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heroes of the Iliad. According to the traditions of his family, the
blood of Achilles actually ran in the veins of Alexander; [His mother
Olympias was the daughter of Neoptolemus, king of Epirus who claimed
descent from Pyrrhus, the son of Achilles.] and Lysimachus nourished
the feeling which that circumstance was calculated to awaken by giving
him the name of that hero, whilst he called Philip Peleus, and himself
Phoenix. But the most striking feature in Alexander's education was,
that he had Aristotle for his teacher, and that thus the greatest
conqueror of the material world received the instructions of him who
has exercised the most extensive empire over the human intellect. It
was probably at about the age of thirteen that he first received the
lessons of Aristotle, and they can hardly have continued more than
three years, for Alexander soon left the schools for the employments of
active life. At the age of sixteen we find him regent of Macedonia
during Philip's absence; and at eighteen we have seen him filling a
prominent military post at the battle of Chaeronea.

On succeeding to the throne Alexander announced his intention of
prosecuting his father's expedition into Asia; but it was first
necessary for him to settle the affairs of Greece, where the news of
Philip's assassination, and the accession of so young a prince, had
excited in several states a hope of shaking off the Macedonian yoke.
Athens was the centre of these movements. Demosthenes, although in
mourning for the recent loss of an only daughter, now came abroad
dressed in white, and crowned with a chaplet, in which attire he was
seen sacrificing at one of the public altars. He also moved a decree
that Philip's death should be celebrated by a public thanksgiving, and
that religious honours should be paid to the memory of Pausanias. At
the same time he made vigorous preparations for action. He despatched
envoys to the principal Grecian states for the purpose of inciting them
against Macedon. Sparta, and the whole Peloponnesus, with the
exception of Megalopolis and Messenia, seemed inclined to shake off
their compulsory alliance. Even the Thebans rose against the dominant
oligarchy, although the Cadmea was in the hands of the Macedonians.

The activity of Alexander disconcerted all these movements. Having
marched through Thessaly, he assembled the Amphictyonic council at
Thermopylae, who conferred upon him the command with which they had
in