Leontius Calls In Apelles
After this outbreak the king's schemes in
Phocis met
Apelles sent for by Leontius. |
with certain impediments which prevented their
present execution. Meanwhile Leontius, despairing of success by his own efforts, had
recourse to Apelles, urging him by frequent messages to come
from
Chalcis, and setting forth his own difficulties and the
awkwardness of his position owing to his quarrel with the
king. Now Apelles had been acting in
Chalcis with an
unwarrantable assumption of authority. He gave out that
the king was still a mere boy, and for the most part under his
control, and without independent power over anything; the
management of affairs and the supreme authority in the
kingdom he asserted to belong to himself. Accordingly, the
magistrates and commissioners of
Macedonia and
Thessaly
reported to him; and the cities in
Greece in their decrees and
votes of honours and rewards made brief reference to the
king, while Apelles was all in all to them. Philip had been
kept informed of this, and had for some time past been feeling
annoyed and offended at it,—Aratus being at his side, and
using skilful means to further his own views; still he kept his
own counsel, and did not let any one see what he intended to
do, or what he had in his mind. In ignorance, therefore, of his
own position, and persuaded that, if he could only come into
Philip's presence, he would manage everything as he chose,
Apelles set out from
Chalcis to the assistance
of Leontius.
Apelles rebuffed by the king. |
On his arrival at
Corinth, Leontius,
Ptolemy and Megaleas, being commanders of
the peltasts and the other chief divisions of the army, took great
pains to incite the young men to go to meet him. He entered
the town, therefore, with great pomp, owing to the number of
officers and soldiers who went to meet him, and proceeded
straight to the royal quarters. But when he would have
entered, according to his former custom, one of the ushers
prevented him, saying that the king was engaged. Troubled
at this unusual repulse, and hesitating for a long while what to
do, Apelles at last turned round and retired. Thereupon all
those who were escorting him began at once openly to fall off
from him and disperse, so that at last he entered his own
lodging, with his children, absolutely alone. So true it is all the
world over that a moment exalts and abases
us; but most especially is this true of courtiers.
They indeed are exactly like counters on a board, which, according to the pleasure of the calculator, are one moment worth a
farthing, the next a talent. Even so courtiers at the king's
nod are one moment at the summit of prosperity, at another
the objects of pity. When Megaleas saw that the help
he had looked for from Apelles was failing him, he was
exceedingly frightened, and made preparations for flight.
Apelles meanwhile was admitted to the king's banquets and
honours of that sort, but had no share in his council or daily
social employments; and when, some days afterwards, the
king resumed his voyage from Lechaeum, to complete his
designs in
Phocis, he took Apelles with him.
