The Histories

​These events occurred prior to the deliberations at the court of Philip, as we have shown; but since the former events were taken first in the order of the narrative, it was necessary to handle these matters in such a way as to explain first the audiences and negotiations of the ambassadors, and their appointment and dispatch.

​But Agathocles, when he had removed the most prominent men out of the way, and had suppressed the greater part of the anger of the multitude by the payment of their wages, immediately returned to his original habits. And he filled up the vacancies among the Friends, ​introducing from the menial services and other offices the most worthless and audacious characters;

​and he himself spent the greater part of the day and night in drunkenness and the excesses that accompany it, sparing neither woman in her prime, nor bride, nor virgin, and doing all this with the most offensive ostentation.

​Consequently, while great and manifold dissatisfaction arose, and no remedy or relief was applied, but on the contrary fresh insolence, arrogance, and negligence were constantly added, ​the pre-existing hatred flared up again among the multitude, and everyone recalled the past misfortunes that had befallen the kingdom because of these men.

​But having no trustworthy person to lead them, and through whom they could vent their anger against Agathocles and Agathoclea, they remained quiet, still anxiously awaiting their one remaining hope in Tlepolemus and clinging to it.

​Tlepolemus, as long as the king lived, had attended to his own affairs; but immediately upon the king’s death, having quickly conciliated the populace, he became governor again of the districts around Pelusium.

​At first he made his reports of his actions with an eye to the interest of the king, being convinced that there would be some council which would have both the guardianship of the boy and the administration of the whole state.

​But when he saw that the men worthy of the guardianship had been removed, and that Agathocles was presuming to take the administration of the whole state upon himself, he quickly changed his mind. Apprehensive of the danger that lay before him on account of the existing enmity between them, he began to collect forces around himself and busy himself with the provision of funds, so that he might not be an easy prey to any of his enemies.

​At the same time, he did not despair of the guardianship of the boy and the administration of the whole state coming to himself, thinking that even in his own judgment he was more worthy in every way than Agathocles, and still more so because he learned that both the forces under his own command and those in Alexandria placed their hopes in him for putting an end to the insolence of Agathocles.

​Such being the state of feeling about him, the quarrel quickly grew, both parties contributing to this result.

​For Tlepolemus, eager to win over the generals, captains, and those ranked under them, constantly arranged drinking parties; and during these gatherings, flattered partly by those who spoke to please him, and partly driven by his own impulse—being young, and the conversation taking place over wine—he threw out remarks against the family of Agathocles, at first enigmatic, then ambiguous, and finally overt and containing the most bitter abuse.

​For he attacked the copyist, the harp-player, and the hair-dresser, and further the boy who, when serving as the king’s cupbearer in his childhood, had done and submitted to everything at drinking parties.

​Since those present always laughed at these things and contributed to the mockery, the matter quickly reached the ears of Agathocles and his faction.

​When the enmity became open, Agathocles immediately set on foot a slander against Tlepolemus, alleging that he was disloyal to the king and was inviting Antiochus to take over the government.

​And he was well supplied with many plausible arguments to this effect, partly by misinterpreting and distorting actual occurrences, and partly by inventing and fabricating them from the ground up.

​He did this wishing to excite the multitude against Tlepolemus; but the contrary happened. For the populace had long placed their hopes in the latter, and saw with great pleasure the quarrel breaking out.

​The beginning of the popular outbreak arose from causes of this kind. Nikon, a relative of Agathocles’ faction, had been appointed commander of the fleet during the king’s lifetime; but at that time...