G R E 
♦he afFeftion of Ills fubjeJbs to eftabllfli, during a feafon 
of tranquillity, a new and invincible order of warriors. 
From the braved of the Macedonian youth, he chofe a 
feledt body, whicli he didinguiflied by tlie name of 
Companions, who, being entertained at tlie royal ta- 
tle, attended the king’s perfon in war and in hunting. 
Their intimacy with the fovereign, which was regarded 
as a proof of their merit, obliged them to fuperior dili¬ 
gence in all the fevere duties of a military life. The 
noble youth, animated- with the liope of glory, vied 
with each other to gain admiffion into this diftinguiflied 
♦rder; and while, on one hand, they ferTed as hoftagea 
for the allegiance of their families, they formed, on the 
other, an iifeful feminary of future generals, who, after 
conquering for Philip and Alexander, at length con¬ 
quered for themfelves, and divided the fpoils of the 
ancient world. 
The military refources which the aftivity of Philip 
had provided, his ambition did not allow to remain 
long unemployed. The death of Agis, king of th» 
Pseonians, drew him into the field, to revenge the inju¬ 
ries which thofe barbarians had inflifted on Macedon. 
Deprived of the valour of Agis, the Paeonians loft all 
hopes of defence. Philip over-ran their country, im- 
pofed a tribute on their chiefs ; and reduced Pasonia to 
an abfolute dependence on Macedon. His arms were 
next directed againft Olynthus, and other cities of the 
Chalcidice, which alfo foon acknowledged him for their 
fovereign. But the importance of Olynthus and Chal¬ 
cidice could not divert thefagacity of Pliilip from Am- 
phipolis, which he regarded as a more necelfary, though 
lefs fplendid, conqueft. 'I'he poflelllon of Amphipolis, 
whic h would connect Macedon with the fea, and fecure 
to that kingdom many commercial advantages, opened 
a road to the woods and mines of mount Pangasus, the 
former of which was fo elfential to the raifing of a naval 
power, and the latter to the forming and keeping on-foot 
a fufficient military force. Philip penetrated ealtward 
thirty miles beyond Amphipolis, to the town of Creni- 
dae, lituated at the foot of mount Pangaeus, diftant ten 
miles from the tea. Here his attention was attradled 
by the gold-mines in that neighbourhood, formerly 
wrought by colonies froniThafos and from Athens, but 
totally negledted fince the ignorant Thracians had be¬ 
come mafters of Cienidae. Philip expelled thofe bar¬ 
barians, and a Macedonian colony was planted at Cre- 
jiidse, which thenceforth afl'umed the name of Philippi. 
Piaving etfedted tlie main ptirpole of his Thracian ex¬ 
pedition, Philip immediately contradted an alliance with 
Arybbas king of Epirus, a principality which Ikirted 
the weftern frontier of Thelfaly. In his excurlions 
from '1 itebes, he had early feen Olympias, the fifter of 
that prince, whofe wit and fpirit, joined to the lively 
grates of her perfon, had made a deep impreflion on his 
heart. Their interview naturally revived his tender 
paflions ; and, as the kings of Epirus were lineally de- 
feended from Achilles, the match appeared every way 
fuitable ; Arybbas yielded his confent, and the beatiti- 
ful princefs, in the year before Chrili; 357, was conduced 
into Macedon. 
Meanwhile the tributary princes of Paeonia and Illy¬ 
ria prepared to rebel; the king of Thrace engaged in 
their deligns, which were concerted with more caution 
than is lutial with barbarians ; and this general confpi- 
racy of neighbouring ftates might have reprefl’ed for a 
while the tortune ot Macedon, if Philip had not been 
feafonably informed of the danger by his emiftaries in 
thole countries. Early in the enluing fpring he took 
the field with the flower of the Macedonian troops. 
Parmenio, the general in whom he had molt confidence, 
crulhed the rebellion in Illyria, while Philip was equally 
fuccelstul in Paeonia and Thrace. lie was informed of 
the victory ot Parmenio, juft as a (econd meilenger ac¬ 
quainted him that his horles had. gained tlie prize in 
.the chanot-races at the Olympic games; a victory wliiclt 
Vpjl, Vill. 
E C E. 921 
he regarded as faf ifiore honourable, and wbrch, as it 
proved liim a legitimate fon of Greece, he carefully 
commemorated by imprefling a chariot on his coins. 
Almoll at tlie fame time, a third meft'engerarrived witk 
the joyful tidings that Olympias had brought forth a- 
prince at Pella ; to w'hom, as born amidft fuch aiifpi- 
cioiis'fcircumftances, the diviners announced the greateft 
pi'ofperity and glory. Such a rapid tide of good for¬ 
tune did not overfet the prudence of Philip, if we may 
judge by the firft authentic tranfaCfion which imme' 
diately followed thofe events. This was the correfpon- 
dence with Ariftotle the philofopher, written with a 
brevity which marks the king and the man of genius. 
“ Know that a fon is born to us. We thank the gods, 
not fo much for their gift, as for beftowing it at a time 
when Ariftotle lives. We afl'iire ourfelves that you 
will form him a prince wmrthy of his father, and worthy 
of Macedon.” Ariftotle commenced this illiiftrioi's 
employment about thirteen years afterwards, when the 
expanding mind of Alexander might be fuppofed ca¬ 
pable of receiving the benefit of his inftruCfions. 
Philip had reigned about five years, when it became 
the moft arduous purpofe of his ambition to obtain the 
fovereignty of Greece. But inftead of difeovering 
thefe defigns, he concealed his deep-laid pvilicy with a- 
careful aftiduity. He was fenfible, that by fnatching 
too eagerly at the prize, he might deftroy for ever his 
profpeef of obtaining it. While the Athenians were 
occupied by the deftruftive war with their confederates, 
he had, indeed, embraced the opportunity to gain pof- 
feflion of feveral of their dependent fettlements ia 
Thrace and Macedon ; colouring, liowever, thefe pro¬ 
ceedings by the pretence of juftice or neceflity, and 
tempering even his hoftilities by many liberal ails of 
kindnefs and generolity. Siiccelfive events alfo corre- 
fponded with his views. The Amphictyons, having re¬ 
covered their authority, began to exercile an uncon- 
trouled power over the petty ftates of Greece. They 
pretended tiiat many unwarrantable abufes had been in¬ 
troduced, which it became them to remedy. The rights 
of religion, they faid, which it was their firft duty to 
maintain, liad been materially violated by the Phocians, 
who had ploughed lands confecrated to Apollo, and 
confequently withdrawn from agriculture. They there¬ 
fore fulminated an angry decree againft Phocis, com¬ 
manding the facred lands to be laid wafte, and impofing 
a heavy fine on that community. 
The Phocians, thus fingled out as the vi6lims of op- 
preflion, were deeply agitated by their danger. The- 
'commands of the Amphi6fyons were indeed perefnptory; 
but that council had not on-foot any fufficient force to 
render them effectual, fhould the objeifis of their ven¬ 
geance venture to oppofe their autliority. This mea- 
fure, daring as it feemed, was ftrongly recommended hy 
Philomelus, whofe eloquence and valour gave him a 
powerful afeendant in Phocis. Pie poflcired great hefCr 
ditary wealth ; contemned' the national fuperftition ; 
and being endowed with an ambitious fpirit, he expetted 
to rife, amidft the tumult of war, to an unrivalled pre- 
entinence in the republic. After repeated deliberations, 
in which he flattered the vanity and tempted the ava¬ 
rice of liis countrymen, he brought the majority of the 
fenate into his opinion. As tlie propereft inftruinent to 
execute liis own meafures, Philomelus was named gene¬ 
ral : the Phocian youth flocked to his flandard; ami 
his private fortune, as well as the public revenues, were 
confumed in purchafing the mercenary troops which 
abounded in every province of Greece. Thus rein¬ 
forced, Philomelus, in tlie year before Chrift 336, ven., 
tured on a mealure not lefs lingular tlian unexpected. 
The temple of Delphi, fo long guarded by fuperflition, 
was not defended by any military force. Piiilomcliu, 
having prepared the imagination ot his followers for 
this bold enterprile, immediately eondueted them to- 
WiU'ds Delphi, and eutered the lagred cuy m the liyle 
41 4 
