Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/144

 136 DEMETRIUS. Erasistratus, reasoning upon these symptoms, and, upon the probability of things, considering that the king's son would hardly, if the object of his passion had been any other, have persisted to death rather than reveal it, felt, however, the difficulty of making a discovery of this nature to Seleucus. But, trusting to the tenderness of Seleucus for the young man, he put on all the assurance he could, and at last, on some opportunity, spoke out, and told him the malady was love, a love impossible to gratify or relieve. The king was extremely surprised, and asked, " Why impossible to relieve ? " " The fact is," replied Erasistratus, " he is in love with my wife." " How ! " said Seleucus, " and will our friend Erasistratus refuse to be- stow his wife upon my son and only successor, when there is no other way to save his life?" "You," rejjlied Erasi- stratus, " who are his father, would not do so, if he were in love with Stratonice." "Ah, my friend," answered Seleucus, " would to heaven any means, human or divine, could but convert his present passion to that ; it would be well for me to part not only with Stratonice, but with my empire, to save Antiochus." This he said with the greatest passion, shedding tears as he spoke ; upon which Erasistratus, taking him by the hand, replied, "In that case, you have no need of Erasistratus ; for you, who are the husband, the father, and the king, are the proper physician for your own family." Seleucus, accordingly, summoning a general assembly of his people, declared to them, that he had resolved to make Antiochus king, and Stratonice queen, of all the provinces of Upper Asia, unit- ing them in marriage ; telling them, that he thought he had sufficient power over the prince's will, that he should find in him no repugnance to obey his commands; and for Stratonice, he hoped all his friends would endeavor to make her sensible, if she should manifest any reluctance to such a marriage, that she ought to esteem those things