History of Rome

​The consul, perceiving the greatest protection and hope in the foolishness and sluggishness of the enemy, having sent a messenger back to Spurius Lucretius at Larisa to occupy the forts abandoned by the enemy around Tempe, and having sent Popilius ahead to reconnoitre the passes around Dium, after he noticed that all things lay open in all directions, ​on the second day’s march arrived at Dium and ordered the camp to be laid out under the very temple, lest anything in the sacred place should be violated.

​Having himself entered the city, which, though not large, was adorned with public places and a multitude of statues and excellently fortified, he could scarcely believe that, with such great resources abandoned without cause, there was not some trick underlying.

​Having delayed one day to reconnoitre everything around, he moved camp; and believing that there would be an abundance of grain in Pieria, on that day he advanced to the river named Mitys.

​Advancing the next day, he received the city of Agassae, the inhabitants themselves surrendering it; and in order to conciliate the minds of the remaining Macedonians to himself, content with hostages, he promised that he would leave the city to them without a garrison, and that they should live free from taxes and under their own laws.

​Having advanced from there a day’s journey, he pitched camp at the river Ascordus; and the further he advanced from Thessaly, the greater the scarcity of all things he felt, so he returned to Dium, all doubt being removed from everyone, ​as to what would have had to be endured by him if cut off from Thessaly, since it was not safe for him to depart far from there.

​Perseus, having assembled all his forces and leaders, began to upbraid the commanders of the garrisons, before all Asclepiodotus and Hippias;

​he said that by them the gates of Macedonia had been surrendered to the Romans; of which guilt no one was more justly accused than he himself.

​After the fleet, sighted from the high sea, gave hope to the consul that ships were coming with supplies—for there was a huge dearness of grain and almost a scarcity—, he heard from those who had already entered port that the cargo ships had been left behind at Magnesia.

​While it was uncertain what should be done—so much so that, without any action of the enemy to aggravate it, he had to fight with the very difficulty of circumstances—, very opportunely letters were brought from Spurius Lucretius stating that he ​held all the forts which were above Tempe and around Phila, and had found in them a supply of grain and other things for use.