the noise of those that brought back his Brother Polemon bound in Chains The Multitude seeing him in the condition of a Criminal could hardly forbear stoning him But the young Man for despair of having thus exposed his Brothers proffer'd to die on condition their Lives might be preserv'd As he was extream beautiful and had committed no other Fault but flying all the Souldiers were so mov'd at his Repentance that they unanimously cried out These brave Men deserved their Pardon Alexander was prevail'd with but Amyntas was inexorable the King commanded him at last to forgive Polemon as he had done and so dismiss'd the Assembly Polydamus was Parmenio's chiefest Friend in Battel he had him always at his side to make him as it were participant of his Glory he had inrich'd him with his Favours and had more confidence in him than any Alexander causing him to be called commanded him to bring in his Brothers whom he kept as Hostages and spake to him in manner following Parmenio's attempt has wrong'd you more than any for under shadow of Justice and Zeal for my Service he has particularly oblig'd you to his Interests All his Favours all his Friendship tended to no other end than to corrupt you and to render you a Complice to his Treachery 'T is you therefore that must revenge his Infidelity and the Ingratitude he has shewn towards me See what confidence I have in you that I have chosen you to carry these Letters to my Lieutenants in Media You shall present two to Parmenio one from me and one from his Son for I have his Seal he will not doubt of any thing when he sees you In the mean time I will keep your Brothers as Pledges to assure me of your Faith and when you have executed my Orders your fidelity shall be rewarded Polydamas was so allarm'd when the King caused him to be called and commanded him to bring in his Brothers that he utterly despaired of Life because of the intimate friendship between him and Parmenio Thinking therefore on nothing more than the danger he had escaped and forgetting what he owed his Friend he promised Alexander more than he required Here you may observe the Frailty of Court-friendship Interest gives it its Original and Fortune changes it every moment If you are happy you are ador'd if you are miserable you are insulted over Polydamus imploys all diligence arrives in Media by Night and instantly delivers the King's Letters to his Lieutenants Upon which they immediately assemble in Cleander's Apartment and deliberate on means to take away Parmenio's Life They resolved therefore to go to him the next day all in Company to execute Alexander's Orders Unfortunate Parmenio was walking with them in a Park when Polydamus whom he had sent for was brought unto him He runs presently to imbrace him and being glad to hear from his King and to see his Friend he receives him with extream joy Polydamas having given him Alexander's Letter Parmenio after he had read it told them That he could not but admire that the King after so many Conquests should yet think of subduing the Arachosians That it was now time for him to return into Macedonia there in quiet to enjoy his Victories and the Glory he had acquir'd After which as he was reading Philotas his Letter with great pleasure Cleander thrust him into the Bosom with his Poniard and gave him another stab in the Throat Thus expir'd Parmenio and Philotas both of great credit in the Army both intimate Friends of Alexander the most puissant of all the Nobility of the Empire the bravest of Captains the most illustrious among the Macedonians The death of Philotas was miserable full of pain and infamy that of Parmenio more cruel unjust and ominous to Alexander's Life who afterwards could find no Captain of that valour and experience in his whole Empire nor found he afterwards the same zeal and affection from his Souldiers and the chief of his Nobility We all die alike but Death is not equally grievous to us all If it be the end of our Miseries we desire it we seek it we run to it but if it terminate a Life full of Happiness Grandeur Glory and Delights it fills us with despair Parmenio had liv'd seventy Years in all prosperity he had expos'd himself to several Dangers in his King's Service he had bin the Companion of his Victories and had done many glorious Actions worthy the envy of Kings illustrious both in Peace and War he died assassin'd by his Confidents upon Suspicions not well clear'd and by Alexander's Order who was indebted to him for his Empire There 's nothing more fit to compare the Courts of Princes to than the Sea There 's no greater pleasure than to fail on this Element during a Calm Some Voyages by Sea are as pleasant as profitable but 't is dangerous to make them a Profession since early or late one must perish in them You 'l say there 's this difference That it is not in the power of Man to lay a Storm but that the Sage can in Princes Courts moderate his Passions and not suffer himself to be carried away with too much Ambition Teach us this Lesson your self and shew us how to curb Envy Some small reflection upon Philotas his Conspiracy will easily inform us how much more difficult it is for a Courtier elevated to the highest pitch of Favour to moderate his Ambition than for another who has every thing yet to wish for Nevertheless the latter has but one step to the accomplishment of Grandeur and the former is infinitely distant from it The highest fortune of a Minister differs as far from Royalty as Supream Power from the obedience of Subjects 'T is therefore a folly to think the ascent to a Throne easy for being near it THE CONSPIRACY OF HERMOLAUS THe consideration of a Danger happily avoided renders the Sage more moderate and cautious whereas all the effect it has on a Savage Spirit is to make it more extravagant rash and arrogant The fear Alexander had of the last Conspiracy was like that of those who see the falling of a Thunder-Bolt without receiving any dammage They fear just at that moment and presently forget the Danger like those that come to themselves from Swooning incapable to make reflection on an evil they have not felt Add to this that Confidence more dangerous than the Peril it self and so common to Man whereby he fears not a Danger past though when imminent it narrowly concern'd his Life Some yet more irrational are so forestalled with their good Fortune that they imagine themselves above Fate and such are oftentimes reserv'd for a tragical and miserable Catastrophe Alexander grew so outragious after the death of Parmenio that he knew no Limits the risk he ran in the last Conspiracy render'd him less provident he thought he might for the future freely injure the Macedonians The facility wherewith he had quell'd Parmenio and Philotas made him more
against me in your presence He is an Olynthian and therefore I had him not brought in because the Macedonians only have the Priviledg to be try'd by the Army As for the Criminals Relations they shall live and enjoy their Charges though I should not have let these Parricides know this that if they had any sentiment of Affection for them they might die with more regret Alexander is worthy of praise for pardoning the Criminals Relations It concern'd his Prudence as well as his Bounty so to do And I am ready to think that this Law of the Macedonians inveloping the Innocent with the Guilty was only made to give terror without any design of putting it in execution For what likelihood was there of massacring a number of brave Men highly necessary to the State for their Valour and Experience I suppose too in a great Army it would have bin more dangerous than easy to have condemn'd them Laws are to be applied as Medicines which not rightly used work a contrary effect and bring Death instead of curing After the King had dismissed the Assembly the Conspirators were deliver'd over to their Companions who to testify their fidelity and the horror they had for the Treachery of Parricides executed them in a cruel manner We can learn nothing certain from History concerning the Death of Calisthenes Some write that he died upon the Rack others that he endur'd the Rack and was afterwards Crucified all agree that either he liv'd a most miserable Life or dy'd a most cruel Death Certain 't is that he was no ways Confederate in the Conspiracy but he was of a morose humour inflexible and very unproper for the Court He would treat with the King upon equal terms and speak at Court as in the Schools whence Aristotle said of him That he had all the Austerity of a Philosopher all the Eloquence of an Orator but very little Conduct and Judgment Whatsoever may be said the memory of Alexander will be odious to all Ages for causing to be executed a Man of an incorruptible probity excellent in Wisdom and Knowledg the fairest Ornament of Greece THE CONSPIRACY OF ANTIPATER NOw are we arrived to the triumph of Perfidy hitherto have bin but vain endeavours Fortune was vigilant in Alexander's preservation but at last she delivers him over to a Traitor who by Poison hurries him out of the World that had made himself Master of it Antipater is the Man the more blame-worthy as Alexander had intrusted him with the Kingdom of Macedonia This Prince when he went for Asia left behind him his Mother Olympias a Woman haughty ambitious cruel and if we may believe History Adulterous and skill'd in Magick He left her all the Authority and State of a great Princess and commanded Antipater to observe all her Motions but to do nothing that might shew distrust The jealousy of supream Authority presently divided these ambitious Spirits and the affection of the People Antipater was the Image of their Prince Olympias his Mother the Laws of the Kingdom defended Him Nature protected Her Had Alexander foreseen these Discords he had done like a great Prince to leave in Macedonia these two Spirits jealous one of another This was the only means in his absence to preserve himself the Kingdom of his Ancestors To leave his Mother in absolute Authority was dangerous the Macedonians doubtless would never have yielded Obedience to a Woman the Grecian Provinces would have revolted and all the Neighbour Princes jealous of Alexander's Grandeur would have taken up Arms and have made use of his absence On the other hand it was to be fear'd that if Antipater were established sole Governor of so powerful a Kingdom Olympias as the Prince's Mother might make a Party sufficient to effect the ruin of the State But the choice Alexander made of these two Persons was not the effect of his Providence For Antipater having written a Letter to him full of Invectives against Olympias he laugh'd at the reading of it and said to those then present That one Tear from his Mother was able to efface all the evil Impressions that could be given of her Conduct that Antipater was a very bad Politician to oppose the Queen's Desires and that all Greece could not make him suspect her And Antipater having added That Cleopater Alexander's Sister prostituted her self shamefully and led a very dissolute Life he answered That she might make use of her Royal Priviledg On the other hand Olympias accused Antipater of Tyranny Her Policy was to set Alexander against him and to perswade him that she had an intire motherly Affection for him a true Zeal and Passion for his Service Alexander desiring to please his Mother and suspecting upon the Advice she had given him Antipater's Fidelity takes from him the Government of Macedonia and confers it on Craterus Alexander having therefore taken from Antipater the Government of Macedonia should either have secur'd a Man of so great Credit or have recompenced his Services He on the contrary instead of sending him away calls him into the Army and prefers his Sons Jollas and Philip to Charges not to be intrusted but with those on whom a Prince has showred Favours In the mean while he continues disaffected towards their Father irritating his Courage already not well brooking the Affront given him Alexander glorying in his Conquests meditated vast Designs the extent of so great an Empire not satisfying his Ambition he aspir'd to the Monarchy of the Universe In the mean while Antipater receiving the news of his Disgrace presently conspires the Death of his King And remembring the unfortunate Success of the Conspiracies both of Philotas and Hermolaus he avoided the Precipice into which they fell He took other measures and thought Poison an infallible means to dispatch Alexander Some write that Aristotle gave him this Advice But as for me I cannot imagine that Philosopher capable of so great a Villany against his Pupil and his King who had loaded him with Favours The Example of Seneca who according to all appearance conspir'd the Death of Nero proves nothing against Aristotle he only made profession of Wisdom the other aspir'd to an Empire Alexander's Death being resolv'd upon Antipater sent his Son Cassander to the Army intending speedily to follow him and charg'd him to acquaint the King how false and malicious Olympias her Accusations were Coming to the Army near Babylon and seeing the Persians prostrate themselves at the King's feet he began openly to scoff at them and could not forbear laughing which so offended the King that he took him by the Hair of his Head drag'd him on the Ground and trampl'd on him Some days after Cassander having undertaken his Father's Defence against those that were come to accuse him the King commanded him to hold his peace saying 'T was very unlikely Men should come so far to tell him Lies Cassander would continue but Alexander told him in choler That he would make him repent of
should have held my peace had not the King who was forestall'd incensed you against me his Speech is a Sentence of Death which now to endeavour to make him revoke is to call him Cruel and Unjust So that considering I must condemn Alexander's Judgment I cannot resolve to ask for Absolution His absence declares that my destruction is resolv'd upon and what can I hope for if the best of my Judges be inexorable However Philotas shall not die without clearing himself of the Crime he stands charg'd with What Proof have they Am I of the number of the Conspirators Did Nicomachus name me to his Brother or Dymnus to Nicomachus Who inquiring after the Names of those that had conspir'd the Death of Alexander and the Order of the Conspiracy the other ingages in it through the consideration of their Birth and Merit How could Dymnus then forget me that am thought their Head Did he fear destroying me He that had so great a confidence in Nicomachus he I say that ventur'd with him his own Life and the Lives of his best Friends Ceballinus the only Witness against me is not of the Conspiracy can he believe that I am he that discover'd it to me Dymnus is dead he never nam'd me His Confederates surviving him may hope for Pardon if they can cast their Crime on me Yet there 's none accuses me What! cannot Tortures wrest the Truth from them to whom as 't is common to the Miserable the ingaging others in their Misfortunes would be some comfort Do they believe in the condition I am in abandon'd condemn'd I am able to deliver them from their Tortures So you see Fellow-Souldiers the truth of the first Crime I am accus'd of I come now to the second The King says I daigned not to advertise him of the imminent Peril that threatned him I was not at all troubled at it 'T is true Sir I was to blame but you have pardon'd me You invited me to Sup with you in token of a Reconciliation At least you ought not to condemn me without hearing my Defence What new Crime have I committed Whence comes my Disgrace since yesterday-evening I expected nothing less than this dismal change The Wicked are continually troubled with the Image of their Crime Their Souls agitated with a thousand different Thoughts keep them perpetually alarm'd press'd with remorse of Conscience they seek for their security The ease Attarras found in apprehending me discovers the little care I took of my preservation When he bound me with Chains I was in a deep sleep I rely'd upon the credit of your word I feared not that the malice of my Enemies should prevail with your Clemency Further Sir could I fear any thing as to your Life upon the bare report of a Youth of no Reputation who destitute of all proof could do nothing but make a vain Alarm I suspected him too because he came not to me himself and look'd on it as some private revenge not fit for me to meddle with I feared likewise that he might deny what he had told Ceballinus and that I might have nothing but regret for so lightly committing the chief Officers of the Court But for all these Precautions I am sacrific'd to those I have spar'd 'T is objected Dymnus anticipated his Punishment by a voluntary Death Knew I that he would kill himself If Ceballinus his Relation have no other ground but this what does it prove against me Again had I bin a Confederate how could I have bin so quiet two days after the Conspiracy was detected I could easily have dispatch'd Ceballinus or hasten'd the stroke I was alone with the King in his Chamber who could have hinder'd me Did I want Dymnus his presence 'T was he then that was the Head of the Conspiracy and yet 't is I as is said that would have made my self King of Macedonia Whom among you Fellow-Souldiers have I endeavour'd to corrupt On whom have I bestowed Presents What Officers are there more than ordinary sensible of my Favours I am reproached for despising the Language of Macedonians What likelihood is there of it if I intend to make my self their King You know very well that since we have left our own Country and have learnt strange Tongues 't is to all of us some trouble to speak our own Alexander himself uses it not therefore he despises the Macedonians In truth all these Reproaches are but light as well as that of being a Friend to Amyntas who conspired against Alexander If it be a Crime to be a Friend to a King's Brother I am guilty but if his Birth ingag'd me in those Sentiments for him can I not be innocent because I did not divine What justice is there that the Frieds of the Guilty should be punish'd with them I ought to have died long since had this Friendship bin a Crime and if it be not Why is it brought in for my destruction But I pitied the condition of those that were to live under the Government of a Man that equall'd himself to the Gods 'T is true I wrote thus to Alexander but told I it any else Gave he me not the liberty to discover my Sentiments to him Had I not reason to fear that his Vanity might render him odious to his People If he have such Faith in the Oracle let him consult it touching my Crime Jupiter will never conceal a Secret of such consequence to his Son's Life And if you 'l rather trust to Tortures I am ready to undergo them My misfortunes dispence with my introducing my Relations I had two Brothers they both died in Battel for Alexander's and Your Glory I have only a Father left accus'd of the same Crime with me neither the Grandeur of his Services the consideration of his Age nor his passion for the King prevailing against the cruelty of those that envy him Miserable Wretch must I then dear Father be the cause of your Death Did you give me Life to deprive you of yours Is this the Recompence of so many Battels gain'd of so much Blood spilt in your Family Is this the Comfort you expected from me in your last days Nature was ready to redemand your Life full of Glory in the next Battel the Grandeur of your Courage would have laid you bleeding in the midst of your Trophies but your Enemies not contented to deprive you of an only Son envy you the glory of a Death that would have render'd you immortal But tell me was Parmenio himself believ'd when he wrote to Alexander how that Philip his Physician corrupted by Darius his Gifts and Promises had ingag'd to poison him The King gave so little credit to his Letter that he gave it Philip to read whilst he took his Physick to mock as it were at my Father's credulity I have made my self too the Subject of Rallery for having too lightly believed things more probable than what Ceballinus inform'd me If I give Information I make my self ridiculous
bold and insolent he thought himself King indeed when he saw that he was Arbiter of his Subjects Lives and that there was nothing more to be done to place himself beyond the reach of Envy than to shed the best Blood in Macedonia The more you commend the vanity of great Ones the more are they in love with it the more Blood a Tyrant sheds the more is he desirous of shedding it Lyncestes Alexander had bin imprison'd three Years upon an Accusation of two Witnesses for conspiring against the Life of Alexander the Reason his Punishment had bin so long defer'd was because he was the first that saluted Alexander King after the death of Philip. Antipater Lyncestes his Father-in-Law was Governor of Macedonia and it seem'd very probable that the intercession of one that was Master of so flourishing a Kingdom should have suspended his execution a far longer time But Alexander would no longer hearken to Policy an insatiable desire of revenge carried him on towards his own ruin He caused therefore the Criminal to be brought forth accused only by two Persons and had him dispatch'd according to their custom The Chief of the Macedonians perceived presently that Alexander grew more cruel from day to day and began to fear for themselves They were ready to think that the Heavens provok'd by the King's vanity who dared equal himself to the Gods had inspir'd Philotas with the desire of taking away his Life However they spread this Rumor through the Army the easier to engage the Souldiers to a revolt The remembrance of Parmenio's Merit and Philotas his Misfortune who died in the flower of his Age had already excited pity in the Macedonians In the one they thought they had lost the Protector of their Liberty the Avenger of the Gods and of their Country in the other a Captain of rare Valour without whom Alexander could do nothing that was great These seditious Discourses would have forg'd a Rebellion had not the King caused his Army to march against the Arachosians Without doubt that was the only means to dissipate all ill Designs Idleness spoils the Souldiers Spirits but all these murmurs vanish at the first sound of the Trumpet Nevertheless Alexander's Conduct might well have made such brave Men desperate For having known that several highly resented Parmenio's Death he form'd them into a Body and made Leonidas their Captain ordering them to incamp separately from the rest as it were out of ignominy It was not to be feared that their seditious Discourses should have corrupted the rest of the Macedonians for as is the custom of Souldiers Martial Liberty and the joy of new Conquests would have laid their Anger and their Malice In the mean while Alexander abandon'd himself to all sorts of Vices The irregularity of his Manners increased with his Victories and his Ambition no longer curb'd by Vertue carried him to that excess of Pride as to require from the Macedonians and Persians Divine Honours I cannot but pity the weakness and vanity of this Prince Could he think the Macedonians would worship as a God one born of Philip and Olympias subject to the same Infirmities with other Men These Heroës whom Antiquity has placed in the Heavens lived in such sort that Posterity reckon'd them in the number of the Gods after their Death and if during their Life they should have required from Men Adoration and Divine Worship without doubt they would have render'd themselves despicable and ridiculous to the whole World The Sages forbore not to scoff at those false Divinities and the more enlightned Pagans have themselves laugh'd at their own Religion Alexander presum'd too much upon the Grandeur of his Actions the Persians and other strange Nations might well admire them but the Macedonians could do no more than praise his Conduct and his Courage Those that run the same danger are willing to participate with the General in the Glory of the Conflict and suffer with regret that any one should attribute to himself the honour of the Victory But if he were so intent to elevate himself above the condition of Men why was he not more diligent to gain respect from his People It is not for the Majesty of a Prince to make himself too publick if he will be ador'd he must separate himself from the Commerce of the World The old Macedonian Captains taking it ill that Alexander should publickly debase his Father's Glory scoffed at his Pride and pretended Divinity Which so incensed him that he kill'd Clitus his Nourses Son with a Javelin This great Warrier who had sav'd his Life at the Battel of Granicus suffered with regret his so outragiously attacking the Memory of Philip and abhor'd his Vanity and the enormity of his Crimes Neither was he without a Second Calisthenes who made profession of Wisdom declar'd himself more openly for as Cleo one day at Table with the chief of the Macedonians and Persians propounded to render Divine Honour to Alexander This Philosopher answered him with his usual freedom That it was not in the power of Men to make a God that they could hardly make a King and that the Persians would be their Conquerors if they followed them in their barbarous Customs The freedom that Polypercon took was yet greater who seeing a Persian worshipping the King began to laugh and throwing him upon his Face bad him bow lower All these Scoffs tended to the diminution of Alexander's Glory How then could he expect Divine Honour from those that so much contemn'd him For this he must have chang'd the form of Government have made himself absolute Monarch of the Empire have usurp'd the Macedonian Freedom have bin Arbiter of their Lives and Fortunes have dispatch'd his Nobles and have kept such a distance between himself and his Subjects as might have made him seem quite different from what he was But if the horror of so great an Impiety or the necessity he then had for his Captains permitted him not to arrive to that excess of Cruelty it concern'd his prudence and wisdom to moderate his Ambition and the friendship of his Nobility would have bin far more glorious than the adoration of the Persians proceeding from the base complaisance of that Nation 'T was this unreasonable Pride which made him again run the risk of losing his Life which at last precipitated him to his ruin and has render'd his Memory odious to all Ages The Death of Calisthenes is certainly deplorable and a great proof of Alexander's Wickedness who could not suffer an honest Man in his sight In fine he fell on a sudden from that moderation that had made him admir'd and lov'd of every one to so violent Extravagancies and to so great profusion of Vice that 't is no wonder that Hermolaus should have the boldness to conspire his Death The Noblemens Children of Macedonia according to custom were oblig'd to enter into the King's Service at fifteen Years of Age. After some Years the Prince promoted them to the