92 HIS ILLNESS. 



that Alexander might have conquered Italy ; that the 

 peninsula might have become a land of independent 

 cultivated cities like, the Venice, and Genoa, and 

 Florence of the middle ages ; that Greek might have 

 been established as the reigning language, and Latin 

 remained a rustic dialect, and finally died away. It 

 is at all events certain that, in a few more years, 

 Alexander would have made Carthage Greek ; and 

 that event alone would have profoundly influenced the 

 career of Rome. 



However this was not to be. Alexander went out 

 in a boat among the marshes in the neighbourhood of 

 Babylon, and caugh fc a fever, the first symptoms of which 

 appeared after a banquet, which had been kept up all the 

 night and the whole of the following day. At that time 

 the Arabian expedition was prepared, and Nearchus the 

 admiral was under sailing orders. Day after day the 

 king continued to send for his officers to give orders, 

 and to converse about his future plans. But the fever 

 gradually increased, and while yet in the possession of 

 his sense, he was deprived of the power of speech. 

 The physicians announced that there was no longer 

 any hope. 



And then were forgotten all the crimes and follies 

 of which he had been guilty, — his assumption of the 

 honours of a god, the murder of his bosom friend. 

 The Macedonian soldiers came in to him weeping to 

 bid him the last farewell. He sat up and saluted 

 them man by man as they marched past his bedside. 

 When this last duty had been discharged, he threw 

 back his weary frame. He expired on the evening of 

 the next day. 



The night, the dark murky night, came on. None 

 dared light a lamp ; the fires were extinguished. By 



