uested that peace might be made with Perseus.

When they had many enemies on hand at the same time, they accorded
a truce to the weakest, which considered itself happy in obtaining
such a respite, counting it for much to be able to secure a
postponement of its ruin.

When they were engaged in a great war, the senate affected to
ignore all sorts of injuries, and silently awaited the arrival of
the proper time for punishment; when, if it saw that only some
individuals were culpable, it refused to punish them, choosing
rather to hold the entire nation as criminal, and thus reserve to
itself a useful vengeance.

As they inflicted inconceivable evils upon their enemies, there
were not many leagues formed against them; for those who were most
distant from danger were not willing to draw nearer to it. The
consequence of this was, that they were rarely attacked; whilst, on
the other hand, they constantly made war at such time, in such
manner, and against such peoples, as suited their convenience; and,
among the many nations which they assailed, there were very few
that would not have submitted to every species of injury at their
hands if they had been willing to leave them in peace.

It being their custom to speak always as masters, the ambassadors
whom they sent to nations which had not yet felt their power were
certain to be insulted; and this was an infallible pretext for a
new war.

As they never made peace in good faith, and as, with the design of
universal conquest, their treaties were, properly speaking, only
suspensions of war, they always put conditions in them which began
the ruin of the states which accepted them. They either provided
that the garrisons of strong places should be withdrawn, or that
the number of troops should be limited, or that the horses or the
elephants of the vanquished party should be delivered over to
themselves; and if the defeated people was powerful on sea, they
compelled it to burn its vessels, and sometimes to remove, and
occupy a place of habitation farther inland.

After having destroyed the armies of a prince, they ruined his
finances by excessive taxes, or by the imposition of a tribute
under pretext of requiring him to pay the expenses of the war,--a
new species of tyranny, which forced the vanqui