creeping thorough those bushes that had fewest briers, fell upon a corner of Lysimachus's kingdom, whereof he gave all the spoil that was gotten to his soldiers, his own losses having been too great to be repaid again by small prizes.

In the mean while the confederate princes had wherewithal to busy themselves, in the partition of those provinces, of which their late victory had made them lords, wherein Seleucus had a notable advantage by being present and master of the field; for neither Ptolomy nor Cassander were at the overthrow given, having only sent certain troops to reinforce the army which Seleucus led, who took hold of a part of Asia the Less, and all Syria, being no otherwise divided from his own territory than by the river of Euphrates. For there had not any order been taken by the confederates for the division of all those lands; because they did not expect so prosperous an issue of that war, which they made only in their own common defence. It was therefore lawful for Seleucus to make the best benefit that he could of the victory, at which nevertheless others did repine; and though they neither could nor durst accuse him of ill dealing for the present, yet seeing the overgreatness of Seleucus brought no less danger to the rest of the new kings than that of Antigonus had done, they consulted upon the same reason of state as before, how to oppose it in time. Neither was Seleucus ignorant of what they had determined; for he read it in the law universal of kingdoms and states, needing no other intelligence. Hereupon they forget friendship on all sides, and cure themselves of all unprofitable passion, the hatred of each to other, and their loves being laid on the one side, against their profits on the other, were found so far too light, as Seleucus, who had today slain Antigonus the father, and driven Demetrius the son out of Asia, sought to-morrow how to match himself with Stratonica, Demetrius's daughter, and so by Demetrius to serve his turn against Lysimachus.

The story of this Stratonica, with whom young Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, fell so passionately in love, and so distempered, as Seleucus his father, to save his son's life, gave

her (though she were his wife) unto him, and how his pas sion was discovered by his pulse, is generally noted by all writers. But neither did this alliance between Seleucus and Demetrius, between Ptolomy and Lysimachus, between Demetrius and Cassander, between Demetrius and Ptolomy, though for the present it brought him again into the rank of kings, otherwise tie any of them to each other than the marriages between Christian kings have done in latter times, namely between the Austrians, the Arragonians, the French, and other princes; neither have the leagues of those elder times been found more faithful than those of the same later times have been, as in the stories of Charles the Eighth of France, and of Charles the emperor, of Francis the First, and of the kings of Naples, dukes of Milan, and others, the reader may observe; between whom, from the year of our Lord one thousand four hundred ninety and five, when Charles the Eighth undertook the conquest of Naples, to the year one thousand five hundred fifty and eight, when Henry the Second died, the histories of those times tell us that all the bonds, either by the bed or by the book, either by weddings or sacramental oaths, had neither faithful purpose nor performance. Yet did Demetrius reap this profit by giving his daughter to his enemy Seleucus, that he recovered Cilicia from Plistarchus, the brother of - Cassander, who had gotten it as his share in the division of Antigonus's possessions; for the intruder was not strong enough to hold it by his proper forces from him that entered upon it as a lawful heir, neither would Seleucus lend him any help, as by the rule of confederacy he should have done against the common enemy. So Plistarchus with very angry complaint, as well against Seleucus as Demetrius, went unto Cassander; whither Phila their sister followed him shortly, to pacify them both, and keep all quiet; being sent for that purpose by Demetrius her husband, that was not strong enough to deal with Cassander, and therefore glad to make use of that bond of alliance betwixt them, whereof in his own prosperity he never took notice to the other's good. About the same time he took to wife a

daughter of Ptolomy, (plurality of wives being familiar with these Macedonians, that had learned it in their eastern. conquests,) and so was he by two marriages rather freed from two enemies, than strengthened with two friends, for neither of them wished him any good, otherwise than might seem to advance their own ambitious desires.

Seleucus and Ptolomy could both of them have been contented better, that Demetrius, with help of their countenance, should seek his fortune somewhat further off than settle his estate under their noses. Particularly Seleucus thought that Cilicia lay very fitly for himself; and Ptolomy had a great appetite (which yet he concealed a while) to the isle of Cyprus. Now whether it were so, that Seleucus would fain have set his new father-in-law upon the neck of Lysimachus; or whether he were indeed greedy of the bargain, he offered to buy of Demetrius, for ready money, his late purchase of Cilicia. Hereunto Demetrius would not hearken, but meant to keep as much land as he could, having already found in Cilicia twelve thousand talents of his father's treasure, that would serve him to make sport a while. This refusal so displeased Seleucus, that in angry terms he demanded the cities of Tyre and Sidon to be surrendered unto him; which were the only places in Syria that had not followed the fortune of the late great battle. Instead of giving them up, Demetrius took present order to have them better manned; and spake it stoutly, that were he overcome a thousand times, yet would he not hire Seleucus to become his son-in-law. In this quarrel Seleucus was generally reprehended as one of a malignant disposition, that would break friendship with his father-in-law for two towns, from whom he had already taken more than well he knew how to govern. But the fire consumed itself in words, which had it fastened upon arms, like it is that the weaker should have found friends out of envy to the stronger.

SECT. VI.

How Demetrius won the city of Athens, and prevailed in Greece, but lost in Asia. Of troubles in Macedon following the death of Cassander.

In the mean while the Athenians, not knowing how to use the liberty which Demetrius had bestowed on them, were fallen by sedition under the tyranny of Lachares. Through which alteration their distempered city was so weakened, that it seemed ill able to keep off the punishment due to their late ingratitude. This advantage hastened him, whom they had once called their god and saviour, to present himself unto them in the habit of a revenging fury. He brought against them all the force that he could well spare from other employments, which were at that time perhaps the more, because his doubtful eastern friends were unwilling to give impediment to any business that might entangle him in Greece. His first enterprise in Athens had ill success; a great part of his fleet perishing in a tempest. But he soon repaired the loss, and, (after some victories in Peloponnesus, where he won divers towns that had fallen from him,) returning to the enterprise, wasted the country of Attica, and cut off all relief from the city, both by land and sea.

Athens was not able to feed the great multitude within it any long time; for it stood in a barren soil, and wanted now the command of those islands, and places abroad, from whence it was wont to be stored with victuals; being also destitute of means to keep such a navy, as might bring in supply, or dare to do any thing at sea against that of Demetrius. Yet was there some hope of succour from Ptolomy, who (trusting thereby to win the love of Greece) had loaden a hundred and fifty ships with corn, and sent them to relieve the hungry city. But these hundred and fifty were unable to deal with three hundred good fighting ships, which Demetrius had; rather they feared to become a prey to him, and therefore hasted them away betimes, as having done enough, in adventuring to come so near, that they might be descried. This broke the heart of the people; RALEGH, VOL. III.

Ll

among whom the famine was so extreme, that a father and his son did fight for a dead mouse, which dropped down between them from the housetop. Wherefore they sent ambassadors to yield up the town, and crave pardon, having so far offended, that out of desperation they made it a capital offence to propose any motion of peace. Yet were they fain to abolish this decree; rather because they knew not what else to do, than because they hoped to be forgiven.

Demetrius, contented with the honour of the victory, did not only forbear to take away the lives of these unthankful men, which they had submitted unto his mercy; but out of his liberality gave them food, and placed in office amongst them such as were most acceptable to the people. Nevertheless he was grown wiser than to trust them so far as he had done in times past. And therefore, when (among other flattering acclamations) they bade him take their havens, and dispose of them at his pleasure, he was ready to lay hold upon the word, and leave a sure garrison within their walls, to keep them honest perforce. After this he went into Peloponnesus, vanquished the Lacedæmonians in two battles, and was in very fair possibility to take their city; when the dangerous news called him in all haste, of Lysimachus and Ptolomy, that prevailed faster upon him elsewhere than himself did upon his enemies in Greece. Lysimachus had won many towns in Asia; Ptolomy had gotten all the isle of Cyprus, except the city of Salamis, wherein Demetrius had left his children and mother, that were straitly besieged. Whilst he was bethinking himself which way to turn his forces, a notable piece of business offered itself, which thrust all other cares out of his head.

Cassander was lately dead in Macedon, and soon after him Philip his eldest son, whose two younger brethren, Antipater and Alexander, fought for the kingdom, In this quarrel Thessalonica, the daughter of king Philip, whom Cassander had married, seemed better affected to Alexander than to her elder son; who thereupon grew so enraged, that