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,