Κρατερός

The Macedonian, who was very large to look at and not far from royal bulk, and stood out by the splendour of his apparel,¹ and in all his dress was attired in the manner of Alexander, except for the diadem, and [was] to his associates the sort of man, with [his] reasonableness and with the addition of solemnity, to seem extremely amicable and plausible by the attractiveness of his words, when they compared [him] with the small size of Antipatros's body and his mean nature,² and additionally his aloofness and his savagery towards his subjects. [Accordingly] they revered Krateros in the manner of a king, and conferring praises upon him -- appropriately, given that he was the most daring of commanders and had the greatest understanding of military deeds -- they held him unquestionably second in esteem after Alexander. So on this point there was even a movement in the whole army, which openly revered Krateros like a king. Every one of them thought it wrong that both men had been appointed to an equal division, and they were totally unwilling to obey Antipatros. And Eumenes,³ during the war, finding the prostrate body of Krateros with breath still in it, is said to have leapt down from his horse and bewailed him, calling to witness Krateros's courage and understanding and the extreme kindliness of his disposition and the unaffectedness of his friendship towards himself, inasmuch as he had no love of wealth and was a companion to upright justice. 'This man is indeed "strongest",'⁴ [he said,] 'whose deeds of virtue find a concord of praises even among his opponents.'⁵ And he tended his body with honour and with fitting magnificence. While, therefore, these things, too, bring good repute to Krateros, he is also believed to have been most wise and most gentle and most reliable in sharing friendship, since in fact he acquired comradeship by nature and practised it.