2047.

Ante Chr.

301.

he should have enough to do to defend himself against fo many and fo potent adverfaries. Demetrius, as foon as he had received his father's commands, entered into a provifional treaty with Caffander for preferving the peace and freedom of Greece. We call this treaty provisional because it was not to remain in force if Antigonus refused to ratify it; the defign of both parties being to gain time, and an opportunity of attending their other affairs, by acceding to this treaty, which gave liberty to Greece. When the feafon of the year permitted, Demetrius Yr. of Fl. tranfported his forces into Afia, and having recovered Ephefus from Lyfimachus, marched to join his father. By this time Seleucus was at hand, and the news of his approach did not come fooner than that of Ptolemy's irrup- The fatal tion into Phoenicia, Judæa, and Coelefyria, where he car- battle of ried all before him, and in a fhort time reduced all thofe Ipfus. provinces, excepting only the cities of Tyre and Sidon, which being ftrongly garrifoned, held out for Antigonus; but after thefe rapid conquefts, Ptolemy, who had fat down before the last mentioned city, on a flying report, that Antigonus had defeated Seleucus and Lyfimachus, raised the fiege, and retired haftily into Egypt. By this time the two grand armies in Phrygia were ready to engage; that of Antigonus confifted of feventy thoufand foot, ten thoufand horfe, and feventy-five elephants: the forces of Seleucus and Lyfimachus amounted to fixty-four thousand foot, ten thousand five hundred horse, four hundred elephants, and a hundred and twenty chariots of war. Now it was that Antigonus varied a little from his accustomed manner of behaviour; for inftead of appearing as ufual, with a frank and open countenance, he feemed very thoughtful and melancholy, was frequently filent; whereas he formerly never confulted with any body, but gave his orders with extraordinary vivacity, he was now very flow in his refolutions, confulted much with Demetrius, and once, as he was reviewing his troops, recommended him to the officers as his fucceffor. Thefe particulars feemed to indicate that his ufual confidence had forfaken him. The morning of the battle, as he was coming out of his tent, he fell down and bruised himself, rifing up with fome difficulty," Immortal gods (faid he), grant me victory, if it be your will; but if not, let me fall in battle, and not survive my fading glory." When the armies were difpofed in order of battle, Demetrius, having the command of the greatest part of his father's horfe, fo fiercely charged the cavalry of Seleucus, commanded by his fon Antiochus,

B 3

Antigonus killed.

Demetrius

Polorcetes

fuc:eeds.

Antiochus, that he quickly broke, and put them to flight ; but by purfuing too far, he loft all; for Seleucus immediately interpofed his elephants in fuch a manner, thaț Demetrius could never rejoin his infantry; and then advanced with his foot to attack Antigonus, where he fought in perfon, The brave old man, on this occafion, behaved with great wifdom; but Seleucus making a feint of charging him in flank, Antigonus was forced to alter his difpofition: on this occafion a great number of traitors deferted to the enemy, which created fuch confufion, that his forces were quickly broke, and himself, at the head of a very few, left to fuftain the fhock. When the enemy were about to charge him, one who was near him cried out, "Sir, confider what you do; they are coming down upon you.' "Let them come (faid Antigonus), Demetrius will come to our affiftance" But while he caft his eyes about in vain for his son, a fhower of arrows deprived him of life, and he fell from his horfe upon the ground. This was the fatal battle of Ipfus, fo called from a town and river of Phrygia, near which it was fought. And thus fell the empire of Antigonus with himself, when he had borne the regal title about four years, and was in the eightieth year of his age.

Demetrius, with the poor remains of his army, retreated to Ephefus; but doubting whether he fhould be fafe there, he fhortly quitted that place, and retired towards the fea; placing his chief hope in the attachment of the Athenians, he haftened thither, where he had left the beft part of his plate, with his queen Deidamia, and her retinue. But here his hopes failed him; for the Athenians fent away his queen, and forbid him to enter their city. Diffembling his refentment, he received from them his fhips, and after having vifited Peloponnefus, failed away for the Cherfonefe, where landing, he committed great devaftations in the territories of Lyfimachus. In the midft of his dif treffes a ftrange accident happened in his favour. Seleucus having heard wonderful things of the beauty of Stratonice, the daughter of Demetrius and Philla, the widow of Craterus, and fifter of Caffander, fent to her father to demand her in marriage, This extraordinary turn of for tune did not a little amaze Demetrius himself, who joyhis daugh fully tranfported his daughter in his royal fleet to meet Seleucus. As he failed along, he was obliged to put on fhore for refrefhments in Cilicia, a province affigned by

Seleucus marries

ter.

Diodor. Sicul. ubi fupra. Plut. ubi fupra. Arrian, lib. vii. Appian, in Syriac. p. 122.

the

the princes to Pliftarchus, the brother of Caffander. He even ventured to feize the treafury of Quinda, and took from thence two hundred talents, which had been left by his father. Arriving on the coaft of Syria, he was firft met by his wife Philla, and then coming to the city of Roffus, he there found Seleucus, who immediately efpoufed Stratonice; and, in honour of the nuptials nobly entertained Demetrius on fhore; accepting alfo, in his turn, an invitation from his father-in-law, he was feafted on board the royal galley, after which they parted.

Demetrius failing back, made a new defcent on Cilicia, He feizes of which he took entire poffeffion: then he fent his wife on Cilicia. Philla to excufe him to her brother Caffander; and his other wife, Deidamia, dying of a cold fhe had caught at fea, he, by the interpofition of Seleucus, efpoufed Ptolemaida, the daughter of Ptolemy, a match which gave his affairs a new afpect. This, however, did not laft long; for Seleucus, not fatisfied with the many provinces he poffeffed, coveted Cicilia, for which he offered Demetrius a sum of money. This offer he refufed; upon which Seleucus demanded Tyre and Sidon, threatening, if they were not given up, he would take them by force. Demetrius anfwered, that if he had oft many battles, every one of them as fatal as that of Ipsus, he would never part with cities in fo tame a manner; and immediately gave orders for augmenting the garrifons, and filling the magazines of the cities in difpute. In the mean time he resolved to pass over into Attica, to be revenged for the affront which the Athenians had offered him immediately after the battle of Ipfus. In this expedition he was fo roughly handled by a storm, that when he landed his troops in Europe, they were incapable of acting. He, however, foon after, befieged the city of Meffene, where he re- Befieges ceived an arrow in his jaw, which not only disfigured his Meene, face, but, by the accidents attending the cure, threatened and reduces his life; yet he continued the fiege, and afterwards, his army increafing, he formed the blockade of Athens, which he reduced, and ftrongly garrifoned.

Athens.

After this exploit he made war against Sparta; where- Makes upon Archidamus marched at the head of all the forces of war upon Lacedæmon, as far as the city of Mantinæa, that, as long and defeats Sparta, as poffible, the war might be kept out of his own country; Archidabut his fuccefs was not answerable to his prudence and mus, courage; for he was here defeated by Demetrius, and afterwards beaten by him again within fight of Sparta; yet fuch was the inconftancy of this prince's fortune, that

Yr. of Fl. 2054.

294.

becomes

king of Macedonia.

he reaped no benefit from his victories; for, immediately after this battle, came news, that Lyfimachus had con quered all he poffeffed in Afia; and that Ptolemy, after reducing the greateft part of the ifle of Cyprus, had befieged the city of Salamis, in which were the mother and children of Demetrius; fo that he had now no leifure to profecute the war against Sparta. Before the fense of these mifchiefs had long tormented the king's breaft, a new and ftranger fcene opened, which turned all his thoughts another way.

Caffander, king of Macedon, left behind him two fons, Antipater and Alexander, both pretending title to the Ante Chr. kingdom; but the former having married the daughter of Lyfimachus, abfolutely refused to grant any thing to Demetrius the latter, who thereupon called in Pyrrhus and Demetrius to his affiftance. Pyrrhus came firft, and made fuch an impreffion, that Antipater gladly compounded the matter with his brother, and allotted him half the kingdom, from which Pyrrhus, however, lopped a piece for his share. Alexander, apprehenfive that when Demetrius arrived he would take another portion of his kingdom, he made all the hafte he could to meet him, and at the interview thanked him for the affistance he brought, but affured him he had no need of it; whereupon Demetrius prepared to return, which, however, Alexander intended to prevent, having formed a scheme to murder him at fupper. This affaflination Demetrius prevented by going away fuddenly; yet, when they came to Lariffa in Theffaly, Alexander began to renew his practices. Demetrius having invited him to an entertainment, he went thither without guards, that the entertainer might have no pretence for bringing any with him; but his defign Alexander, being gueffed at, Demetrius ordered him, and those who one of Caf were with him, to be killed after fupper; which command, when his guards began to execute, one of Alexander's friends cried out, "You have been too quick for us by a day."

fander's fons, mur dered by Demetrius;

who is faluted king of Mace

don by the

army.

Demetrius juftified the death of Alexander in a formal harangue to the Macedonians, on whom it had such a favourable effect, that they faluted him king. And thus, when his affairs were moft defperate, he acquired, by the free confent of the people, that kingdom, for which fo many princes had ftruggled. The reft of the princes did not seem much displeased with an event which had

d Diod. Sic. ubi fupra. Plut. in Demet. Juftin, lib. xv. cap. 1.

fixed a crown on the fon of Antigonus at none of their expence. As for Lyfimachus, while Demetrius and Pyrrhus were agreed, he thought it his intereft to be well with both. Ptolemy having recovered Cyprus, difmiffed the family of Demetrius, with much refpect, and many magnificent prefents. In the court of Seleucus a furprising change had happened, which yet was beneficial to Demetrius; for Stratonice was married to Antiochus, her fon-in-law. Thus all things at prefent contributed to leave Demetrius at his eafe, excepting his own temper only, which, now he had no enemy left, inclined him to quarrel with his friends ".

recover his

kingdom.

When he had reigned about fix years in Macedon, He endea partly to gratify his own ambition, and partly to employ ours to the reftlefs Macedonians, he began to make preparations father's for the conqueft of Afia. With this view he raised an army of ninety-eight thousand foot, and twelve thousand horfe. He likewife put a fleet of five hundred gallies upon the ftocks at Pella, Chalcis, Corinth, and Athens. Several of these gallies had fourteen, fifteen, and fixteen benches of oars; and they were all built by the particular contrivance of Demetrius himself, whofe skill in this refpect was admired by the ableft artizans.

The report of these preparations aroufed Lyfimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy; they therefore entered into a ftrict league against him, and, according to their old maxim in the days of Antigonus, determined to begin the war. With this view they invited Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, to enter into the confederacy, which he readily did, though he had learned the trade of war under Demetrius, who had also taught him ingratitude, for Demetrius had practifed upon him firft. This point once fettled, Ptolemy failed with a powerful fleet to invade Greece, at the fame time that Lyfimachus with a great army invaded Macedon. Demetrius, surprised with these quick proceedings, which came a little too foon for the ftate his affairs were in, levied a confiderable army, and marched to oppofe Lyfimachus, detaching at the fame time his fon Antigonus with another army to provide for the safety of Greece. When Demetrius arrived within a fhort march of the enemy, he received advice that Pyrrhus had entered Macedon on the other fide, and had penetrated as far as Beræa; upon which the Macedonians began to mutiny, and Demetrius faw plainly that they had an inclination to

e Diod. Sicul. ubi fupra. Plut. ubi fupra. Justin. lib. xv.cap 2.

defert

Lyfima chus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy,

enter into a

league againft him.