PERSONAL INFLUENCE OF GREAT COMMANDERS IN THE PAST. 7l 



severe struggles, victory was secured. Everywhere he adopted 

 the generous pohcy of friendly treatment of those who 

 surrendered to him or helped his cause. His victorious 

 career again brought him to another struggle in force with the 

 main Persian army at the battle of Issus, at the northern limit 

 of Sjrria. At this battle Darius himself, who commanded in 

 person, lost heart and fled, a complete victory for the Mace- 

 donians resulting in the opening up of Syria and the acquisition 

 of large treasure. Before venturing inland Alexander moved 

 south, without opposition until he reached Tyre, then in the 

 magnitude of her pomp and power. Here a siege lasting eight, 

 months, in which wonderful defensive power was met by in- 

 domitable perseverance and engineering skill, finally resulted in the 

 capture and destruction of the city. The position of Tyre, it may 

 be parenthetically observed, was very much like that of the free 

 cities of Germany in the seventeenth century. The Phoenician 

 cities furnished not only centres and outlets of trade, but bases 

 for the Persian fleet, still dominant in the Mediterranean. With 

 some of them Alexander made terms, on their sui rendering their 

 independence. Tyre, however, would not give way* absolutely, 

 and braved the consequences. The terrible doom that befell 

 this proud city is only matched by the horrors at Magdeburg in 

 the Thirty Years War — unless indeed recent atrocities have sur- 

 passed even that terrible exhibition of bloodshed and cruelty. 

 That Alexander should have sanctioned such excesses shows 

 how far his usual chivalrous character was stained by the motives 

 of revenge, and how far short he fell of stainless example. 



Gaza, too, the outpost of Egypt, made stern resistance but 

 was captured after two months' siege. Thence Alexander went 

 to Egypt, which presented no difficulty. His restless activity 

 took him into the western desert to the oasis of Siwa, and true 

 to his pohcy of consoHdation and settlement he founded 

 Alexandria. By this the conquest of the eastern Mediterranean 

 shores was complete, and he needed no longer to fear the Persian 

 fleet on those waters. He had a fine sense, too, of ruling the 

 people in lands conquered, assuring to them their ancient customs 

 and carrying forward their well-tried laws — only he put one of 

 his own choice, one of his trusted Macedonians, as ruler, with a 

 sufiicient garrison of discipHned soldiers. As a rule the people 

 gladly accepted him, knowing that his rule brought them greater 

 freedom and justice than they had under the Persians. 



Leaving Egypt early in 331 B.C., Alexander retraced his steps to 



