He wished one of the chiefs to accompany him, but
especially Kraterus, declaring that he was so popular with the
Macedonians that if they so much as caught sight of his broad-brimmed
Macedonian hat, and heard his voice, they would go over to him in a
body. Indeed the name of Kraterus had great influence with the
Macedonians, and he was their favourite general now that Alexander was
dead, for they remembered how steadfast a friend Kraterus had proved
to them, and how he had often incurred the anger of Alexander by
opposing his adoption of Persian habits, and standing by his
countrymen when they were in danger of being neglected and despised by
a corrupt and effeminate court. Kraterus accordingly sent Antipater
into Cilicia, and himself with the greater part of the army marched
with Neoptolemus to fight Eumenes, whom he imagined he should catch
unawares, engaged in feasting and celebrating his late victory. It did
not argue any very great skill in Eumenes, that he soon became aware
of the march of Kraterus to attack him; but to conceal his own weak
points, not only from the enemy, but also from his own troops, and
actually to force them to attack Kraterus without knowing against whom
they fought, appears to me to have been the act of a consummate
general. He gave out that Neoptolemus and Pigres were about to attack
him a second time, with some Cappadocian and Paphlagonian cavalry.
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