8 INTRODUCTORY. 



Theophrastus, Eudemus of Ehodes (who is believed to have 

 written the Eudemian Ethics, and some other Aristotelian 

 treatises), and Cassander, son of Antipater. 



It has been asserted that Alexander placed at Aristotle s 

 disposal several thousand men to make collections of all 

 kinds of animals for Aristotle s own use, and that, with the 

 aid of materials thus provided, his renowned work, the 

 History of Animals, w r as produced.* The truth of this 

 story has been doubted, partly because Macedonia was a 

 poor country and could not bear the expense which the col 

 lection of a vast number of animals would necessitate. 

 This, however, is not a valid objection, for although Mace 

 donia itself was poor, Alexander obtained vast stores of 

 wealth during his campaigns in Asia. Athenaeus tells us 

 that, according to rumour, Aristotle received eight hundred 

 talents from Alexander to enable him to finish his History 

 of Animals, t A passage from ^Elian makes the truth of 

 the matter doubtful. He says that Aristotle produced his 

 History of Animals with the aid of the wealth of Philip, 

 and that Philip honoured Plato and Theophrastus. I The 

 whole question of the supposed aid rendered to Aristotle by 

 Philip or Alexander, or both, is involved in obscurity. 

 Having regard for the undoubted facts that Philip esteemed 

 Aristotle very highly, and that Alexander was very friendly 

 towards him while he was his pupil and for some years 

 afterwards, it is clear that Aristotle could have obtained 

 assistance from them. It is less likely that such assistance 

 was given in later years, because Alexander s feelings to 

 wards him cooled by degrees, and were perhaps somewhat 

 hostile after the arrest, on a charge of conspiracy, of Callis- 

 thenes, who was a pupil and nominee of Aristotle serving 

 with Alexander in Asia. 



After Alexander s death, B.C. 323, Aristotle was watched 

 with suspicion at Athens, for he was considered to be 

 friendly to the Macedonian power, and he also had many 

 enemies among the followers of Plato and Isocrates. 

 Further, an incident which could not fail to give great 

 offence to the Athenians and other Hellenes had occurred in 

 B.C. 324. At the Olympic festival in that year, Alexander 

 caused a proclamation to be made that all Greek cities 

 should recall all exiles who had been banished by judicial 

 sentence. The officer who made this proclamation was 



* Pliny, Nat. Hist. viii. 17. f Deipn. ix. 58. 



| Varies Historic, iv. 19. 



