THE

HISTORY OF GREECE.

CHAPTER LIV.

THE WAR WITH AGIS; AND THE PROCEEDINGS OF ALEXANDER, FROM HIS QUITTING PERSEPOLIS TILL THE CLOSE OF THE FIFTH CAMPAIGN.

Confederacy in Greece against Alexander. Agis besieges Megalopolis. He is defeated by Antipater, and slain. Dissolution of the Confederacy. War in Pontus. Alexander conquers the Mardians and other Tribes. Measures of Darius. Alexander

marches against him. Darius flies from Ecbatana. Proceedings of Alexander at Ecbatana. His rapid pursuit of Darius. Darius is imprisoned by some of his Satraps. Exertions of Alexander to overtake them. Murder of Darius. Character of the Persian Monarch. Conquest of the Hyrcanians, Tapeirians, &c. Surrender of the Greek Mercenaries. Bessus assumes the Title of King. Alexander marches against him. He is stopped by the Rebellion of Satibarzanes in Aria. The rebel Satrap is put to flight. Zaranga submits. The Agriaspa. The Drangians, Drangogians, and Arachosians yield to Alexander. Second Rebellion of Satibarzanes. He is killed. Alexander proceeds to Paropamisus, and founds a City. Philotas put to death on a Charge of Treason. Assassination of Parmenio.

VOL. VIII.

B

Measures of Alexander, to avert the Consequences of Disaffection. State of Greece. Impeachment of Ctesiphon by Eschines. Triumph of Demosthenes.

WHILE the Persian empire was sinking under the blows of Alexander, his authority over Greece, and even the safety of his own dominions, was threatened by a confederacy, the foremost place in which was held by his determined and consistent enemies the Lacedæmonians. Agis, brave, ardent, indefatigable in his hatred, whom we have seen acting in conjunction with Memnon, was the promoter and the guiding spirit of this new league. Far from damping the courage of the Lacedæmonian monarch, the defeat of Darius at Issus only served as an incentive to more vigorous exertions. He forcibly urged, that there was now a greater necessity than ever to unite without delay against Macedon, while an ally still remained who could supply the pecuniary means of resistance and keep their enemy occupied in a distant land; that in case of Alexander's complete success in Asia, his power would be so overwhelmingly increased that it would thenceforth be impossible to oppose him; and that, consequently, the degradation of Greece to a state of vassalage would be fully and irrevocably sealed.

These arguments prevailed to a considerable extent; but the remembrance of past calamities, the dread of Macedonian vengeance, and, in some instances, a jealousy or an abhorrence of Lacedæmon, withheld many of the Grecian states from taking a part in the contest. It was from Peloponnesus that Agis derived his principal support. His views were warmly entered into by the whole of Elea, by all Achaia, with the exception of the single insignificant town of Pellene, and by all Arcadia, save the city of Megalopolis, which persisted in adhering to the Macedonian monarch. Even in Peloponnesus,

however, Alexander still had valuable allies; the republics of Messenia and Argos, which constituted at least one third of the peninsula, being, and not without cause, the deadly foes of Spartan power. North of the isthmus circumstances were adverse to the projects of Agis. Thebes and Phocis were too completely prostrated in spirit and resources to be capable of making any efforts to throw off the yoke which was imposed upon them. Athens, as we have said in the preceding chapter, was now ruled by the peace party, of which Phocion was still the leader and ornament, and was, besides, reluctant to fill a subordinate part under its ancient enemy. Not such was the feeling of Demosthenes, with whom it was a paramount object to subvert the dominion which Macedon had obtained over Greece, and who, therefore, was willing to avail himself of any instrument by which his purpose might be accomplished. It is true that, not long before these events occurred, he is said to have endeavoured to gain the favour of Alexander; but it is possible that he was induced to take such a step either by a momentary despair, or by a wish to prevent any suspicion of his real intentions. However this may be, it appears that he soon relapsed into proceedings hostile to the Macedonian supremacy; for Eschines represents him as exclaiming to the people, "It was I who armed the Lacedæmonians against Alexander, it was I who excited the revolt against him in Perrhæbia and Thessaly." To what extent this revolt of the Thessalians and Perrhæbians was carried, or how it was suppressed, is unknown. As it seems to have but slightly, if at all, impeded the movements of Antipater, we may presume that it was of trifling importance. The same conclusion, and for the same reason, may be drawn with respect to a rebellion which Diodorus mentions as having, at this time, broken out in Thrace, at the

head of which was a leader who bore the name of Memnon.

The force collected by Agis to contend for the freedom of Greece consisted of only twenty thousand foot and two thousand horse. Yet of this scanty host not more than two-thirds was supplied by the Grecian states. From eight to ten thousand of the number were mercenaries, the majority of whom had fought at the battle of Issus. The means of purchasing their services were derived from the Persian treasury.

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This attempt to deliver Greece from Macedonian control has been treated as a treasonable resistance to legitimate dominion. We are gravely told, that "the confederacy of republics was constitutionally established under the lead of Macedonia, as constitutionally, it appears, as ever before under the lead of Lacedæmon, Athens, or Thebes ;" and that "the overweening magnanimity" of the Macedonian government, in not promptly chastising all who disliked its sway, was the result of a determination to prove that the reigning king of Macedon was worthy, equally with his predecessors, to be the choice of a free people, desiring authority founded on the attachment of a free people, and not on violence.” Language like this might lead an uninformed reader to suppose that, instead of having existed less than ten years, the supremacy held by the son of Philip had been transmitted to him from a long line of ancestors; and that, instead of having been won by the shedding of Grecian blood, and the ruin of Grecian cities, it had been accorded by the unanimous voice of the venerating and grateful republics! To talk of the constitutional supremacy of Lacedæmon, Athens, Thebes, or Macedon, is nothing less than a mockery; each of these powers, in turn, obtained the lead by the sword, and by the sword alone; but, to argue that, because three states suc

ceeded in lording it over their equals, a fourth was therefore entitled to follow their example, and to punish opposition as rebellion, affords a striking proof to what a fearful extent the reasoning faculties may be warped by political prejudice. In resorting to arms to recover their independence the Greeks only exercised an inalienable and indefeasible right of mankind, the right, whenever a favourable opportunity occurs, to break the chains which may have been riveted on them by force or guile.

At the outset, before Antipater could concentrate his own troops, and receive the contingents of his sovereign's allies or vassals, Ol. 112. 3. the confederates obtained some advan

B. C. 330.

tages. A Macedonian force was defeated, but no record remains of its strength, or of the place where the battle was fought. All we know of it is from an allusion made by Eschines, in his oration against Demosthenes. It is not improbable that, had Agis advanced into northern Greece, he might have been joined by many whom fear restrained from manifesting disaffection while support was at a distance. But he perhaps deemed it imprudent to leave in his rear, and at the door as it were of Lacedæmon, the hostile city of Megalopolis. It was, therefore, invested by the confederates, and was so vigorously pressed by them that its surrender was daily expected. The hopes of the besiegers were, however, delusive. The resistance of the Megalopolitans not only saved their city, but turned the scale decisively in favour of Antipater, by giving him time to quiet the disturbances which had arisen at home, and to take the field against the confederates with numbers far superior to their own. During his march southward, his army was swelled by the contingents of the states which adhered to Alexander, so that, when it reached Megalopolis, it was not less than forty thousand strong. Great as the disparity was