Greece -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
XLIX. Shortly afterwards Seleukus made his appearance, and pitched his
camp hard by. Demetrius now got his men under arms in the night and
started to surprise Seleukus, whose army expected no attack, and was for
the most part asleep. When he was informed of his danger by some
deserters he leaped up in terror, and began putting on his boots and
shouting to his friends that a savage beast was coming to attack them.
Demetrius, observing from the noise which filled the enemy's camp that
they had notice of his attempt, quickly marched back again. He was
attacked at daybreak by Seleukus, and gained some advantage by a flank
attack. But now Seleukus himself dismounted, took off his helmet, and
with only a small shield in his hand went up to the mercenary troops of
Demetrius, showing himself to them and inviting them to join him. They
knew that he had for a long time refrained from attacking them out of a
wish to spare their lives, and not for the sake of Demetrius; and they
all greeted him, saluted him as King, and joined his army. Demetrius,
who had seen so many turns of good and ill fortune, felt that this blow
was final. He fled towards the pass of Amanus, and with a few friends
and attendants took refuge in a thick wood for the night, hoping to be
able to gain the road to Kaunus and so to reach the sea, where he hoped
to find his fleet assembled. But when he found that his party had not
enough money to procure them provisions even for one day, he was forced
to adopt other plans. Soon, however, he was joined by Sosigenes, one of
his friends, who had four hundred gold pieces in his belt, and with this
treasure they hoped to be able to reach the sea, and started as soon as
it grew dark to make their way over the mountains. But when they saw the
enemy's watch-fires blazing all along the heights, they despaired of
effecting their passage by that route, and returned to the place whence
they had set out, diminished in numbers, for some had deserted, and
greatly disheartened. When one of them ventured to hint that Demetrius
ought to surrender himself to Seleukus, Demetrius seized his sword and
would have made away with himself, but his friends stood round him, and
at length talked him over into giving himself up. He sent a messenger to
Seleukus, putting himself unreservedly in his hands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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