THE FIRST BOOK. 55 



liveth : for it is the displaying of the glory of learning in 

 sovereignty that I propound to myself, and not a humour of 

 declaiming in any man's praises. Observe then the speech 

 he used of Diogenes, and see if it tend not to the true state of 

 on^ of the greatest questions of moral philosophy ; whether 

 the enjoying of outward things, or the contemning of them, 

 be the greatest happiness : for when he saw Diogenes so 

 perfectly contented with so little, he said to those that 

 mocked at his condition, Were I not Alexander, I would wish 

 to be Diogenes. But Seneca inverteth it, and saith : Plus 10 

 erat quod hie nollet accipere quam quod ille posset dare. (There 

 were more things which Diogenes would have refused, than those 

 were which Alexander could have given or enjoyed.) 



Observe again that speech which was usual with him, 

 That he felt his mortality chiefly in two things, sleep and lust ; 

 and see if it were not a speech extracted out of the depth of 

 natural philosophy, and liker to have come out of the mouth 

 of Aristotle or Democritus, than from Alexander. 



See again that speech of humanity and poesy ; when upon 

 the bleeding of his wounds, he called unto him one of 20 

 his flatterers, that was wont to ascribe to him divine honour, 

 and said, Look, this is very blood ; this is not such a liquor as 

 Homer speaketh of, which ran from Venus' hand, when it was 

 pierced by Diomedes. 



See likewise his readiness in reprehension of logic, in 

 the speech he used to Cassander, upon a complaint that was 

 made against his father Antipater : for when Alexander 

 happened to say, Do you think these men would have come 

 from so far to complain, except they had just cause of grief? 

 and Cassander answered, Yea, that was the matter, because 30 

 they thought they should not be disproved. Said Alexander 

 laughing : See the subtilties of Aristotle, to take a matter both 

 ways, pro et contra, [for and against,] etc. 



But note again how well he could use the same art, 

 which he reprehended, to serve his own humour : when 

 bearing a secret grudge to Callisthenes, because he was 



