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who, having been brought with haste into Thessaly and having first arranged the affairs of the soldiers 2.316, having forced his way through Tempe, for few were guarding it, rushed upon Perseus. But when Perseus had additionally barricaded the Elpius river which was in the middle, and having previously occupied all the space between both Olympus and the sea with dry-stone walls and palisades and fortifications and rendered it impassable, and was also confident in the lack of water of the place, the consul tried to pass through even so, and he found a remedy for the lack of water. For by digging through the sand at the foot of Olympus he found water both abundant and drinkable. And at this point ambassadors of the Rhodians arrived before him with the same audacity with which they had also previously served as ambassadors to Rome. But he, saying nothing more to them than that he would give an answer in a few days, sent them away. But when by attacking he accomplished nothing, and learned that the mountains were somewhere passable, he sent a part of the army to the more difficult pass over them, to seize the strategic points in this area, for because of its inaccessibility it also had a very small garrison, and he himself with the rest of the army engaged with Perseus, so that Perseus, suspecting nothing, might not make the guarding of the mountains more thorough. And after this, when the heights had been seized, by night he rushed toward the mountains, and partly by stealth, partly by force he crossed over them. Perseus, learning this, and fearing lest he fall upon his rear or even seize Pydna beforehand (for the Roman fleet was sailing alongside at the same time), abandoned the fortress by the river, and having hurried to Pydna encamped before the city. And Paulus also came there, however they did not engage immediately, but waited for not a few days. But Paulus, having learned 2.317 beforehand that the moon was about to be eclipsed, gathered the army towards evening, when the eclipse was to occur, and foretold what would happen, and advised them not to be disturbed by this. So the Romans, having seen the eclipse, suspected no evil from it, but the Macedonians had fear from this and thought the omen applied to Perseus. And with both sides being in this state, something that happened by chance on the following day threw them together into an unheralded battle and put an end to the war. For when a certain baggage-animal of the Romans fell into the water from which they were drawing water, and the Macedonians seized it and the water-carriers held on, at first these fought by themselves, then the others also, coming to the aid of their own men, came out from the camps a few at a time, and all from both sides engaged. And a battle having broken out, disordered but sharp, the Romans were victorious, and pursuing the Macedonians to the sea, they themselves slew many, and many they handed over to the fleet which sailed up to be killed. And not one of them would have been left, if night had not helped them; for the battle took place in the late afternoon. So Perseus, having fled to Amphipolis intending to recover the survivors and to organize his affairs again, since no one came to him except Cretan mercenaries and he learned that Pydna and other cities had taken the side of the Romans, he departed from there also and, having placed on ships what money he was carrying, by night he sailed away to Samothrace. And learning not long after that Octavius, who commanded the fleet, was sailing toward him, and that Paulus 2.318 was present at Amphipolis, he sent a letter to him asking to come to terms. And since he named himself king in the letter, he did not even receive a reply. But later when he sent a letter without any such title, he received his proposal for a truce, but he said he would not come to terms otherwise unless he entrusted both himself and all his possessions to the Romans. And for these reasons they did not come to an agreement. But after this, having been asked by the Romans to surrender a certain Evander, a Cretan, who had rendered many services against them and was most loyal to him, he did not surrender him, fearing that he might reveal what he knew with him, but having killed him secretly he spread a rumor that he had killed himself. Then therefore those who were with him

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ος σπουδῇ κομισθεὶς εἰς τὴν Θεσσαλίαν καὶ τὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν 2.316 προκαταστησάμενος, βιασάμενος διὰ τῶν Τεμπῶν, ὀλίγοι γὰρ ἐφρούρουν αὐτά, ἐπὶ τὸν Περσέα ωρμησεν. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκεῖνος τὸν Ελπιον ποταμὸν προσαπέφραξεν οντα ἐν μέσῳ, προκαταλαβὼν δὲ καὶ πᾶν τὸ μεταξὺ τοῦ τε ̓Ολύμπου καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης αἱμασιαῖς καὶ σταυρώμασι καὶ οἰκοδομήμασιν απορον ἀπειργάσατο, ἐθάρρει δὲ καὶ τῇ ἀνυδρίᾳ τοῦ τόπου, ἐπείρασε μὲν καὶ ουτως ὁ υπατος διελθεῖν, καὶ τῆς ἀνυδρίας ἐπορίσατο ἐπικούρημα. διαμησάμενος γὰρ τὴν ἐν τῇ ὑπωρείᾳ τοῦ ̓Ολύμπου αμμον υδωρ ευρε δαψιλές τε καὶ πότιμον. κἀν τούτῳ τῶν ̔Ροδίων πρέσβεις ἀφίκοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς θρασύτητος ἀφ' ης καὶ ἐς τὴν ̔Ρώμην πρὶν ἐπρεσβεύσαντο. ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν εἰπὼν πλέον αὐτοῖς η οτι μετ' ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ἀπόκρισιν δώσει, ἀπέπεμψεν αὐτούς. ὡς δὲ προσβάλλων οὐδὲν ἐπέραινεν, εμαθε δὲ τὰ ορη οντα που πορεύσιμα, μέρος τι τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν δυσπροσοδωτέραν αὐτῶν ὑπερβολὴν επεμψε, καταληψόμενον τὰ ταύτῃ ἐπίκαιρα, διὰ γὰρ τὸ δυσπρόσιτον καὶ ἐλαχίστην ειχε φρουράν, αὐτὸς δὲ τῷ λοιπῷ τοῦ στρατεύματος προσέμιξε τῷ Περσεῖ, ινα μή τι ὑποτοπήσας φυλακὴν τῶν ὀρῶν ἀκριβεστέραν ποιήσαιτο. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο καταληφθέντων τῶν ακρων νυκτὸς πρὸς τὰ ορη ωρμησε, καὶ πῇ μὲν λαθὼν, πῇ δὲ βιασάμενος ὑπερέβαλεν αὐτά. ο μαθὼν ὁ Περσεύς, καὶ δείσας μὴ κατὰ νώτου αὐτῷ προσπέσῃ η καὶ τὴν Πύδναν προκατάσχῃ, καὶ γὰρ τὸ ναυτικὸν αμα τὸ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων παρέπλει, τό τε ερυμα τὸ πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ ἐξέλιπε, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Πύδναν ἐπειχθεὶς πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. καὶ ηλθε μὲν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐκεῖ, οὐ μέντοι καὶ παραχρῆμα προσέμιξαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διέτριψαν οὐκ ὀλίγας ἡμέρας. προ2.317 μαθὼν δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ὡς ἡ σελήνη ἐκλείψειν μέλλει, συνηθροίκει πρὸς ἑσπέραν τὸ στράτευμα, οτε τὴν εκλειψιν γενέσθαι ἐχρῆν, καὶ προεῖπε τὸ συμβησόμενον, καὶ μή τι διὰ τοῦτο ταραχθῆναι παρῄνεσεν. οἱ μὲν ουν ̔Ρωμαῖοι τὴν εκλειψιν θεασάμενοι οὐδὲν κακὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὑπετόπησαν, οἱ δέ γε Μακεδόνες δέος εσχον ἐκ τούτου καὶ ἐς τὸν Περσέα τὸ τέρας τείνειν ἐνόμισαν. ουτω δ' ἑκατέρων ἐχόντων συμβάν τι κατὰ τύχην τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ συνέρρηξεν αὐτοὺς εἰς μάχην ἀκήρυκτον καὶ τέλος τῷ πολέμῳ ἐπέθηκεν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὑποζύγιόν τι τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων εἰς τὸ υδωρ εἰσέπεσεν ἐξ ουπερ ὑδρεύοντο, καὶ οι τε Μακεδόνες αὐτοῦ ἐπελάβοντο καὶ οἱ ὑδροφόροι ἀντείχοντο, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ουτοι καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐμαχέσαντο, επειτα καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐπικουροῦντες τοῖς οἰκείοις κατ' ὀλίγους ἐκ τῶν στρατοπέδων ἐξῄεσαν, καὶ πάντες συνέμιξαν ἀπ' ἀμφοῖν. καὶ μάχης ἀσυντάκτου μέν, ὀξείας δὲ γενομένης, οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐκράτησαν, καὶ καταδιώξαντες τοὺς Μακεδόνας μέχρι τῆς θαλάσσης πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτοὶ ἐφόνευσαν, πολλοὺς δὲ τῷ ναυτικῷ προσπλεύσαντι ἀποκτεῖναι παρέδοσαν. οὐδ' αν τις ὑπελείφθη αὐτῶν, εἰ μὴ νὺξ αὐτοῖς ἐβοήθησε· περὶ δείλην γὰρ ὀψίαν ἡ μάχη ἐγένετο. ∆ιαφυγὼν ουν εἰς ̓Αμφίπολιν ὁ Περσεὺς ὡς τούς τε περιλιπεῖς ἀναληψόμενος καὶ συστήσων αυθις τὰ πράγματα, ἐπεὶ ουτ' ηλθόν τινες πρὸς αὐτὸν πλὴν μισθοφόρων Κρητῶν καὶ τὴν Πύδναν αλλας τε πόλεις τὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ᾑρῆσθαι εμαθε, κἀκεῖθεν μετέστη καὶ εἰς πλοῖα τὰ χρήματα οσα ἐπήγετο θέμενος νυκτὸς ἐς Σαμοθρᾴκην ἀπέπλευσε. καὶ πυθόμενος οὐ πολλῷ υστερον τὸν ̓Οκταούιον, ος τοῦ ναυτικοῦ προΐστατο, προσπλέοντα, καὶ τὸν Παῦλον 2.318 ἐς ̓Αμφίπολιν παρόντα, ἐπέστειλεν αὐτῷ συμβῆναι δεόμενος. καὶ ἐπεὶ βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ὠνόμασεν, οὐδ' ἀποκρίσεως ετυχεν. υστερον δὲ ανευ τινὸς τοιαύτης προσρήσεως ἐπιστείλαντος προσεδέξατο μὲν τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν σπονδῶν λόγον, οὐκ αλλως μέντοι συμβήσεσθαι εφη εἰ μὴ καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πάντα τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐπιτρέψειε. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα οὐ συνέβησαν. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐξαιτηθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων Ευανδρόν τινα Κρῆτα πολλὰ κατ' αὐτῶν ὑπουργηκότα καὶ πιστότατον αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἐξέδωκε μέν, φοβηθεὶς μὴ κατείπῃ οσα αὐτῷ συνῄδει, λάθρᾳ δὲ αὐτὸν ἀποκτείνας ἑαυτὸν διαχειρίσασθαι ἐφήμισε. τότε μὲν ουν οἱ συνόντες αὐτῷ