Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 44
Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D., Ed.

1. AT the beginning of the spring following the¹ winter campaigns just mentioned, Quintus Marcius Philippus² the consul left Rome and reached Brundisium with five thousand³ men whom he planned to take over with him as reinforcements for the [2] legions. The ex-consul Marcus Popilius⁴ and some young men of equally high birth accompanied the consul as tribunes of the soldiers⁵ in the legions for Macedonia. About the same time Gaius Marcius Figulus⁶ the praetor, who had been assigned [3??] to the fleet, arrived in Brundisium, and the two commanders left Italy together, reached Corcyra the next day, and made port at Actium, the harbour of Acarnania, on the day [4] after. Thence the consul disembarked at Ambracia and marched overland to Thessaly; the praetor rounded Cape Leucas, entered the Gulf of Corinth and, leaving his ships at Creusa, also took to the land and made for the fleet at Chalcis through the midst of Boeotia-one day's rapid journey.

[5] At this time Aulus Hostilius had his camp in Thessaly near Old Pharsalus, having on the one hand performed no military feat worth mentioning, but on [p. 93]the other hand having accustomed the soldiery to⁷ strict military discipline in place of uncontrolled laxness and having loyally furthered the interests of the allies and protected them from any kind of harm. On hearing of his successor's approach, he carefully inspected his men, their arms, and their horses, and with his army in parade order went to meet the approaching [6] consul. Not only was the first meeting of the commanders in accord with the high station both of the men themselves and of the Roman name, but the utmost harmony prevailed in their subsequent operations, for the proconsul remained with the [7] army.

A few days later the consul addressed a meeting of his [8] soldiers. Beginning with the unnatural crimes of Perseus committed against his brother and planned against his [9??] father,⁸ he went on to mention the acquisition of the throne by crime, the subsequent poisonings and slaughter, the attack by scoundrelly bandits on Eumenes, the wrongs committed by Perseus against the Roman people, and the plunderings of cities allied to them, contrary to [10] treaty.

“How hateful all these actions are to the gods also,” said the consul, “Perseus will discover in the outcome of his enterprises; for the gods support the cause of duty and faithfulness, the qualities by which the Roman people has climbed to so great an [11] eminence.” The consul then compared the strength of the Roman people, who now controlled the whole earth, with that of Macedonia, and the military [12??] forces of the one with the other, and asked how much greater were the resources of Philip and Antiochus, which had been shattered by forces no greater than this Roman army?

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