow his lead, having no longer anything except his
tongue which he could call his own, and not daring to use even that with
entire freedom. It was clear that much of what was being done distressed
Aratus, as for instance the affair of the statues; for Antigonus
restored the statues of the despots at Argos which had been thrown
down, and threw down all the statues of the captors of the citadel of
Corinth, except only that of Aratus himself: and that, too, although
Aratus begged him earnestly to spare those of the others. At Mantinea,
too, the behaviour of the Achæans was repugnant to Hellenic patriotism,
for having by the help of Antigonus captured that city, they put to
death all the leading men, and of the rest they sold some and sent
others to Macedonia loaded with fetters, while they made slaves of the
women and children. Of the proceeds of the sale they divided one-third
among themselves, and gave two-thirds to the Macedonians. Yet this can
be justified by the law of revenge; for though it is a shocking thing to
deal so cruelly with men of one's own nation, through anger, still, in
great political crises, revenge is sweet and not bitter, and in the
words of Simonides, soothes and relieves the angry spirit. But what
happened afterwards cannot be thought honourable to Aratus, nor can it
be attributed to political exigencies: for when the city was presented
by Antigonus to the Achæans, and they decided upon colonising it, Aratus
being chosen as its founder, and being at the time general of the
Achæans, decreed that it should no longer be called Mantinea, but
Antigoneia, which remains its name to this day. Thus, by his means, the
lovely Mantinea, as Homer calls it,[596] was wiped out of the map of
Greece, and there remains in its stead a city whose name recalls its
destroyer and the murderer of its citizens.
XLVI. Subsequently to this, Kleomenes was defeated in a great battle at
Sellasia, left Sparta and sailed to Egypt. Antigonus, after showing
every kindness to Aratus, returned to Macedonia, where, as he already
was suffering from the illness which caused his death, he sent the heir
to his kingdom, Philip, who was now a mere lad, into Peloponnesus,
advising him to pay the greatest attentions to Aratus, and through him
to negotiate with the cities, and make the acquaintance of the Achæans.
Aratus welcomed Philip, and so treated him that he returned to Macedonia
full of good will towards himself, and full of generous feelings and
impulses towards the Greeks.
XLVII. When Antigonus died, the Ætolians, who regarded the Achæans with
contempt because of their cowardice (for indeed they had become
accustomed to be protected by others, and trusting, entirely to the
Macedonian arms, had fallen into a condition of complete indolence and
want of discipline), began to interfere in the politics of the
Peloponnesus. During their invasion they incidentally plundered the
territory of Patræ and Dyme, and then marched into the country of
Messenia and began to lay it waste. Aratus, distressed at this, and
seeing that Timoxenus, the general of the Achæans, was acting slowly and
without spirit because his year of office had almost expired,
anticipated his own election as general by five days, in order to assist
the Messenians. He assembled an Achæan army: but the men were without
military training and were destitute of warlike spirit. This army was
defeated in a battle near Kaphyæ, and Aratus, who was reproached with
having been too rash a general, now fell into the opposite extreme, and
showed such apathy as often to refuse to seize opportunities for attack
which were offered by the Ætolians, and to permit them to riot through
Peloponnesus with every kind of wanton insult. Now, a second time, the
Achæans stretched forth their hands towards Macedonia and brought Philip
to interfere in the affairs of Greece. They were the more willing to
take this step because they knew the regard which Philip felt for
Aratus, and the trust which he placed in him, and they hoped that they
should find him gentle and manageable in all respects.
XLVIII. At first the king, influenced by the slanders of Apelles,
Megaleas, and some other of his courtiers against Aratus encouraged
those of the opposite faction, and eagerly pressed for the election of
Eperatus as general of the league. However, as he was utterly despised
by the Achæans, and as nothing useful could be effected while Aratus was
out of office, Philip perceived that he had made a complete mistake. He
now came entirely over to the side of Aratus, and acted entirely at his
dictation. As he was now gaining both renown and power, he attached
himself more and more to Aratus, imagining that it was by his means that
he gained his successes. Indeed it began to be thought that Aratus was
able to school kings as well as he could free cities; for the impress of
his character was to be traced in every one of Philip's acts. Thus the
lenity with which the young prince treated the Lacedæmonians after they
had offended him, his personal interviews with the Cretans, by means of
which he gained possession of the whole island in a few days, and his
brilliantly successful campaign against the Ætolians, all gained for
Aratus the credit of giving good advice, and for Philip that of knowing
how to follow it. All this made Philip's courtiers more and more jealous
of Aratus. As they could effect nothing against him by secret intrigues,
they proceeded to open abuse, and assailed him at wine-parties with the
most scurrilous impertinence, and once when he was retiring to his tent
after dinner they even sent a shower of stones after him. Philip was
very indignant at these proceedings, and at once imposed upon them a
fine of twenty talents. Afterwards, as they were embroiling and
troubling his affairs by their intrigues, he had them all put to death.
XLIX. Now that Philip was borne along upon the full tide of success, he
developed many vehement lusts, and the natural wickedness of his nature
broke through all the artificial restraints by which it had been
hitherto held in check, and gradually revealed him in his true colours.
His first act was to seduce the wife of the younger Aratus. This
intrigue he carried on for a long time unsuspected, as he lived in their
house and was treated as an honoured guest. Next, he began to treat the
Greeks in a much harsher fashion, and evidently intended to rid himself
of Aratus. His conduct at Messene first gave rise to this suspicion. The
Messenians revolted, and Aratus marched to attack them, but Philip
reached Messene one day before him, and when he entered the city stirred
up the passions of the citizens by asking the aristocracy of the
Messenians in private whether they had no laws to keep down the
populace, and then again in private inquiring of the leaders of the
people whether they had no hands wherewith to quell despots. After this
the chief men took heart and fell upon the popular leaders, but they,
with the assistance of the people, killed all the magistrates and nearly
two hundred of the other leading citizens.