tionate greetings of the
assembled citizens. When the tumult of his reception had subsided he
listened patiently to the debate. The opinion which he pronounced was
usually ratified by the vote of the assembly; and he then left the
theatre amidst the same cheers which had greeted his arrival. In this
happy and honoured condition he breathed his last in B.C. 336, a few
years after the battle of Crimesus. He was splendidly interred at the
public cost, whilst the tears of the whole Syracusan population
followed him to the grave.

CHAPTER XIX.

PHILIP OF MACEDON, B.C. 359-336.

The internal dissensions of Greece produced their natural fruits; and
we shall have now to relate the downfall of her independence and her
subjugation by a foreign power. This power was Macedonia, an obscure
state to the north of Thessaly, hitherto overlooked and despised, and
considered as altogether barbarous, and without the pale of Grecian
civilization. But though the Macedonians were not Greeks, their
sovereigns claimed to be descended from an Hellenic race, namely, that
of Temenus of Argos; and it is said that Alexander I. proved his Argive
descent previously to contending at the Olympic games. Perdiccas is
commonly regarded as the founder of the monarchy; of the history of
which, however, little is known till the reign of Amyntas I., his fifth
successor, who was contemporary with the Pisistratidae at Athens.
Under Amyntas, who submitted to the satrap Megabyzus, Macedonia became
subject to Persia, and remained so till after the battle of Plataea.
The reigns of the succeeding sovereigns present little that is
remarkable, with the exception of that of Archelaus (B.C. 413). This
monarch transferred his residence from AEgae to Pella, which thus
became the capital. He entertained many literary men at his court,
such as Euripides, who ended his days at Pella. Archelaus was
assassinated in B.C. 399, and the crown devolved upon Amyntas II., a
representative of the ancient line. Amyntas left three sons, the
youngest being the celebrated Philip, of whom we have now to speak.

It has been already mentioned that the youthful Philip was one of the
hostages delivered to the Thebans as security for the peace effected by
Pelopidas. His residence at Thebes gave him some tincture of Grecian
philosophy and literature; but the most important lesson which he
learned at that city was the art of war, with all the improved tactics
introduced by Epa