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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.54.1-18.54.4

Cassander's Flight to Asia and Alliance with Antigonus

Passage 55 of 301 · Greek

Summary

The author shifts the narrative to Europe, recounting how Cassander, having failed to secure Macedonia, feigned complacency while secretly fleeing to Asia to ally with Antigonus, who eagerly supported him for his own expansionist motives.

§18.54.1νυνὶ δʼ ἀρκούντως τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν διεληλυθότες μεταβησόμεθα πρὸς τὰς κατὰ τὴν Εὐρώπην συντελεσθείσας πράξεις.
Now, having gone through the matters in Asia sufficiently, we shall transition to the actions accomplished in Europe.
Κάσανδρος γὰρ ἀποτετευχὼς τῆς κατὰ τὴν Μακεδονίαν ἡγεμονίας οὐκ ἔπτηξεν, ἀλλʼ ἔκρινεν ἀντέχεσθαι ταύτης, αἰσχρὸν εἶναι διαλαμβάνων τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀρχὴν ὑφʼ ἑτέρων διοικεῖσθαι.
For Cassander, although he had failed to obtain the leadership of Macedonia, did not cower, but decided to hold fast to it, considering it to be a shameful thing that his father's domain should be administered by others.
§18.54.2ὁρῶν δὲ τὴν τῶν Μακεδόνων ὁρμὴν κεκλιμένην πρὸς τὸν Πολυπέρχοντα τῶν μὲν φίλων οἷς ἐπίστευε κατʼ ἰδίαν προσδιαλεγόμενος ἐξέπεμπεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἀνυπόπτως, αὐτὸς δʼ ἐφʼ ἡμέρας τινὰς σχολάσας ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας καὶ κυνήγια συνιστάμενος ἐγέννησε περὶ αὑτοῦ διάληψιν ὡς οὐκ ἀντιποιούμενος τῆς ἀρχῆς.
And seeing that the impulse of the Macedonians was inclined toward Polyperchon, he spoke privately with those of his friends whom he trusted and sent them off to the Hellespont in such a way as to avoid suspicion; he himself, spending some leisure time in the countryside for a few days and organizing hunts, created the impression about himself that he was not contesting the rule.
§18.54.3ὡς δʼ εὐτρεπῆ πάντα ἦν αὐτῷ τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀποδημίαν, ἔλαθεν ἀναζεύξας ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας.
But when all things for his departure were ready for him, he departed from Macedonia without being noticed.
καταντήσας δʼ εἰς τὴν Χερρόνησον κἀκεῖθεν ἀναζεύξας παρῆλθεν εἰς Ἑλλήσποντον.
Arriving at the Chersonese and setting out from there, he came to the Hellespont.
διαπλεύσας δʼ εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν πρὸς Ἀντίγονον ἠξίου βοηθεῖν αὐτῷ, φήσας καὶ Πτολεμαῖον ἐπηγγέλθαι συμμαχήσειν.
And having crossed over into Asia to Antigonus, he requested him to help him, saying that Ptolemy also had promised to make an alliance.
ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος προθύμως αὐτὸν προσδεξάμενος ἐπηγγείλατο πάντα συμπράξειν προθύμως αὐτῷ καὶ δύναμιν παραχρῆμα δώσειν πεζικήν τε καὶ ναυτικήν.
And Antigonus received him eagerly and promised to cooperate with him eagerly in everything and to give him immediately both a land and naval force.
§18.54.4ταῦτα δʼ ἔπραττε προσποιούμενος διὰ τὴν πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον φιλίαν συνεργεῖν, τῇ δʼ ἀληθείᾳ βουλόμενος τοὺς περὶ Πολυπέρχοντα πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους περισπασμοὺς ἔχειν, ὅπως αὐτὸς ἀκινδύνως τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπέλθῃ καὶ τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἡγεμονίαν εἰς αὑτὸν περιστήσῃ.
And he did these things pretending to cooperate because of his friendship with Antipater, but in truth wishing that Polyperchon and his associates should have many and great distractions, so that he himself might overrun Asia without danger and bring the supreme command of the whole into his own hands.

Notes

  1. §18.54.1ἀποτετευχὼς — The perfect active participle of the verb ἀποτυγχάνω (to fail, miss), which governs the genitive τῆς ... ἡγεμονίας. It is used here with a concessive force, indicating that Cassander had failed to secure the leadership.
  2. §18.54.2ὡς οὐκ ἀντιποιούμενος — The participle with the conjunction ὡς (nominative masculine singular, agreeing with the subject Cassander) expresses the subjective impression or pretext (διάληψιν) created around him, meaning 'as if he were not contesting the rule'.
  3. §18.54.3ἔλαθεν ἀναζεύξας — An idiomatic construction of λανθάνω with a participle, meaning 'to do something secretly' or 'without being noticed'. The combination of the aorist indicative ἔλαθεν and the aorist participle ἀναζεύξας means 'he departed secretly'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.54.1-18.54.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.54.1-18.54.4

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