ἐπεὶ Κασάνδρου τελευτήσαντος ὁ πρεσβύτατος αὐτοῦ τῶν παίδων Φίλιππος οὐ πολὺν χρόνον βασιλεύσας Μακεδόνων ἀπέθανεν, οἱ λοιποὶ δύο πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐστασίαζον, θατέρου δὲ αὐτῶν Ἀντιπάτρου τὴν μητέρα Θεσσαλονίκην φονεύσαντος, ἅτερος ἐκάλει βοηθοὺς ἐκ μὲν Ἠπείρου Πύρρον, ἐκ δὲ Πελοποννήσου Δημήτριον.
After Cassander’s death, the eldest of his sons, Philip, reigned for a short time over the Macedonians and then died, and the two remaining brothers quarrelled with one another over the succession. One of them, Antipater, murdered his mother, Thessalonicé, and the other, Alexander, summoned to his help Pyrrhus from Epeirus, and Demetrius from Peloponnesus.
ἔφθασε δὲ Πύρρος ἐλθών, καὶ πολὺ μέρος Μακεδονίας ἀποτεμόμενος τῆς βοηθείας μισθὸν φοβερὸς μὲν ἦν ἤδη παροικῶν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ· Δημητρίου δέ, ὡς ἐδέξατο τὰ γράμματα, μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως προσιόντος, ἔτι μᾶλλον ὁ νεανίας τοῦτον φοβηθεὶς διὰ τὸ ἀξίωμα καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἀπήντησεν αὐτῷ περὶ Δῖον, ἀσπαζόμενος μὲν καὶ φιλοφρονούμενος, οὐδὲν δὲ φάσκων ἔτι τῆς ἐκείνου δεῖσθαι τὰ πράγματα παρουσίας.
Pyrrhus was first to answer the summons, and after cutting off a large part of Macedonia as a reward for his assistance, was already a neighbour whom Alexander feared. But Demetrius, who, when he received Alexander’s letters, had set out with his forces to join him, inspired the young man with still more fear because of his high position and reputation, and he therefore met Demetrius at Dium, and gave him a friendly welcome, but declared that the situation no longer demanded his presence.
ἦσαν οὖν ἐκ τούτων ὑποψίαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτοῖς, καὶ βαδίζοντι Δημητρίῳ πρὸς δεῖπνον ὑπὸ τοῦ νεανίσκου παρακεκλημένῳ μηνύει τις ἐπιβουλήν, ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πότῳ μελλόντων αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν. ὁ δὲ μηδὲν διαταραχθείς, ἀλλὰ μικρὸν ὑφεὶς τῆς πορείας, ἐκέλευσε τοὺς μὲν ἡγεμόνας ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις τὴν στρατιὰν ἔχειν, ἀκολούθους δὲ καὶ παῖδας, ὅσοι περὶ αὐτὸν ἦσαν (ἦσαν δὲ πολὺ πλείους τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου), συνεισελθεῖν εἰς τὸν ἀνδρῶνα καὶ παραμένειν ἄχρι ἂν ἐξαναστῇ.
Owing to these circumstances, then, the men were suspicious of one another, and besides, as Demetrius was on his way to supper at the young man’s invitation, some one told him of a plot to kill him in the very midst of the drinking. Demetrius was not at all disturbed, but delayed his coming a little, and ordered his officers to have their troops under arms, and all the attendants and servants in his train (and they were far more numerous than the retinue of Alexander) to go with him into the banqueting-hall and to remain there until he rose from the table.
τοῦτο δείσαντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν ἐπιχειρῆσαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν Δημήτριος οὐκ ἔχειν αὐτῷ τὸ σῶμα ποτικῶς σκηψάμενος διὰ ταχέων ἀπῆλθε· τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ περὶ ἀναζυγὴν εἶχε, πράγματα ϝεώτερα προσπεπτωκέναι φάμενος αὐτῷ, καὶ παρῃτεῖτο συγγνώμην ἔχειν τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον, εἰ τάχιον ἀπαίρει· συνέσεσθαι γὰρ αὐτῷ μᾶλλον ἄλλοτε σχολάζων. ἔχαιρεν οὖν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος, ὡς οὐ πρὸς ἔχθραν, ἀλλʼ ἑκουσίως ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἀπαίροντος αὐτοῦ, καὶ προέπεμπεν ἄχρι Θετταλίας.
This frightened Alexander, and he did not venture to attempt anything. Demetrius also made the excuse that he was not in condition to take wine, and went away very soon. On the following day he busied himself with preparations for departure, telling Alexander that unexpected troubles had arisen, which demanded his attention, asking his pardon for leaving so quickly, and assuring him that he would pay him a longer visit at another time when his affairs permitted it. Alexander was therefore well pleased, convinced that Demetrius was leaving his territories, not in hostility, but of his own free will, and escorted him on his way as far as Thessaly.
ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς Λάρισσαν ἧκον, αὖθις ἀλλήλοις ἐπήγγελλον ἑστιάσεις ἀντεπιβουλεύοντες· ὃ δὴ μάλιστα τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ὑποχείριον ἐποίησε τῷ Δημητρίῳ. φυλάττεσθαι γὰρ ὀκνῶν, ὡς μὴ κἀκεῖνον ἀντιφυλάττεσθαι διδάξῃ, παθὼν ἔφθασε (δρᾶν μέλλοντος αὐτοῦ μὴ διαφυγεῖν ἐκεῖνον) ὃ ἐμηχανᾶτο. κληθεὶς γὰρ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν Δημήτριον. ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐξανέστη μεταξὺ δειπνῶν, φοβηθεὶς ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος συνεξανέστη καὶ κατὰ πόδας αὐτῷ πρὸς τὰς θύρας συνηκολούθει.
But when they came to Larissa, once more invitations to entertainments passed between them, and each plotted against the life of the other. This, more than anything else, put Alexander into the power of Demetrius. For he hesitated to take measures of precaution, that he might not thereby teach Demetrius also to take counter-measures, and he was forestalled by meeting the doom he was himself devising (since he delayed measures to prevent the other from escaping out of his hands). And so, when Demetrius rose up from table before supper was over, Alexander, filled with fear, rose up also and followed close upon his heels towards the door.
γενόμενος οὖν ὁ Δημήτριος πρὸς ταῖς θύραις κατὰ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δορυφόρους καὶ τοῦτο μόνον εἰπών, κόπτε τὸν ἑπόμενον, αὐτὸς μὲν ὑπεξῆλθεν, ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ὑπʼ ἐκείνων κατεκόπη καὶ τῶν φίλων οἱ προσβοηθοῦντες, ὧν ἕνα λέγουσι σφαττόμενον εἰπεῖν ὡς ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ φθάσειεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Δημήτριος.
Demetrius, then, on reaching the door where his own body-guards stood, said merely, Smite any one who follows me, and quietly went out himself; but Alexander was cut down by the guards, together with those of his friends who came to his aid. One of these, we are told, as he was smitten, said that Demetrius had got one day’s start of them.
ἡ μὲν οὖν νὺξ οἷον εἰκὸς θόρυβον ἔσχεν. ἅμα δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ταραττομένοις τοῖς Μακεδόσι καὶ φοβουμένοις τὴν τοῦ Δημητρίου δύναμιν, ὡς ἐπῄει μὲν οὐδεὶς φοβερός, ὁ δὲ Δημήτριος ἔπεμπε βουλόμενος ἐντυχεῖν καὶ περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἀπολογήσασθαι, θαρρεῖν παρέστη καὶ δέχεσθαι φιλανθ ρώπως αὐτόν.
That night, then, naturally, was full of tumult. But with the day the Macedonians, who were in confusion and afraid of the forces of Demetrius, found that no enemy came against them, but that Demetrius sent to them a request for an interview and for an opportunity to explain what had been done. They therefore took heart and promised to receive him in a friendly spirit.
ὡς δὲ ἦλθεν, οὐ μακρῶν ἐδέησεν αὐτῷ λόγων, ἀλλὰ τῷ μισεῖν μὲν τὸν Ἀντίπατρον, φονέα μητρὸς ὄντα, βελτίονος δὲ ἀπορεῖν, ἐκεῖνον ἀνηγόρευσαν βασιλέα Μακεδόνων, καὶ παραλαβόντες εὐθὺς κατῆγον εἰς Μακεδονίαν. ἦν δὲ καὶ τοῖς οἴκοι Μακεδόσιν οὐκ ἀκούσιος ἡ μεταβολή, μεμνημένοις ἀεὶ καὶ μισοῦσιν ἃ Κάσανδρος εἰς Ἀλέξανδρον τεθνηκότα παρηνόμησεν.
When he came to them, there was no need of his making long speeches, but owing to their hatred of Antipater, who was a matricide, and to their lack of a better man, they proclaimed Demetrius king of the Macedonians, and at once went down with him into Macedonia. Furthermore, to the Macedonians at home the change was not unwelcome, for they ever remembered with hatred the crimes which Cassander had committed against the posterity of Alexander the Great.
εἰ δέ τις ἔτι μνήμη τῆς Ἀντιπάτρου τοῦ παλαιοῦ μετριότητος ὑπελείπετο, καὶ ταύτην Δημήτριος ἐκαρποῦτο Φίλᾳ συνοικῶν καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἐκείνης υἱὸν ἔχων διάδοχον τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἤδη τότε μειράκιον ὄντα καὶ τῷ πατρὶ συστρατευόμενον.
And if there still remained any kindly memories of the elder Antipater’s moderation and justice, of these also Demetrius reaped the benefit, since he was the husband of Phila, Antipater’s daughter, and had a son by her to be his successor in the realm, a son who was already quite a youth, and was serving in the army under his father.
Cite This Text