ten thousand macedonians sent home with craterus.—disputes between antipater and olympias.

then those of the macedonians who were unfit for service on account of age or any other misfortune, went back of their own accord, to the number of about 10,000. to these alexander gave the pay not only for the time which had already elapsed, but also for that which they would spend in returning home. he also gave to each man a talent in addition to his pay.881 if any of them had children by asiatic wives, he ordered them to leave them behind with him, lest they should introduce into macedonia a cause of discord, taking with them children by foreign women who were of a different race from the children whom they had left behind at home born of macedonian mothers. he promised to take care that they should be brought up as macedonians, educating them not only in general matters but also in the art of war. he also undertook to lead them into macedonia when they arrived at manhood, and hand them over to their fathers. these uncertain and obscure promises were made to them as they were departing; and he thought he was giving a most indubitable proof of the friendship and 391affection he had for them by sending with them, as their guardian and the leader of the expedition, craterus, the man most faithful to him, and whom he valued equally with himself.882 then, having saluted them all, he with tears dismissed them likewise weeping from his presence. he ordered craterus883 to lead these men back, and when he had done so, to take upon himself the government of macedonia, thrace, and thessaly, and to preside over the freedom of the greeks. he also ordered antipater to bring to him the macedonians of manly age as successors to those who were being sent back. he despatched polysperchon also with craterus, as his second in command, so that if any mishap befell craterus on the march (for he was sending him back on account of the weakness of his health), those who were going might not be in need of a general.884 a secret report was also going about that alexander was now overcome by his mother’s accusations of antipater, and that he wished to remove him from macedonia.885 this report was current among those who thought that royal actions are more worthy of honour in proportion to their secrecy, and who were inclined to impute what is worthy of belief to a bad motive rather 392than to attribute it to the real one; a course to which they were led by appearances and their own depravity. but probably this sending for antipater was not designed for his dishonour, but rather to prevent any unpleasant consequences to antipater and olympias from their quarrel which he might not himself be able to rectify. for they were incessantly writing to alexander, the former saying that the arrogance, acerbity, and meddlesomeness of olympias was exceedingly unbecoming to the king’s mother; insomuch that alexander was related to have used the following remark in reference to the reports which he received about his mother:—that she was exacting from him a heavy house-rent for the ten months.886 the queen wrote that antipater was overweeningly insolent in his pretensions and in the service of his court, no longer remembering the one who had appointed him, but claiming to win and hold the first rank887 among the macedonians and greeks. these slanderous reports about antipater appeared to have more weight with alexander, since they were more formidable in regard to the regal dignity. however no overt act or word of the king was reported, from which any one could infer that antipater was in any way less in favour with him than before.