[Footnote 38:  Zonaras consistently spells Flaminius.]

Then Philip, growing afraid that many cities might be taken, made overtures to the consul regarding peace.  The latter accepted his representations and they and their allies met, but nothing was accomplished except that permission was granted Philip to send envoys to Rome.  Nor was anything done there.  For, when the Greeks insisted that he depart from Corinth and Chalcis and from Demetrias in Thessaly, the envoys of Philip said they had received no instructions on this point and closed an ineffectual mission.

The people of Rome in voting to Flamininus the supreme direction in Greece for another year also committed to his charge the case of Philip as well.  The Roman leader, since he was to remain at his post, prepared for war, and the more so because the Lacedaemonian tyrant Nabis, although a friend of Philip from whom he had received Argos, had made a truce with him.  The Macedonian monarch being unable to administer many districts at once and fearing that the city might be seized by the Romans had deposited it with Nabis to be restored again.

In a campaign of the consul AElius Paetus against the Gauls many perished on both sides in the stress of conflict and no advantage was achieved.  And the Carthaginian hostages together with the slaves accompanying them and the captives who had been sold to various persons had the hardihood to take possession of the several cities in which they were living; and after slaughtering many of the native population were overthrown by the praetor Cornelius Lentulus before they had wrought any more mischief.  The Gauls, however, elated by their successes and aware of the fact that it was only a secondary war the Romans were waging against them prepared as if to march upon Rome. [Sidenote:  B.C. 197 (a.u. 557)] The Romans consequently became afraid and sent both the consuls, Cornelius Cethegus and Minucius Rufus, against the Gauls.  They parted company and individually ravaged different tracts of country.  The enemy accordingly also divided forces to meet the consuls.  One band under Hamilcar encountered Cethegus and was defeated; the rest when made aware of this showed the white feather and would no longer face Rufus; consequently the latter overran the country at will.  Those who had fought against Cethegus then made peace; the remainder still continued under arms.

At this time Flamininus in company with Attalus reduced the whole of Boeotia.  Attalus expired of old age in the midst of a speech which he was making to the people there.  Flamininus went into Thessaly and came into collision with Philip.  It was only a cavalry skirmish in which they engaged, for the ground was not suitable for a battle on a vaster scale; hence both withdrew.  And having reached a certain hill, the top ridge of which is called Dog’s Head (Cynoscephale), they bivouacked, one on one side, the other on the other.  Here also they fought