edonia and of his father's wide
conquests.

The Macedonian phalanx, which formed the pride and sinews of every
army, were equally held by their deep-rooted loyalty to the memory of
Alexander, whether they were fighting for Ptolemy or for Antigonus, and
equally thought that they were guarding a province for his heir; and it
was through fear of loosening their hold upon the faithfulness of these
their best troops that Ptolemy and his rivals alike chose to govern
their kingdoms under the unpretending title of lieutenants of the King
of Macedonia. Hence, upon the death of Alexander AEgus, there was a
throne, or at least a state prison, left empty for a new claimant.
Polysperchon, an old general of Alexander's army, then thought that he
saw a way to turn Cassander out of Macedonia, by the help of Hercules,
the natural son of Alexander by Barce; and, having proclaimed him king,
he led him with a strong army against Cassander. But Polysperchon wanted
either courage or means for what he had undertaken, and he soon yielded
to the bribes of Cassander and put Hercules to death.

The cities on the southern coast of Asia Minor yielded to Antigonus
obedience as slight as the ties which held them to one another. The
cities of Pamphylia and Cilicia, in their habits as in their situation,
were nearer the Syrians, and famous for their shipping. They all enjoyed
a full share of the trade and piracy of those seas, and were a tempting
prize to Ptolemy. The treaty of peace between the generals never
lessened their jealousy nor wholly stopped the warfare, and the
next year Ptolemy, finding that his troops could hardly keep their
possessions in Cilicia, carried over an army in person to attack the
forces of Antigonus in Lycia. He landed at Phaselis, the frontier town
of Pamphylia, and, having carried that by storm, he moved westward along
the coast of Lycia. He made himself master of Xanthus, the capital,
which was garrisoned by the troops of Antigonus; and then of Caunus, a
strong place on the coast of Caria, with two citadels, one of which he
gained by force and the other by surrender. He then sailed to the island
of Cos, which he gained by the treachery of Ptolemy, the nephew of
Antigonus, who held it for his uncle, but who went over to the Egyptian
king with all his forces. By this success he gained the whole southern
coast of Asia Minor.

The brother and two children of Alexander having been in their turns,
as we have seen, murdered by