35 
M A C E D O N. 
fon, to whom he had adled the part of a kind and faithful 
guardian.. 
Philip V. was about two-and-twenty years of age when 
he l'ucceeded to the throne. At this time he difplayed 
many qualities which gave promife of a happy and illuf- 
trious reign. He poflefled quick parts, a folid under- 
ftanding, and a retentive memory ; had an agreeable afpedt 
and graceful demeanour, and charmed all who approached 
him by the affability of his manner and the fweetnefs of his 
temper. He had been fent by Antigonus at an early age 
into Peloponnefus, to Itudy the art of government under 
the eminent patriot and ftatefman Aratus of Sicyon ; and 
his uncle, on his death-bed, had charged him to follow 
his counfels in every thing relative to Grecian politics. 
Influenced by Aratus, he joined the Achaeans in the fa¬ 
cial war between them and the ./Etolians ; and foon after 
his accefiion he departed for Greece, and arrived at Co¬ 
rinth. Young as he then was, he feems to have been 
fully able to take part in political and military concerns; 
and, after concerting meafures with his allies, he returned 
to Macedon in order to make due preparations for the 
war. During the courfe of it, he diftinguifhed himfelf by 
his vigour and enterprife, and performed various brilliant 
actions. His minifter Apelles, who was greatly in his 
confidence, in the true fpirit of abfolute monarchy, formed 
a plan for reducing his friends, the Achasans, to a (fate 
of dependance; and for that purpofe endeavoured to bring 
Aratus under fufpicion with the young king. That leader, 
however, was able to vindicate himfelf, and retained his 
influence over Philip. Some time after, Apelles engaged 
in treafonable defigns with two chief officers in the army, 
the objedt of which feems to have been to difgult Philip 
with his alliance with the Achaeans by thwarting his 
meafures, and to deprive him of the attachment of the 
foldiery. It was long before he could be convinced of 
their guilt, and prevailed upon to punifh it. At length 
he was roufed to breaklthe bonds of habitual attachment; 
and Apelles, his fan, and fame others, were put to death. 
The war continued fame time longer, to the advantage 
of Philip and his allies ; till the fuccefs of Hannibal in 
Italy infpired the young king with ambitious projects of 
extending his dominions, whilfl: the two powerful nations, 
the Romans and Carthaginians, were occupied in exhauft- 
ing each other. A peace was concluded among the Gre¬ 
cian Hates; and Philip, after the battle of Cannae, entered 
into a treaty offenfive and defenfive with Hannibal, who 
then appeared likely to turn the balance of empire in fa¬ 
vour of Carthage. He now began to purfue a fimilar 
plan of policy with that of the famous Philip II. and, by 
fomenting dilturbances in the Grecian cities, endeavoured 
to bring them under fubjedlion to himfelf. This defign 
he put in practice againff: Meflenae, a member of the 
Achaean league ; upon which, Aratus, difcovering the 
change in his character, withdrew from his court, and 
lived as a private perfon at Sicyon. Not long after, Phi¬ 
lip employed (it is faid) one of his officers to adminifter 
a flow poilon to the venerable patriot, of the confequences 
of which he died. The treaty between Macedon and 
Carthage being difcovered by the Romans, Laevinus was 
fent into Epirus, B. C. 214, to oppofe Philip, who had 
attacked that country and laid fiege to Apollonia, which 
he was compelled to raife. From this time he was for 
many years engaged in an auxiliary war againff: the Ro¬ 
mans, who fupported the party oppofite to him in Greece. 
Philip continued to be the ally of the Achaeans and their 
confederates; whilfl: the Romans were joined with the 
AStolians, the Lacedemonians, the Eleans, and king At- 
talus. Great variety of fortune occurred in a new war 
which began B. C. 208, and was only interrupted by a 
fhort peace, B. C. 203. During this bufy period, Philip 
fhowed no want of courage and adfivity, though he fre¬ 
quently failed in his enterprifes. Unable to relt, he foon 
engaged in new hoftilities againff: Attalus, the Athenians, 
and the Rhodians; till at length, B. C. 200, the Romans, 
having now terminated the fecond Punic war, refolved to 
make war upon Philip as principals; and the conful Sul- 
pitius was fent with an army into Macedonia. TheAEto- 
lians were allies of the Romans, whilfl the Achaeans ftill 
adhered to Philip. Little progrefs was made by the Ro¬ 
mans, till the celebrated Quindtius Flaminius was ap¬ 
pointed to the command, who, by his ability as a nego¬ 
tiator, gained over the Achaeans to his party. Philip at 
the fame time made an alliance with Nabis, tyrant of La¬ 
cedaemon ; and obtained poffeffion of Argos and Corinth. 
Flaminius, entering Theflaly, brought Philip to a general 
engagement at Cynocephalae, B. C. 197, which terminated 
in the king’s total defeat, and reduced him to beg for 
peace. This was granted upon the terms that he fhould 
withdraw all his garrifons from the Greek cities of Eu¬ 
rope and Afia, which were to be left free; that he fhould 
deliver up his prifoners and deferters, and all his decked 
fhips ; fhould reduce his army, fhould carry on no war 
beyond the limits of Macedon without the confent of the 
fenate, and fhould pay a thoufand talents to the Roman 
people. His younger fon Demetrius was to be fent for 
education to Rome, as a hoftage. Such was the end of 
the projects for aggrandizement, which had kept him in 
perpetual adtion from the period of his acceflion to the 
throne. 
Thus reduced in his power and feverely humiliated, al¬ 
though he may be fuppofed to have borne no good will 
to his conquerors, yet, in the fubfequent war between 
the Romans and king Antiochus, he found it for his in- 
tereft to take part with the former. In the PEtolian war, 
which was the confequence of the preceding, while the 
Roman commander was befieging Heraclea, he, as an ally, 
laid fiege to Lamia, hoping to be allowed to keep it for 
himfelf; but, when he had nearly brought the place to 
furrender, he was ordered by the conful to quit it, that 
he might take it for the Romans. The refentment of Phi¬ 
lip on this occafion was fomewhat foothed by a perrniflion 
to expel Amynander from Athamania, and annex it to 
his own dominions. This Hate of dependence, however, 
could not fail of being galling to a prince of his high 
fpirit; and it was his great objedf to make ufe of the peace 
he was compelled to keep, in renovating his ftrength for 
any favourable opportunity that might offer of returning 
his arms. He augmented his revenues, not only by in- 
creafing the taxes and cuftoms, but by opening the old 
mines and working new ones ; and, in order to repair the 
lofs of people fuftained in the wars, he promoted marriage 
among his fubjedls, and brought a great number of Thra¬ 
cians to fettle in Macedonia. Having more confidence in 
them than in his other fubjedls, he had pradtifed the vio¬ 
lent and cruel policy of tranfporting the inhabitants of 
his maritime towns into the inland and remote diltridl of 
Pceonia, and giving their houfes to be occupied by the 
Thracians and other barbarians. This meafure, as might 
be expedted, made him extremely unpopular; and the 
confcioufnefs of merited dil’affedtion rendered him ftill 
more fufpicious and tyrannical. His unquiet difpofition 
led him into frequent quarrels with his neighbours, from 
whom he made various conquefts. They applied to the 
Romans for redrefs, who fent commiffioners to judge the 
cauie on the fpot; and their decifion was unfavourable to 
the king. He was extremely provoked, and could not 
help faying, that “ the fun of all his days was not yet 
fet;” and it was the general opinion at Rome, that a new 
Macedonian war was impending. But a fatal family-dif- 
fenlion precluded his foreign projedis, and embittered his 
declining years. He had two fans, Perfesand Demetrius; 
the firlt and eldeft by a concubine, the fecond legitimate. 
The Roman education of Demetrius had given him an 
attachment to that people; and his amiable qualities and 
popular manners made him a general favourite. His no¬ 
bler birth, likewife, gave him an advantage over Perfes, 
who, on the other hand, was more in favour with his fa¬ 
ther. Each prince had his partifans; and, while Perfes 
was regarded as at the head of the party hoftile to Rome, 
Demetrius was confidered as in the Roman intereft. Phi- 
3 lip. 
