Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/251

DEMETRIUS AND ANTONY. 243 from the indulgence of volui^tuous desires, must be attrib- uted to him, who, in the pursuit of his pleasures, allowed, or to say more truly, compelled the death of the most beautiful and most chaste of the Athenians, who found no way but this to escape his violence. In one word, Antony himself suffered by his excesses, and other people by those of Demetrius. In his conduct to his parents, Demetrius was irreproach- able. Antony gave up his mother's brother, in order that he might have leave to kill Cicero, this itself being so cruel and shocking an act, that Antony would hardly be forgiven if Cicero's death had been the price of this uncle's safety. In respect of breaches of oaths and treaties, the seizure of Artabazes, and* the assassination of Alexander, Antony may urge the plea which no one denies to be true, that Artabazes first abandoned and betrayed him in Media ; Demetrius is alleged by many to have invented false pretexts for his act, and not to have retaliated for injuries, but to have accused one whom he injured him- seE The achievements of Demetrius are all his own work. Antony's noblest and greatest victories were won in his absence by his lieutenants. For their final disasters they have both only to thank themselves ; not, how- ever, in an equal degree. Demetrius was deserted, the Macedonians revolted from him : Antony deserted others, and ran away while men were fighting for him at the risk of their lives. The fiult to be found with the one is that he had thus entirely alienated the affections of his soldiers; the other's condemnation is that he aban- doned so much love and faith as he still possessed. We cannot admire the death of either, but that of Demetrius excites our greater contempt. He let himself become a prisoner, and was thankful to gain a three years' accession