8.
Antiochus, after the naval battle off Corycus, when he had spent all the free winter period in preparations on land and sea, had devoted most energy to refitting his fleet, that he might not lose entirely his control of the sea.
[2]
It came to his mind that he had been defeated when the fleet of the Rhodians was absent; but if this —and the Rhodians would not let it happen again that they should be behind-hand —should also be present at a battle, he would need a great number of ships to equal the fleet of the enemy in strength and size.
[3]
So he had both despatched Hannibal to Syria to summon ships of the Phoenicians and ordered Polyxenidas, as he had been none too successful before, so to make the greater efforts in equipping the ships that remained and in assembling new ones.
[4]
He himself wintered in Phrygia, summoning allies from all sides. He had sent even to Galatia; the inhabitants at that time were of a warlike disposition, still retaining their Gallic tempers, the native strain having not yet disappeared.1
[5]
He had left his son Seleucus in Aeolis to hold in check the cities on the coast which on one [p. 315]side Eumenes from Pergamum and on the other the2 Romans from Phocaea and Erythrae were trying to rouse.
[6]
The Roman fleet, as has been said above, was wintering at Canae; there, about the middle of the winter, King Eumenes came with two thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry.
[7]
When he said that a great quantity of booty could be secured from the country of the enemy around Thyatira, he urged and finally persuaded Livius to send five thousand men with him. They were sent and within a few days carried off a huge amount of plunder.
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