envoys of Eumenes were the next to enter. Their accusations related to the armed support sent by Philip to Prusias and to his treatment of the places in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Thrace&groupId=1030&placeId=509">Thrace</a>, where they said he had not even yet withdrawn his garrisons from the towns.
Upon Philocles expressing his desire to offer a defence on these subjects, as he had both been on a mission to Prusias and had now been sent to the senate by Philip expressly for this purpose, the senate,
after listening for a short time to what he said, gave him the following reply. If their commissioners did not find that all their wishes had been carried out, and all the cities put into the hands of Eumenes, they would no longer be able to submit to delay or tolerate disobedience in this matter.
The friction between Philip and the senate was becoming very acute when for the present it was thus arrested by the presence in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> of Demetrius.
The young man's embassy, however, contributed in no small measure to the ultimate misfortunes of the House of Macedon.
For the senate, by transferring to Demetrius their whole claim to gratitude for the favour they had conferred, turned that young man's head and gravely offended both Perseus and Philip by the thought that Romans had shown them kindness not for their own sakes by for that of Demetrius.
Flamininus also, by inviting the young man's confidences and eliciting his secrets, contributed much to the same result,
as he deluded him into cherishing the idea that the Romans were about to secure the throne for him at once, at the same time irritating Philip by writing to him to send back Demetrius at once to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> with as many of his most serviceable friends as possible.
For this was the pretext that Perseus soon after used to persuade his father to consent to the death of Demetrius.
Walbank Commentary