ALE 



the moft undaunted refolnlion, refciied tlicir fovereigp ; 

 tliou^jh, when he was carried out upon his fliicld to the 

 cuirn', his recovery was very doubtful. As foon as he was 

 able, he rejointd his forces and was received in the cainp 

 with gieat joy. 



His firll thoughts were now diretled to the increafe of 

 his fleet ; and having accomphllied this obje<f\, having given 

 order for erecting a city in the commodious fituation afforded 

 by the confluence of two great rivers, and having conferred 

 upon Oxyartes, the father of his wife Roxnna, the govern- 

 ment of Paropamifus, with fomc additional territories, he 

 embarked on board his fleet and continued his voyage. Put 

 ns he proceeded, he was occalionally employed in reducing 

 jTome Indian princes, who were either negligent in paying 

 hin-i the attention and retpetl to which he conceived himfetf 

 intltled, or who aeUially took up arms againil him. Of ihii 

 .ninnber were Muficanus, the fovereign of one of the rieheil 

 and moft populous kingdoms in India ; Oxvcanus, another 

 Indian prince, who was taken priloner, and Sambus, whofe 

 capital Sindomana opened its gates to receive him. Mufi- 

 caniis afterwards revolted ; and Alexander diretied him to 

 be carried back into his own dominions, to be there crucified, 

 tOjjcther with all the Brachmans who were about him, and 

 who had inlligated him to this revolt. Tlie king n.cxt failed 

 to Patala, the modern Tatta, an ifland formed by two 

 branches of the river Indus, where he ordered an haven and 

 convenient docks to be conilrucl;ed for his Hiips ; and when 

 hehad careened hisflcet, hefailed down the right-hand branch 

 of the river towards the ocean. As they approached the 

 Tea, they were expofed to great danger for want of ll<ilful 

 pilots ; and therefore, alter having gratified his vanity by 

 entering the ocean beyond the Indus, performing religious 

 rites in honour of Neptune, and furveying two fmall iflands, 

 lie retuiiied to Patala. Having furveyed the other branch 

 of the Indus, and found a place of fafety for his fleet, he 

 gave dircclions to Nearchus to conduft the fleet, by the 

 ocean, at the proper feafon, through the Perfian gulf, up 

 the river Tigris, to meet liim and his army in Mefopotamia ; 

 and he departed with the army in order to march back by 

 land to Babylon. From the refearches of Major Rcnnell 

 we learn, that the diflance of that place on the Hydafpes, 

 where Alexander fitted out his fleet, from the ocean, cannot 

 belefsthan a thoufand Britifh miles. Confidering the various 

 operations by which he was retarded, and the flow navigation 

 of fuch a fleet as he condufted, it is no wonder that he was 

 above nine months before he reached the ocean. When we 

 attend to the various movements of his troops, the number 

 of cities which they took, and the different ftates which 

 they f\ibdued, he may be juftly faid to have explored the 

 countries through which he paffed. 



Alexander, having left Patala, crofled the Arabis, and 

 marched through the country of the Oritce, whofe capital 

 he feized and converted into a new and noble city, which 

 he committed to the government of Hephajflion. He then 

 purfued his arduous march through Gedrofia ; and in the 

 whole of his progrefs fuffered much from fiekncfs, exceflive 

 heats and fatigue, and alfo from famine and thirll ; fo that 

 he brought back from India fcarcely the fourth part of his 

 army, which had confilled of l20,oco foot, and 15,000 

 horfe. In thefc circumftances, trying and diftrelTnigas they 

 were, he maintained an invincible refolution and patience, 

 and by his example encouraged the perfeverance of his troops. 

 Jhlaving reffed and refreflied his army at the capital of Cle- 

 drofia, he prepared his maieh into Caramania, a very plen- 

 tiful country, where his attendants were amply recompenfcd 



ALE 



for the harddiips and fatigues they had endured. Here he 

 punifhed thofe governors who were charged with mal- 

 adminiftration, fome of whom were put to deatli ; and rc- 

 dreflt'd the viuious grievances which the people had fuffered 

 during his abfence. He then continued his march through 

 Caramania, and was joined by Nearchus, his adu-.iral ; and 

 turning afide to Peifia, he vifited the tomb of Cyrus, at 

 Pafargadx ; ordered Orfincs, th.e governor of Pcrfia, who 

 was charged with many atrocious crimes, to he crucified, and 

 placed Peuceftas, who had faved his life in a city of the 

 Malli, in his room ; and commanded Baryaxes, a Medf, 

 who had ufurped the title and tiara of king, to be put to 

 death. In thefe marches Calanus, an Indian brarhmaa, 

 who hid accompanied Alexander, finding his health declinirg, 

 requeffed to hav<- n funeral' pile prepared; on the top of 

 wliich he ffretehed himfclf at full length, and remained 

 without voice or motion in the midfl of the flame?. 



At Sufa, to which Alexander next marched, he put to 

 death Abulites and his fon Oxathrcs, who were charged 

 with enormous crimes in the adminiftration of public affairs ; 

 and he attempted to unite the Macedonians and Perfians by 

 fonning alliances between the nobleft families of Pcrfia and 

 the principal perfons of his own court ; and he himfclf fet 

 them an example by taking two wives of the royal hlood of 

 Perfia, -viz. Statira, the daughter of Darius, and Paryfatis, 

 the daughter of Ochus. He alfo bcflowed fortunes on 

 thofe Perfian ladies of liigh rank, who were married to 1ii< 

 own principal officers. He likewife paid the debts of iiii 

 army, and conferred rewards and promotions on thofe wliu 

 had fignali/.ed ihemfelvcs in his fervicc, witliout diflinftioa 

 of countr)'. 



Alexander, having flill a curiofity to fee the ocean, and 

 to explore tiic maritime parts of his empire, went down fron» 

 Sufa upon the river Eulsus ; and having croffed the Perfian 

 gulf to the mouth of the I'igris, went up that river to the 

 army, which was previoufly encamped, under the commar.d 

 of Plephseftion, on its banks, near the city of Opis. Here 

 he iffued an edlft that thofe Macedonians, who were either 

 unable or unwilling to make any more campaigns, might have 

 their difcharge, and return home, and that lliofc who chofc 

 to remain with him flioidd be duly encouraged. Tiiis edift 

 which was intended to pleafe the army, produced a contrai"y 

 effeft, and excited a mutiny, which was quelled by cxtraordi- 

 nar)' refolution and intrepidity. Whiltl the foldiers furrounded 

 the tribunal on which he was feated, all clamouring for their 

 difcharge, reproaching him with the favours which he had 

 conferred on the Barbarians, and infolcntly telling him, that 

 his father Amnion and he might go and fubdue the world liy 

 themfelves, he leaped into the niidll of them, ordered hu 

 guards to feize 13 of the ringleaders, whom he pointed out, 

 and commanded their immediate execution. This ae^l ter- 

 rified them into filencc and fubmifllon ; and then remounting 

 his tribunal, he pointed out to tlicm, in an eloquent fpeech, 

 thejuilice of his own couduft and tlie folly of theirs. Ho 

 afterwards promoted tiie Perfian nobility to the principal 

 commands in his ariny ; and by thus feeniiij^ to tiloi.-li r his 

 confidence to them, he humbled the Macedonian";, and in- 

 duced them to deliver up the authors of the frdition, and 

 earneftly to feek reconcill;ition and favour ; wliicli they ob- 

 tained, and which were fueceeded by a folemn fellival at 

 which 9000 perfons were piefent. 



At Ecbatana, wliither he next went, ho offered facrlfice?, 



and exlilblted fports and games ; which were followed by a 



roval banquet ; but iiis joy on this oerafion was nnexpertedly 



interrupted by tlie fuddcn illuefs and death of IJeplnrfliou. 



4 1 2 Frum 



