After this the senate summoned the Rhodians and gave them a hearing.
Astymedes on entering took up a more moderate and better position than on his last embassy.
For, desisting from bringing accusations, he began to make excuses, as slaves when scourged beg to be let off a certain number of lashes, saying that his country had been sufficiently mulcted and beyond what her offences deserved.
He then proceeded to sum up the losses which <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a> had suffered, mentioning first of all that of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Lycia&groupId=711&placeId=1304">Lycia</a> and Caria, on which provinces they had spent from the outset a considerable sum, having been compelled to undertake three wars against them, and now they were deprived of the large revenue derived from them.
"But perhaps," he said, "in this you are justified; for it is true that you gave these districts to our people as a favour and token of goodwill, and in revoking your gift now that we incur your suspicion and hostility you may seem to have acted reasonably.
But as for Caunus, you will confess that we bought it from Ptolemy's generals for two hundred talents, and that Stratoniceia was given us as a great favour by Antiochus son of Seleucus.
From these two towns our state derived an annual revenue of a hundred and twenty talents.
We lose the whole of this revenue if we consent to obey your orders.
From this you see that you have imposed a heavier tribute on the Rhodians for a single mistake than on the Macedonians who had always been your foes. But the greatest calamity inflicted on our town is this.
The revenue we drew from our harbour has ceased owing to your having made <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Delos&groupId=533&placeId=1004">Delos</a> a free port, and deprived our people of that liberty by which our rights as regards our harbour and all the other rights of our city were properly guarded.
It is not difficult to convince you of the truth of this.
For while the harbour-dues in former times were farmed for a million drachmae, they now fetch only a hundred and fifty thousand, so that your displeasure, men of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>, has only too heavily visited the vital resources of the state.
Now, had the whole people been responsible for our error and estrangement from you, you might possibly with some show of justice maintain that displeasure and deny forgiveness,
but if, as you know well, the authors of this folly were quite few in number and have all been put to death by the state itself,
why do you refuse to be reconciled to men who were in no way to blame, you who are considered to be most lenient and magnanimous towards all other peoples?
Therefore, gentlemen, the people of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a> who have lost their revenue, their liberty, and their equality, things for which in past times they were ready to endure any suffering, beg and entreat you all, now that they have been sufficiently chastised, to abate your anger, to be reconciled to us and to make the alliance in order that it may be evident to all men that you have now laid aside your anger against the Rhodians and have resumed your original friendly attitude;
for it is this that our people stands in need now and not of an ally to support them by arms and soldiers." In these and similar terms Astymedes addressed the senate, and he was thought to have spoken in a manner befitting the situation.
The thing, however, which helped the Rhodians most to get their alliance was the recent arrival of Tiberius Gracchus and the other legates.
For by testifying in the first place that the Rhodians had obeyed all the decrees of the senate and next that all those guilty of disaffection had been condemned to death at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a>, he overcame all opposition, and so the alliance with <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> was made.
Walbank Commentary