ALE 



Tiian v.ho could untie it fliould poiTufs the empire of Afia : 

 Alixaiider, pcrfuadtd th;\t this prcdiftion related to hiinfclf, 

 after ir.any fniitlefs trials, exclaimed, " It is no matter 

 which way it be untied," and cut it with his fword. Having 

 fubdiied Paphlaponia and Cappadocia, he advanced by hallv 

 inarches into Cilicia, and arrived in the country called Cyrus's 

 Camp. Through a narrow ttrait, called the I'.ifs of Cilicia, he 

 marched with his. army to Tarfus, where Parmenio arrived jull 

 in time lo prevent its being fet lire to by the I'erfians. Alex- 

 ander, heated and fatigued by this rapid march, plunged into 

 the river Cyduus, which ran tlnough this city, and was in- 

 ilantly fei/.cd with a Ihivering, which his attendants thought 

 would prove fatal to him. His danger alarmed the whole 

 army, and they cxprell'ed their appiehenhons with lam.en- 

 tation and tears. In thcfe cireiimllances, and whillL the 

 fpeedy arrival of Darius was expefled, Alexander confulled 

 his friends and phyfieians, and intimated to them that the 

 condition of his affairs would not admit either of flow reme- 

 dies or timid phylieians. " A fpeedy death," fays he, «' is 

 more eligible than a flow cure." Philip, an Acarnanian, 

 one of his phylieians, who tenderly loved him, and had at- 

 tended him from hisyo\uh, offered to give him a dole, which 

 would be ipeedy in its effefts, and defired three days to prepare 

 it. In the mean while Alexander received a letter from Par- 

 menio, who had been left in Cappadocia ; the purport of 

 which was to bid him beware of Philip, becaufe Darius had 

 bribed him by the promife of a thoufand talents, and his 

 fifter in marriage. But his confidence in a phyficiaa, whole 

 fidelity he had experienced froni his infancy, prevailed over 

 liis fears, and removed all his doubts. The contents of the 

 letter he did not divulge. When Philip came to adminifler 

 his medicine, Alexander took it from under his bolller and 

 gave it Philip to read ; at the fame time, fixing his eyes on 

 the phyfician, he fwallowed the dranglit without helitation, 

 or without dilcovering the leall fufpicion. The efftiSs of the 

 medicine were very violent, but the ikill of the phyhcian pre- 

 vailed, and his fidehty was proved. Alexander recovered, 

 and, in three days prefented himfelf to the joyful gratulatioas 

 of the army. 



During this interval Darius was on his march, and Alex- 

 ander advanced to meet him near Plus, in the month of Oc- 

 tober, B. C. 3'^3. The army .of Darius confilled of 6co,0oo 

 men ; but by infatuated couiifels, and a vain confidence in 

 the number of his forces, he had quitted an open and level 

 country, and prepared to engage in a clofe and mountainous 

 fituation, where his multitude could only erabarrafs him in 

 attion. Victory was for fome time obftinately difputed ; 

 Alexander received a wound in his thigh ; but at length the 

 Perfian e iperor fled, and his immenfe anny was thrown into 

 confufion. A dreadful carnage fucceeded, and the tent of 

 Darius, with his mother, wife, and daughters, came into the 

 poffcfiion of the conqueror. When Alexander had performed 

 the ofRces of duty and compaflion to the dead and wounded, 

 he entered the tent where the queens were lodged, accompa- 

 nied only by his favourite Hcphaeitiorl. The queens, n^.if- 

 taking Hephaeftion for the king, paid thcii refpefts to him 

 as fuch ; but as foon as Syligambis, the mother of Darius, 

 had difcovered the miftakc, fhe fell proftrate at the feet of 

 Alexander, and begged his pardon. The king railed her 

 from the ground, and faid to her, " Dear mother, you are 

 not raiftaken ; lie alfo is an Alexander." Alexander, after 

 this refpeftful vifit, declined expofmg himfelf to the danger of 

 human frailty, and folemnlv refolved never to fee the queen 

 of Darius any more. At this time, the fourth year of his 

 reign, Alexander was young, viftorious, and free, or imcn- 

 gaged in marriage, as has been obfeived of Scipio on a like 

 octafion— 



ALE 



" Et jtivenis, et coelcbs, ct viftor." 



After thisviftory, Alexander purfncd his march to Syria. 

 Parmenio went to Damafcus, and poflefled himfelf of the 

 treafurcs of Darius. The king propofed to vilitTyre, that 

 he might have an opportunity of facrificing to the Tyriaii 

 Hercules : but the Tyi ians refolved not lo admit a Macedo- 

 nian within their gates. Alexander was incenfcd, and deter- 

 mined to beficge the city ; and this fiegc, one of the moll 

 famous which hifloiy records, lalled for fcven months; at 

 length the place was flornied and utterly deflroyed. The king, 

 on thisoccafiow, incurred deferved rejjroach by his cruelty to- 

 wards a people, who had only ofiended by brasely defending 

 their country. Thoufands were put to the fword, two thou- 

 fand werecrucilied, and the reil fold for flavcs. After hav- 

 ing liepopulated the city, he colonized it anew, and boalled 

 of being the founder of a city which he had ruined. This 

 event look place, Augull 20lh, B. C. 3^2. 



I'rom Tyre Alexander proceeded to Jerufalem, with the 

 intention of puniHiing the jews for affording relief to the Tv- 

 rians during the fiege ; but on his approach he met Jad- 

 dua, the high priell, in his pontifical habit, accompanied by 

 the priells in their facred vcftments, and the people clothed 

 in wiiite. When the jjroeeffion drew near, Alexander bowed 

 before the prieft, and paid him religious adoration ; alledging 

 to Parmenio as the reafon of this conduct, that the figure of 

 aperlon in fuch habit had appeared to him at Diiim, in Ma- 

 cedonia, and affured him of the divine guidance, and of ulti- 

 mate fuccefs in his expedition. After this interview, Alex- 

 ander accompanied Jaddua to Jerufalem, facriliced in the 

 temple, and conferred great favours onthcjewidi nation. 

 Such is the account given by Jofephus, but the whole is re- 

 jefted as fabulous by many judicious writers. Confidering, 

 however, the fuperllitious temper of Alexander, and his 

 friendly conduct to the Jews, it is not altogether improb:i- 

 ble. From Jerufidem Alexander proceeded to Gaza, beliegcd 

 it, and took it by ftorm : from Gaza he marched to Pelu- 

 fuim, left a garrifon in it, and failed up the Nile. He after- 

 wards inarched through the deferts to Hehopolis, and crofT- 

 ing the river, he airived at Mcm.phis, where he offered pom- 

 pous facrifices not only to the Grecian gods, but to the 

 Egyj)tiau Apis. From Memphis he failed down the river to 

 the fea, and fixed on the place where he propofed to build j. 

 new city, which h-isfince become fo famous under the name 

 of Alexandria. Here he formed the defign of vifiting tlie 

 temple of Jiipiter Amnion, fituate on an oaUs in the niidfl of 

 the Lybian deftrts. The fenior pnefl of this temple flattered 

 him with the title of the fon of Jupiter, which Alexander 

 joyfully accepted; and he was farther affured that he (hould 

 be the monarch of the world. From this journey, whicft 

 had proved fo fucccfsful, he returned as from a triumph ; 

 ar.d from this time, in all his letters and decrees, ufed the 

 following flyle : " Alexander, king, fon of Jupiter Am- 

 mon." 



During his abode at Memphis, lie fettled the atfairs of 

 Egypt ; and in the fpring marched towards the eaft againil 

 Darius. In his way to Tyre, which was the place ap- 

 pointed for the general rendezvous of his forces, he heard 

 that Andromachus, whom he had appointed governor of Sy. 

 ria and Paleftine, had been maffacred at Samaria ; and, in 

 order to avenge this audacious aft, he put thofe that were 

 concerned in it to death, banilhcd the rcfl from Samaria, 

 fupplied their place with a colony of Macedonians, and di^ 

 vided part of their territories among the Jews. 



From Tyre he direfted his march to Thapfacus, and Hav- 

 ing paiTed the Euphrates, he advanced towards new con- 

 queits. On his march he was informed of the death i){ 



btatira^ 



