04 MACE 
the ftream. Thus his people gradually loft all attach¬ 
ment to him. 
He had reigned about fix years in Macedon, when he 
entertained a defign of recovering all the dominions which 
his father had pofl'efled in Afia. He made vaft prepara¬ 
tions of land and fea forces, the rumour of which caufed 
a league againft him of Seleucus, Ptolemy, and Lyfima- 
chus. They likewife inftigated Pyrrhus to invade Mace¬ 
don on one fide, while Lylimachus entered it on another. 
He now found the evil of having forfeited the affections 
of his fubjeCls; for upon the approach of Pyrrhus he was 
defected by part of his army, while the reft were ready to 
break out into open mutiny. Quitting therefore his royal 
robes, he filently withdrew from his tent, and left his 
kingdom to his adverfaries. His wife Phila, unable to 
bear this reverie of fortune in her native country, took 
poifon. Demetrius himfelf marched, with the few troops 
which remained faithful to him, to Thebes, where he re¬ 
fumed his royalty. Athens, ever changing with fortune, 
refufed to admit him, and treated him with infult; at which 
he was fo much provoked, that he laid fiege to the city. 
He was, however, perfuaded to relinquilh his attempt; 
and he then embarked for Lelfer Afia, with the purpofe 
of recovering Caria and Lydia. He married, at Miletus, 
a hew wife, the daughter of Eurydice, Phila’s lifter. He 
took Sardis, and was joined by fome of the troops of Ly- 
iimachus. But this gleam of fuccefs did not lalt long. 
Agathocles, the fon of that prince, came againft him with 
a luperior force; and, hovering round his army, reduced 
it to great diftrefs by famine, followed by peftilence. In 
this emergency he wrote a pathetic letter to Seleucus, re- 
quelling a fupply for his neceffities. Seleucus firlt afted 
as generofity dictated, and ordered his lieutenants to fur- 
nifh him with provifions, and treat him like a king. But 
the fufpicions infufed into his mind by his prime-nhnilter, 
caufed him foon to alter his conduCt towards Demetrius, 
and advance againft him with an army. The unhappy 
prince, enraged and defperate, like a lion in the toils, burft 
through his furrounding foes, and opened himfelf apaflage 
into Syria, where he obtained various fucceffes. His fol- 
diers, always victorious under his command, fervcd him 
with fidelity, till he was feized with a fever, which ren¬ 
dered him incapable of giving orders for forty days. At 
the end of that time he found his army greatly diminilhed 
by defertion. By a fkilful march, however, he extricated 
himfelf from prefent danger; and when Seleucus, follow¬ 
ing him, had encamped at a fhort diftance, Demetrius gave 
him fo hot an alarm in a furprife by night, that the king, 
Itarting to arms, exclaimed to his attendants, “ What a 
terrible wild beaft are we encountering !” Seleucus foon 
after gained over a great part of the troops of Demetrius, 
who, upon this defertion, fled to the woody faltnefles of 
mount Amanus. There, finding his efcape impolfible, he 
was obliged to furrender himfelf to his adverfary. Seleucus 
firlt gave orders that he fhould be treated with the refpeCt due 
to a king and a relation ; but at length, apprehending left 
party Ihould be raifed in his favour, he confined him to a 
cable in the Syrian Cherfonefus. He was there kept under 
a Itrong guard, but otherwife he had every indulgence 
which might alleviate his captivity. He might likewife 
feel much confolation in the filial affeCtion of his fon, An- 
tigonus Gonatus, who offered to deliver up himfelf as a 
holtage for the freedom of his father. Many cities and 
princes alio interceded in his behalf; and Seleucus gave 
him hopes of liberty when Antiochus and Stratonice 
Ihould arrive. Demetrius, mean time, arnufed himfelf 
with hunting and exercile; but his unquiet mind be¬ 
gan to prey on itfelf, and drove him to difpel care by 
drinking and conviviality. This way of life threw him 
into a difeafe, which, after three years of captivity, car¬ 
ried him off in his fifty-fourth year. His allies were 
conveyed to Greece; and were met at fea by Antigonus 
with his whole fleet, who celebrated his funeral with 
every circumltance of folemn pomp and filial forrow. 
Seleucus, who had now the power of Macedon in his 
DON. 
hands, was foon after murdered by Ptolemy Ceraunus, 
who became king of Macedon about 280 B. C. The new 
king was in a lhort time cut oft, with his whole army, by 
the wandering Gauls. See Greece, vol. viii. p. 954. 
Antigonus Gonatus, the fon of Demetrius Poliorcetes, 
became king of Macedon B. C. 278. He was diftinguilhed 
by his mildnefs and humanity. When belieging Thebes 
under his father, he ventured to make a remonftrance 
very unufual for a prince, on the lofs of fo many lives for 
fuch an obje< 5 t. He was very confpicuous for filial piety; 
for, when his father was made prifoner by Seleucus, he 
offered himfelf as a holtage to procure his liberty ; and, 
not fucceeding, he wore deep mourning, and retufed to 
partake of any feftivities while his father remained in pri- 
fon. He was heir to the European dominions of Deme¬ 
trius, confiding of various cities in Greece, and the king¬ 
dom of Macedon. Of the laft he was feveral times de¬ 
prived and re-poflefl'ed. He defeated the Gauls, who in¬ 
vaded the country, but was foon after expelled by a more 
formidable foe, Pyrrhus king of Epirus. When that prince 
was killed at Argos, Antigonus exprefled great indigna¬ 
tion againft his own fon, who brought him Pyrrhus’s 
head in triumph ; and, throwing his robe over it, he or¬ 
dered the body to be fought, and treated with all funeral 
honours. He likewife uled with great kindnefs Helenus, 
the fon of Pyrrhus, who fell into his hands. During the 
latter years of his reign he held Macedon in peace, and 
conciliated the minds of the people to him and his family, 
fo as to engage their attachment to all his defendants. 
One of the leaft honourable tranfa&ions of his life was 
the gaining poffeffion of the citadel of Corinth by ftrata- 
gem, which fuccefs threw him into a frenzy of joy ; and 
he made ufe of the power it gave him, in augmenting his 
dominions in Greece, and lupporting the petty tyrants 
againlt the free liates. His fchemes were powerfully op- 
pofed by the Achasans and their illultrious chief Aratus, 
who at length recovered Corinth ; but Antigonus was fo 
little inclined to war, that even this event did not caufe 
him to change the courfe of his artful and peaceable po¬ 
licy. He died above the age of fourfcore, after a reign of 
thirty-four years, B. C. 243; and was fucceeded by his fon 
Demetrius II. 
Demetrius II. had in early youth diffinguifiied himfelf 
by his martial activity, and had even recovered the king¬ 
dom for his father, when he was driven from it by Alex¬ 
ander the fon of Pyrrhus. His reign was chiefly occupied 
in wars with the barbarous nations on bis frontiers, and 
with the Achseans in Greece. He died B. C. 232, leaving 
an infant fon Philip. 
Antigonus Dofon, his brother, however, fucceeded him 
on the throne, and married his widow. He was a prince 
in high reputation for juftice, clemency, and affability; 
though the greater readinefs with which he promifed than 
performed, is faid to have acquired for him the name of 
Dofon , or “ about to give.” He was invited into Greece 
by the Achasans, as a check to the power of Cleomenes 
king of Sparta, who was affifted by the AStolians. The 
citadel of Corinth was put into his hands, on which occa- 
fion he made a great entertainment, and placed near him 
the patriot Aratus, whom circumftances had now made a 
friend to the Macedonians. He fliowed his prudence in 
withltanding every attempt of Cleomenes to bring him to 
an engagement in the ablence of a great part of his army; 
but he afterwards totally defeated him at Seilafia, and in 
confequence took the hitherto-unconquered city of Sparta, 
which he treated with great lenity, and left free. Hence 
he was hallily recalled to Macedon by the intelligence of 
its invafion by the Illyrians. Staying no longer than to 
receive the compliments of the Grecian ffates at the Ne- 
mean games, he proceeded to his own country*i,and deli¬ 
vered it from the invaders by a decifive victory, which, 
however, was purchafed by his own life; for, having 
ftrained his voice in the engagement, it brought on a {pit¬ 
ting of blood, which carried him off in a few days, B.C. 
221. He appointed for his fucceflbr Philip, his brother’s 
Ion, 
