made up, and who were faithful to his memory and to his family, had
little to guide them in the choice of which leader they should follow
to his distant province, beside the thought of where they should be
best treated; and Ptolemy's high character for wisdom, generosity, and
warlike skill had gained many friends for him among the officers; they
saw that the wealth of Egypt would put it in his power to reward those
whose services were valuable to him; and hence crowds flocked to his
standard. On reaching their provinces, the Greek soldiers, whether
Spartans or Athenians, forgetting the glories of Thermopylæ and
Marathon, and proud of their wider conquests under the late king, always
called themselves Macedonians. They pleased themselves with the thought
that the whole of the conquered countries were still governed by
the brother of Alexander; and no one of his generals, in his wildest
thoughts of ambition, whether aiming, like Ptolemy, at founding a
kingdom, or, like Perdiccas, at the government of the world, was unwise
enough to throw off the title of lieutenant to Philip Arridæus, and to
forfeit the love of the Macedonian soldiers and his surest hold on their
loyalty.

The first act of Ptolemy was to put to death Cleomenes, who had been
made sub-governor of Egypt by the same council of generals which
had made Ptolemy governor. This act may have been called for by the
dishonesty and crooked dealing which Cleomenes had been guilty of in
collecting taxes; but, though the whole tenor of Ptolemy's life would
seem to disprove the charge, we cannot but fear that he was in part
led to this deed because he looked upon Cleomenes as the friend of
Perdiccas, or because he could not trust him in his plans for making
himself king of Egypt.

From the very commencement of his government, Ptolemy prepared for the