G R E 
policy with which he had fubdiied them. While Ma¬ 
cedonian garriibns kept poffeffion of Thermopylae and 
■•the other hrong holds of Greece, the aftive partifans of 
Philip controuled the refolutions and directed the mea- 
fui-es of each particular republic. The fuperintendence 
of thefacred games, as well as of the Delphic temple, 
rendered him the only vifible head of the national reli¬ 
gion: in confequence of the double right of prefiding 
and voting in the Amphiftyonic council, he appeared in 
the charaifer of the fupreme civil magiftrate of Greece ; 
and his illuftrious victory at Chaeronaea over the only 
communities that dared to oppofe his greatnefs, pointed 
him out as the general bell: entitled to condutl: the mi¬ 
litary force of Greece and Macedon in the projefted in- 
vafioh of Perfia ; an authority which, as he might have 
alTumed without blame, he received with greater ap- 
plaufe from the impartial fulfrages of tlie people. 
This condefcenlion appeared highly flattering to the 
Greeks affembled at Corinth, where Philip, the year 
following the battle of Chseronasa, held a general con¬ 
vention of the Amphiftyonic Hates. In this affembly. 
Dins of Ephefus reprefented, with affedting energy, the 
vexations pnd oppreflion which the Greek colonies of 
Afia daily experienced from the rapacious cruelty of 
the Perfian fatraps. The voice of the affembly approved 
his complaint, while they recolledled, with indignation, 
the continual outrages of a people who had anciently 
invaded their country, infulted their religion, burned 
their temples, and nouriflied thofe cruel animofities 
which had long filled every part of Greece with fedition 
and blood. Philip had private wrongs to urge againfl: 
the Perfians; yet he infilled chiefly on their public in¬ 
juries, and notorious enmity to the whole Grecian n;ime, 
the honour of which could only be redeemed by a fuc- 
cefsful expedition into Afia. This expedition was de¬ 
termined with univerfal confent; and the troops which 
they refpedtively raifed, amounted to two hundred and 
twenty thoufand foot, and fifteen thoufand horfe, ex- 
clufive of the Macedonians; aprodigiousforce, ofwhich 
the domeftic diffenfrons of the Greeks had hitherto, per¬ 
haps, prevented them from forming an adequate notion. 
On no former occafion had the feveral republics ap¬ 
peared fo thoroughly united in one common caufe; ne¬ 
ver had they fliewn themfelves fo fenfible of their com¬ 
bined ftrength; never had they tellified fuch general 
alacrity to take the field, or fuch unlimited confidence 
in the abilities of their commander. 
Philip, having difpatched Parmenio with a body of 
troops to protedl the Afiatic colonies, was prevented 
from immediately following that commander, by an in- 
furrefilion of the Illyrian tribes. This unfeafonable di- 
verfion from the greateft enterprife of his reign, was 
rendered more formidable by the domeflic difcord which 
Ihook the palace of Philip, A fpirit lefs intolerant than 
that of Olympias, mother of Alexander, might have 
been juftly provoked by the continual infidelities of lier 
hulband, who, whether at home or abroad, in peace or 
in war, never cealed to augment the number of his. 
wives or concubines. The generous mind of Alexander 
mull: naturally have efpoufed the caufe of his mother, 
although his own interefl had not been deeply concerned 
in preventing Philip from continually giving him fo 
many new rivals to the throne. The young prince de¬ 
fended the rights of Olympias and his own, with the 
impetuofity natural to his charadter; at the nuptials of 
Philip with Caffandra, an open rupture broke out be¬ 
tween the imperious iatlier and his haughty fon ; and 
the latter, concluding all thofe to be his own friends 
who were enemies to the former, fought refuge among 
the rebellious Illyrians, who were already in arms againlt 
their fovereign. The dexterity of Philip extricated him 
from thefe difficulties. Having conquered the Illyrians, 
he foftened Alexander by alluring him that his illuftri- 
cus merit, which was alike admired in Greece and Ma¬ 
cedon, had not efcaped the anxious vigilance of a pa- 
E C E. 935 
• t 
rent, who, by giving him many rivals to the throne, 
had only afforded hinran opportunity of furpafling them 
all in glory. Soothed by this condefoenfion, Olympias 
and her fon again appeared at court with the difliudlioii 
due to their rank; and to announce and confirm thii 
happy reconcilement with liis family, Philip married 
his daughter Cleopatra to the king of Epirus, maternal 
uncle of Alexander ; and celebrated the nuptials by a 
magnificent feftival which lafted feveral days, during 
which the Greeks and Macedonians vied with each other 
in fliewing their refpeft towards their common general 
and mafter. 
Amidfl: the tumultuous amufements of this fertivity, 
Philip appeared in public with unguarded confidence in 
the fidelity and attachment of his fubjedls: but pro¬ 
ceeding one day from the palace to the theatre, he was 
ftabbed to the heart by Paufanias, a Macedonian. Whe¬ 
ther the affaflin was ftimulated by private refentment, 
or prompted by the ill-appealed rage of Olympias, oc 
infligated to commit this atrocity by the Perfian fatraps, 
is equally uncertain ; but thd lad was afferted by Alex¬ 
ander, who alleged the affaffination of his father among 
Ill's reafons for invading the Perfian empire. 
Thus, in the year before Chrifl: 336, fell Philip of 
Macedon, in the forty-feventh year of his age, and, 
twenty-fourth of his reign; the firfl: prince whole life 
and adfions hiltory hath deferibed with fuch regular ac¬ 
curacy and circumftantial fulnefs, as render his admini-, 
ftration a matter of inftrudtion to fucceeding ages. Witit, 
a reach of forefight and fagacity peculiar to himfelf, he 
united’all the prominent features of the Grecian cha- 
rafter, valour, eloquence, addrefs, flexibility to vary 
his condudl without changing his purpofe, the molt ex-^ 
traordina.ry powers of application and perfeverance, ot 
cool combination and ardent execution. Intercepted ire 
the middle of his career by the hand of an affaflin, he 
was prevented from undertaking the jultefl: and noblell; 
defign of his reign ; a defign which lie had long raedi-, 
tated, and in whicli his near profpedl of fuccefs pro-^ 
mifed to reward the labours and dangers of his toilfome 
life. Had not his days been fliortened by a premature 
death, there is reafon to believe that he might have 
fubdued the Perfian empire ; an eiiterprife more daz-, 
zling, though lefs difficult, than the exploits which he 
had already atchieved. Had that event taken place, 
Philip mult have reached unbounded greatnefs; and, 
in the opinion of pollerity, would, perhaps have furpjffed 
the glory of all kings and conqueror's, who either pre¬ 
ceded or followed him. Yet, even on this fupfiofition, 
there is not any man of probity, who, if he allows )\im- 
felf time for ferioiis refleftion, would purchafe the ima¬ 
gined grandeur and profperity of the king of Macedon, 
at the price of his artifices and crimes; and to a philo- 
fopher, who confidered either the means by which he 
had obtained his triumphs, or the probable confequences' 
of his dominion over Greece and Afia, the bufy ambi¬ 
tion of this mighty conqueror would appear but a de¬ 
ceitful feene of fplendid mifery. 
From the ACCESSION of ALEXANDER the- 
GREAT, TO THE SUBJUGATION of GREECE 
BY THE ROMANS. 
Though no regulai'fucceffion had been fettled to the 
throne of Macedon, Alexander had not much to appre¬ 
hend from the rivalfliip of his brothers, fince Ptolemy, 
born of Arfinoe, and afterwards king of Egypt, was re¬ 
puted to be the fon of Lagus, to whom Pliilip had mar¬ 
ried Arfinoe, while flie was with child by himfelf; and, 
Aridaeus, the fon of Philiira, who, for fix years after 
the death of Alexander, held a pageant royalty in the 
eafl, by the terror of his brother’s name, and through 
the difeordant ambition of his lieutenants, poffefled not 
vigour of mind to difpute the fucceffion. Yet Alex¬ 
ander’s title was contefted by Amyntas, fon of Perdiccas, 
tfie elder broUier of Philip, in whofe name the lafl-‘ 
