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 Arridæus, 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. Arridæus 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.

Arridæus' action, in starting without permission, and the defiance of
Polemon's order, were acts of open revolt against the higher authority
of the kingdom. Perdiccas called all loyal followers to the council
of war. Ptolemy, he said, had defied the order of the kings in his
behaviour concerning the funeral procession; and he had also given
shelter to the exiled satraps of Phrygia. He was prepared for war, which
he hoped to bring about. It was for them (the loyal ones) to uphold
the dignity of the kingdom. They must try to take him unawares, and to
overcome them individually. The question was, if the Egyptians or the