Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
and some say it was the Thessalians, and not the Athenians, who
were thus treated. Lamia, however, exacted contributions
herself to pay for an entertainment she gave to the king, and
her banquet was so renowned for its sumptuosity, that a
description of it was drawn up by the Samian writer, Lynceus.
Upon this occasion, one of the comic writers gave Lamia the name
of the real Helepolis; and Demochares of Soli called Demetrius
Mythus, because the fable always has its Lamia, and so had he.
And, in truth, his passion for this woman and the prosperity in
which she lived were such as to draw upon him not only the envy
and jealousy of all his wives, but the animosity even of his
friends. For example, on Lysimachus's showing to some
ambassadors from Demetrius the scars of the wounds which he had
received upon his thighs and arms by the paws of the lion with
which Alexander had shut him up, after hearing his account of
the combat, they smiled and answered, that their king, also, was
not without his scars, but could show upon his neck the marks of
a Lamia, a no less dangerous beast. It was also matter of
wonder that, though he had objected so much to Phila on account
of her age, he was yet such a slave to Lamia, who was so long
past her prime. One evening at supper, when she played the
flute, Demetrius asked Demo, whom the men called Madness, what
she thought of her. Demo answered she thought her an old woman.
And when a quantity of sweetmeats were brought in, and the king
said again, "See what presents I get from Lamia!" "My old
mother," answered Demo, "will send you more, if you will make
her your mistress." Another story is told of a criticism passed
by Lamia or the famous judgment of Bocchoris. A young Egyptian
had long made suit to Thonis, the courtesan, offering a sum of
gold for her favor. But before it came to pass, he dreamed one
night that he had obtained it, and, satisfied with the shadow,
felt no more desire for the substance. Thonis upon this brought
an action for the sum. Bocchoris, the judge, on hearing the
case, ordered the defendant to bring into court the full amount
in a vessel, which he was to move to and fro in his hand, and
the shadow of it was to be adjudged to Thonis. The fairness of
this sentence Lamia contested, saying the young man's desire
might have been satisfied with the dream, but Thonis's desire
for the money could not be relieved by the shadow. Thus much
for Lamia.
And now the story passes from the comic to the tragic stage in
pursuit of the acts and fortunes of its subject. A general
league of the kings, who were now gathering and combining their
forces to attack Antigonus, recalled Demetrius from Greece. He
was encouraged by finding his father full of a spirit and
resolution for the combat that belied his years. Yet it would
seem to be true, that if Antigonus could only have borne to
make some trifling concessions, and if he had shown any
moderation in his passion for empire, he might have maintained
for himself till his death, and left to his son behind him, the
first place among the kings. But he was of a violent and
haughty spirit; and the insulting words as well as actions in
which he allowed himself could not be borne by young and
powerful princes, and provoked them into combining against him.
Though now when he was told of the confederacy, he could not
forbear from saying that this flock of birds would soon be
scattered by one stone and a single shout. He took the field at
the head of more than seventy thousand foot, and of ten thousand
horse, and seventy-five elephants. His enemies had sixty-four
thousand foot, five hundred more horse than he, elephants to the
number of four hundred, and a hundred and twenty chariots. On
their near approach to each other, an alteration began to be
observable, not in the purposes, but in the presentiments of
Antigonus. For whereas in all former campaigns he had ever
shown himself lofty and confident, loud in voice and scornful in
speech, often by some joke or mockery on the eve of battle
expressing his contempt and displaying his composure, he was now
remarked to be thoughtful, silent, and retired. He presented
Demetrius to the army, and declared him his successor; and what
everyone thought stranger than all was that he now conferred
alone in his tent with Demetrius, whereas in former time he had
never entered into any secret consultations even with him; but
had always followed his own advice, made his resolutions, and
then given out his commands. Once when Demetrius was a boy and
asked him how soon the army would move, he is said to have
answered him sharply, "Are you afraid lest you, of all the army,
should not hear the trumpet?"
There were now, however, inauspicious signs, which affected his
spirits. Demetrius, in a dream, had seen Alexander, completely
armed, appear and demand of him what word they intended to give
in the time of the battle; and Demetrius answering that he
intended the word should be "Jupiter and Victory." "Then," said
Alexander, "I will go to your adversaries and find my welcome
with them." And on the morning of the combat, as the armies
were drawing up, Antigonus, going out of the door of his tent,
by some accident or other, stumbled and fell flat upon the
ground, hurting himself a good deal. And on recovering his
feet, lifting up his hands to heaven, he prayed the gods to
grant him "either victory, or death without knowledge of
defeat." When the armies engaged, Demetrius, who commanded the
greatest and best part of the cavalry, made a charge on
Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, and, gloriously routing the
enemy, followed the pursuit, in the pride and exultation of
success, so eagerly, and so unwisely far, that it fatally lost
him the day, for when, perceiving his error, he would have come
in to the assistance of his own infantry, he was not able, the
enemy with their elephants having cut off his retreat. And on
the other hand, Seleucus, observing the main battle of Antigonus
left naked of their horse, did not charge, but made a show of
charging; and keeping them in alarm and wheeling about and still
threatening an attack, he gave opportunity for those who wished
it to separate and come over to him; which a large body of them
did, the rest taking to flight. But the old king Antigonus
still kept his post, and when a strong body of the enemies drew
up to charge him, and one of those about him cried out to him,
"Sir, they are coming upon you," he only replied, "What else
should they do? but Demetrius will come to my rescue." And in
this hope he persisted to the last, looking out on every side
for his son's approach, until he was borne down by a whole
multitude of darts, and fell. His other followers and friends
fled, and Thorax of Larissa remained alone by the body.
The battle having been thus decided, the kings who had gained
the victory, carving up the whole vast empire that had belonged
to Demetrius and Antigonus, like a carcass, into so many
portions, added these new gains to their former possessions. As
for Demetrius, with five thousand foot and four thousand horse,
he fled at his utmost speed to Ephesus, where it was the common
opinion he would seize the treasures of the temple to relieve
his wants; but he, on the contrary, fearing such an attempt on
the part of his soldiers, hastened away, and sailed for Greece,
his chief remaining hopes being placed in the fidelity of the
Athenians, with whom he had left part of his navy and of his
treasure and his wife Deidamia. And in their attachment he had
not the least doubt but he should in this his extremity find a
safe resource. Accordingly when, upon reaching the Cyclades, he
was met by ambassadors from Athens, requesting him not to
proceed to the city, as the people had passed a vote to admit no
king whatever within their walls, and had conveyed Deidamia with
honorable attendance to Megara, his anger and surprise
overpowered him, and the constancy quite failed him which he had
hitherto shown in a wonderful degree under his reverses, nothing
humiliating or mean-spirited having as yet been seen in him
under all his misfortunes. But to be thus disappointed in the
Athenians, and to find the friendship he had trusted prove, upon
trial, thus empty and unreal, was a great pang to him. And, in
truth, an excessive display of outward honor would seem to be
the most uncertain attestation of the real affection of a people
for any king or potentate. Such shows lose their whole credit
as tokens of affection (which has its virtue in the feelings and
moral choice), when we reflect that they may equally proceed
from fear. The same decrees are voted upon the latter motive as
upon the former. And therefore judicious men do not look so
much to statues, paintings, or divine honors that are paid them,
as to their own actions and conduct, judging hence whether they
shall trust these as a genuine, or discredit them as a forced
homage. As in fact nothing is less unusual than for a people,
even while offering compliments, to be disgusted with those who
accept them greedily, or arrogantly, or without respect to the
freewill of the givers.
Demetrius, shamefully used as he thought himself, was in no
condition to revenge the affront. He returned a message of
gentle expostulation, saying, however, that he expected to have
his galleys sent to him, among which was that of thirteen banks
of oars. And this being accorded him, he sailed to the Isthmus,
and, finding his affairs in very ill condition, his garrisons
expelled, and a general secession going on to the enemy, he left
Pyrrhus to attend to Greece, and took his course to the
Chersonesus, where he ravaged the territories of Lysimachus,
and, by the booty which he took, maintained and kept together
his troops, which were now once more beginning to recover and to
show some considerable front. Nor did any of the other princes
care to meddle with him on that side; for Lysimachus had quite
as little claim to be loved, and was more to be feared for his
power. But, not long after, Seleucus sent to treat with
Demetrius for a marriage betwixt himself and Stratonice,
daughter of Demetrius by Phila. Seleucus, indeed, had already,
by Apama the Persian, a son named Antiochus, but he was
possessed of territories that might well satisfy more than one
successor, and he was the rather induced to this alliance with
Demetrius, because Lysimachus had just married himself to one
daughter of king Ptolemy, and his son Agathocles to another.
Demetrius, who looked upon the offer as an unexpected piece of
good fortune, presently embarked with his daughter, and with his
whole fleet sailed for Syria. Having during his voyage to touch
several times on the coast, among other places he landed in part
of Cilicia, which, by the apportionment of the kings after the
defeat of Antigonus, was allotted to Plistarchus, the brother of
Cassander. Plistarchus, who took this descent of Demetrius upon
his coasts as an infraction of his rights, and was not sorry to
have something to complain of hastened away to expostulate in
person with Seleucus for entering separately into relations with
Demetrius, the common enemy, without consulting the other kings.
Demetrius, receiving information of this, seized the
opportunity, and fell upon the city of Quinda, which he
surprised, and took in it twelve hundred talents, still
remaining of the treasure. With this prize, he hastened back to
his galleys, embarked, and set sail. At Rhosus, where his wife
Phila was now with him, he was met by Seleucus, and their
communications with each other at once were put on a frank,
unsuspecting, and kingly footing. First, Seleucus gave a
banquet to Demetrius in his tent in the camp; then Demetrius