Hearing, therefore, that the galleys of Scerdilaïdas were committing acts of piracy off Cape <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Malea&groupId=730&placeId=1337">Malea</a> and treating all merchants as enemies, and that he had treacherously seized some Macedonian ships which were anchored near him at Leucas,
he manned twelve decked ships, eight undecked ones, and thirty hemiolii, and sailed through the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Euripus&groupId=586&placeId=1094">Euripus</a>, being anxious to capture the Illyrians also, and altogether in high hopes of success in the war with the Aetolians, as he had hitherto had no news of what was going on in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Italy&groupId=656&placeId=1199">Italy</a>.
It was while Philip was besieging Thebes that the Romans were defeated by Hannibal in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Etruria&groupId=582&placeId=1089">Etruria</a>, but the report of this event had not yet reached Greece.
Philip missed the Illyrian galleys, and, anchoring off Cenchreae, sent off his decked ships with orders to sail round Cape <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Malea&groupId=730&placeId=1337">Malea</a> towards Aegium and Patrae: the rest of his vessels he dragged over the Isthmus, ordering them all to anchor at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Lechaeum&groupId=675&placeId=1234">Lechaeum</a>;
and himself with his friends hastened to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Argos&groupId=361&placeId=689">Argos</a> to be present at the celebration of the Nemean festival.
A little after he had taken his place to witness the games a courier arrived from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> bringing the intelligence that the Romans had been defeated in a great battle, and that Hannibal was master of the open country.
The only man to whom he showed the letter at first, enjoining him to keep it to himself, was Demetrius of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pharos&groupId=879&placeId=1586">Pharos</a>.
Demetrius seized on this opportunity to advise him to get the Aetolian war off his shoulders as soon as possible, and to devote himself to the reduction of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Illyria&groupId=647&placeId=1186">Illyria</a> and a subsequent expedition to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Italy&groupId=656&placeId=1199">Italy</a>.
The whole of Greece, he said, was even now and would be in the future subservient to him, the Achaeans being his partisans by inclination and the spirit of the Aetolians being cowed by what had happened during the war.
An expedition, however, to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Italy&groupId=656&placeId=1199">Italy</a> was the first step towards the conquest of the world, an enterprise which belonged to none more properly than to himself. And now was the time, after this disaster to the Roman arms.
Walbank Commentary