ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 



9*: 



nnd was every where successful. But the Thebans, 

 having heard a rumour of his death, had taken up 

 arms, and the Athenians, urged by Demosthenes, 

 were about to join them. A. hastened to prevent 

 this junction, appeared before Thebes, and, having 

 summoned it in vain to surrender, took and destroyed 

 the city. 6000 of the inhabitants were put to the 

 sword, and 30,000 carried into captivity. The house 

 and family of the poet Pindar alone were spared. 

 This severity terrified all Greece. The Athenians 

 suffered less. A. demanded only the banishment of 

 Charmides, who had spoken most bitterly against 

 him. Leaving Antipater to govern in his stead in 

 Europe, and being confirmed as commander-in-chief 

 of the Greek forces, in the general assembly of the 

 Greeks, he crossed over into Asia, in the spring of 

 334, witli 30,000 foot and 5,000 horse. To secure 

 -the protection of Minerva, he sacrificed to her, on the 

 fields of Ilium, crowned the tomb of Achilles, and 

 congratulated this hero, from whom he was descend- 

 ed through his mother, on his good fortune in having 

 had such a friend as Patroclus, and such a poet as 

 Homer. When he approached the Granicus, he 

 leai-ned that several Persian satraps, with 20,000 

 foot, and as many horse, awaited him on the other 

 side. A., without delay, led his army through the 

 river, and obtained a complete victory ; having over- 

 thrown, with his lance, Mithridates, the son-in-law 

 of Darius, and exposed himself to every danger. The 

 Macedonians, encouraged by his example, bore down 

 every thing before them, and the whole army crossed 

 the river. The Greek auxiliaries of the Persians, 

 who were formed in phalanxes, resisted longer, and 

 were all destroyed, except 2000, who were taken 

 prisoners. A. performed splendid funeral ceremo- 

 nies in honour of those of his army who had fallen, 

 and granted privileges to their fathers and children. 

 Most of the cities of Asia Minor, even Sardis, open- 

 ed their gates to the victor. Miletus and Halicar. 

 nassus resisted longer. A. restored democracy in all 

 the Greek cities. In passing through Gordium, he 

 cut the Gordian knot, and conquered Lycia, Ionia, 

 Caria, Pamphylia, and Cappadocia. But a danger- 

 ous sickness, brought on by bathing in the Cydnus, 

 checked his course. On this occasion he showed 

 the elevation of his character. He received a letter 

 from Parmenio, saying that Philip, his physician, had 

 been bribed by Darius to poison him. A. gave the 

 letter to the physician, and at the same time drank 

 the potion which he had prepared for him. Scarcely 

 was he restored to health, when he advanced towards 

 the defiles of Cilicia, whither Darius had imprudently 

 betaken himself, with an immense army, instead of 

 awaiting his adversary on the plains of Assyria. The 

 second battle took place near Issus, between the sea 

 and the mountains. The disorderly masses of the 

 Persians were broken by the charge of the Macedo- 

 nians, and fled in wild confusion. On the left wing, 

 30,000 Greeks, in the pay of the Persian king, re- 

 sisted longer ; but they also were obliged to yield. 

 The treasures and family of Darius tell into the 

 hands of the conqueror. The latter were treated 

 most magnanimously. A. did not pursue Darius, 

 who fled towards the Euphrates, but, in order to cut 

 him off from the sea, turned towards Coelosyria and 

 Phoenicia. Here he received a letter from Darius, 

 proposing peace. A. answered, that, if he would 

 come to him, he would restore to him not only his 

 mother, wife, and children without ransom, but also 

 his empire. This answer produced no effect. The 

 victory at Issus had opened the whole country to the 

 Macedonians. A. took possession of Damascus, which 

 contained a large portion of the royal treasures, and 

 secured all the towns along the Mediterranean sea. 

 Tyre, emboldened by the strength of its situation, re- 



sisted ; but was taken, after seven months of incredible 

 exertions, and destroyed. A. continued his victor!- 

 ous march through Palestine, where all the towns 

 surrendered, except Gaza, which shared the fate of 

 Tyre. Egypt, weary of the Persian yoke, received 

 lum as a deliverer. In order to confirm his power, 

 he restored the former customs and religious rites, 

 and founded Alexandria, which became one of the 

 first cities of ancient times. Hence he went 

 through the desert of Libya, to consult the oracle 

 of Jupiter Ammou. Some historians assert that the 

 god recognised him as his son, but others reject all 

 that has been related respecting this journey. At the 

 return of spring, A. marched against Darius, who, 

 in the meantime, had collected an army in Assyria, 

 and rejected the proposals of A. for peace. A bat- 

 tle was fought at Gaugamela, not far from Arbela, 

 in 331. Justin estimates the forces of Darius at 

 500,000 men ; Diodorus, Arrian, and Plutarch at 

 more than double that number. Notwithstanding 

 the immense numerical superiority of his enemy, A. 

 was not a moment doubtful of victory. At the head 

 of his cavalry, he attacked the Persians, and routed 

 them immediately ; he then hastened to the aid of 

 his left wing, which liad been, in the meantime, 

 severely pressed. His wish was to take, or kill, the 

 king of Persia. The latter was on an elevated 

 chariot, in the midst of his body guards. These, 

 when they saw how A. overthrew every thing, fled. 

 Darius then mounted a horse, and fled likewise, 

 leaving his army, baggage, and immense treasures 

 to the victor. Babylon and Susa, where the riches 

 of the East lay accumulated, opened their gates to 

 A., who directed his march towards Persepolis, the 

 capital of Persia. The only passage thither, Pylas 

 Persidis, was defended by 40,000 men under Ario- 

 barzanes. A. attacked them in the rear, routed 

 them, and entered Persepolis triumphant. From 

 this time the glory of A. began to decline. Master 

 of the greatest empire in the world, he became a 

 slave to his own passions ; gave himself up to arro- 

 gance and dissipation ; showed himself ungrateful 

 and cruel, and, in the arms of pleasure, sned the 

 blood of his bravest generals. Hitherto sober and 

 moderate, this hero, who strove to equal the gods, 

 and called himself a god, sank to the level of vulgar 

 men. Persepolis, the wonder of the world, he 

 burned in a fit of intoxication. Ashamed of this 

 act, he set out with his cavalry to pursue Darius. 

 Learning that Bessus, satrap of Bactriana, kept the 

 king prisoner, he hastened his march with the hope 

 of saving him. But Bessus, when he saw himself 

 closely pursued, caused Darius to be assassinated 

 (B. C. 330), because he was an impediment to his 

 flight A. beheld, on the frontiers of Bactriana, a 

 dying man, covered with wounds, lying in a chariot. 

 It was Darius. The Macedonian hero could not re- 

 strain his tears. After interring him with all the 

 honours usual among the Persians, he took posses- 

 sion of Hyrcania, the land of the Marsi, and Bac- 

 triana, and caused himself to be proclaimed king of 

 Asia. He was forming still more gigantic plans, 

 when a conspiracy broke out in his own camp Phi- 

 lotas, the son of Parmenio, was implicated. A., not 

 satisfied with the blood of the son, caused the father 

 also to be secretly murdered. This act of injustice 

 excited general displeasure. At the same time, his 

 power in Greece was threatened. Agis, king of 

 Sparta, had collected 30,000 men to shake off the 

 Macedonian yoke ; but Antipater, at the head of a 

 numerous army, overcame the Spartans, and dis- 

 solved the league of the Greeks. In the meantime, 

 A. marched, in the winter, through the north of 

 Asia, as tar as it was then known, checked neither 

 by mount Caucasus nor the Oxus, and reached (he 



