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

392 The End of Greek Freedom
terity, to leave them unmixed with any falsehood: so that
readers should not be merely gratified for the moment
by a pleasant tale, but should receive in their souls a lesson,
which will prevent a repetition of similar errors in
the future. Enough however, on this subject. . . .
III.
Outbreak of the Ach^an War
A Roman commission attempted to conduct negotiations with
Critolaus, general of the Achaean League who was to act in conjunction
with the Lacedaemonians for the settlement of some misunderstandings.
By his arbitrary conduct, however, Critolaus brought
the negotiations to naught and thus greatly offended the Romans.
The following extract is an account of his subsequent conduct.
Critolaus
stirs up the
Greeks
against
Rome.
Polybius
xxxviii. g.
A ncient
World, 304,
392 f-
The Romans
again attempt
negotiations.
Polyb.
xxxviii. 10.
Critolaus spent the winter in visiting the cities and
holding assemblies in them, on the pretext that he wished
to inform them of what he had said to the Lacedaemonians
at Tegea, but in reality to denounce the Romans and to
put an evil interpretation on everything they said; by
these means he inspired the common people in the various
cities with feelings of hostility and hatred for them. At
the same time he sent round orders to the magistrates not
to exact money from debtors, nor to receive prisoners
arrested for debt, and to cause loans on pledge to be held
over until the war was decided. By this kind of appeal
to the interests of the vulgar everything he said was received
with confidence; and the common people were
ready to obey any order he gave, being incapable of taking
thought for the future, but caught by the bait of immediate
indulgence and relief.
When Quintus Caecilius Metellus heard in Macedonia
of the commotion and disturbance going on in
the Peloponnese,
he despatched thither his legates Gnaeus Papirius
and the younger Popilius Laenas, along with Aulus Gabinius