A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

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The Federal Assembly 301
showed such signs of enthusiastic approval that no one
ventured to speak on the side of the king; but the whole
assembly rejected the offer by acclamation, though its
amount certainly made it exceedingly tempting.
The next subject introduced for debate was that of King
king Ptolemy. The ambassadors who had been on the Egypt seeks
mission to Ptolemy were called forward, and Lycortas, atrea^ty.
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acting as spokesman, began by stating how they had j^
interchanged oaths of aUiance with the king; and next
announced that they brought a present from the king to
the Achaean league of six thousand stands of arms for
peltasts, and two thousand talents in bronze coinage.
He added a panegyric on the king, and finished his speech
by a brief reference to the goodwill and active benevolence
of the king towards the Achaeans. Upon this the general There were
of the Achaeans, Aristaenus, stood up and asked Lycortas ties between
and his colleagues in the embassy to Ptolemy "which ^ ^^'^^^5.
.
alliance it was that he had thus renewed? . . .
And when no one was able to explain, not even Philipoemen
himself, who had been in office when the renewal
was made, nor Lycortas and his colleagues who had been
on the mission to Alexandria, these men all began to be
regarded as careless in conducting the business of the
league; while Aristaenus acquired great reputation as being
the only man who knew what he was talking about;
and finally, the assembly refused to allow the ratification,
voting on account of this blunder that the business should
be postponed.
Then the ambassadors from Seleucus entered with their
proposal. The Achaeans, however, voted to renew the
friendship with Seleucus, but to decline for the present
the gift of the ships.