Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/40

 g HISTORY OF GRKKCE. ined thut there still remained some undetected.^ The Per.-ian kino' boasted in public letters,'^ with how much truth we canuot say, that he too had been among the instigators of Pausanias. Among the persons slain about this time by Alexander, we mav number his first-cousin and brother-in-law Amyntas — son of Perdikkas (the elder brother of the deceased Philip) : Amyn- tas was a boy when his father Perdikkas died. Though having a preferable claim to the succession, according to usage, he had been put aside by his uncle Philip, on the ground of his age and of the strenuous etforts required on commencing a new reign. Philip had Iwwever given in marriage to this Amyntas his daughter (by an lUyrian mother) Kynna. Nevertheless, Alex- ander now put him to death,® on accusation of conspiracy : under what precise circumstances, does not appear — but probably Amyntas (who besides being the son of Philip's elder brother, was at least twenty-four years of age, while Alexander was onlj twenty) conceived himself as having a better right to the succes- sion, and was so conceived by many others. The infjxnt son of Kleopatra by Philip is said to have been killed by Alexander, as a rival in the succession ; Kleopatra herself was afterwards put to death by Olympias during his absence, and to his regret. Attalus, also, uncle of Kleopatra and joint commander of the Macedonian army in Asia, was assassinated under the private ' Phitartli, Alcxand. 10-27 ; Diodor. xvii. 51 : Justin, xi. 11. '■^ Arrian, ii. 14, 10. ' Cuvtius, vi. 9, 17. vi. 10, 24. Airian mentioned this Amyntas son of Perdikkas (as well as the fact of his having been put to death by Alexander before tiie Asiatic expedition), in the lost work ru /le-u 'A/.eiav6pov — see Photius Cod. 92. p. 220. But Arrian, in his account of Alexander's expedi tlon, does ml mention the fact ; which shows that his silence is not to be as- sumed as a conclusive reason for discrediting: allegations of others. Compare Polyainus, v. 60 ; and Plutarch, Fort. Alex. Magn. p. 327. It was during this expedition into Thrace and Illyria, about eight montlw after his accession, that Alexander promised to give his sister Kynna in marriage to Langarus prince of the Agrianes (Arrian, Exp. Al. M. i. 5, 7) Langarus died of sickness soon after; so that this marriage never took place. But when the promise was made, Kynna must have been a widow. Her husband Amyntas must therefore have been put to death during the first months cf Alexander's reisu.