demetrius-第6章

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as　far　as　Thermopylae；　routed　him　and　became　master　of　Heraclea；　which　came　over　to　him　voluntarily；　and　of　a　body　of　six　thousand　Macedonians；　which　also　joined　him。　Returning　hence；　he　gave　their　liberty　to　all　the　Greeks　on　this　side　Thermopylae；　and　made　alliance　with　the　Boeotians；　took　Cenchreae；　and　reducing　the　fortresses　of　Phyle　and　Panactum；　in　which　were　garrisons　of　Cassander；　restored　them　to　the　Athenians。　They；　in　requital；　though　they　had　before　been　so　profuse　in　bestowing　honours　upon　him　that　one　would　have　thought　they　had　exhausted　all　the　capacities　of　invention；　showed　they　had　still　new　refinements　of　adulation　to　devise　for　him。　They　gave　him；　as　his　lodging；　the　back　temple　in　the　Parthenon；　and　here　he　lived；　under　the　immediate　roof　as　they　meant　it　to　imply；　of　his　hostess；　Minerva…　no　reputable　or　well…conducted　guest　to　be　quartered　upon　a　maiden　goddess！　When　his　brother　Philip　was　once　put　into　a　house　where　three　young　women　were　living；　Antigonus；　saying　nothing　to　him；　sent　for　his　quartermaster；　and　told　him；　in　the　young　man's　presence；　to　find　some　less　crowded　lodgings　for　him。　　　Demetrius；　however；　who　should；　to　say　the　least；　have　paid　the　goddess　the　respect　due　to　an　elder　sister；　for　that　was　the　purport　of　the　city's　compliment；　filled　the　temple　with　such　pollutions　that　the　place　seemed　least　profaned　when　his　licence　confined　itself　to　common　women　like　Chrysis；　Lamia；　Demo；　and　Anticyra。　　　The　fair　name　of　the　city　forbids　any　further　plain　particulars；　let　us　only　record　the　severe　virtue　of　the　young　Damocles；　surnamed；　and　by　that　surname　pointed　out　to　Demetrius；　the　beautiful；　who；　to　escape　importunities；　avoided　every　place　of　resort；　and　when　at　last　followed　into　a　private　bathing　room　by　Demetrius；　seeing　none　at　hand　to　help　or　deliver；　seized　the　lid　from　the　cauldron；　and；　plunging　into　the　boiling　water；　sought　a　death　untimely　and　unmerited；　but　worthy　of　the　country　and　of　the　beauty　that　occasioned　it。　Not　so　Cleaenetus；　the　son　of　Cleomedon；　who；　to　obtain　from　Demetrius　a　letter　of　intercession　to　the　people　in　behalf　of　his　father；　lately　condemned　in　a　fine　of　fifty　talents；　disgraced　himself；　and　got　the　city　into　trouble。　In　deference　to　the　letter；　they　remitted　the　fine；　yet　they　made　an　edict　prohibiting　any　citizen　for　the　future　to　bring　letters　from　Demetrius。　But　being　informed　that　Demetrius　resented　this　as　a　great　indignity；　they　not　only　rescinded　in　alarm　the　former　order；　but　put　some　of　the　proposers　and　advisers　of　it　to　death　and　banished　others；　and　furthermore　enacted　and　decreed；　that　whatsoever　King　Demetrius　should　in　time　to　come　ordain；　should　be　accounted　right　towards　the　gods　and　just　towards　men；　and　when　one　of　the　better　class　of　citizens　said　Stratocles　must　be　mad　to　use　such　words；　Demochares　of　Leuconoe　observed　he　would　be　a　fool　not　to　be　mad。　For　Stratocles　was　well　rewarded　for　his　flatteries；　and　the　saying　was　remembered　against　Demochares；　who　was　soon　after　sent　into　banishment。　So　fared　the　Athenians；　after　being　relieved　of　the　foreign　garrison；　and　recovering　what　was　called　their　liberty。　　　After　this　Demetrius　marched　with　his　forces　into　Peloponnesus；　where　he　met　with　none　to　oppose　him；　his　enemies　flying　before　him；　and　allowing　the　cities　to　join　him。　He　received　into　friendship　all　Acte；　as　it　is　called；　and　all　Arcadia　except　Mantinea。　He　bought　the　liberty　of　Argos；　Corinth；　and　Sicyon；　by　paying　a　hundred　talents　to　their　garrisons　to　evacuate　them。　At　Argos；　during　the　feast　of　Juno；　which　happened　at　the　time；　he　presided　at　the　games；　and；　joining　in　the　festivities　with　the　of　the　Greeks　assembled　there；　he　celebrated　his　marriage　with　Deidamia；　daughter　of　Aeacides；　King　of　the　Molossians；　and　sister　of　Pyrrhus。　At　Sicyon　he　told　the　people　they　had　put　the　city　just　outside　of　the　city；　and；　persuading　them　to　remove　to　where　they　now　live；　gave　their　town　not　only　a　new　site　but　a　new　name；　Demetrias；　after　himself。　A　general　assembly　met　on　the　Isthmus；　where　he　was　proclaimed；　by　a　great　concourse　of　the　people；　the　Commander　of　Greece；　like　Philip　and　Alexander　of　old；　whose　superior　he；　in　the　present　height　of　his　prosperity　and　power；　was　willing　enough　to　consider　himself；　and　certainly；　in　one　respect；　he　outdid　Alexander；　who　never　refused　their　title　to　other　kings；　or　took　on　himself　the　style　of　king　of　kings；　though　many　kings　received　both　their　title　and　their　authority　as　such　from　him；　whereas　Demetrius　used　to　ridicule　those　who　gave　the　name　of　king　to　any　except　himself　and　his　father；　and　in　his　entertainments　was　well　pleased　when　his　followers；　after　drinking　to　him　and　his　father　as　kings；　went　on　to　drink　the　healths　of　Seleucus；　with　the　title　of　Master　of　the　Elephants；　of　Ptolemy；　by　the　name　of　High　Admiral；　of　Lysimachus；　with　the　addition　of　Treasurer；　and　of　Agathocles；　with　the　style　of　Governor　of　the　Island　of　Sicily。　The　other　kings　merely　laughed　when　they　were　told　of　this　vanity；　Lysimachus　alone　expressed　some　indignation　at　being　considered　a　eunuch；　such　being　usually　then　selected　for　the　office　of　treasurer。　And；　in　general；　there　was　a　more　bitter　enmity　between　him　and　Lysimachus　than　with　any　of　the　others。　Once；　as　a　scoff　at　his　passion　for　Lamia；　Lysimachus　said　he　had　never　before　seen　a　courtesan　act　a　queen's　part；　to　which　Demetrius　rejoined　that　his　mistress　was　quite　as　honest　as　Lysimachus's　own　Penelope。　　　But　to　proceed。　Demetrius　being　about　to　return　to　Athens；　signified　by　letter　to　the　city　that　he　desired　immediate　admission　to　the　rites　of　initiation　into　the　Mysteries；　and　wished　to　go　through　all　the　stages　of　the　ceremony；　from　first　to　last；　without　delay。　This　was　absolutely　contrary　to　the　rules；　and　a　thing　which　had　never　been　allowed　before；　for　the　lesser　mysteries　were　celebrated　in　the　month　of　Anthesterion；　and　the　great　solemnity　in　Boedromion；　and　none　of　the　novices　were　finally　admitted　till　they　had　completed　a　year　after　this　latter。　Yet　all　this　notwithstanding；　when　in　the　public　assembly　these　letters　of　Demetrius　were　produced　and　read；　there　was　not　one　single　person　who　had　the　courage　to　oppose　them；　except　Pythodorus；　the　torch…bearer。　But　it　signified　nothing；　for　Stratocles　at　once　proposed　that　the　month　of　Munychion；　then　current；　should　by　edict　be　reputed　to　be　the　month　of　Anthesterion；　which　being　voted　and　done；　and　Demetrius　thereby　admitted　to　the　lesser　ceremonies；　by　another　vote　they　turned　the　same　month　of　Munychion　into　the　other　month　of　Boedromion；　the　celebration　of　the　greater　mysteries　ensued；　and　Demetrius　was　fully　admitted。　These　proceedings　gave　the　comedian；　Philippides；　a　new　occasion　to　exercise　his　wit　upon　Stratocles…

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃　　　…whose　flattering　fear　　　　　　　　　　Into　one　month　hath　crowded　all　the　year。〃

And　on　the　vote　that　Demetrius　should　lodge　in　the　Parthenon…

　　　　　　　　　〃Who　turns　the　temple　to　a　common　inn；　　　　　　　　　　　And　makes　the　Virgin's　house　a　house　of　sin。〃

　　Of　all　the　disreputable　and　flagitious　acts　of　which　he　was　guilty　in　this　visit；　one　that　particularly　hurt　the　feelings　of　the　Athenians　was　that；　having　given　command　that　they　should　forthwith　raise　for　his　service　two　hundred　and　fifty　talents；　and　they　to　comply　with　his　demands　being　forced　to　levy　it　upon　the　people　with　the　utmost　rigour　and　severity；　when　they　presented　him　with　the　money　which　they　had　with　such　difficulty　raised；　as　if　it　were　a　trifling　sum；　he　ordered　it　to　be　given　to　Lamia　and　the　rest　of　his　women；　to　buy　soap。　The　loss；　which　was　bad　enough；　was　less　galling　than　the　shame；　and　the　words　more　intolerable　than　the　act　which　they　accompanied。　Though；　indeed；　the　story　is　variously　reported；　and　some　say　it　was　the　Thessalians；　and　not　the　Athenians；　who　were　thus　treated。　Lamia；　however；　exacted　contributions　herself　to　pay　for　an　entertainment　she　gave　to　the　king；　and　her　banquet　was　so　renowned　for　its　sumptuosity　that　a　description　of　it　was　drawn　up　by　the　Samian　writer；　Lynceus。　Upon　this　occasion；　one　of　the　comic　writers　gave　Lamia　the　name　of　the　real　Helepolis；　and　Demochares　of　Soli　called　Demetrius　Mythus；　because　the　fable　always　has　its　Lamia；　and　s