lazy, good-for-nothing young man, who was always changing his mind.
Every day he had some new fancy, admired something new, or rode some new
hobby. As the son's name was the same as the father's, the latter is now
sometimes known as Dionysius the Elder, while the son is generally
called Dionysius the Younger.
The new tyrant had a brother-in-law named Di'on, a good and studious
man, who had received an excellent education. Like most rich young
Greeks of his day, Dion had gone to Athens to finish his studies; and
there he had been a pupil of Plato, the disciple of Socrates.
As Dion was modest, truthful, and eager to learn, he soon became a
favorite of Plato, who took great interest in him, and spared no pains
to make him a fine scholar and philosopher.
When Dion came back to Syracuse, he often spoke with great warmth of
his teacher. This so excited the curiosity of Dionysius, the new tyrant,
that he longed to see Plato himself. He therefore begged Dion to invite
Plato to Syracuse to teach him also.
The young man was very glad to do so. He hoped, that, under the
philosopher's wise teachings, Dionysius would learn to be good and
industrious, and thus become a blessing instead of a curse to his
people. But Plato was already an old man, and answered that he could not
undertake so long a journey at his advanced age.
Dion then wrote again such imploring letters, that the philosopher
finally decided to change his mind, and set sail for Syracuse. There he
was received at the shore by Dionysius in person, and escorted to the
palace.
For a short time the tyrant listened with great pleasure to the
philosopher's teachings. Then, growing weary of virtue as of everything
else, he suddenly began to reproach Dion for bringing such a tiresome
person to court.
All the courtiers had pretended to listen to Plato's teaching with the
greatest interest; but they liked feasting better than philosophy, and
now began to make fun of the great Athenian, and to turn him into
ridicule.
They were so afraid that the virtuous Dion would again win their fickle
master's ear, and induce him to do something really useful and
reasonable, that they made up their minds to get rid of him.
By artful slander they soon made Dionysius believe that his
brother-in-law was a traitor, and that his only wish was to take the
power, and become tyrant of Syracuse in his stead.
Now, these accusations were not true; but Dionysius believed them, and
sent Dion into exile, forbidding his wife, who loved him dearly, to go
with him, and even forcing her to take another husband instead.
The courtiers wished to revenge themselves for the weary hours they had
spent listening to Plato's beautiful talk, which they were too base to
understand, so they now said that he had helped Dion; and they had him
first put into prison, and then sold into slavery.
Happily, there were some of the philosopher's friends in town; and they,
hearing of this outrage, knew no rest until they had bought his freedom,
and sent him back to Athens to end his life in peace.
On his way home, Plato stopped at Olympia to attend the games. As soon
as the people found out that he was there, they shouted for joy; and one
and all voted him a crown just like those won by the victors in the
games.
This was the highest honor the Greeks could bestow; and, although it was
nothing but a wreath of olive leaves, you may be sure that the
philosopher prized it more highly than if it had been of pure gold,
because it was a token of the love and respect of his countrymen.
LXXXV. CIVIL WAR IN SYRACUSE.
When Dion was exiled from Syracuse by Dionysius, he went to Greece,
where he was unhappy only because he could not see the wife and child he
loved so dearly.
When he heard that the tyrant had forced his wife to belong to another
husband, he vowed he would punish Dionysius for this crime. Plato vainly
tried to persuade Dion not to return to Syracuse. The young man refused
to listen to his advice, and, gathering together a small army, he set
sail without delay.
He landed boldly, although he was an exile, and was welcomed with great
joy by all the people, who were very weary of their ruler. When he told
them that he had come to punish the tyrant, they all joined him, and
marched with him up to the palace.
As Dionysius was out of town at the time, they had no trouble whatever
in getting into the royal dwelling. This was hastily deserted by the
tyrant's few friends, who took refuge in the citadel.
Some time after, when Dionysius came back to the city, he found the
harbor blocked by a great chain stretched across it to prevent the
entrance of any ship; and he was forced to retreat into the citadel,
where the angry Syr-a-cus'ans came to besiege him.
Now, Dion had a great many friends, and, as everybody knew that he was
truthful and well-meaning, the people all fought on his side. He was so
strict with himself, however, that he treated his subjects also with
great rigor, and exacted such obedience and virtue that they soon grew
weary of his reign.
Then, too, while he was always ready to reward the good, Dion punished
the wicked with such severity that he soon made many enemies. One of
these was the courtier Her-a-cli'des, who, instead of showing his
dislike openly, began to plot against him in secret.
Dionysius, besieged in the citadel, was in sore straits by this time,
and almost dying of hunger; for the Syracusans, afraid that he would
escape, had built a wall all around the citadel, and watched it night
and day, to prevent any one from going in or out, or smuggling in any
food.
As Dionysius had no army, and could not win back his throne by force, he
made up his mind to do so, if possible, by a trick. He therefore wrote a
letter, in which he offered Dion the tyranny in exchange for his
freedom. This message was worded so cleverly that it sounded as if Dion
had asked to be made tyrant of Syracuse.
LXXXVI. DEATH OF DION.
Now, after suffering so much under Dionysius and his father, the
Syracusans had learned to hate the very name of tyrant; and ever since
Dion had come into the city, and taken the lead, they had loudly said
they would never stand such a ruler again.
As soon as the letter was ended, Dionysius tied it to a stone, and threw
it over the wall. Of course, it was carried to Dion, who read it aloud,
little suspecting its contents, or the effect it would produce upon his
followers.
The people began to frown and look angry, and Heraclides boldly seized
this opportunity to poison their minds against Dion. He urged them to
drive their new leader out of the city, and to give the command of the
army to him instead.
The people, ever ready for a change, gladly listened to this advice,
and, after banishing Dion, made Heraclides their chief. Dionysius
cleverly managed to escape from the citadel; and his general, Nyp'sius,
only then becoming aware of the revolution, took his place there, and by
a sudden sally won back the greater part of the city.
As Heraclides was taken by surprise at this move, and greatly feared the
wrath of Dionysius, he now wrote to Dion, begging him to come back and
save those who had upheld him.
The appeal was not made in vain. Dion generously forgave the treachery
of Heraclides, and, marching into the city once more, drove Nypsius back
into the citadel, where this general died.
The people of Syracuse were ashamed of having so suddenly turned against
Dion after their first warm welcome to him, and they now fell at his
feet, begging his pardon, which he freely granted to them all.
In spite of this kindness, which they had not deserved, Heraclides and
many others went on plotting secretly against Dion, until his friends,
weary of such double dealing, put Heraclides to death.
Dion was sorry for this, reproved his friends for committing such a
crime, and said that he knew the Syracusans would in time lay the murder
at his door, and try to punish him for it.
He was right in thinking thus, for the friends of Heraclides soon began
plotting against him; and, entering his country house one day when he
was alone, they fell upon him and killed him.
As soon as Dionysius heard that Dion was dead, he hastened back to
Syracuse, where he ruled more cruelly than ever, and put so many people
to death that the citizens rose up against him once more. With the help
of a Co-rin'thi-an army, they then freed their city, and sent Dionysius
to Corinth, where he was forced to earn his living by teaching school.
[Illustration: The people all hooted.]
As Dionysius was a cross and unkind teacher, the children would neither
love nor obey him; and whenever he passed down the street, clad in a
rough mantle instead of a jewel-covered robe, the people all hooted, and
made great fun of him.
LXXXVII. PHILIP OF MACEDON.
In the days when Thebes was the strongest city in Greece, and when
Epaminondas was the leader in his native country, he received in his
house a young Mac-e-do'-ni-an prince called Philip. This young man had
been sent to Greece as a hostage, and was brought up under the eye of
Epaminondas. The Theban hero got the best teachers for Philip, who was
thus trained with great care, and became not only quite learned, but
also brave and strong.
Mac'e-don, Philip's country, was north of Greece, and its rulers spoke
Greek and were of Greek descent; but, as the people of Macedon were not
of the same race, the Greeks did not like them, and never allowed them
to send any one to the Amphictyonic Council.
Two years after the battle of Mantinea, when Philip was eighteen years
old, he suddenly learned that the king, his brother, was dead, and had
left an infant to take his place. Philip knew that a child could not
govern: so he escaped from Thebes, where he was not very closely
watched, and made his way to Macedon.
Arriving there, he offered to rule in his little nephew's stead. The
people were very glad indeed to accept his services; and when they found
that the child was only half-witted, they formally offered the crown of
Macedon to Philip.
Now, although Macedon was a very small country, Philip no sooner became
king than he made up his mind to place it at the head of all the Greek
states, and make it the foremost kingdom of the world.
This was a very ambitious plan; and in order to carry it out, Philip
knew that he would need a good army. He therefore began to train his
men, and, remembering how successful Epaminondas had been, he taught
them to fight as the Thebans had fought at Leuctra and Mantinea.
Then, instead of drawing up his soldiers in one long line of battle, he
formed them into a solid body,--an arrangement which soon became known
as the Macedonian phalanx.
Each soldier in the phalanx had a large shield, and carried a spear. As
soon as the signal for battle was given, the men locked their shields
together so as to form a wall, and stood in ranks one behind the other.
The first row of soldiers had short spears, and the fourth and last rows
very long ones. The weapons of the other rows were of medium length, so
that they all stuck out beyond the first soldiers, and formed a
bristling array of points which no one dared meet.
Philip not only trained his army so as to have well-drilled soldiers
ready, but also found and began to work some gold mines in his kingdom.
As they yielded much precious metal, he soon became one of the richest
men of his time.
This wealth proved very useful, for it helped him to hire a great force
of soldiers, and also to buy up a number of allies. In fact, Philip soon
found that his gold was even more useful than his army, and he was in
the habit of saying that "a fortress can always be taken if only a mule
laden with gold can be got inside."
Philip was so kind and just that he soon won the love of all his
subjects. It is said that he listened to the complaints of the poor and
humble with as much patience as to those of his noblest courtiers.
Once, after dining heavily and drinking too much, Philip was suddenly
called upon to try the case of a poor widow. As the king's head was not
very clear, he was not able to judge as well as usual: so he soon said
that she was in the wrong, and should be punished.
The woman, who knew that she was right, was very angry; and, as the
guards were dragging her away, she daringly cried, "I appeal!"
"Appeal?" asked Philip, in a mocking tone, "and to whom?"
"I appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober!" replied the woman.
These words made such an impression upon Philip, that he said he would
try the case again on the next day, when his head was quite clear. He
did not forget his promise on the morrow; and when he found that the
woman was right, he punished her accuser, and set her free.
LXXXVIII. PHILIP BEGINS HIS CONQUESTS.
As we have already seen, when Philip found himself in the wrong, he was
not afraid to admit his mistake, and to try to do better. He was also
very patient and forgiving. On one occasion he heard that a man named
Ni-ca'nor was always speaking ill of him.
He therefore sent for the man, who came in fear and trembling, thinking
that the king would either imprison or slay him. Philip, however,
received him kindly, made him sit at his own table, and let him go only
after giving him many rich gifts. As the king had not found fault with
him in any way, Nicanor was greatly surprised, and vowed that he would
not speak another word against so generous a man.
As soon as Philip had made sure of his authority at home, drilled his
army, and piled up enough gold, he began to carry out his bold plans.
First of all, he wished to subdue a few of his most unruly neighbors,
such as the Thracians and O-lyn'thi-ans.
An archer named As'ter came to him just before he began this war. This
man offered his help to the king, and began to boast how well he could
shoot. Philip, who believed only in spears for fighting, sent the man
away, after saying that he would call for his help when he began to war
against starlings and other birds.
This answer made Aster so angry that he went over to the enemy and
enlisted in their ranks. Philip soon came to besiege the city where
Aster was stationed; and as soon as the archer heard of it, he got an
arrow upon which he wrote, "To Philip's left eye."
Aster then went up on the wall, took careful aim, and actually put out
the king's left eye. Philip was so angry when he heard of the writing on
the arrow, that he ordered another shot into the city. On this arrow was
written, "If Philip takes the city, he will hang Aster."
The city was taken, and the archer hung; for Philip always prided
himself upon keeping promises of this kind. The Olynthians, finding that
they would not be able to resist long, now wrote a letter to the
Athenians, begging them to come to their rescue.
The Athenians read the letter in the public square, so that every one
could hear it, and then began to discuss whether they should send any
help. As was always the case, some were for, and others against, the
plan, and there was much talking. Among the best speakers of the city
was the orator De-mos'the-nes, a very clear-sighted man, who suspected
Philip's designs. He therefore warmly advised the Athenians to do all
they could to oppose the Macedonian king, so as to prevent his ever
getting a foothold in Greece. Indeed, he spoke so eloquently and
severely against Philip, and told the people so plainly that the king
was already plotting to harm them, that violent speeches directed
against any one have ever since been called "Philippics," like these
orations against the King of Macedon.
LXXXIX. THE ORATOR DEMOSTHENES.
As you have seen in the last chapter, Philip had one great enemy in
Greece, the orator Demosthenes. He had distrusted Philip from the very
first, and had kept warning the Athenians that the King of Macedon was
very ambitious, and would soon try to become master of all Greece. When
the Olynthians asked for aid, he had warmly urged the Athenians to give
it, saying that they ought to bring on the conflict with Philip as soon
as possible, so that the fighting might be done outside of Greece. In
spite of his good arguments, however, Demosthenes failed.
[Illustration: Demosthenes.]
Philip took not only O-lyn'thus, but all the towns which formed the
Olynthian union, and destroyed them so completely that a few years later
one could not even find out where these once prosperous cities had been.
Demosthenes made three very fine speeches in favor of the Olynthians,
and several against Philip. These were written down, and have been
translated time and again. You may some day read and admire them for
yourselves.
Of course, when Philip heard of Demosthenes' speeches, he was very
angry; but he thought that his gold could do wonders, so he sent a
beautiful cup of that precious metal to the orator. The gift was
accepted; still Demosthenes, instead of remaining silent as Philip had
expected, went on talking against him as openly as before.
As Demosthenes was such a great man, you will like to hear how he
learned to speak so well. He was an orphan, but very ambitious indeed.
He saw how eagerly the Athenians listened to the best speakers, and he
thought that he too would like to become an orator.
Unfortunately, he could not talk very plainly, and instead of listening
to him, even his playmates made fun of him. But instead of crying,
sulking, or getting angry, Demosthenes sensibly made up his mind to
learn how to speak so well that they could no longer laugh at him. He
therefore learned a great deal of poetry, which he recited daily as
distinctly as possible. To be able to do this without attracting any
attention, he used to go down to a lonely spot on the seashore, where he
would put some pebbles in his mouth, and then try to recite so loud that
his voice could be heard above the noise of the waves.
To make his lungs strong, he used to walk and run up hill, reciting as
he went; and, in order to form a pleasant style, he copied nine times
the works of the great Greek historian Thu-cyd'i-des.
When a young man, he shut himself up in the house to study hard. Then,
as he was afraid of being tempted to go out and amuse himself, he shaved
one side of his head, and let the hair grow long on the other.
You see, he was bound to succeed, and his constant trying was duly
rewarded, as it always is. He became learned, eloquent, and energetic;
and whenever he rose to speak in the public places of Athens, he was
surrounded by an admiring crowd, who listened open-mouthed to all he
said.
The Athenians were too lazy at this time, however, to bestir themselves
very much, even for their own good. So, in spite of all that Demosthenes
could say, they did not offer any great resistance to Philip, who little
by little became a very powerful king.
XC. PHILIP MASTERS GREECE.
When Philip had entirely subdued the Thracians and Olynthians, he helped
the Thessalians to get rid of their tyrant; and, adding their cavalry to
his infantry, he boasted of as fine an army as the Greeks had ever been
able to muster. He was very anxious to find a pretext to march into
Greece at the head of this force, because he thought that, once there,
he would soon manage to become master of all the towns. And the excuse
for which he longed so much soon came.
A contest known as the Sacred War was going on in Greece at that time.
It had arisen because the Pho'cians had taken possession of lands that
were left waste in honor of the god Apollo. The Amphictyonic Council
said they should pay a fine for this offense; and the Phocians, angry at
being thus publicly reproved, defied the council.
To show how little they intended to obey, they not only kept the land
they had taken, but robbed the temple at Delphi. Then they used the
money thus obtained to win over some allies, and soon began to make war
against the people who obeyed the council.
The loyal Greeks fought against the Phocians for a long time, but were
unable to conquer them: so Philip proposed to come and help the council.
In their anxiety to win in this war, the Greeks gladly allowed him to
bring his army into their country, and he soon completely subdued the
rebels.
In reward for his help, Philip was made president of the council,--a
position he had long coveted,--and leader of the Pyth'i-an games held in
honor of Apollo.
When the war was ended, Philip quietly went back to Macedon. He was,
however, merely waiting for a favorable opportunity to reenter Greece,
and punish the Athenians for listening to Demosthenes' speeches against
him.
In the mean while, Philip's gold had been very busy, and he was buying
up as many friends and allies as he could. Many of his gifts had the
desired effect, and were not like the gold cup which he sent to
Demosthenes. This, you know, had wholly failed in its purpose, for the
orator went on talking more eloquently than ever against the Macedonian
king.
He finally roused the Athenians to the point of arming to meet Philip,
when they heard that he was really coming at last to make himself master
of Greece. Their allies, the Thebans, joined them; and the two armies
met at Chaer-o-ne'a, in Boeotia, where a terrible battle was fought.
Demosthenes had joined the army; but as he was no soldier, and was not
very brave, he fled at the very first onset. Dashing through the bushes,
he was suddenly stopped by some spiky branches that caught in his cloak
and held him fast. The orator was so frightened that he thought the
enemy had captured him, and, falling upon his knees, he began to beg
that his life might be spared.
While Demosthenes was thus flying madly, his friends and fellow-citizens
were bravely meeting the Macedonians; but, in spite of all their
courage, they were soon forced to yield to the Macedonian phalanx, and
the battlefield was left strewn with their dead.
Alexander, Philip's son, who was then only eighteen years of age,
commanded one wing of his father's army, and had the glory of completely
crushing the Sacred Battalion of the Thebans, which had never before
been beaten.
This brilliant victory at Chaeronea made Philip really master of all
Greece; but he generously refrained from making the Athenians recognize
him openly as their lord, although he made their government do whatever
he pleased.
As Greece was now obedient to him, the ambitious Philip began to plan
the conquest of Asia and the downfall of the Persian Empire. To get as
large an army as possible, he invited all the Greeks to join him,
artfully reminding them of all they had suffered at the hands of the
Persians in the past.
His preparations were nearly finished, and he was on the point of
starting for Asia, when he was murdered by Pausanias, one of his
subjects, whom he had treated very unkindly.
XCI. BIRTH OF ALEXANDER.
When Philip died, he was succeeded by his son Alexander, a young man of
twenty, who had already earned a good name by leading part of the army
at the battle of Chaeronea. His efforts, as you know, had defeated the
Sacred Battalion of the Thebans, and helped much to secure the victory.
Through his mother, O-lym'pi-as, Alexander was a descendant of Achilles,
the well-known hero of the Trojan War. He was born at Pel'la, a city of
Macedon, three hundred and fifty-six years before Christ. His father was
so pleased to have a son, that he said that all the boys born in his
kingdom on the same day should be brought up with Alexander in the
palace, and become his bodyguard.
Thus you see the young prince had plenty of playmates; and, as there
was nothing he liked better than fighting, he soon began to play
soldiers, and to train his little regiment.
From the very first, the Macedonians had declared that Alexander was
born to greatness, and several noted events that took place on the day
of his birth served to confirm this belief.
In the first place, Par-me'ni-o, Philip's general, won a grand victory
on that day; then Philip's horses, which had been sent to Olympia, got
the prize at the chariot races; and, lastly, the famous temple at
Ephesus, dedicated to Diana, was burned to the ground.
The first two events were joyful in the extreme; but the burning of
this temple, which was among the wonders of the world, was a great
calamity. Every one was anxious to know how it had happened; and all
were very angry when they found out that it was not an accident, but had
been done on purpose.