Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/498

 4GG HISTORY OF GREECE. neio-hborhood ; for his tliree predecessors^ had been all enterpris- ing chiefs, commanding a considerable aggressive force. At the commencement of his reign, indeed, the ascendency of Memnon and the Persian force in the north-western part of Asia Minor was at a higher pitch than ordinary ; it appears too that Klear- chus — and probably his successors also — had always taken care to keep on the best terms with the Persian court.^ But pre- sently came the invasion of Alexander (334 e. c), with the bat- tle of the Granikus, which totally extinguished the Persian I)Ower in Asia Minor, and was followed, after no long interval, by the entire conquest of the Persian empire. The Persian con- trol being now removed from Asia Minor — while Alexander with the great Macedonian force merely passed through it to the east, leaving viceroys beliind him — new hopes of indejiendence or aggrandizement began to arise among the native princes in Bithynia, Paphlagonia, and Kappadokia. The Bithynian prince even contended successfully in the field against Kalas, Avho had been appointed by Alexander as satrap in Phrygia.'* The He- rakleot Dionysius, on the other hand, enemy by position of these Bithynians, courted the new Macedonian potentates, playing his political game with much skill in every way. He kept his forces well in hand, and his dominions carefully guarded ; he ruled in a mild and popular manner, so as to preserve among the Herak- leots the same feelings of attachment which had been inspired by his predecessor. While the citizens of the neighboring Sinopo (as has been already related) sent their envoys to Darius, Dionysius kept his eyes upon Alexander ; taking care to estab- lish a footing at Pella, and being peculiarly assiduous in atten- tions to Alexander's sister, the princess Kleopatra.'' He was the better qualified for this courtly service, as he was a man of elegant and ostentatious tastes, and had purchased from his name- sake, the fallen Syracusan Dionysius, all the rich furniture of the Dionysian family, highly available for presents.^ ' We hear of Klearchus as having besieged Astakus (afterwards Nikomo- dia) — at the interior extremity of the north-eastern indentation of the Prs pontis, called the Gulf of Astakus (Plysenus, ii. 30, 3). ' Memnon, c. 1. ' Memnon, c. 20. * Memnon, c. 8.
 * Memnon, c. 3. See in this History, Vol. XI. Ch. Ixxxv. p. 154.