Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
that understood him thoroughly knew very well he only played the Cretan
with the Cretans, but those that believed him, and restored what they
had, were cheated; as he not only did not pay the money, but by craft got
thirty talents more of his friends into his hands (which in a short time
after fell to the enemy), and with them sailed to Samothrace, and there
fled to the temple of Castor and Pollux for refuge.
The Macedonians were always accounted great lovers of their kings, but
now, as if their chief prop was broken, they all gave way together, and
submitted to Aemilius, and in two days made him master of their whole
country. This seems to confirm the opinion which ascribes whatever he
did to good fortune. The omen, also, that happened at Amphipolis, has a
supernatural character. When he was sacrificing there, and the holy
rites were just begun, on a sudden, lightning fell upon the altar, set
the wood on fire, and completed the immolation of the sacrifice. The
most signal manifestation, however, of preternatural agency appears in
the story of the rumor of his success. For on the fourth day after
Perseus was vanquished at Pydna, whilst the people at Rome were seeing
the horse-races, a report suddenly arose at the entrance of the theater
that Aemilius had defeated Perseus in a great battle, and was reducing
all Macedonia under his power; and from thence it spread amongst the
people, and created general joy, with shoutings and acclamations for that
whole day through the city. But when no certain author was found of the
news, and every one alike had taken it at random, it was abandoned for
the present and thought no more of, until, a few days after, certain
intelligence came, and then the first was looked upon as no less than a
miracle, having, under an appearance of fiction, contained what was real
and true. It is reported, also, that the news of the battle fought in
Italy, near the river Sagra, was conveyed into Peloponnesus the same day,
and of that at Mycale against the Medes, to Plataea. When the Romans had
defeated the Tarquins, who were combined with the Latins, a little after,
there were seen at Rome two tall and comely men, who professed to bring
the news from the camp. They were conjectured to be Castor and Pollux.
The first man that spoke to them in the forum, near the fountain where
they were cooling their horses, which were all of a foam, expressed
surprise at the report of the victory, when, it is said, they smiled, and
gently touched his beard with their hands, the hair of which from being
black was, on the spot, changed to yellow. This gave credit to what they
said, and fixed the name of Ahenobarbus, or Brazen-beard, on the man.
And a thing which happened in our own time will make all these credible.
For when Antonius rebelled against Domitian, and Rome was in
consternation, expecting great wars from the quarter of Germany, all on a
sudden, and nobody knows upon what account, the people spontaneously gave
out a rumor of victory, and the news ran current through the city, that
Antonius himself was slain, his whole army destroyed, and not so much as
a part of it escaped; nay, this belief was so strong and positive, that
many of the magistrates offered up sacrifice. But when, at length, the
author was sought for, and none was to be found, it vanished by degrees,
every one shifting it off from himself to another, and, at last, was lost
in the numberless crowd, as in a vast ocean, and, having no solid ground
to support its credit, was, in a short time, not so much as named in the
city. Nevertheless, when Domitian marched out with his forces to the
war, he met with messengers and letters that gave him a relation of the
victory; and the rumor, it was found, had come the very day it was
gained, though the distance between the places was more than twenty-five
hundred miles. The truth of this no man of our time is ignorant of.
But to proceed. Cnaeus Octavius, who was joined in command with
Aemilius, came to an anchor with his fleet under Samothrace, where, out
of respect to the gods, he permitted Perseus to enjoy the benefit of
refuge, but took care that he should not escape by sea. Notwithstanding,
Perseus secretly persuaded Oroandes of Crete, master of a small vessel,
to convey him and his treasure away. He, however, playing the true
Cretan, took in the treasure, and bade him come, in the night, with his
children and most necessary attendants, to the port by the temple of
Ceres; but, as soon as it was evening, set sail without him. It had been
sad enough for Perseus to be forced to let down himself, his wife and
children, through a narrow window by a wall, -- people altogether
unaccustomed to hardship and flying; but that which drew a far sadder
sigh from his heart was, when he was told by a man, as he wandered on the
shore, that he had seen Oroandes under sail in the main sea; it being now
about daybreak. So, there being no hopes left of escaping, he fled back
again to the wall, which he and his wife recovered, though they were seen
by the Romans, before they could reach them. His children he
himself had delivered into the hands of Ion, one that had been his
favorite, but now proved his betrayer, and was the chief cause that
forced him (beasts themselves will do so when their young ones are taken)
to come and yield himself up to those that had them in their power. His
greatest confidence was in Nasica, and it was for him he called, but he
not being there, he bewailed his misfortune, and, seeing there was no
possible remedy, surrendered himself to Octavius. And here, in
particular, he made it manifest that he was possessed with a vice more
sordid than covetousness itself, namely, the fondness of life; by which
he deprived himself even of pity, the only thing that fortune never takes
away from the most wretched. He desired to be brought to Aemilius, who
arose from his seat, and accompanied with his friends went to receive
him, with tears in his eyes, as a great man fallen by the anger of the
gods and his own ill fortune; when Perseus -- the most shameful of sights
-- threw himself at his feet, embraced his knees, and uttered unmanly
cries and petitions, such as Aemilius was not able to bear, nor would
vouchsafe to hear: but looking on him with a sad and angry countenance
he said, "Why, unhappy man, do you thus take pains to exonerate fortune
of your heaviest charge against her, by conduct that will make it seem
that you are not unjustly in calamity, and that it is not your present
condition, but your former happiness, that was more than your deserts?
And why depreciate also my victory, and make my conquests insignificant,
by proving yourself a coward, and a foe beneath a Roman? Distressed
valor challenges great respect, even from enemies; but cowardice, though
never so successful, from the Romans has always met with scorn." Yet for
all this he took him up, gave him his hand, and delivered him into the
custody of Tubero. Meantime, he himself carried his sons, his
son-in-law, and others of chief rank, especially of the younger sort,
back with him into his tent, where for a long time he sat down without
speaking one word, insomuch that they all wondered at him. At last, he
began to discourse of fortune and human affairs. "Is it meet," said he,
"for him that knows he is but man, in his greatest prosperity to pride
himself, and be exalted at the conquest of a city, nation, or kingdom,
and not rather well to weigh this change of fortune, in which all
warriors may see an example of their common frailty, and learn a lesson
that there is nothing durable or constant? For what time can men select
to think themselves secure, when that of victory itself forces us more
than any to dread our own fortune? and a very little consideration on
the law of things, and how all are hurried round, and each man's station
changed, will introduce sadness in the midst of the greatest joy. Or can
you, when you see before your eyes the succession of Alexander himself,
who arrived at the height of power and ruled the greatest empire, in the
short space of an hour trodden under foot, -- when you behold a king, that
was but even now surrounded with so numerous an army, receiving
nourishment to support his life from the hands of his conquerors, -- can
you, I say, believe there is any certainty in what we now possess, whilst
there is such a thing as chance? No, young men, cast off that vain
pride and empty boast of victory; sit down with humility, looking always
for what is yet to come, and the possible future reverses which the
divine displeasure may eventually make the end of our present happiness."
It is said that Aemilius, having spoken much more to the same purpose,
dismissed the young men properly humbled, and with their vain-glory and
insolence thoroughly chastened and curbed by his address.
When this was done, he put his army into garrisons, to refresh
themselves, and went himself to visit Greece, and to spend a short time
in relaxations equally honorable and humane. For, as he passed, he eased
the people's grievances, reformed their governments, and bestowed gifts
upon them; to some, corn, to others, oil out of the king's storehouses,
in which, they report, there were such vast quantities laid up, that
receivers and petitioners were lacking before they could be exhausted.
In Delphi he found a great square pillar of white marble, designed for
the pedestal of king Perseus' golden statue, on which he commanded his
own to be placed, alleging that it was but just that the conquered should
give place to the conquerors. In Olympia he is said to have uttered the
saying everybody has heard, that Phidias had carved Homer's Jupiter.
When the ten commissioners arrived from Rome, he delivered up again to
the Macedonians their cities and country, granting them to live at
liberty, and according to their own laws, only paying the Romans the
tribute of a hundred talents, double which sum they had been wont to pay
to their kings. Then he celebrated all manner of shows and games, and
sacrifices to the gods, and made great entertainments and feasts; the
charge of all which he liberally defrayed out of the king's treasury; and
showed that he understood the ordering and placing of his guests, and how
every man should be received, answerably to their rank and quality, with
such nice exactness, that the Greeks were full of wonder, finding the
care of these matters of pleasure did not escape him, and that though
involved in such important business, he could observe correctness in
these bides. Nor was it least gratifying to him, that, amidst all the
magnificent and splendid preparations, he himself was always the most
grateful sight, and greatest pleasure to those he entertained. And he
told those that seemed to wonder at his diligence, that there was the
same spirit shown in marshaling a banquet as an army; in rendering the
one formidable to the enemy, the other acceptable to the guests. Nor did
men less praise his liberality, and the greatness of his soul, than his
other virtues; for he would not so much as see those great quantities of
silver and gold, which were heaped together out of the king's palaces,
but delivered them to the quaestors, to be put into the public treasury.
He only permitted his own sons, who were great lovers of learning, to
take the king's books; and when he distributed rewards due to
extraordinary valor, he gave his son-in-law, Aelius Tubero, a bowl that
weighed five pounds. This is that Tubero we have already mentioned, who
was one of sixteen relations that lived together, and were all maintained
out of one little farm; and it is said, that this was the first plate
that ever entered the house of the Aelii, brought thither as an honor and