Hannibal had obtained the most important office at Carthage and in his tenure of it had offended the most powerful nobles and incurred their hatred.  Malicious reports about him were conveyed to the Romans to the effect that he was rousing the Carthaginians to revolt and was negotiating with Antiochus.  Learning that some men from Rome were at hand and fearing possible arrest he escaped from Carthage by night.  He came then to Antiochus and paved the way for his own restoration to his native country and for war against the Romans by promising the king that he would secure to him the rulership of Greece and Italy.  All went well until Scipio Africanus joined them.  Scipio had been sent to Libya as arbitrator between Masinissa and the Carthaginians, who were at variance over some land boundaries, and had left their dispute still hanging in the air that they might continue to quarrel and neither of them be angry at the Romans on account of a definite decision.  From there he crossed into Asia nominally as an envoy to Antiochus but in reality to smite both him and Hannibal with terror by his appearance and accomplish what was for the advantage of the Romans.  After his arrival Antiochus no longer bestowed a similar degree of attention upon Hannibal.  He suspected him of secret dealings with Scipio, and found him burdensome besides, because everybody ascribed every plan to Hannibal and all placed in him their hope for success in the war.  For these reasons, then, he became both jealous and afraid of Hannibal, dreading that he might change his demeanor, should he get control of any power.  So he neither supplied him with an army nor sent one to Carthage; and he did not favor him very much with audiences but made it a practice not to sanction any of his proposals.

IX, 19.—­The rumors about Antiochus occupied a large share of Rome’s attention and caused the Romans no small degree of uneasiness.  The name of Antiochus was in many mouths:  some said that he already held the whole of Greece, others talked to the effect that he was hastening toward Italy.  The Romans accordingly despatched envoys to Greece, among them Flamininus, who was on intimate terms with the people, in order to prevent them and Philip from creating any disturbance; and of the praetors they sent Marcus Baebius to Apollonia, in case Antiochus should undertake to cross over into Italy that way, and Aulus Atilius to attend to Nabis.  The second of these had no work to do, for Nabis had ere this perished, the victim of a plot on the part of the AEtolians, and Sparta had been captured by the Achaeans:  Baebius and Philip confirmed the loyalty of many portions of Thessaly.  The Macedonian king was true to his agreement with the Romans principally for the reason that Antiochus had attached some settlements belonging to him in Thrace.