<head>Attempt of Antiochus to make peace</head>Antiochus, who, after his defeat in the naval engagement, remained in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sardis&groupId=948&placeId=1686">Sardis</a> neglecting his opportunities and generally deferring action of any kind,
on learning that the enemy had crossed to Asia, was crushed in spirit and, abandoning all hope, decided to send to the Scipios to beg for peace.
He therefore appointed and dispatched Heracleides of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Byzantium&groupId=415&placeId=767">Byzantium</a>, instructing him to say that he gave up <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Lampsacus&groupId=666&placeId=1218">Lampsacus</a>, <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Smyrna&groupId=981&placeId=1733">Smyrna</a>, and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a> Troas, the towns which were the cause of the war, as well as such other places in Aeolis and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Ionia&groupId=171&placeId=413">Ionia</a> as they chose to take among those which had sided with <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> in the present war.
He also engaged to pay half the expenses which their quarrel with him had caused them.
These were the instructions that his envoy was to deliver in his public audience, and there were other private ones he was to convey to Scipio of which I will give a detailed account further on.
Heracleides, on reaching the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Hellespont&groupId=620&placeId=1141">Hellespont</a> and finding the Romans still encamped on the place where they had pitched their tents immediately after crossing, was at first glad of this, thinking that the fact that the enemy remained stationary and had as yet not attempted to make any progress would tell in his favour at the audience; but on learning that public Scipio still remained on the further side, he was distressed, as the result very largely depended on the intentions of that commander.
The real reason why both the army remained in its first camp and Scipio was apart from it was that the latter was one of the . These are, as I said in my book on the Roman constitution, one of the three colleges whose duty it is to perform the principal sacrifices, and, no matter where they happen to be, it is forbidden for them to change their residence for thirty days during the celebration of the sacrifices.
This was now the case with Scipio; for just as his army was crossing, he was caught by this period, so that he could not change his residence.
The consequence was that he was separated from his army and stopped behind in Europe, while the legions after crossing remained inactive, and were unable to make any progress as they were awaiting his arrival.
Walbank Commentary