his broad-brimmed
Macedonian hat, and heard his voice, they would go over to him in a
body. Indeed the name of Kraterus had great influence with the
Macedonians, and he was their favourite general now that Alexander was
dead, for they remembered how steadfast a friend Kraterus had proved
to them, and how he had often incurred the anger of Alexander by
opposing his adoption of Persian habits, and standing by his
countrymen when they were in danger of being neglected and despised by
a corrupt and effeminate court. Kraterus accordingly sent Antipater
into Cilicia, and himself with the greater part of the army marched
with Neoptolemus to fight Eumenes, whom he imagined he should catch
unawares, engaged in feasting and celebrating his late victory. It did
not argue any very great skill in Eumenes, that he soon became aware
of the march of Kraterus to attack him; but to conceal his own weak
points, not only from the enemy, but also from his own troops, and
actually to force them to attack Kraterus without knowing against whom
they fought, appears to me to have been the act of a consummate
general. He gave out that Neoptolemus and Pigres were about to attack
him a second time, with some Cappadocian and Paphlagonian cavalry. On
the night when he intended to start he fell asleep and dreamed a
strange dream. He seemed to see two Alexanders, each at the head of a
phalanx, preparing to fight one another. Then Athena came to help the
one, and Demeter the other. After a hard fight, that championed by
Athena was overcome, and then Demeter gathered ears of corn, and
crowned the victorious phalanx with them. He at once conceived that
this dream referred to himself because he was about to fight for a
most fertile land and one that abounded in corn; for at that time the
whole country was sown with wheat, as if it were time of peace, and
the fields promised an abundant harvest. He was confirmed in his idea
of the meaning of his dream when he heard that the watchword of the
enemy was 'Athena,' with the countersign 'Alexander.' Hearing this, he
himself gave the word 'Demeter,' with the countersign 'Alexander,' and
ordered all his soldiers to crown themselves and adorn their arms with
ears of wheat. He was often tempted to explain to his officers who it
was against whom they were about to fight; but in spite of the
inconvenience of such a secret, he decided finally to keep it to
himself.

VII. He was careful not to send any Macedonians to at