posed were inactive and silent while
Alexander was in their country, on his first visit to southern Greece;
but after his return they began to contemplate more decisive action,
and afterward, when they heard of his having undertaken so desperate
an enterprise as going northward with his forces, and actually
crossing the Danube, they considered him as so completely out of the
way that they grew very courageous, and meditated open rebellion.

The city of Thebes did at length rebel. Philip had conquered this city
in former struggles, and had left a Macedonian garrison there in the
citadel. The name of the citadel was Cadmeia. The officers of the
garrison, supposing that all was secure, left the soldiers in the
citadel, and came, themselves, down to the city to reside. Things were
in this condition when the rebellion against Alexander's authority
broke out. They killed the officers who were in the city, and summoned
the garrison to surrender. The garrison refused, and the Thebans
besieged it.

This outbreak against Alexander's authority was in a great measure the
work of the great orator Demosthenes, who spared no exertions to
arouse the southern states of Greece to resist Alexander's dominion.
He especially exerted all the powers of his eloquence in Athens in the
endeavor to bring over the Athenians to take sides against Alexander.

While things were in this state--the Thebans having understood that
Alexander had been killed at the north, and supposing that, at all
events, if this report should not be true, he was, without doubt,
still far away, involved in contentions with the barbarian nations,
from which it was not to be expected that he could be very speedily
extricated--the whole city was suddenly thrown into consternation by
the report that a large Macedonian army was approaching from the
north, with Alexander at its head, and that it was, in fact, close
upon them.

It was now, however, too late for the Thebans to repent of what they
had done. They were far too deeply impressed with a conviction of the
decision and energy of Alexander's character, as manifested in the
whole course of his proceedings since he began to reign, and
especially by his sudden reappearance among them so soon after this
outbreak against his authority, to imagine that there was now any hope
for them except in determined and successful resistance. They shut
themselves up, therefore, in their city, and prepared to defend
themselves to the l