[140] Arrian, iv. 13, 1. Ἐκ Φιλίππου ἦν ἤδη καθεστηκὸς, τῶν ἐν
τέλει Μακεδόνων τοὺς παῖδας, ὅσοι ἐς ἡλικίαν ἐμειρακίσαντο,
καταλέγεσθαι ἐς θεραπείαν τοῦ βασιλέως. Τὰ δὲ περὶ τὴν ἄλλην
δίαιταν τοῦ σώματος διακονεῖσθαι βασιλεῖ, καὶ κοιμώμενον
φυλάσσειν, τούτοις ἐπετέτραπτο· καὶ ὁπότε ἐξελαύνοι βασιλεὺς,
τοὺς ἵππους παρὰ τῶν ἱπποκόμων δεχόμενοι ἐκεῖνοι προσῆγον, καὶ
ἀνέβαλον οὗτοι βασιλέα τὸν Περσικὸν τρόπον, καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ θήρᾳ
φιλοτιμίας βασιλεῖ κοινωνοὶ ἦσαν, etc.
Curtius, viii. 6. 1. “Mos erat principibus Macedonum adultos
liberos regibus tradere, ad munia haud multum servilibus
ministeriis abhorrentia. Excubabant servatis noctium vicibus
proximi foribus ejus ædis, in quâ rex aquiescebat. Per hos
pellices introducebantur, alio aditu quam quem armati obsidebant.
Iidem acceptos ab agasonibus equos, quum rex ascensurus esset,
admovebant; comitabanturque et venantem, et in præliis,
omnibus artibus studiorum liberalium exculti. Præcipuus honor
habebatur, quod licebat sedentibus vesci cum rege. Castigandi eos
verberibus nullius potestas præter ipsum erat. Hæc cohors velut
seminarium ducum præfectorumque apud Macedonas fuit: hinc habuere
posteri reges, quorum stirpibus post multas ætates Romani opes
ademerunt.” Compare Curtius, v. 6, 42; and Ælian, V. H. xiv. 49.
This information is interesting, as an illustration of Macedonian
manners and customs, which are very little known to us. In the
last hours of the Macedonian monarchy, after the defeat at Pydna
(168 B. C.), the _pueri regii_ followed the defeated
king Perseus to the sanctuary at Samothrace, and never quitted
him until the moment when he surrendered himself to the Romans
(Livy, xlv. 5).
As an illustration of the scourging, applied as a punishment to
these young Macedonians of rank, see the case of Dekamnichus,
handed over by king Archelaus to Euripides, to be flogged
(Aristotle, Polit. v. 8, 13).
[141] Curtius, v. 6, 42; Diodor. xvii. 65.
[142] We read this about the youthful Philippus, brother of
Lysimachus (Curtius, viii. 2, 36).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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