The
Argument
.
WHen
Alexander
the
great
,
after
all
his
Conquests
(
shining
through
the
glory
of
innumerable
victories
)
was
returned
backe
to
Babylon
,
where
the
Ambassadours
of
the
whole
worlde
did
attend
his
comming
,
as
one
that
was
destinied
to
domineere
ouer
all
:
there
being
admired
by
the
Grecians
,
adored
by
the
Barbarians
,
and
as
it
were
drunken
with
the
delights
of
an
extraordinary
prosperitie
,
hee
suffered
himself
to
be
transported
with
an
inundation
of
pleasure
;
till
sitting
at
one
of
his
feasts
by
the
meanes
of
the
sonnes
of
Antipater
his
cupbearers
,
in
the
best
,
both
of
his
age
and
fortune
,
he
was
suddenly
poisoned
.
Incontinent
after
his
death
,
those
that
were
in
great
estimation
with
himselfe
during
his
life
,
and
then
with
the
armie
,
assembled
themselues
together
,
neglecting
for
a
long
time
his
funeralls
,
whilst
busied
about
the
disposing
of
his
Empire
:
at
last
(
after
diuers
opinions
)
it
was
concluded
,
that
if
Roxane
,
the
widdow
of
their
deceased
soueraigne
(
who
was
then
at
the
point
to
bee
deliuered
of
her
birth
)
happened
to
beare
a
sonne
,
hee
should
succeed
in
his
fathers
place
,
and
till
he
were
come
to
some
maturitie
of
age
,
Perdiccas
,
Leonatus
,
Craterus
,
and
Antipater
were
appointed
to
bee
his
Tutors
:
But
the
foote-men
in
a
disdaine
,
that
their
aduice
was
not
required
,
proclaimed
Arideus
,
Alexanders
bastard
brother
king
,
and
gaue
him
a
guard
,
of
which
Meleager
procured
himselfe
to
be
made
Captaine
.
At
this
sodaine
alteration
,
the
horsemen
being
troubled
,
they
following
Perdiccas
pitched
their
campe
without
the
citie
;
yet
in
the
end
,
this
tumult
being
by
the
eloquence
of
Perdiccas
appeased
,
all
the
captaines
re-assembled
themselues
,
and
hauing
diuided
the
prouinces
,
made
an
agreement
,
which
lasted
not
long
:
For
such
was
the
vehement
ambition
of
those
great
men
,
that
with
all
manner
of
hostilitie
,
they
studied
how
to
vndermine
one
another
,
and
first
of
all
,
Meleager
after
a
pretended
reconciliation
,
(
though
hauing
fled
to
a
Temple
for
refuge
)
was
slaine
by
the
appointment
of
Perdiccas
,
who
after
aspiring
to
a
superioritie
ouer
the
rest
,
whilst
he
went
to
warre
against
Ptolomie
in
Aegypt
,
by
a
sudden
mutinie
of
his
owne
souldiers
was
miserably
murdered
.
Then
the
onely
captaine
of
his
faction
that
remained
aliue
,
was
Eumenes
,
a
man
singularly
valorous
,
who
encountering
with
Craterus
and
Neoptolemus
,
by
the
death
of
themselues
defeated
their
armie
,
whereby
being
highly
aduanced
,
he
was
greatly
enuied
,
and
(
Leonatus
hauing
lately
before
dyed
in
a
conflict
betwixt
him
and
the
Athenians
,
)
Antigonus
in
the
name
of
the
rest
was
sent
against
him
with
a
great
armie
,
betwixt
whom
there
hauing
passed
diuers
skirmishes
with
a
variable
successe
,
and
some
priuate
conference
without
agreement
:
In
the
end
,
he
was
betrayed
by
his
owne
souldiers
,
and
deliuered
bound
to
Antigonus
,
who
shortly
after
caused
him
to
be
put
to
death
.
Then
Antigonus
(
his
riuals
in
the
authoritie
being
remoued
out
of
his
way
)
did
aspire
to
that
himselfe
,
from
which
he
was
sent
to
seclude
others
,
and
hauing
murdered
diuers
of
the
gouernors
,
hee
disposed
of
their
Prouinces
as
hee
pleased
:
whereof
Cassander
,
Ptolomie
,
and
Lisimachus
,
aduertised
by
Seleucus
,
who
fled
for
feare
of
incurring
the
like
danger
;
they
entred
all
together
in
a
league
against
Antigonus
.
Now
at
this
time
Olimpias
plagued
all
the
faction
of
Cassander
in
Macedonie
,
hauing
caused
Arideus
and
his
Queene
Euridice
to
be
put
to
death
;
by
which
,
and
other
cruelties
(
hauing
lost
the
fauour
of
the
people
)
shee
was
constrained
,
when
Cassander
came
against
her
,
to
retire
herselfe
within
a
Towne
;
which
(
by
reason
of
the
scarcitie
of
victuals
)
not
being
able
to
defend
,
shee
rendred
,
together
with
her selfe
to
Cassander
,
by
whom
(
notwithstanding
of
his
promise
to
the
contrary
)
she
was
publikely
put
to
death
,
and
so
hauing
proceeded
so
farre
in
wickednes
,
he
thought
it
no
time
to
retire
till
he
had
extinguished
all
his
masters
race
;
hee
caused
Roxane
and
her
sonne
to
bee
murdered
;
and
soone
after
,
Hercules
,
Alexanders
bastard
sonne
,
which
multitude
of
murders
,
gaue
to
him
the
crowne
of
Macedone
;
and
to
me
,
the
Subiect
of
this
Politragicke
Tragedie
.
The
Actors
.
-
The
ghost
of
Alexander
,
-
Olimpias
his
mother
,
-
Roxane
his
wife
,
-
Aristotle
his
maister
,
-
Phocion
his
old
friend
,
-
Philastrus
a
Chaldaean
,
-
Chorus
.
-
his
greatest
Captaines
.
-
Perdiccas
,
-
Meleager
,
-
Ptolomie
,
-
Antigonus
,
-
Eumenes
,
-
Lisimachus
-
Seleucus
,
-
Cassander
.