need not ask; for seldom is that bloody crime unrevealed, and never so ill smothered, as when great persons are the authors.

Thus was the whole race of Philip and Alexander the Great extinguished, and it was extinguished by the hands of such as thought upon nothing less than the execution of God's justice, due unto the cruelty of these powerful, but merciless princes. Wherefore the ambitious frames, erected by these tyrants upon so wicked foundations of innocent blood, were soon after cast down, overwhelming themselves or their children with the ruins, as the sequel will declare.

SECT. X.

How Demetrius, the son of Antigonus, gave liberty to Athens, expelling the garrisons of Cassander out of those parts. The immoderate honours decreed by the Athenians to Antigonus and Demetrius.

NONE being left alive that had any title to the kingdom, it stood with good reason that they which were lords of the provinces, acknowledging no superior, should freely profess themselves kings in name, as they were already in substance. Yet had this name ill beseemed the weaker, while the strongest of all did forbear it: neither seemed it. convenient, in the judgment of Antigonus, to crown his last action with such a title, as if he had attained unto greatness by that foul murder, the infamy whereof he was careful how to discharge from his own head. He purposed therefore to undertake a plausible enterprise, even the liberty of Greece; whereby it was apparent, that he might get such honour as would not only drown all bad reports, but make him be thought equal to any name of royalty, whereof in seeming modesty he was not covetous. To this purpose he delivered a strong army, with a navy of two hundred and fifty sail, and five thousand talents of silver, unto Demetrius's son; willing him to begin at Athens, and thence to proceed in setting all the country free.

Demetrius came to Athens before he was expected: so that without resistance he entered the haven; it being

thought that a fleet of Ptolomy, Cassander's good friend, had been arrived. But when it was known both who he was, and what was the cause of his coming, the joy of the citizens brake out into loud acclamations; Demetrius Phalereus forsook the town, and withdrew himself to Thebes, under safe conduct; only the garrison in Munychia strove to make good that piece, which after a while was won upon them by force. During the siege of Munychia, Demetrius went to Megara; whence he expelled the garrison of Cassander, and so restored the city to liberty.

I think it not impertinent sometimes to relate such accidents as may seem no better than mere trifles; for even by trifles are the qualities of great persons as well disclosed as by their great actions; because in matters of importance they commonly strain themselves to the observance of general commended rules, in lesser things they follow the current of their own natures. The lady Cratesipolis lay in Patras, and had a great desire to see Demetrius; hoping belike that she might by his means better her estate, and recover her towns of Sicyon and Corinth, detained by Ptolomy, to whose lieutenant in those places Demetrius, before his departure out of Greece, offered money for the surrender of them. Yet the only business pretended was love. He being advertised hereof, left his forces in the country of Megara, and taking a company of his lightestarmed for guard of his person, made a long journey to meet with her. This troop also he caused to lodge a great way from his tent, that none might see her when she came. As closely as the business was carried, some of his enemies had gotten knowledge of it; whereby they conceived good hope, that the diligence of a very few men might overthrow all the great preparations of Antigonus, and bring him to any terms of reason, by taking his dear son prisoner. Their project fell but a little short of the effect; for they came so suddenly upon him, that he had no better shift than to muffle himself in an old cloke, and creep away disguised, leaving them to ransack his tent. There was in this prince a strange medley of conditions; especially an extreme disso

luteness in wanton pleasures, and a painful industry in matter of war. He was of a most amiable countenance, a gentle nature, and a good wit; excellent in devising engines of war, and curious in working them with his own hands. He knew better how to reform his bad fortune, than how to rule his good. For adversity made his valour more active; prosperity stupified him with an overweening, wherein he thought that he might do what he listed. His fortune was as changeable as were his qualities: turning often round, like the picture of her wheel, till she had wound up the thread of his life, in such manner as followeth to be shewed.

Returning to his camp, and finishing his business at Megara, he resolved no longer to attend the issue of a siege, but to assail Munychia by force, that so he might accomplish the liberty of Athens; which, until it was fully wrought out, he refused to enter into the city. Munychia was strongly fortified; yet by continuance of the assault, the multitude without, through help of their engines that scoured the walls, prevailed upon the resolution of those that lay within it, and won the place in two days. The walls, and all the defences of that piece against the city, were levelled with the ground, and so was it freely put into the citizens' hands, to whom withal was given their liberty, with promise to aid them in maintaining it.

The fame of this action was louder than of any other victory gotten by Demetrius with greater skill and industry. For the Athenians, having forgotten how to employ their hands, laboured to make up that defect with their tongues; converting to base flattery that eloquence of theirs, which the virtues of their ancestors had suited unto more manly arguments.

They decreed unto Antigonus and Demetrius the name of kings; they consecrated the place in which Demetrius leaped from his chariot, when he entered their city, and built there an altar, calling it of Demetrius the alighter; they called them by the names of the gods their saviours, ordaining that every year there should be chosen a priest of these gods; and further, that such as were employed by their

state, in dealing with either of these two princes, should not be called ambassadors, but theori, or consulters with the gods; like as were they whom they sent unto the oracle of Jupiter or Apollo.

It were a frivolous diligence to rehearse all their flatteries, these being so gross. Hereby they not only corrupted the young prince; but made that acclamation, which best would have pleased the old man, to be of no use. For he could not handsomely take upon him the name of king, as imposed by the Athenians, unless he would seem to approve their vanity in loading him with more than human honours. Yet was he so tickled with this their fine handling him, that when their theori, or consulters, came shortly after, desiring him to relieve them with corn, and timber to build ships; he gave them almost a hundred thousand quarters of wheat, and matter sufficient to make a hundred galleys. So gracious was his first oracle; or rather, so weak is great power in resisting the assaults of flattery.

SECT. XI.

The great victory of Demetrius against Ptolomy in Cyprus. How Antigonus and Demetrius took upon them the style of kings; wherein others followed their example.

FROM this glorious work Antigonus called away Demetrius unto a business of greater difficulty, meaning to employ his service against Ptolomy in Cyprus. Before his departure out of Greece, he was willed to establish a general council, that should treat of matters concerning the common good of the country. About the same time Antigonus withdrew his own garrison out of Imbros, committing their liberty entire into the people's hands; whereby it might appear, that as he would not permit any other to oppress the Greeks, so would he be far from doing it himself. This was enough to hold his reputation high among these new purchased friends: it followed, that he should convert his forces to the winning of ground upon his enemies.

A pitiful tragedy had lately happened in Cyprus, through the indiscretion of Menelaus, Ptolomy's brother, and his

lieutenant in that isle. Nicocles, king of Paphos, was entered into some practice with Antigonus, yet not so far that he thought himself past excuse; by which confidence he was perhaps the more easily detected. To cut off this negotiation and the false hearted king of Paphos at one blow, Menelaus was sent thither; who surrounding Nicocles's house with soldiers, required in Ptolomy's name to have him yielded to the death. Nicocles offered to clear himself; but Menelaus told him, that die he must, and bade him come forth quietly. This desperate necessity caused the unhappy king to rid himself of life; and his death struck such an impression into his wife, that she not only slew herself, but persuaded the wives of her husband's brethren to do the like. Also those brethren of Nicocles, unto whom Ptolomy had intended no ill, being amazed with the suddenness of this calamity, did shut up the palace, and setting it on fire consumed it, with all that was in it, and themselves together.

Whatsoever the crime objected was, Nicocles perished as a man innocent, because he was not suffered to make his answer. Of this sad accident, though Menelaus deserved the blame for his rigorous proceeding, yet is it to be thought that much dislike fell also upon Ptolomy; as men that are grieved cast an ill affection even upon those that gave the furthest removed occasion.

Not long after this, Demetrius came into Cyprus, with a power sufficient against any opposition that Ptolomy was like to make. The Cypriots did little or nothing against him, either because they had small strength, or for that they held it a matter indifferent whom they acknowledged as their lord, being sure that they should not themselves have the rule of their own country. Menelaus therefore out of his garrisons drew forth an army, and fought with Demetrius; but he was beaten, and driven to save himself within the walls of Salamis, where he was so hardly besieged, that without strong succour he had no likelihood to make good the place, much less to retain possession of the whole island. His greatest help at the present was the