The king received them and agreed to spare the lives of all the free population, numbering about six thousand.
When put in possession of the city he not only spared the free inhabitants, but brought home the Seleucian exiles and restored to them their civic rights and their property. He placed garrisons in the port and citadel.
On a letter reaching him while thus occupied from Theodotus, inviting him to come at once to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Coele-Syria&groupId=484&placeId=908">Coele-Syria</a>, which he was ready to put in his hands, he was much embarrassed and much at a loss to know what to do and how to treat the communication.
Theodotus, an Aetolian by birth, had, as I previously mentioned, rendered great services to Ptolemy's kingdom, but in return for them had not only received no thanks, but had been in danger of his life at the time of Antiochus' campaign against Molon.
He now, being disgusted with the king and mistrusting the courtiers, had himself seized on <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Ptolemais&groupId=918&placeId=271">Ptolemais</a> and sent Panaetolus to seize on <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Tyre&groupId=1053&placeId=1855">Tyre</a>, and he urgently invited Antiochus to come.
The king, putting off his expedition against Achaeus and treating all other matters as of secondary importance, advanced with his army, marching by the same route as on the former occasion.
Passing through the defile called <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Marsyas&groupId=738&placeId=1350">Marsyas</a>, he encamped at the narrow passage near Gerra by the lake that lies in the middle.
Learning that Ptolemy\'s general Nicolaus was before <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Ptolemais&groupId=918&placeId=271">Ptolemais</a> besieging Theodotus there, he left his heavy-armed troops behind, giving the commanders orders to besiege Vrochi, the place that lies on the lake and commands the passage, while he himself advanced accompanied by the light-armed troops, with the object of raising the siege of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Ptolemais&groupId=918&placeId=271">Ptolemais</a>.
But Nicolaus, who had heard of the king's arrival, left the neighbourhood himself, but sent Lagoras the Cretan and Dorymenes the Aetolian to occupy the pass near Berytus.
The king assaulted their position, put them to flight and encamped himself close to the pass.
Walbank Commentary