SECT. I. The birth and infancy of PHILIP. Beginning of bis reign. His firft conquefts. The birth of ALEXANDER. ACEDON was an hereditary kingdom, fituated in M'ancient Thrace, and bounded on the fouth by the moun tains of Theffaly; on the eaft by Boeotia and Pieria; on the weft by the Lynceftes; and on the north by Mygdonia and Pelagonia. But after Philip had conquered part of Thrace and Illyrium, this kingdom extended from the Adriatick fea to the river Strymon. Edeffa was at firft the capital of it, but afterwards refigned that honour to Pella, famous for giving birth to Philip and Alexander. Philip, whose history we are going to write, was the son of Amyntas II. who is reckoned the fixteenth king of Macedon from Caranus, who had founded that kingdom about four hundred and thirty years before; that is, Anno Mundi 3212, and before Chrift 794. The history of all these monarchs is fufficiently obfcure, and includes little more than several wars with the Illyrians, the Thracians, and other neighbouring people. The kings of Macedon pretended to defcend from Hercules by Caranus, and confequently to have been Greeks originally. Notwithstanding this, Demofthenes often tiles them Barbarians, especially in his invectives against Philip. The Greeks, indeed, gave this name to all other nations, without excepting the Macedonians. (a) Alexander, king of Macedon, in the reign of Xerxes, was excluded, upon. pretence of his being a Barbarian, from the Olympick games; and was not admitted to share in them, till after having proved his being defcended originally from Argos. (6) The above-mentioned Alexander, when he went over from the Perfian camp to that of the Greeks, in order to acquaint the latter, that Mardonius was determined to charge them by furprize at day-break, juftified his perfidy by his ancient defcent, which he declared to be from the Greeks. The ancient kings of Macedon did not think it beneath themselves to live at different times under the protection of the Athenians, Thebans, and Spartans, changing their alliances as it fuited their intereft. Of this we have feveral inftances in Thucydides. One of them, named Perdiccas, with whom the Athenians were diffatisfied, became their tributary; which continued from their fettling a colony in Amphipolis, under Agnon the fon of Nicias, about forty-eight years before the Peloponnefian war, till Brafidas, the Lacedæmonian general, about the (a) Herod. 1. v. c, 22. (b) Idem. 1. ix, c, 44. the fifth or fixth year of that war, raifed that whole province against them, and drove them from the frontiers of Macedon. We fhall foon fee this Macedon, which formerly had paid tribute to Athens, become, under Philip, the arbiter of Greece; and triumph, under Alexander, over all the forces of Afia. Amyntas, father of Philip, began to reign the third year of the ninety-fixth Olympiad. Having, the very year after, been warmly attacked by the Illyrians, and difpoffeffed of a great part of his kingdom, which he thought it fcarce poffible for him ever to recover again, he addreffed himfelf to the Olynthians; and in order to engage them the more firmly in his intereft, he had given up to them a confiderable track of land in the neighbourhood of their city. According to fome authors, Argæus, who was of the blood royal, being fupported by the Athenians, and taking advantage of the troubles which broke out in Macedonia, reigned there two years. (c) Amyntas was reftored to the throne by the Theffalians; upon which he was defirous of refuming the poffeffion of the lands, which nothing but the ill fituation of his affairs had obliged him to refign to the Olynthians. This occafioned a war; but Amyntas, not being frong enough to make head fingly against fo powerful a people, the Greeks and the Athenians in particular fent him fuccours, and enabled him to weaken the power of the Olynthians, who threatened him with a total and impending ruin, (d) It was then that Amyntas, in an affembly of the Greeks, to which he had fent a deputation, engaged to unite with them to enable the Athenians to poffefs themfelves of Amphipolis, declaring that this city belonged to the laft-mentioned people, This ftrong alliance was continued after his death with queen Eurydice, his widow, as we fhall foon fee. + Philip, one of the fons of Amyntas, was born the fame year this monarch declared war against the Olynthians. This Philip was father of Alexander the Great; for we cannot dif tinguish him better, than by calling him the father of fuch a fon, as Cicero obferves of the father of Cato of Utica. (e) Amyntas died, after having reigned twenty-four years. He left three legitimate children, whom Eurydice had brought him, viz. Alexander, Perdiccas, and Philip, and a natural fon named Ptolemy. A. M. 3606. Ant. J. C. 398. M. Cato fententiam dixit hujus noftri Catonis pater. Ut enim cæteri ex patribus, fic hic, qui lumen illud Alexander (c) A. M. 3621. Ant, J, C. 383. (d) fchin. de Falf. Legat. p. 409. (e) A. M. 3629. Ant. J. C. 375. progenuit, ex filio eft nominandus, De Offic. 1. iii. n. 66. Alexander fucceeded his father as eldest fon. In the very beginning of his reign, he was engaged in a fharp war against the Illyrians, neighbours to, and perpetual enemies of Macedonia. Concluding afterwards a peace with them, he put Philip, his younger brother, an infant, into their hands, by way of hoitage, who was foon fent back to him, Alexander reigned but one year. (f) The crown now belonged by right to Perdiccas, his brother, who was become eldeft by his death; but Paufanias, a prince of the blood royal, who had been exiled, difputed it with him, and was fupported by a great number of Macedonians. He began by feizing fome fortreffes. Happily for the new king, Iphicrates was then in that country, whither the Athenians had fent him with a small fleet; not to befiege Amphipolis as yet, but only to take a view of the place, and make the neceffary preparations for befieging it. Eurydice hearing of his arrival, defired to fee him, intending to requeft his affiftance against Paufanias. When he was come into the palace, and had feated himself, the afflicted queen, the better to excite his compaffion, takes her two children, Perdiccas and Philip, and fets the former in the arms, and the latter on the knees of Iphicrates; the then fpoke thus to him: "Remember, Iphicrates, that Amyntas, the father of thefe unhappy orphans, had always a love for your country, and adopted you for his fon. This double tie lays you under a double obligation. The amity which that king entertained for Athens, requires that you should acknowledge us publickly for your friends; and the tenderness which that father had for your perfon, claims from you the heart of a brother "to thefe children." Iphicrates, moved with this fight and difcourfe, expelled the ufurper, and restored the lawful fovereign, g) Perdiccas did not long continue in tranquillity. A new enemy, more formidable than the firft, foon invaded his repofe: This was Ptolemy his brother, natural fon of Amyntas, as was before obferved. He might poffibly be the eldest fon, and claim the crown as fuch. The two brothers referred the decifion of their claim to Pelopidas, general of the Thebans, more revered for his probity than his valour. Pelopidas determined (f) A. M. 3630. Ant. J. C. 374 (g) Plutarch, in Pelop. p. 292. Philip was not less than nine years ald. Plutarch fuppofes, that it was quith Alexander that Ptolemy difputed the empire, which cannot be made to agree | Æfch. de Falf, Legat. p. 399, 400. with the relation of fchines, whe being his contemporary, is more worthy of credit. I therefore thought proper ta fubftitute Perdiccas inftead of Alexander, mined in favour of Perdiécas; and having judged it neceffary to take pledges on both fides, in order to oblige the two competitors to obferve the articles of the treaty accepted by them, among other hoftages, he carried Philip with him to Thebes, where he refided feveral years. He was then ten years of age. Eurydice, at her leaving this much-loved fon, carneftly befought Pelopidas to procure him an education worthy of his birth, and of the city to which he was going an hoftage. Pelopidas placed him with Epaminondas, who had a celebrated Pythagorean philofopher in his houfe for the education of his fon. Philip improved greatly by the inftructions of his preceptor, and much more by thofe of Epaminondas, under whom he undoubtedly made fome campaigns, though no mention is made of this. He could not poffibly have had a more excellent mafter, whether for war or the conduct of life; for this illuftrious Theban was at the fame time a great philofopher, that is to fay, a wife and virtuous man, and a great commander as well as a great ftatefman. Philip was very proud of being his pupil, and propofed him as a model to himself; moft happy, could he have copied him perfectly! Perhaps he borrowed from Epaminondas his activity in war, and his promptitade in improving occafions, which however formed but a very inconfiderable part of the merit of this illuftrious perfonage: But with regard to his temperance, his juftice, his difinterestedness, his fincerity, his magnanimity, his clemency, which rendered him truly great, thefe were virtues which Philip had not received from nature, and did not acquire by imi tation. The Thebans did not know that they were then forming and educating the most dangerous enemy of Greece. (b) After Philip had fpent nine or ten years in their city, the news of a revolution in Macedon made him refolve to leave Thebes ciandeftinely. Accordingly he fteals away, makes the utmost expedition, and finds the Macedonians greatly furprized at having loft their king Perdiccas, who had been killed in a great battle by the Illyrians, but much more fo, to find they had as many enemies as neighbours. The Illyrians were on the point of returning into the kingdom with a greater force; the Peonians infefted it with perpetual incurfions: The Thracians were determined to place Paufanias on the throne, who had not abandoned .c.s. (b) Diod. 1. xvi. p. 407. Juftin. 1. vii. c. 5. Thebis triennio obfes habitus, prima pueritia rudimenta in urbe feveritatis antiquæ, & in demo Epaminondæ fummi & philofophi & im peratoris, depofuit. Justin, . vii. c. Philip lived in Thebes not only three, but nine or ten years. Alexander fucceeded his fbeginning of his reign, h the Illyrians, neighbor donia. Concluding Philip, his young way of hoitage, reigned but one (f) The cr brother, whe a prince of with him, nians. J new ki Atheni phipo the r of t affi nians were bringing Ar was ordered to fupport with body of troops. Macedonia at years to govern, and had only a Perdiccas, and lawful heir of the the kingdom for fome time, by the prince; but the fubjects, juftly alarmed, and your of the uncles and inflead of the had given them, fet him upon the throne conjuncture of affairs required; perfuaded neceffity are fuperior to all others. (i) Acip, at twenty-four years of age, afcended the of the 105th Olympiad. t year king, with great coolnefs and prefence of mind, wall his endeavours to answer the expectations of the people: the desponding courage of the Macedonians, and re-inftates fat point, well knowing that the fuccefs of his enterprizes he provides for, and remedies every thing, revives depended ranks to on it. A foldier, who was thirfty, went out of the drink, which Philip punished with great feverity. Another foldier, who ought to have stood to his arms, laid them down: Him he immediately ordered to be put to death. It was at this time he established the Macedonian phalanx, which afterward became fo famous, and was the choiceft and, the beft difciplined body of an army the world had ever feen, and might difpute precedency in those refpects with the Greeks of Marathon and Salamis. He drew up the plan, or at least improved it from the idea fuggested by (1) Homer. That poet defcribes the union of the Grecian commanders under the image of a battalion, the foldiers of which, by the affemblage or conjunction of their fhields, form a body impenetrable to the enemy's darts. I rather belive that Philip formed the idea of the phalanx from the leffons of Epaminondas, and the facred battalion of the Thebans. He treated those chofen foot-foldiers with peculiar diftinction, honoured them with the title of his comrades or companions; and by fuch marks of honour and confidence induced them to bear, without any murmuring, the hardest fatigues, and to confront the greatest dangers with intrepidity. Sueh familiarities as these coft a monarch little, and are of no common advantage to him. I fhall infert, at the end of this fection, a more particular description of the phalanx, and the (i) A. M. 3644. Ant. J. C. 360. Diod. l. xvi. p. 404-413. (7) Iliad. N. v. 130. use |