A righte noble and pleasant history of the successors of Alexander surnamed the Great, taken out of Diodorus Siculus: and some of their lives written by the wise Plutarch. Translated out of French into Englysh. by Thomas Stocker

¶ After the death of Olympias, Cassander espouseth Thessalonice Alexander the great his sister, & foun∣deth the Citie of Cassander. And after he hath put in safe keeping Roxanne and Alexāder his sonne, he goeth into the countrey of Beote, and reedifi∣eth the Citie of Thebes.

The .xx. Chapter.

WHen Cassander thus gloriously & prosperously raigned, he affected the realme of Macedon, and the better to bring his purpose to passe, espou∣sed Thessalonice,* 1.1 Phillip his daughter and Alexander his sister both by father and mother, being always desirous to insinuate him selfe with the ligne royall. He likewise

in the countrey of Palene, within the Region of Mace∣done, found and built a citie named Cassandria,* 1.2 and peo∣pled it with inhabitaunts of the Cities of Cheronese and Potede, and diuerse other villages about the same Citie, and the remnaunt of the Olinthians. By whiche meane & also bycause of the great & fertile territorie, he laid and gaue thereto and by other ways he tooke, wherewith on hand to enlarge and make it great. The Citie in short time became so mightie and riche, that it was named to be the greatest and worshipfullest amongs all the Citi∣es of Macedone. Nowe had Cassander purposed to put to death Alexander his sonne, and Roxanne his mother: to the end, there shoulde no more of Alexanders ligne re∣mayne on liue. But before he would execute this execra∣ble murder, he stayed, first to vnderstand what the Ma∣cedonians thought of the death of Olympias, & what talke was emongs them: togither what Antigone did in A∣sie. Wherefore he all that while caused Roxanne and hir sonne to be brought into the Castle of Amphipolis, and charged Glaucias Captayne thereof and one whome he greatly trusted with the kéeping of them, commaunding him to vse and treat them no other wayes but as com∣mon persones, laying al princilie honours and dignities towardes them aparte, and to put away all the children which had ben brought vp with the said Sonne of Alex∣ander, as his playe fellowes. After that, he tooke vppon him the aucthoritie and gouernement as King, and cau∣sed solemne exequies for Euridice and Phillip, whome O∣lympias had made be murdred, to be celebrated, & with great pompe and solemnitie entombed them in a tombe royall with y^e Kings their predecessours, making sports and pastimes, at those dayes accustomed. That done, he leuied a great numbre of men of warre in the countrey of Macedone, to go into Peloponese. While Cassander was thus occupied, and that Polispercon who laye besie∣ged in the Citie of Naxe, in the Region of Perrheby, vn∣derstood

of Olympias death, apperceyuing no lōger hope for him to take in hand to rule the affaires of Macedo∣ne. priuilie by night stoale out of the Citie with a fewe of his people, and passing through Thessaly, tooke the Soul∣diours with Eucide, and trauelled into Ethole (where he was verie well beloued) to see what retinue or traine would there gouerne the affaires of Macedone, hoping to find some mutacion or chaunge. After Cassander had assembled a mightie armie, he sped him into Peleponnese to chase Alexander the Sonne of Polispercon, bycause there was not one of his enimies which hadde an whole armie but he, who also had fortified and furnished all the Townes and Castles of the same Countrey, by hym thought most meete and defensible. Thus without em∣pechement or stoppe, passed Cassander through the coun∣trey of Thessaly. But after he was come to the entrie of the Piles the Etholian. kept him such play, and so stoutly resisted him, that with great and difficult payne, he per∣force wanne the passage: but after he was passed & had entred the countrey of Beote, he sped him to bring backe and agayne to assemble all the Thebanes, and to restore and reedifie the Citie of Thebes, thinking be should ther∣by get both great praise and immortall fame: aswell for the high and incomparable facts of the same Citie, as also for the maruellous reports which came thereon. And bycause it had ben greatly altered and chaunged, & oftentimes made desolate, I thinke good to make some notable declaration of the fortunes and chaunces that thereto happened.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Thessalonice.
• * 1.2

  The Citie of Cassandria.