Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ παρά τε τῶν ἀνδρῶν διδαχθέντες οὓς ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἀπέστειλαν καὶ ἐκ τῶν γραμμάτων ἃ Μέτελλος ἐπέστελλεν, ἀδικεῖν Ἀχαιῶν κατέγνωσαν· καὶ ἦν γὰρ Μόμμιός σφισιν ὕπατος τότε ᾑρημένος, τοῦτον ναῦς τε καὶ στρατιὰν πεζὴν ἐκέλευον ἐπʼ Ἀχαιοὺς ἄγειν. Μέτελλος δὲ παραυτίκα ἐπέπυστο ὡς Μόμμιος καὶ ὁ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατὸς ἐπὶ Ἀχαιοὺς ἀφίκοιτο· καὶ ἐποιεῖτο σπουδήν, εἰ ἐπιθεὶς αὐτὸς πέρας τῷ πολέμῳ φανῇ πρὶν ἢ Μόμμιον ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἀφῖχθαι.
ἀγγέλους οὖν παρὰ τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς ἀπέστελλεν, ἀφιέναι κελεύων σφᾶς συντελείας Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ πόλεις ἄλλας ὁπόσας εἴρητο ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, τῆς τε ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου τοῦ προτέρου σφίσιν ἀπειθείας οὐδεμίαν παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ὑπισχνεῖτο ὀργὴν γενήσεσθαι. ἅμα τε δὴ ταῦτα ἐπεκηρυκεύετο καὶ ἤλαυνεν ἐκ Μακεδονίας τὸν στρατόν, διὰ Θεσσαλίας τὴν πορείαν καὶ παρὰ τὸν Λαμιακὸν ποιούμενος κόλπον. Κριτόλαος δὲ καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ λόγον μὲν φέροντα ἐς σύμβασιν προσίεντο οὐδένα, Ἡράκλειαν δὲ προσεκάθηντο πολιορκοῦντες οὐ βουλομένους ἐς τὸ Ἀχαϊκὸν συντελεῖν.
τότε δὲ ὡς παρὰ τῶν κατασκόπων ἐπυνθάνετο ὁ Κριτόλαος Μέτελλον καὶ Ῥωμαίους διαβεβηκέναι τὸν Σπερχειόν, ἀπέφευγεν ἐς Σκάρφειαν τὴν Λοκρῶν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸ στενὸν τὸ Ἡρακλείας τε μεταξὺ καὶ Θερμοπυλῶν τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς τάξας ἐτόλμησεν ὑπομεῖναι Μέτελλον· ἀλλὰ ἐς τοσοῦτο ἀφίκετο δείματος ὡς μηδὲ αὐτὸ ποιήσασθαι τὸ χωρίον πρὸς ἀμείνονος ἐλπίδος, ἔνθα ἦν μὲν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἐς Μήδους, ἦν δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις τὰ ἐς Γαλάτας οὐδὲν ἀφανέστερα ἐκείνων τολμήματα.
ὑποφεύγοντας δὲ Κριτόλαον καὶ Ἀχαιοὺς αἱροῦσιν ὀλίγον πρὸ τῆς Σκαρφείας οἱ ὁμοῦ τῷ Μετέλλῳ, καὶ ἀπέκτεινάν τε πλήθει πολλοὺς καὶ ἔλαβον ζῶντας ὅσον χιλίους. Κριτόλαος δὲ οὔτε ὤφθη ζῶν μετὰ τὴν μάχην οὔτε ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖς εὑρέθη· εἰ δὲ ἐτόλμησε τῆς πρὸς τῇ Οἴτῃ θαλάσσης ἐς ταύτης καταδῦναι τὸ τέλμα, παντάπασιν ἔμελλεν ἄγνωστός τε καὶ ἄπυστος οἰχήσεσθαι κατὰ τοῦ βυθοῦ.
ἐς μὲν οὖν τὴν Κριτολάου τελευτὴν καὶ ἄλλα πάρεστιν εἰκάζειν· Ἀρκάδων δὲ ἐξεστρατευμένοι λογάδες χίλιοι, οἳ Κριτολάῳ τοῦ ἔργου μετέσχον, προῆλθον μὲν ἄχρι Ἐλατείας τῆς Φωκέων καὶ ἐς τὴν πόλιν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν κατὰ συγγένειαν δή τινα παλαιὰν ἐδέχθησαν· ὡς δὲ τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν ἡ Κριτολάου συμφορὰ καὶ Ἀχαιῶν ἀπηγγέλλετο, ἀπελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς Ἐλατείας κελεύουσι τοὺς Ἀρκάδας.
ἀπιοῦσι δὲ ὀπίσω σφίσιν ἐς τὴν Πελοπόννησον Μέτελλος καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι περὶ Χαιρώνειαν ἐπιφαίνονται· ἔνθα δὴ ἐπελάμβανε τοὺς Ἀρκάδας ἐκ θεῶν δίκη τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν, οἳ ἐν Χαιρωνείᾳ Φιλίππου καὶ Μακεδόνων ἐναντία ἀγωνιζομένους ἐγκαταλιπόντες Ἕλληνας τότε ἐν χωρίῳ τῷ αὐτῷ ἐκτείνοντο ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων.
Ἀχαιοῖς δὲ αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τοῦ στρατεύματος παρῄει Δίαιος· καὶ δούλους τε ἐς ἐλευθερίαν ἠφίει, τὸ Μιλτιάδου καὶ Ἀθηναίων βούλευμα τὸ πρὸ τοῦ ἔργου τοῦ ἐν Μαραθῶνι μιμούμενος, καὶ Ἀχαιῶν συνέλεγε καὶ Ἀρκάδων ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ· ἐγένετο δέ, ἀναμεμιγμένων ὁμοῦ καὶ οἰκετῶν, τὸ ἀθροισθὲν ἐς ἑξακοσίους μὲν μάλιστα ἀριθμὸν ἱππεῖς, τὸ δὲ ὁπλιτεῦον τετρακισχίλιοί τε καὶ μύριοι.
ἐνταῦθα ὁ Δίαιος ἐς ἅπαν ἀφίκετο ἀνοίας, ὃς Κριτόλαον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἀχαιῶν ἐπιστάμενος παρασκευὴν κακῶς οὕτως ἀγωνισαμένην πρὸς Μέτελλον ἀπέλεξεν αὐτὸς ὅσον τετρακισχιλίους· καὶ ἄρχοντα ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἔταξεν Ἀλκαμένην. ἀπεστέλλοντο δὲ ἐς Μέγαρα φρουρά τε εἶναι Μεγαρεῦσι τοῦ ἄστεως καί, ἢν Μέτελλος ἐπίῃ καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, τοῦ πρόσω σφᾶς κωλύειν.
Μέτελλος δὲ ὡς οἱ περὶ Χαιρώνειαν λογάδες κατέστρωντο οἱ Ἀρκάδων, ἀναστήσας τὸ στράτευμα ἤλαυνεν ἐπὶ τὰς Θήβας· Ἡράκλειάν τε γὰρ ἐπολιόρκησαν οἱ Θηβαῖοι μετὰ Ἀχαιῶν καὶ ἀγῶνος τοῦ πρὸς Σκάρφειαν μετεσχήκεσαν. τότε δὲ αὐτοί τε καὶ γυναῖκες ἐκλελοιπότες πᾶσα ἡλικία τὴν πόλιν ἐπλανῶντο ἀνὰ τὴν Βοιωτίαν καὶ ἐς τῶν ὀρῶν τὰ ἄκρα ἀνέφευγον.
Μέτελλος δὲ οὔτε ἱερὰ ἐμπιπράναι θεῶν οὔτε οἰκοδομήματα καθαιρεῖν εἴα, Θηβαίων τε τῶν ἄλλων μήτε ἀποκτεῖναι μηδένα μήτε αἱρεῖν φεύγοντα ἀπηγόρευε· Πυθέαν δὲ ἢν ἕλωσιν, ἀνάγειν ἐκέλευσεν ὡς αὐτόν· ἐξεύρητό τε δὴ αὐτίκα ὁ Πυθέας καὶ ἀναχθεὶς δίκην εἶχεν. ὡς δὲ πλησίον Μεγάρων ἐγίνετο ὁ στρατός, οὔτε ὑπέμειναν οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀλκαμένην καὶ αὐτίκα ἐς Κόρινθον παρὰ τὸ στρατόπεδον τὸ Ἀχαιῶν ᾤχοντο φεύγοντες.
καὶ Μεγαρεῖς μὲν παραδιδόασιν ἀμαχεὶ Ῥωμαίοις τὴν πόλιν, Μέτελλος δὲ ὡς ἀφίκετο παρὰ τὸν ἰσθμόν, ἐπεκηρυκεύετο καὶ τότε Ἀχαιοῖς ἐς εἰρήνην καὶ ὁμολογίας προκαλούμενος· ἰσχυρὸς γάρ τις ἐνέκειτο αὐτῷ πόθος τὰ ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ τε ὁμοῦ καὶ τὰ Ἀχαιῶν κατεργασθῆναι διʼ αὐτοῦ. τούτῳ μὲν ταῦτα ἐσπευκότι Δίαιος ἠναντιοῦτο ὑπὸ ἀγνωμοσύνης·
The Romans, informed of these facts by the commissioners whom they had sent to Greece, as well as by the despatches of Metellus, found the Achaeans culpable, and ordered Mummius, who had been elected consul, to lead a fleet and army against them. As soon as Metellus got word of the approach of Mummius and his army, he made an effort to bring the war to an end before that general should arrive in Greece. He therefore sent messengers to the Achaeans, ordering them to release Lacedaemon and the other states mentioned by the Romans from their connection with the League, and promising them an amnesty for their past disobedience. At the same time that he made these overtures, he was marching with his army from Macedonia, through Thessaly and by the Lamian Gulf.
But Critolaus and the Achaeans would listen to no proposals for an accommodation, and invested the town of Heraclea, which refused to join the Achaean League. However, when Critolaus learned from his scouts that the Romans under Metellus had crossed the Spercheus, he fled to Scarphea in Locris, without daring to offer Metellus battle in the pass between Heraclea and Thermopylae. Not even the spot where the Lacedaemonians had fought for Greece against the Medes, and the Athenians had fought as gloriously against the Gauls, could fire with bright hope that craven heart.
A little way outside of Scarphea the Roman general came up with the fugitives. The carnage was great, and about a thousand prisoners fell into his hands. Critolaus was not seen alive after the battle, nor was he found among the dead. If he ventured to plunge into the salt marsh at the foot of Mount Oeta, he must infallibly have sunk into the depths unnoticed and unknown. But his death gives ample scope for conjecture. Meantime a thousand picked Arcadian troops, who cast in their lot with Critolaus, had taken the field and advanced as far as Elatea in Phocis, where they were received into the city on the strength of some ancient tie of kinship, real or imaginary. But when news came of the defeat of the Achaeans under Critolaus, the Phocians ordered the Arcadians out of Elatea. As they were retreating into Peloponnese, the Romans under Metellus came upon them at Chaeronea. There and then the gods of Greece took vengeance on the Arcadians, who were now slaughtered by the Romans on the very ground where they had left the Greeks to fight against Philip and the Macedonians.
Diaeus now came forward once more and took the command of the Achaean army. Following the example set by Miltiades and the Athenians before the battle of Marathon, he set the slaves free, and called out all the men of military age from the cities of Achaia and Arcadia. Inclusive of slaves, the levy amounted to six hundred horse and fourteen thousand foot. But now Diaeus acted like an utter fool. Though he knew what a poor fight the whole Achaean forces under Critolaus had made against Metellus, he detached four thousand men under Alcamenes and sent them to garrison the city of Megara, and to intercept the march of Metellus and the Romans if they should advance that way.
After the overthrow of the picked Arcadian troops at Chaeronea, Metellus marched with his army against Thebes, for the Thebans had joined the Achaeans in besieging Heraclea, and had taken part in the battle of Scarphea. The whole population, male and female, old and young, now abandoned the city and roamed up and down Boeotia, or fled to the mountain-tops. Metellus, however, allowed his men neither to fire the sanctuaries of the gods nor to pull down the buildings; and he forbade them to kill or make prisoner any of the Thebans; only he gave orders that if Pytheas were taken, he should be brought to him. Pytheas was quickly discovered, and being taken to Metellus, he paid the forfeit. On the approach of the Roman army to Megara, Alcamenes and his men did not stand their ground, but fled to the Achaean camp at Corinth. The Megarians surrendered the city to the Romans without striking a blow. When Metellus reached the Isthmus, he again made overtures of peace to the Achaeans, for he was bent on winding up the affairs of Achaia as well as of Macedonia. But the stubborn folly of Diaeus baffled all his efforts.
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