all and to sacrifice himself in order to help his friend.”  A popular belief of the day was that, although Ptolemy was known as the son of Lagos, he was in reality the son of Philip, and indeed much in his manner resembled the great founder of the Macedonian power.  Amongst the successors of Alexander, not one understood as well as he how to retain and increase the power which he had won.  He recognised, also, from the first, the tendency of the age:  the tendency to split up the kingdom into different states; and he had made this the basis of his policy.  It was under him that the first state (in the new sense of the word) was founded.  He was the leader of the new movement that soon generated disunity, and to this end he made a secret contract with Antipatros against the regent Perdiccas.  About this time also misunderstandings between the regent and the rulers in the West began to take a serious aspect.

At a great meeting in Babylon in the summer of the year 323, it was decided that the body of Alexander was to be taken with great solemnity to the Temple of Amon, and that the equipping and guidance of the funeral procession should be entrusted to Arridaeus.  At the end of the year 323, the necessary preparations were finished.  The gigantic funeral car that was to carry the kingly bier had been decorated with unparalleled magnificence.  Without waiting for orders from the regent, Arridaeus started with the funeral procession from Babylon.  Crowds from far and near filled the streets, some curious to see the magnificent sight, others eager to show this last token of respect to the dead king.  It was firmly believed amongst the Macedonians that the country in which Alexander’s body had its last resting-place would become happy and powerful above all countries.  This prophecy was uttered by the old seer Telmissus soon after the king’s death.  Did Ptolemy have this belief, or did he wish to make use of it?  There were probably other reasons which had caused him to enter into an understanding with Arridaeus, and to arrange with him that he was to start without orders from the regent.  He was afraid that Perdiccas, in order to add to the solemnity of the procession, would himself accompany the body with the imperial army to Egypt.  Ptolemy felt that his position in the lands entrusted to his care would be greatly weakened if a higher authority than himself could appear there with a military force.  Arridaeus led the funeral train to Damascus, as had been arranged before with Ptolemy.  It was in vain that Pole-mon (one of Perdiccas’ generals), who was in the neighbourhood, went to meet him.  He was able to obtain no aspect for the express order of the regent.  The funeral procession passed Damascus on its way to Egypt.  Ptolemy accompanied the body with his army as far as Syria.  It was then taken on to Memphis to rest there until it could be sheltered by that beautiful sepulchre of the kings at Alexandria.