scenes
of festivity, congratulation, and rejoicing. He was looking forward to
a very brilliant career considering all the deeds that he had done and
all the glory which he had acquired as only the introduction and
prelude to the far more distinguished and conspicuous part which he
was intending to perform.

Alexander, in the mean time, ardent and impetuous, and eager for glory
as he was, looked upon the position and prospects of his father with
some envy and jealousy. He was impatient to be monarch himself. His
taking sides so promptly with his mother in the domestic quarrel was
partly owing to the feeling that his father was a hinderance and an
obstacle in the way of his own greatness and fame. He felt within
himself powers and capacities qualifying him to take his father's
place, and reap for himself the harvest of glory and power which
seemed to await the Grecian armies in the coming campaign. While
his father lived, however, he could be only a prince; influential,
accomplished, and popular, it is true, but still without any
substantial and independent power. He was restless and uneasy at the
thought that, as his father was in the prime and vigor of manhood,
many long years must elapse before he could emerge from this confined
and subordinate condition. His restlessness and uneasiness were,
however, suddenly ended by a very extraordinary occurrence, which
called him, with scarcely an hour's notice, to take his father's place
upon the throne.

CHAPTER II.

BEGINNING OF HIS REIGN.

B.C. 336

Philip is reconciled to Olympias and Alexander.--Olympias and Alexander
returned.--The great wedding.--Preparations for the wedding.--Costly
presents.--Celebration of the wedding.--Games and spectacles.--Statues
of the gods.--Military procession.--Appearance of Philip.--The
scene changed.--Assassination of Philip.--Alexander proclaimed
king.--Alexander's speech.--Demosthenes' Philippics.--The Greeks
suspected of the murder.--The Persians also.--Alexander's new
position.--His designs.--Murderers of Philip punished.--Alexander's
first acts.--Parmenio.--Cities of Southern Greece.--Map of Macedon and
Greece.--Athens and Corinth.--Thebes.--Sparta.--Conquests of
Philip.--Alexander marches southward.--Pass of Thermopylae.--The
Amphictyonic Council.--March through Thessaly.--Alexander's traits of
character.--The Thessalians join Alexander.--He sits in the Amphictyonic
Council.--Thermopylae.--Leonidas and his Spartans.--Death