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The Life and Actions of Alexander the Great
The Life and Actions of Alexander the Great Author:John Williams Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ./Etat. 20.] MARCH INTO GRT'EPE. 35 CHAPTER III. Transactions in Eta-ope previous to the Invasion of Ana. Alexander had scarcely completed his twentieth... more » year when he was thus suddenly called to fill his father's place. His difficulties were great, and enemies were rising on every side. The federal empire established by Philip was threatened with instant dissolution. The barbarians on the west, north, and east of Macedonia were preparing to renounce their subjection, and resume their hostile and predatory habits. In southern Greece,Sparta, standing aloof from the general confederacy, claimed the supremacy as due to her, and presented a rallying point for the disaffected. Athens, smarting under her humiliation, and eager for novelty, was ready to renounce her forced acquiescence in the terms of the union, and renew her engagements with Persia. But Alexander was equal to the crisis. After punishing the murderers of his father, and arranging the internal affairs of Macedonia, he marched to the south at the head of a chosen body of troops. The Thessalians had been for many years the firm friends and supporters of the Macedonian kings. They had restored Amyntas to his throne; and Philip, in conjunction with the noble family of the Aleuadae, had rescued them from the domination of tyrants. The Thessalians, in return, elected him as the national chief, and under his patronage enjoyed peace and tranquillity, to which they had long been strangers. But as in all Grecian-states there existed violent factions, perhaps we ought to give credit to those historians who write that an attempt was made to occupy the pass of Tempe, and prevent Alexander from entering Thessaly. If such werethe case, it proved unavailing, and the king reached Larissa without any serious resistance. The gener...« less