Delphi Complete Works of Quintus Curtius Rufus

by Quintus Curtius Rufus

[17] Then in the second watch, when the lights had been put out, there came to the king’s tent, with a few others, Hephaestion, Craterus, Coenus, and Erigyius, these from the number of his friends, and from the body-guard Perdiccas and Leonnatus. By these it was ordered that those who were on guard at the king’s [18] tent should remain on watch and under arms. Already cavalry had been stationed at all the entrances, and they had been ordered also to beset the roads, in order that no one might secretly go out to Parmenion, who was then governing Media and was in command [19] of great forces. Atarrhias, moreover, with 300 armed men had entered the royal tent; to him were given besides ten attendants, each followed by ten men-at-arms. These were sent in different directions to arrest the other conspirators. Atarrhias was sent with 300 men to Philotas and set about breaking open the closed entrance to his house, attended by fifty of the bravest of his soldiers; for he had ordered the rest to surround the house on all sides, for fear that Philotas might be able to slip out by a secret [21] door. But he, either through absence of anxiety or worn out by fatigue, had been overcome by sleep: Atarrhias seized him while he was still drowsy.

  [22] When at last he was fully awake and chains were put upon him, he said: “O Sire, the bitterness of my enemies has prevailed over your kindness.” And without further words on his part they led him with veiled head into the king’s quarters.

  [23] On the following day the king made proclamation that all should assemble under arms. About 6000 soldiers had come, besides these a crowd of camp-servants and batmen had filled the royal quarters.

  [24] The men-at-arms covered Philotas with their troop, in order that he might not be seen by the general [25] throng until the king had addressed the soldiers. In accordance with the ancient custom of the Macedonians, the king conducted the inquiry into criminal cases, and the army passed judgement — in time of peace it was a duty of the common people — and the power of the king availed nothing, unless his influence [26] had earlier had weight with them. Accordingly, the corpse of Dymnus was first brought in, the greater number being ignorant what he had attempted or by what chance he had been killed. IX. After this the king entered the assembly, manifesting his sorrow by his expression. The sadness of his friends also caused [2] no slight expectation of what was to take place. For a long time the king stood with his eyes fixed upon the ground, like one amazed and at a loss. At last, having recovered his spirits, he said:

  “Almost, my soldiers, have I been wrested from you by the wickedness of certain men; for it is by the providence and mercy of the gods that I still live. And the sight of your revered assembly has forced me to be more violently angry with the traitors, since the first, nay, the sole enjoyment of my life is to be able still to requite so many valiant men who have the [3] highest claim upon my gratitude.” His speech was interrupted by the soldiers’ lamentations, and tears sprang to the eyes of all. Then the king continued:

  “How much greater emotion shall I rouse in your minds, when I reveal the authors of so great a crime!

  From the mention of these I still shrink, and I refrain from calling their names, as if they could be saved.

  [4] But I must overcome the memory of my former affection, and the conspiracy of impious citizens must be brought to light. For how can I be silent about such an abomination? Parmenion, old as he is, bound by so many favours of mine, so many of my father’s, the eldest of all our friends, offered himself as the leader [6] in so great a crime. His tool, Philotas, has suborned against my life Peucolaus, and Demetrius, and this Dymnus, whose body you see before you, and the [6] others infected by the same madness.” On all sides cries of indignation and lament broke out in the whole assembly, such as are wont to be uttered by a multitude, and especially one of soldiers, when they [7] are moved by devotion or by anger. Then Nicomachus and Metron and Cebalinus were brought forward, and set forth what each of them had reported. By the testimony of none of these was Philotas designated as a participant in the crime. Therefore after forceful expression of indignation the rest of the speech was heard in silence.

  [8] The king continued: “What, then, seems to you to be the spirit of a man who suppressed the information which was brought to him about this matter — information which the death of Dymnus shows not [9] to have been unfounded? Cebalinus, when reporting an uncertain matter did not fear torture, and Metron was so far from putting off even for a single moment the freeing of his mind, that he even forced his way [10] into the place where I was bathing. Philotas alone had no fear, believed nothing. O the great courage of the man! Would such a man be moved by the danger to his king, would he change countenance, would he listen anxiously to the informer of so great [11] a matter? No doubt this silence conceals a purpose, and the eager hope for royal power drove his mind headlong to the worst of abominations. His father governs Media; he himself, because of the great power which through my influence he has with many leaders of our forces, aspires to greater things than [12] are within his capabilities. He scorns even my bereavement, in that I have no children. But Philotas is mistaken. In you I have children, relatives, kinsmen; while you live, I cannot be without off-

  [13] spring.” Then he read an intercepted letter which Parmenion had written to his sons Nicanor and Philotas, which did not, it is true, furnish evidence of [14] any serious design. For this was its substance: “First, look out for yourselves, then for yours; for thus we shall accomplish what we have planned.”

  [15] And the king added that the letter was written in such terms, in order that, if it should reach his sons, it could be understood by their accomplices, or if it should have been intercepted, it would deceive those who knew nothing of the plot. Then the king continued: [16] “But, it may be said, Dymnus, when he revealed the other participants in the crime, did not name Philotas. This, in fact, is a sign, not of his innocence, but of his authority, because he was so feared even by those by whom he could be betrayed, that when they confessed their own guilt, they nevertheless did not name him. Furthermore, his own life shows the [17] character of Philotas. He it was who, when Amyntas, my own cousin, in Macedonia made an impious plot against my life, joined with him as an ally and an [18] accomplice. He gave his sister in marriage to Attalus, than whom I had no more dangerous enemy. He, when I had written to him, by right of so close a familiarity and friendship, the nature of the reply which had been given by the oracle of Jupiter Ammon, had the impudence to reply that he for his part congratulated me that I had been received into the number of the gods, but that he pitied those who would have to live under one who rose above the limitations of a man. These are tokens of a mind which is both long since alienated from me and is also envious of my glory. These things, soldiers, so long as it was possible, I buried in my own thoughts. For it seemed to me that I was tearing away a part of my own flesh, if I should make those upon whom I had conferred such great favours more worthless in my [20] sight. But it is no longer mere words that must be punished; rashness of language has passed on to swords. These, if you believe me, Philotas has whetted against me, if you believe him, he has allowed it.

  “Whither shall I turn, soldiers? to whom shall I [21] trust my life? I have put him in command of the cavalry, the best part of my army, the elite of our noblest young men, I have entrusted to his loyalty and protection my life, my hope, my victory. His father I have raised to the same high rank as that in which you have placed me. I have put under his command and sway Media, than which no region is richer, and so many thousands of citizens and allies. Where I had looked for protection danger has arisen. How happily would I have fallen in battle, the prey of an enemy rather than the victim of a fellow-citizen! Now, saved from the only dangers which I feared, I have met with those which I ought not [24] to have feared. You are wont, soldiers, ever and anon to ask me to be careful of my life. You yourselves can furnish me with the means of doing what you advise. To your hands, to your weapons I flee for refuge; I do not wish to be safe, if you do not wish it, if you do wish it, I cannot be unless I am avenged.”

  [2
5] Then he ordered Philotas to be brought in with his hands bound behind his back and his head veiled in a worn-out cloak. It was readily apparent that men were touched by the wretched plight of one who shortly before had been looked upon with envy.

  [26] The day before they had seen him the commander of the cavalry, they knew that he had been present at a banquet with the king; suddenly they beheld him on trial, it is true, but already condemned, nay, [27] even in bonds. There entered their minds also the ill-fortune of Parmenion, so great a general, so distinguished a citizen, who, recently bereft of two sons, Hector and Nicanor, would, though absent, make his plea along with the only son whom [28] calamity had left him. Accordingly Amyntas, one of the king’s generals, again aroused the assembly, which was inclined towards pity, by a harsh speech against Philotas, saying that they had been betrayed to the barbarians, that no one would return to his wife, to his native land, to his parents, but that like a body bereft of its head, without life, without name, in a foreign land they would be the sport of their [29] enemies. The speech of Amyntas was by no means so pleasing to the king as the author of it had hoped, since by having reminded them of their wives and of their native land he had made them less alert for performing the tasks which remained.

  Then Coenus, although he had joined Philotas sister to himself in marriage, inveighed against him more savagely than anyone else, shouting that he [31] was a traitor to king, to country, to the army, and catching up a stone which chanced to be lying at his feet, he was on the point of hurling it at him, as many thought because he desired to save him from torture. But the king stayed his hand, declaring that the accused ought to be given the opportunity of first pleading his cause, and that otherwise he would not allow him to be judged. Then Philotas, when ordered to speak, either through consciousness of guilt or beside himself and thunderstruck by the greatness of his peril, did not venture to lift his eyes [33] or to open his mouth. Then, with a flood of tears, he swooned and fell into the arms of the man who was holding him; and when his eyes had been dried with the cloak which he was wearing, he gradually recovered his breath and his voice and seemed about to [34] speak. And now the king, looking intently at him, said: “The Macedonians are about to pass judgement upon you; I wish to know whether you will use their native tongue in addressing them.” [35] Thereupon Philotas replied: “Besides the Macedonians there are many present who, I think, will more easily understand what I shall say if I use the same language which you have employed, for no other reason, I suppose, than in order that your speech might be [36] understood by the greater number.” Then said the king: “Do you not see how Philotas loathes even the language of his fatherland? For he alone disdains to learn it. But let him by all means speak in whatever way he desires, provided that you remember that he holds our customs in as much abhorrence as our language.” And with these words he left the assembly.

  Then Philotas said: “It is easy for an innocent man to find words, it is difficult for a wretched man to [2] keep his words within bounds. Therefore, abandoned between the best of consciences and the most unfavourable of fortunes, I do not know how to suit what I shall say both to my feelings and to the situation. In fact, the best judge of my cause is not present; why he should not wish to hear me himself, I cannot, by Heaven! imagine, since after having heard both sides of the case, he can as readily condemn me as acquit me, but if he has not heard both sides, I cannot be acquitted in his absence since I [4] was condemned by him when he was present. But although the defence of a man in fetters is not only superfluous but also odious, since he seems not to inform the judge but to accuse him, nevertheless, in whatever manner I am allowed to speak, I shall not myself fail, nor let myself seem to have been condemned [6] by my own voice as well. For my part, I do not see with what crime I am charged; no one among the conspirators names me, Nicomachus said nothing about me, Cebalinus could not know more than he [6] had heard. And yet the king believes me to have been the head of the conspiracy! Could Dymnus then fail to mention the one whose follower he was, especially when I ought to have been named, even falsely, to Nicomachus, who asked who were his associates, in order that the man who was being [7] tempted might be more easily persuaded? For when the crime was disclosed, he did not leave out my name in order that he might seem to have spared an associate; for when he confessed to Nicomachus, who he believed would keep in silence the secrets about himself, having named others, me alone he left out. Pray, fellow-soldiers, if Cebalinus had not come to me, if he had wished me to know nothing about the conspirators, would I to-day be pleading my cause, when [9] no one named me? Suppose that Dymnus were still alive and wished to spare me, what of the rest? Those who will confess their own guilt will of course be silent about me! Calamity is malign, and as a rule a guilty person, when suffering his own torture, [10] assents to that of another. Will so many accomplices not confess the truth even when placed upon the rack? And yet no one spares one who is about to die, and in my opinion one who is about to die spares no one.

  [11] “I must return to the real and only accusation against me: ‘Why did you keep silence about the matter which was reported to you? why did you hear it with so little concern?’ This, such as it is, you, Alexander, wherever you are, pardoned when I confessed it; grasping your right hand, as a pledge of restored friendship, I even was present at your [12] banquet. If you believed me, I was acquitted, if you spared me, I was dismissed; pray abide by your decision. What have I done during this last night, when I left your table? what new crime has been reported [13] to you and changed your mind? I was resting in heavy sleep, when, as I had fallen asleep over my misfortunes, my enemies awakened me by binding me. Whence did such deep sleep come to a traitor and [14] one who had been betrayed? The wicked cannot sleep soundly because of the clamours of conscience; the Furies torment them when their treason is merely planned, much more when it has been accomplished. But to me, first my blamelessness, then your right hand, had brought freedom from care; I had no fear that more would be allowed on your part [15] to the cruelty of others than to your clemency. But to prevent you from regretting your belief in me, let me say that the matter was reported to me by a mere boy, who could show me no witness nor proof of his information, and who would fill all with fear if he should begin to be heard. Unhappily I believed that my ears had [16] been exposed to a quarrel of a wanton and his boy, and besides I suspected his truthfulness because he did not himself bring the report, but employed his [17] brother instead. I feared lest he should deny having given instructions to Cebalinus, and I should seem to have been the cause of danger to many of the king’s [18] friends. Even as it is, although I have injured no one, I have found one who preferred that I should perish rather than be unharmed; what enmities do you think I should have incurred, if I had attacked blameless [19] persons? But, you will say, Dymnus killed himself! Could I have divined that he would do so? Certainly not. Hence the only thing which has given assurance to this information could not influence me when I was [20] accosted by Cebalinus. But, by Heaven, if I had been an accomplice with Dymnus in so great a crime, I ought not to have concealed for those two days my knowledge that we had been betrayed; Cebalinus himself could have been put out of the [21] way, and with no trouble. Finally, after the information which I was going to conceal had been made known, I entered the king’s bedroom alone, and wearing a sword. Why did I put off the deed? Was [22] it that I did not dare to do it without Dymnus? He then was the leader of the conspiracy and I, Philotas, who aspire to the throne of Macedonia was lurking-under his shadow! Has anyone of you been bribed by gifts? To what general, to what prefect did I show too marked attention?

  [23] “It is even charged against me that I scorn association with my native language, that I disdain the customs of the Macedonians. So then I aspire to the rule of something which I hold in contempt. It is long ago that that native tongue has gone out of use through intercourse with other nations; a foreign language has to be learned as well by the victors as by the vanquished. Those charges, by Heaven! are no mor
e injurious to me than it is that Amyntas, son of Perdiccas, plotted against the king. The charge that I was on friendly terms with him I do not refuse to meet, provided it was our duty not to love the king’s [25] brother.” But if it was necessary even to venerate one in that lofty position, am I, pray, guilty because I did not have the power of divination, or must the innocent friends of guilty men also die? But if that is just, why have I lived so long? if unjust, why am [26] I nevertheless to die now? But, it may be said, I also wrote that I pitied those who had to live under a man who believed himself the son of Jupiter. O loyalty to friendship, O dangerous freedom in giving true counsel, it is you that played me false! It was you that impelled me not to keep silent about [27] what I thought. I confess that I wrote this to the king, but not about the king. For I did not seek to rouse ill-will against him, but I feared for him. It seemed to me more worthy of Alexander to recognize in silence the parentage of Jupiter, than [28] to boast of it publicly. But since the truth of the oracle is sure, let the god bear witness in my case; keep me in fetters while Hammon is asked whether I planned a secret and hidden crime. He who has recognized our king as son will not suffer those who have plotted against his stock to be concealed.

  [29] If you believe tortures to be more trustworthy than oracles, I do not refuse even that testimony for bringing the truth to light.

  [30] “Those who are charged with a capital offence are accustomed to bring their relatives before you. I have recently lost two brothers, my father I cannot bring before you, nor do I dare to appeal to him, since [31] he himself is accused of this great crime. For it is not enough that he who was lately the father of so many sons, and now takes comfort in but one, should be bereft of him too, unless he himself is placed upon [32] my funeral pyre. Therefore, dearest father, you will die both because of me and with me; it is I who am taking your life from you, I who am extinguishing you in your old age. Why, pray, did you beget unhappy me under adverse gods? Was it that you might reap [33] from me these fruits which await you? I know not whether my youth or your old age is the more wretched. I am taken off in the very flower of my strength, from you the executioner will take the life which, if Fortune had been willing to wait, Nature was demanding. The mention of my father has reminded me how timidly and hesitatingly I ought to have revealed what Cebalinus had reported to me. For Parmenion, when he had heard that poison was being prepared for the king by his physician Philip, wrote him a letter and tried to prevent him from drinking the potion which the physician had decided [35] to give him. Was my father believed? His letter had no weight, had it? As for myself, how often have I reported what I had heard and been repulsed with mockery of my credulity! If we are both disliked when we report anything, and suspected when [36] we keep silence, what are we to do?” And when one of the throng of bystanders had exclaimed “not plot against your benefactors!”, Philotas replied: [37] “You speak rightly, whoever you are. Hence, if I have so plotted, I do not beg for immunity from punishment, and I make an end of speaking, since my last words have seemed to displease your ears.” Philotas was then led away by the men who were guarding him.