with scarcely a shadow of their former greatness and power.

Such was the state of the Eastern world when it came into contact with
the arms of Rome.

We have already seen that during the Second Punic War Philip had been
engaged in hostilities with the Roman Republic. Demetrius of Pharos, who
had been driven by the Romans from his Illyrian dominions,[37] had taken
refuge at the court of Philip, and soon acquired unbounded influence
over the mind of the young king. This wily Greek urged him to take up
arms against the grasping Republic; and the ambition of Philip was still
farther excited by the victories of Hannibal. After the battle of Cannae
(B.C. 216) he concluded a treaty with Hannibal; but, instead of
supporting the Carthaginian army and fleet, his proceedings were marked
by an unaccountable degree of hesitation and delay. It was not till B.C.
214 that he appeared in the Adriatic with a fleet, and laid siege to
Oricus and Apollonia, which the Romans had retained possession of at the
close of the Illyrian war.[37] He succeeded in taking Oricus; but the
arrival of a small Roman force, under the command of M. Valerius
Laevinus, compelled him to raise the siege of Apollonia, and to burn his
own ships to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. For the
next three years the war was carried on with unaccountable slackness on
both sides; but in B.C. 211 it assumed a new character in consequence of
the alliance which the Romans formed with the AEtolian League. Into the
details of the campaigns which followed it is unnecessary to enter; but
the attention of the Romans was soon afterward directed to affairs in
Spain, and the AEtolians were left almost alone to cope with Philip. The
Achaeans also joined Philip against the AEtolians, and the latter people
were so hard pressed that they were glad to make peace with the
Macedonian king. Shortly afterward the Romans, who were desirous of
turning their undivided attention to the invasion of Africa, also
concluded peace with him (B.C. 205).

The peace, which thus terminated the First Macedonian War, was probably
regarded by both parties as little more than a suspension of
hostilities. Philip even went so far as to send to the Carthaginians in
Africa a body of 4000 men, who fought at Zama under the command of
Hannibal. At the same time he proceeded to carry out his plans for his
own aggrandizement in Greece, with out any regard to the Roman alliances
in that country. In