a During these transactions in Asia, Ptolemy, seeing of what importance Syria, Phoenicia, and Judæa, were as well for covering Egypt as for making proper dispositions from that quarter for the invasion of Cyprus, which he had then in view, determined to make himself master of those provinces which were governed by Laomedon. With this intention he sent Nicanor into Syria with a body of land-forces, while he himself set out with a fleet to attack the coasts. Nicanor defeated Laomedon and took him prisoner; in consequence of which he soon conquered the inland country. Ptolemy had the same advantages on the coasts, by which means he became absolute master of those provinces. The princes in alliance with him were alarmed at the rapidity of these conquests; but Antipater was at too great a distance, being then in Macedonia; and Antigonus was too much employed against Eumenes, to oppose these great accessions to the power of Ptolemy, who gave them no little jealousy.

After the defeat of Laomedon, the Jews were the only people who made any resistance. They were duly sensible of the obligation they were under, by the oath they had tak en, to their governor, and were determined to continue faithful to him. Ptolemy advanced into Judæa, and formed the siege of Jerusalem. This city was so strong by its advanta geous situation, in conjunction with the works of art, that it would have sustained a long siege, had it not been for the religious fear the Jews entertained of violating the law, if they should defend themselves on the sabbath. Ptolemy was not long unacquainted with this particular; and, in order to improve the great advantage it gave him, he chose that day for the general assault; and, as no individual among the Jews would presume to defend himself, the city was taken without any difficulty.

Ptolemy at first treated Jerusalem and Judæa with great severity, for he carried above a hundred thousand of the inhabitants captives into Egypt: but, when he afterwards considered the steadiness with which they had persisted in the fidelity they had sworn to their governors on this and a variety of other occasions, he was convinced that this quality rendered them more worthy of his confidence; and he accordingly chose 30,000 of the most distinguished among them, who were most capable of serving him, and appointed them to guard the most important places in his dominions.

Much about this time Antipater fell sick in Macedonia. The Athenians were greatly dissatisfied with the garrison he had left in their city, and had frequently pressed Phocion to go to the court of that prince, and solicit him to recal those b Joseph. Antiq. 1. xii. c, 1, Diad. 1. xviii. p. 625, 626. Plut. in Phoc. p. 755.

a Diod. I. xviii. p. 621, 622.

troops but he always declined that commission, either through a despair of not succeeding, or else because he was conscious that the fear of this garrison was the best expe dient for keeping them within the bounds of their duty. Demades, who was not so difficult to be prevailed upon, undertook the commission with pleasure, and immediately set out with his son for Macedonia. But his arrival in that country could not have happened at a more fatal conjuncture for himself. Antipater, as I have already intimated, was seized with a severe illness, and his son Cassander, who was absolute master of all affairs, had lately intercepted a letter. which Demades had written to Antigonus, in Asia, pressing him to come, as soon as possible, and make himself master of Greece and Macedonia, " which," as he expressed himself, " were held together only by a thread, and even an old "and rotten thread," ridiculing Antipater by those expressions. As soon as Cassander saw them appear at court, he caused them both to be arrested, and he himself, seizing the son first stabbed him before the face of his father, and at so little distance from him, that he was covered with his blood. After which he reproached him with his perfidy and ingratitude, and when he had loaded him with insults, he also killed him with his own hands on the dead body of his son. It is impossible not to detest so barbarous a proceeding; but we are not much disposed to pity such a wretch as Demades, who had dictated the decree by which Demosthenes and Hyperides were condemned to die.

The indisposition of Antipater proved fatal to him, and his last attention was employed in filling up the two great stations which he enjoyed. His son Cassander was very desirous of them, and expected to have them conferred upon him; notwithstanding which, Antipater bestowed the regency of the kingdom, and the government of Macedonia, on Polysperchon, the oldest of all the surviving captains of Alexander, and thought it sufficient to associate Cassander with him in those employments.

I am at a loss to determine, whether any instance of human conduct was ever greater or more to be admired than this which I have now related in few words; nothing certainly could be more extraordinary, and history affords us few instances of the same nature. It was necessary to appoint a governor over Macedonia, and a regent of the empire. Antipater, who knew the importance of those stations, was persuaded that his own glory and reputation, and, what was still more prevalent with him, the interest of the state and the preservation of the Macedonian monarchy, obliged him to nominate a man of authority, and one respected for his age, experience, and past services. He had a son, whe

was not void of merit; how rare and difficult, therefore, but, at the same time, how amiable and glorious, was it to select, on such an occasion, no man but the most deserving, and best qualified to serve the public effectually; to extinguish the voice of nature; turn a deaf ear to all her remonstrances; and not suffer the judgment to be seduced by the impressions of paternal affection; in a word, to continue so much master of one's discernment, as to render justice to the merit of a stranger, and openly prefer it to that of a son, and sacrifice all the interest of one's own family to the public welfare! History has transmitted to us an expression of the emperor Galba, which will do honour to his memory throughout all ages; " Augustus," a said he, " chose a successor "out of his own family, and I one from the whole empire.'

Cassander was extremely enraged at the gross affront, which, as he pretended, had been offered him by this choice, and thought, in that respect, like the generality of men, who are apt to look upon the employments they possess as hereditary; who consider the state as of no consequence, in comparison with themselves; never examining what are the duties required by the posts they enjoy, or whether they have competent abilities to discharge them, but considering only whether those posts are agreeable to their fortune. Cassander, not being able to digest his father's preferring a stranger before him, endeavoured to form a party against the new regent. He also secured to himself all the places he could in the government, as well in Greece as in Macedonia, and proposed nothing less than to divest Polysperchon of the

whole.

For this purpose he endeavoured to engage Ptolemy and = Antigonus on his side, and they readily espoused, it with the same views and from the same motives. It was equally their interest to destroy this new regent, as well as the regency itself, which always kept them in apprehensions, and reminded them of their state of dependency. They likewise imagined, that it secretly reproached them for aspiring at sovereignty, while it cherished the rights of the two pupils, and left the governors in a situation of uncertainty; in consequence of which they were perpetually in fear of being divested of their power. Both the one and the other believed it would be easy for them to succeed in their designs, if the Macedonians were once engaged at home in a civil war. The death of Antipater had rendered Antigonus the most powerful of all the captains of Alexander. His authority was absolute in all the provinces of Asia Minor, with the title of generalissimo, and an army of 70,000 men, and 30 elephants, a Augustus in domo successorem quæsivit: ego in republica. Tacit. Hist. 1. i, c. 15. b Diod, J. xvii. p. 630.

which no power in the empire was, at that time, capable of resisting. It cannot, therefore, be thought surprising, that this superiority should inspire him with the design of engrossing the whole monarchy of the Macedonians; and, in order to succeed in that attempt, he began with making a reformation in all the governments of the provinces within his jurisdiction, displacing all those persons whom he suspected, and substituting his creatures in their room. In the conduct of this scheme, he removed Aridæus from the government of lesser Phrygia and the Hellespont, and Clytus from that of Lydia.

a

Polysperchon neglected nothing, on his part, that was necessary to strengthen his interest; and thought it advisable to recal Olympias, who had retired into Epirus, under the regency of Antipater, with the offer of sharing his authority with her. This princess despatched a courier to Eumenes, to consult him on the proposal she had received ; and he advised her to wait some time, in order to see what turn affairs would take: adding, that if she determined to return to Macedonia, he would recommend it to her, in particular, to forget all the injuries she thought she had received; that it would also be her interest to govern with moderation, and to make others sensible of her authority by benefactions, and not by severity. As to all other particulars, he promised an inviolable attachment to herself and the royal family. Olympias did not conform to these judicious counsels in any respect, but set out as soon as possible for Macedonia, where, upon her arrival, she consulted nothing but her passions, and her insatiable desire of dominion and revenge.

Polysperchon, who had many enemies upon his hands, endeavoured to secure Greece, of which he foresaw Cassander would attempt to make himself master. He also took measures with relation to other parts of the empire, as will appear by the sequel.

In order to engage the Greeks in his interest, he issued a decree, by which he recalled the exiles, and reinstated all the cities in their ancient privileges. He acquainted the Athenians, in particular, by letters, that the king had re-established their democracy and ancient form of government, by which the Athenians were admitted, without distinction, into public offices. This was a strain of policy calculated to ensnare Phocion; for Polysperchon, intending to make himself master of Athens, as was evident in a short time, despaired of succeeding in that design, unless he could find some expedient to procure the banishment of Phocion, who had a Diod 1. xviii. p. 626 et 634. Cor. Nep. in Euman. c. vi.

b Died. 1. xviii. p. 631,632,

favoured and introduced oligarchy under Antipater; and he had, therefore, no doubt, that he would be immediately banished, as soon as those, who had been excluded from the government, should be reinstated in their ancient rights.

SECT. V.

Phocion's death. Olympias causes Arideus to be slain. She is murdered. Eumenes put to death.

"Cassander, before the death of Antipater was known at Athens, had sent Nicanor thither, to succeed Menyllus in the government of the fortress of Munycia; soon after which he had made himself master of the Piræus. Phocion, who placed too much confidence in the probity and fidelity of Nicanor, had contracted a strict intimacy and conversed frequently with him, which caused the people to suspect him more than ever.

In this conjuncture, Alexander, the son of Polysperchon, arrived with a great body of troops, under pretext of succouring the city against Nicanor, but in reality to seize it into his own power, if possible, by taking advantage of the divisions which then reigned within it. A tumultuous assembly was convened, in which Phocion was divested of his employment; while Demetrius Phalereus, with several other citizens, who were apprehensive of the same fate, immediately retired from the city. Phocion, who had the grief to see himself accused of treason, took sanctuary with Polysperchon, who sent him back to be tried by the people. An assembly was immediately convoked on that occasion, from which neither slaves, foreigners, nor any infamous persons whatever, were excluded, although this proceeding was contrary to all the established rules. Phocion and the other prisoners were presented to the people. Most persons of any merit in the assembly cast down their eyes to the earth at this spectacle, and, covering their heads, wept abundantly. One among them having the courage to move, that the slaves and foreigners might be ordered to withdraw, was immediately opposed by the populace, who cried out, that they ought rather to stone those advocates for oligarchy and enemies of the people. Phocion frequently attempted to plead his own cause and vindicate his conduct, but was always interrupted. It was customary at Athens for the persons accused to declare, before sentence passed against him, what punishment he ought to suffer. Phocion answered aloud, that he condemned himself to die, but desired the assembly to spare the rest.-Upon this the suffrages were demanded, and they were unanimously sentenced to suffer

a Diod 1. xviii. p. 638-64%.