THE HISTORY

OF

ALEXANDER'S SUCCESSORS

CONTINUED.

SECT. VIII.

Demetrius besieges Rhodes. Protogenes, spared during the

siege.

ANTIGONUS was almost fourscore years of age at that time; and, as he had then contracted a gross habit of body, and consequently was but little qualified for the activity of a military life, he made use of his son's services, who, by the experience he had already acquired, and the success which attended him, transacted the most important affairs with great ability. The father, for this reason, was not offended at his expensive luxury and intemperance; for Demetrius, during peace, abandoned himself to the greatest excesses of all kinds, without the least regard to decorum. In times of war, indeed, he acted a very different part; he was then a quite different man, vigilant, active, laborious and invincible by fatigues. Whether he gave into pleasure or applied to serious affairs, he entirely devoted himself to the one or the other; and for the time he engaged in either was incapable of moderation. He had an inventive genius; and an inquisitive turn of mind, actuated by a love for the sciences. He never employed his natural industry in frivolous and insignificant amusements, like many other kings, some of whom, as Plutarch observes, valued themselves for their expertness in playing on instruments, others in painting, and some in their dexterity in the turner's art, with a hundred other qualities of private men, but not one of a prince. His application to the mechanic arts had something great and truly royal in it; his galleys, with five benches of oars were the admiration of his enemies, who beheld him sailing along their coasts; and his engines called helepoles were a surprising

a A. M. 3700. Ant. J. C 301. Diod. 1. xx. p. 80)-815; et 817-805; in Demetr. p. 897, et 898.

VOD. VI.

A

Plut

spectacle to those whom he besieged. They were exceedingly useful to him in the war with Rhodes, with the conduct of which his father had charged him at the time we are now speaking of.

Among the islands called Sporades, Rhodes held the first rank, as well for the fertility of its soil as the safety of its ports and roads, which, on that account, were resorted to by great numbers of trading ships from all parts. It then formed a small but very powerful state, whose friendship was courted by all princes, and which was studious, on its own part, to oblige them all, by observing an exact neutrality, and carefully declining any declaration in favour of one against another, in the wars that arose in those times. As the inhabitants were limited to a little island, all their power flowed from their riches, and their riches from their commerce, which it was their main interest to preserve as free as possible with the Mediterranean states, which all contributed to their prosperity. The Rhodians, by persisting in so prudent a conduct, had rendered their city very flourishing; and, as they enjoyed continual peace, they became extremely opulent. Notwithstanding the seeming neutrality they maintained, their inclination, as well as interest, secretly attached them to Ptolemy, because the principal and most advantageous branches of their commerce flowed from Egypt. When Antigonus, therefore, demanded succours of them in his war with Cyprus, they entreated him not to compel them to declare against Ptolemy, their ancient friend and ally; but this answer, as prudent and well-concerted as it really was, drew upon them the displeasure of Antigonus, which he expressed in the severest menaces; and, when he returned from his expedition to Egypt, he sent his son Demetrius, with a fleet and army, to chastise the insolent temerity, as he termed it, and likewise to reduce them to his obedience.

The Rhodians, who foresaw the impending storm, had sent to all the princes their allies, and to Ptolemy in particular, to implore their assistance, and caused it to be represented to the latter, that their attachment to his interest had drawn upon them the danger to which they were then exposed.

The preparations o ich side were immense. Demetrius arrived before Rho s with a very numerous fleet, for he had two hundred ships of war of different dimensions, and more than a hundred and seventy transports, which carried about forty thousand men, without including the cavalry, and the succours he received from pirates. He had likewise near a thousand small vessels, laden with provisions and all other necessary accommodations for an army.

The expectation of the vast booty to be acquired by the capture of so rich a city as Rhodes had illured great numbers of soldiers to join Demetrius in this expedition. This prince, who had the most fertile and inventive genius that ever was, for attacking places and forming machines of war, had brought with him an infinite number of the latter. He was sensible that he had to deal with a brave people, and very able commanders, who had acquired great experience in maritime affairs; and that the besieged had above a hundred military machines almost as formidable as his own.

Demetrius, upon his arrival at the island, landed in order to take a view of the most commodious situation for assaulting the place. He likewise sent out parties to lay the country waste on all sides, and, at the same time, caused another body of his troops to cut down the trees and demolish the houses in the parts adjacent to Rhodes, and then employed them as materials to fortify his camp with a triple palisade. The Rhodians, on their part, prepared for a vigorous defence. All persons of merit and reputation for military affairs in the countries in alliance with the Rhodians threw themselves into the city, as much for the honour of serving a republic, equally celebrated for its gratitude and the courage of its citizens, as to manifest their own fortitude and abilities in the defence of that place, against one of the greatest captains, and the most expert in the conduct of sieges, that antiquity ever produced

They began with dismissing from the city all such persons as were useless; and the number of those who were capable of bearing arms amounted to six thousand citizens and a thousand strangers. Liberty, and the right of denizens, were promised to such slaves as should distinguish themselves by their bravery, and the public engaged to pay the masters the full price for each of them. It was likewise' publicly declared, that the citizens would bestow an honourable interment on those who should lose their lives in any engagement, and would also provide for the subsistence of their parents, wives, and children, and portion the daughters in marriage; and that when the sons should be of age capable of bearing arms they should be presented with a complete suit of armour, on the public theatre, at the great solemnity of the Bacchanalia.

This decree kindled an incredible ardour in all ranks of men. The rich came in crowds with money to defray the expense of the siege and the soldiers' pay. The workmen redoubled their industry in making arms that were excellent, as well for the promptitude of execution as the beauty of work. Some were employed in making catapultas and balistas; others formed different machines equally necessa

ry; a third class repaired the breaches of the walls; while several others supplied them with stone. In a word, every thing was in motion throughout the city; each striving with emulation to distinguish himself on that occasion; so that a zeal so ardent and universal was never known before.

The besieged first sent out three good sailers against a small fleet of suttlers and merchants, who supplied the enemy with provisions: they sank a great number of their vessels, burnt several, and carried into the city such of the prisoners as were in a condition to pay their ransom. The Rhodians gained a considerable sum of money by this expedition; for it was mutually agreed, that 1,000 drachmas (about 251.) should be paid for every person that was a freeman, and half the sum for a slave.

The siege of Rhodes has been represented as the masterpiece of Demetrius, and the greatest instance of the fertility of his genius in resources and inventions. He began the attack from the sea, in order to make himself master of the port, and the towers which defended the entrance.

a

In order to accomplish this design, he caused two " tortoises to be erected on two flat prahms, or barks, joined together, to facilitate his approach to the places he intended to batter. One of these was stronger and more solid than the other, in order to cover the men from those enormous masses which the besieged discharged from the towers and walls, by means of the catapultas planted upon them; the other was of a lighter structure, and designed to shelter the soldiers from flights of darts and arrows. Two towers of four stories were erected at the same time, which exceeded in height the towers that defended the entrance into the port, and these were intended to be used in battering the latter with vollies of stones and darts. Each of these towers were placed upon two ships strongly bound together.

Demetrius, beside these tortoises and towers, caused a kind of floating barricado to be erected on a long beam of timber, four feet thick, through which stakes, armed at the end, with large points of iron, were driven. These stakes were disposed horizontally, with their spikes projecting forward, in order to prevent the vessels of the port from shattering the work with their beaks.

He likewise selected out of his fleet the largest vessels, on the side of which he erected a rampart of planks with little windows, easy to be opened. He there placed the best Cretan archers and slingers in all his army, and furnished them with an infinite number of bows, small balistas, or crossbows, slings, and catapultas, with other engines for shooting; in order to gall the workmen of the city employed in raising and repairing the walls of the port.

a These were pent-houses of wood, constructed so as to shelter the soldiers

The Rhodians, seeing the besiegers turn all their efforts against that quarter, were no less industrious to defend it; in order to accomplish that design, they raised two machines upon an adjoining eminence, and formed three others, which they placed on large ships of burthen, at the mouth of the little haven. A body of archers and slingers was likewise posted on each of these situations, with a prodigious quantity of stones, darts, and arrows of all kinds. The same orders were also given, with respect to the ships of burthen in the great port.

When Demetrius advanced, with his ships and all his armament, to begin the attack on the ports, such a violent tempest arose as rendered it impossible for him to accomplish any of his operations that day; but, the sea growing calm about night, he took the advantage of the darkness, and advanced, without being perceived by the enemy, to the grand port, where he made himself master of a neighbouring eminence, about five hundred paces from the wall, where he posted four hundred soldiers, who fortified themselves iminediately with strong palisades.

The next morning, Demetrius caused his batteries to advance, with the sound of trumpets and the shouts of his whole army; and they at first produced all the effect he proposed from them. A great number of the besieged were slain in this attack, and several breaches were opened in the mole which covered the port: but they were not very advantageous to the besiegers, who were always repulsed by the Rhodians; and, the loss being almost equal on both sides, Demetrius was obliged to retire from the port with his ships and machines, to be out of the reach of the enemy's arrows. The besieged, who had learned to their cost what advantage might be taken of the darkness of the night, caused several fire-ships to sail out of the port, during the darkness, in order to burn the tortoises and wooden towers which the enemy had erected; but, as they had the misfortune to be incapable of forcing the floating barricado which sheltered them, they were obliged to return into the port. The Rho dians lost some of their fire-ships in this expedition, but the mariners saved themselves by swimming.

The next day, the prince ordered a general attack to be made against the port and the walls of the place, with the sound of trumpets, and the shouts of his whole army, thinking by those means to spread terror among the besieged: but they were so far from being intimidated, that they sustained the attack with incredible vigour, and discovered the same intrepidity for the space of eight days that it continued ; and actions of astonishing bravery were performed on both sides during that long period.