40.24
Perseus made fresh accusations against
Demetrius to his father. He alleged the preparations for his flight and the
bribery of some who were to accompany him. The forged letter purporting
to come from T. Quinctius, he said, was the strongest proof of his guilt. No
pronouncement was, however, made as to the infliction of any severe
punishment, the intention was rather that he should be put to death secretly,
not through any anxiety felt about him, but that Philip's designs against the
Romans might not be revealed by a public sentence of death. Philip was
marching from Thessalonica to Demetrias, and he sent Demetrius, still
accompanied by Didas, to Astraeum in Paeonia, and Perseus to Amphipolis,
to receive the Thracian hostages. It is said that as Didas was departing,
Philip gave him instructions about putting his son to death. Didas arranged a
sacrifice or else pretended to do so, and Demetrius was invited to the
sacrificial banquet and went to Heraclea for the purpose. It is said that
poison was given to him at the banquet, and that as soon as he drank the
goblet he became aware of it. Very soon he was in great suffering., and he
left the table and retired to his room. There he lay in agony exclaiming
against his father's cruelty, and accusing his brother and Didas of murdering
him. Then one Thyrsis of Stubera and a Beroean named Alexander entered
the room, threw the bed-clothes over his head and suffocated him. In this
way the unoffending youth was killed, as his enemies were not content with
only one way of putting him to death.
