qualified, and more brave and experienced than them. selves, had ascended by degrees, to the most exalted stations, which they imagined due only to those who were dignified with great names, and descended from ancient and illustrious families: as if true nobility did not consist in merit and virtue.

Antigonus and the whole army celebrated the funeral obsequies of Eumenes with great magnificence, and consented to render him the utmost honours; his death having extinguished all their envy, and fear. They deposited his bones and ashes in an urn of silver, and sent it to his wife and children in Cappadocia ; poor compensation for a desolate widow and her helpless orphans !

SECTION VI.

THE DEATH OF YOUNG ALEXANDER, ROXANA, HERCULES, BARSINA,

AND CLEOPATRA.

m ANTIGONUS, concluding that he should be master of the empire of Asia for the future, made a new regulation in the eastern provinces, for his better security. He discarded all the governors he suspected, and advanced to their places those persons in whom he thought he might confide. He even destroyed several who had rendered themselves formidable to him by too much merit. Pithon, governor of Media, and Antigenes, general of the Argyraspides, were among these latter. Seleucus, governor of Babylon, was likewise minuted down in his list of proscriptions, but he found means to escape the danger, and threw himself under the pro

A. M. 3689. Ant. J. C. 315. Diod. l. xix. p. 689-692, & 697, 698.

tection of Ptolemy king of Egypt. As for the Argyraspides, who had betrayed Eumenes, he sent them into Arachosia, the remotest province in the empire, and ordered Syburtius, who governed there, to take such measures as might destroy them all, and that not one of them might ever return to Greece. The just horror he conceived at the infamous manner in which they betrayed their general, contributed not a little to this resolution, though he enjoyed the fruit of their treason without the least scruple or remorse; but a motive, still more prevalent, determined him chiefly to this proceeding. These soldiers were mutinous, untractable, licentious, and averse to all obedience; their example, therefore, was capable of corrupting the other troops, and even of destroying him, by a new instance of treachery; he therefore was resolved to exterminate them without hesitation.

Seleucus knew how to represent the formidable power of Antigonus so effectually to Ptolemy, that he engaged him in a league with Lysimachus and Cassander, whom he had also convinced, by an express, of the danger they had reason to apprehend from the power of that prince. Antigonus was very sensible that Seleucus would not fail to solicit them into measures against his interest, for which reason he sent an embassy to each of the three, to renew the good intelligence between them, by new assurances of his friendship. But what confidence could be reposed in such assurances, from a perfidious man, who had lately destroyed so many governors, from no inducement but the ambition of reigning alone at the expense of all his

» A. M. 3690. Ant. J. C. 314. Diod. 1. xix. p. 698-700.

colleagues? The answers therefore which he received, made him sufficiently sensible, that it was incumbent on him to prepare for war: upon which he quitted the east, and advanced into Cilicia, with very considerable treasures which he had drawn from Babylon and Susa. He there raised new levies, regulated several affairs in the provinces of Asia Minor, and then marched into Syria and Phenicia.

His design was to divest Ptolemy of those two provinces, and make himself master of their maritime forces, which were absolutely necessary for him in the war he was preparing to undertake against the confedcrates. For unless he could be master at sea, and have at least the ports and vessels of the Phenicians at his disposal, he could never expect any success against them. He, however, arrived too late to surprise the ships; for Ptolemy had already sent to Egypt all that could be found in Phenicia, and it was with difficulty that Antigonus made himself master of the ports; for Tyre, Joppa, and Gaza, opposed him with all their forces. The two last, indeed, were soon taken, but a considerable length of time was necessary for the reduction of Tyre.

However, as he was already master of all the other ports of Syria and Phenicia, he immediately gave orders for building vessels, and a vast number of trees were eut down, for that purpose, on mount Libanus, which was covered with cedar, and cypress trees of extraordinary beauty and height; and they were conveyed to the different ports where the ships were to be built, in which work he employed several thousand men. In a'

Diod. 1. xix. p. 700-703.

word, with these ships, and others, that joined him from Cyprus, Rhodes, and some particular cities with which he had contracted an alliance, he formed a considerable fleet, and rendered himself master of the sea.

His ardour for this work was redoubled by an affront he had received from Seleucus, who, with one hundred ships that Ptolemy had sent him, sailed up to Tyre, in sight of all the forces of Antigonus, with an intention to brave him whilst he was engaged in the siege of that city. And in reality, this insult had greatly discouraged his troops, and given his allies such an impression of his weakness, as was very injurious to him. In order, therefore, to prevent the effect of those disadvantageous opinions, he sent for the principal allies, and assured them he would have such a fleet at sea that summer, as should be superior to the naval force of all his enemies, and he was punctual to his promise before the expiration of the year.

P But when he perceived, that while he was thus employed in Phenicia, Cassander gained upon him by land in Asia Minor, he marched thither with part of his troops, and left the rest with his son Demetrius, who was then but twenty two years of age, to defend Syria and Phenicia against Ptolemy. This Demetrius will be much celebrated in the sequel of this history, and I shall soon point out his particular character.

Tyre was then reduced to the last extremities; the fleet of Antigonus cut off all communication of provisions, and the city was soon obliged to capitulate. The garrison which Ptolemy had there, obtained permission to march out with all their effects, and the 9 Diod. 1. xix. p. 703.

PA. M. 3691. Ant. J. C. 313.

inhabitants were promised the enjoyment of theirs without molestation. Andronicus, who commanded at the siege, was transported with gaining a place of such importance on any conditions whatever; and especially after a siege which had harassed his troops so exceedingly for fifteen months.

It was no longer than nineteen years before this event, that Alexander had destroyed this city, in such a manner as made it natural to believe it would require whole ages to reestablish it; and yet in so short a time it became capable of sustaining this new siege, which lasted more than as long again as that of Alexander.This circumstance discovers the great resources deriv. ed from commerce; for this was the only expedient by which Tyre rose out of its ruins, and recovered most of its former splendour. This city was then the centre of all the traffic of the east and west.

r

* Demetrius, who now began to be known, and will for the future be sirnamed Poliorcetes,' which signifies taker of cities, was the son of Antigonus. He was finely made, and of uncommon beauty. A pleasing sweetness, blended with gravity, was visible in his aspect, and he had an air of serenity, intermixed with something which carried awe along with it. Vivacity of youth in him was tempered with a majestic mien, and an air truly royal and heroic. The same mixture was likewise observable in his manners, which were equally qualified to charm and astonish. When he had no affairs to transact, his intercourse with his friends was

r Plut. in Demet. p. 889, 890.

The word is derived from otopnew, to besiege a city, whose root is menus, a city, and epros, a fence, a trench, a bulwark.