The army mutiny, and Deme trius retires in difguife. He is ex Macedon. Raifes an army, and befieges Athens. defert to Lyfimachus. He therefore made a fhort turn, camp was In this city he found his wife Philla, who, when the was pelled from informed of what had happened, overcome with grief, and afhamed to behold a daughter of Antipater at the loweft ebb of distrefs in Macedon, fhe took poison, and fo ended her days. Demetrius, notwithstanding this reverfe of fortune, ftill entertained hopes; wherefore quitting Macedon, he withdrew into Greece, where having drawn together fome of his friends, he began to form an army, which encreafing by degrees, he marched to Thebes, and there affumed again the regal habit, and, as the first essay of authoity, reftored the democratic authority in the city where he refided. The Athenians, as foon as they heard of his diftrefs, without any other motive than mere ingratitude, contrived to infult him; a circumftance which provoked Demetrius fo far as to engage him to lead his new-raised army immediately to beflege their city. In this fiege he had fuch fuccefs, that the Athenians were constrained to deprecate his vengeance by a folemn deputation, at the head of which was an eminent philofopher. Demetrius, who had always a tendernefs for Athens, fuffered himself to be perfuaded to pardon even this new outrage; fo that this expedition being at an end, he determined to hazard another, for the recovery of Caria and Lydia from Lyfimachus. AH his forces amounted to but eleven thousand men, and nothing could be more romantic than to hope, with fo inconfiderable an army, to conquer a great part of Is prevailed upon to raife the fiege. Attempts the reco very of Ca ria and Lydia. f Plut. in Demet. Juftin. lib. xvi. cap. 2. Afia; however, he had neceffity on his fide, and a confiderable body of defperate men to enforce whatever meafures he thought fit to take. When he arrived at Miletus, he was met by Eurydice, the fifter of his wife Philla. She brought with her a new wife for him, Ptolemaida, to whom he had been long ago contracted. The marriage Takes Sarwas confummated at Sardis, which he presently took, dis. part of the forces of Lyfimachus revolting to him, and bringing with them a great fum of money, he was enabled to recruit his army effectually. All this profperity, however, was not sufficient to reinftate his affairs; for Aga- Is reduced thocles, the fon of Lyfimachus, coming against him with to great a numerous army, and managing his command with great Araits prudence, brought Demetrius into deep diftrefs; for though by Agathe troops of the latter had the advantage in all the ikirmishes which happened between them and the forces of Agathocles, yet by avoiding an engagement, and making a proper use of his advantage in numbers, this young prince compelled Demetrius to retire into Phrygia, whither he followed him, and reduced his army to a ftarving condition. Demetrius fhifting quarters often, at Length paffed the river Lycus, which being very rapid, many of his foldiers were drowned. thocles. To add to thefe diftreffes, the plague broke out in his Plague in army, by which, in a very fhort time, he loft eight thou- his army, fand men. With the remainder he retired to Tarfus, a city belonging to Seleucus, where he ordered his foldiers to observe strict discipline, till at laft want forced them to dispense with all orders. Then it was that he wrote to Seleucus in terms the moft moving. He reprefented the grandeur from which he was fallen, the mifery to which he was reduced, and the fmall hopes he had left. Seleu- Seleucus cus taking this matter into confideration, fent orders to first kind, the governors of provinces to furnish Demetrius with and afterwhatever was requifite for him, not as a private man, but wards jeaas a king; as alfo with provisions for his army. This was done with a beneficence worthy of a king. But Patrocles, the prime minister of Seleucus, was of a very different fentiment; he continually infinuated to his mafter, that, of all the princes of his time, Demetrius was the moft enterprizing; that the more he was diftreffed, the more ready he would be to make any new attempt hope or despair might suggest to him; and that to afford fupport. to fuch a perfon, was to nurfe a wild beaft in his bofom. By degrees the minifter's art overcame his mafter's clemency; fo that when Demetrius leaft expected it, Seleu cus lous of him. Demetrius gains ferve ral small advantages over him. cus advanced with a powerful army towards Cilicia; whereupon that unhappy prince was forced to take shelter in Mount Taurus. From thence he fent deputies to Seleucus, requefting that he would permit him the liberty to attempt by force of arms, to repair his broken fortunes against the barbarous nations, there to establish a kingdom, where he might pafs the remainder of his life in quiet and repofe, and not in that rigorous feafon of the year, for it was now the middle of winter, expofe him to the fury of his implacable enemies in this distress, but to allow him a competent time and maintenance for his fmall army, till the weather fhould permit him to depart. But Seleucus, who by this time was become exceffively jealous of him, fent him word, that he would allow him to remain where he was but two months; and that even, in confideration of this favour, he expected that he should deliver as hoftages his principal commanders. Demetrius, perceiving himself taken like a beast in a toil, flew with vindictive rage on his cruel perfecutors, and had the good fortune to defeat them in many encounters; particularly when he was befet with armed chariots, by his perfonal valour he engaged his foldiers to break through them, and thereby opened a paffage into Syria; fo that things taking a new turn, Lyfimachus thought it would be favourably received, if he made Seleucus an offer of his affiftance; which that cautious prince not approving, he therefore thanked Lyfimachus, and declined his favour; however, he fpun out the war with, Demetrius, not caring to trust the fortune of that prince, which often, from a very miferable ftate, had fuddenly raised him to great profperity. Even at this time Demetrius was in a better condition than could have been expected; and his forces, as they had been always victorious under his conduct, fo they were tractable and obedient, in hopes that his good fortune would put it in his Falls fick, power to reward them. But while Demetrius was revolving in his mind a thoufand projects, he was feized with a malignant fever, which, in a fhort time, took from him his fenfes; fo that for forty days he was not able to give any orders. At the end of this fpace he recovered his fenfes, and in fome measure his ftrength; but, to his great affliction, he found his army mouldered away, and thofe he had left, very defirous of getting into fresh quarters; an indulgence they had fmall reafon to hope, and which yet he promifed them, and, by dint of his fill in military affairs, performed his promife; for mak and is abandoned by great part of his army. ing a fudden and swift march towards Cilicia, he turned fhort in the night, and paffing Mount Amanus, left Seleucus and his army far behind. Thus his wearied troops had once more fome time for refreshment. Seleucus fearing he might recruit where he was, marched towards him, and encamped at no great distance. When Demetrius was informed of his approach, he refolved to attack him、 that very night; and, if his measures had not been betrayed, would have taken him in his bed; as it was, he had but just time to mount; yet Demetrius perceiving that his defign was discovered, would not hazard his forces, but retired. Seleucus refolving to make use of this opportunity, preffed him clofe, and at laft compelled him to fight in a very difadvantageous fituation. However, Demetrius having divided his forces into two bodies, he, at the head of one, charged the troops of Seleucus fo vigorously, that they were in great confufion, till Seleucus himself difmounting, led up his infantry. Demetrius being thus obliged to form his forces afresh, He is beSeleucus, as foon as they made a line, advanced to their trayed, and front, and putting up the vizor of his helmet, that he overcome. might be known, exhorted them to lay down their arms, telling them, that it was for their fakes he avoided coming to extremities fo long. In confequence of this addrefs, thofe perfidious men fhouted aloud, " Long live king Seleucus !" deferting in a moment their old mafter, and the victory he had almoft obtained. Demetrius, in this diftrefs, fled with a few attendants into a thick wood. At first he had thoughts of retiring to the fea, and going on board his fleet; but when he confidered how few people he had about him, he laid afide this defign as impracticable. Next day his bofom-friend Sofigenes arriving, and having with him four hundred pieces of gold, Demetrius refumed his former defign; and, as foon as it grew dark, fallied from the wood, in order to push forward; but it appearing, by the fires lighted on every fide, that the avenues were all fecured by the enemy, the king was forced to retire back to the wood. In this retreat, fome of the inconfiderable band of horse who were with him deferted; and the reft were fo intimidated, that they began to talk of delivering up Demetrius to Seleucus, in order to preferve themselves. That unhappy prince, overhearing their difcourfe, drew his fword, and would have run himself through the body, had not fome who were near him interpofed, and prevented this catastrophe. Then those, who had most interest with him, took an op portunity Demetrius yields him Jelf to Se leucus. Clemency and gene20/1ty of Seleucus. Demetrius confined in a caftle. portunity of fhewing the impoffibility of his getting out of the province; and that therefore it would be prudence in him for once to submit to fortune, and furrender to Se leucus. Demetrius, having weighed this propofition duly, conceived it would be better to make that an act of choice, which was most likely would at length be brought about by neceffity; and thereupon dispatched deputies to inform Seleucus, that he was ready to yield himfelf into his hands. Until thefe deputies returned, he remained ftill in the fecret receffes of the wood 8. When Seleucus was informed of the refolution which Demetrius had taken, he was exceedingly pleased; and having given the neceflary directions for the reception of a perfon, who, befides the high dignity he held, stood in fo near a relation to himself, could not help, even in the prefence of his whole court, breaking out into these words: "It is not the fortune of Demetrius which hath thus provided for his fafety; but mine, which hath been watchful for my glory. I thank her more for this, than for all the favours the has done me, because I esteem an act of clemency more honourable than any victory." The many noble and generous things faid by Seleucus, in this high flow of fortune, inclined many of his courtiers to believe, that Demetrius, from being himself a fovereign, would become the chief favourite of a king. In order, therefore, to fecure their own interefts, they immediately determined to go and pay their court to him, as foon as he fhould come into the quarters of Seleucus. Apollonides, who had been formerly a courtier in the palace of Antigonus, was fent to receive Demetrius; and when he had brought him to the village affigned for his reception, almost the whole court of Seleucus went to pay their compliment to his father-in-law. The minifters of Seleucus, who hated Demetrius, put him in mind of the dangerous confequences which might attend this refpect which his nobles and commanders payed to a perfon of fuch address, and furprifing intrepidity. Thefe infinuations had the effect defired by thofe who made them; infomuch, that while Demetrius was entertaining his old acquaintance and new friends, Paufanias, with a guard of a thousand horfe, came to conduct him, not, as he hoped, to the prefence of Scleucus, but to a caftle, where he remained a prifoner. Seleucus, when he had provided for his own fecurity, did all that could be thought of to make con & Plut. in Demet. finement |