1When Alexander had died at Babylon, and kingdoms were being divided among his several friends, and the supreme power had been handed over for safekeeping to the same man to whom Alexander, when dying, had given his ring, Perdiccas (from which everyone had inferred that he had entrusted the kingdom to him until his children came of age: for Craterus and Antipater, who seemed to rank ahead of him, were away; 2Hephaestion was dead, whom alone Alexander, as could easily be understood, had valued most highly), at this time Cappadocia was given to Eumenes, or rather named as his: for at that time it was in the enemy's power. 3Perdiccas had attached him to himself with great eagerness, because he saw great loyalty and industry in the man, not doubting that, if he had won him over, he would be of great use to him in the plans he was preparing.
3For he was planning, as almost everyone covets in great empires, to seize and embrace the shares of all. 4Nor indeed did he alone do this, but so did all the others who had been Alexander's friends. 4Leonnatus was the first to resolve to seize Macedonia in advance. 4He tried with many great promises to persuade Eumenes to desert Perdiccas and form an alliance with himself. 5When he could not bring him round, he attempted to kill him, and would have done so had Eumenes not escaped secretly by night from his guards.