The Revenge of Dorimachus
The Strategus of the Aetolians at that time was Ariston;
Dorimachus becomes practically Strategus of Aetolia, B. C. 221. |
but being from physical infirmities unable to
serve in the field, and being a kinsman of
Dorimachus and Scopas, he had somehow or
another surrendered his whole authority to the
former. In his public capacity Dorimachus could not venture
to urge the Aetolians to undertake the Messenian war, because
he had no reasonable pretext for so doing: the origin of his wish
being, as everybody well knew, the wrongs committed by himself and the bitter gibe which they had brought upon him. He
therefore gave up the idea of publicly advocating the war, but
tried privately to induce Scopas to join in the
intrigue against the Messenians.
He pointed
out that there was now no danger from the side
of
Macedonia owing to the youth of the king
(Philip being then only seventeen years old);
that the Lacedaemonians were alienated from
the Messenians; and that they possessed the affection and
alliance of the Eleans; and these circumstances taken together
would make an invasion of
Messenia perfectly safe. But the
argument most truly Aetolian which he used was to put before
him that a great booty was to be got from
Messenia, because it
was entirely unguarded, and had alone, of all the Peloponnesian
districts, remained unravaged throughout the Cleomenic war.
And, to sum up all, he argued that such a move would secure
them great popularity with the Aetolians generally. And if
the Achaeans were to try to hinder their march through the
country, they would not be able to complain if they retaliated:
and if, on the other hand, they did not stir, would be no
hindrance to their enterprise. Besides, he affirmed that they
would have plenty of pretext against the Messenians; for they
had long been in the position of aggressors by promising the
Achaeans and Macedonians to join their alliance.
By these, and similar arguments to the same effect, he
roused such a strong feeling in the minds of Scopas and his
friends, that, without waiting for a meeting of the Aetolian
federal assembly, and without communicating with the Apocleti, or taking any of the proper constitutional steps, of their
own mere impulse and opinion they committed acts of hostility simultaneously against Messenia, Epirus, Achaia, Acarnania, and Macedonia.
