270 A L E X A 
example of the greatefl nrifery. Thefe were about four 
thou land Greeks, very far advanced in years; who, ha¬ 
ving been made prifoners of war, had fuffered all the 
torments whicli the Perlian tyranny could inflict. The 
hands of fome had been cut off, the feet of others, and 
■others again had loll their notes and ears; after which, 
the Perfians, having impreffed by fire barbarous characters 
on their faces, had the inhumanity to keep them as fo 
many laughing-flocks, with which they fported perpetu¬ 
ally. They appeared like fo many ffiadows rather than 
men ; f'peech being almolt the only thing by which they 
were known to be fuch. Alexander could not refrain 
from tears at this fight; and, as they unanimoufty befought 
him to commiferate their condition, he bade them with the 
utmoft tendernefs not to defpond ; and affured them, that 
they fhould again fee their wives and native country. This 
propofal, which one might fuppofe fhould naturally have 
filled them with joy, feemed to heighten their mifery; 
and, with tears in their eyes, “ How will it be poilible 
(faid fome of them) for us to appear publicly before all 
Greece, in the dreadful condition to which we are redu¬ 
ced : a condition flill more fhameful than difHitisfaCtory ? 
The befl way to bear mifery is to conceal it; and no coun¬ 
try is fo fweet to the wretched as falitude, and an oblivion 
of their paft misfortunes.” They therefore befought the 
king to permit them to continue in a country where they 
had fpent fo many years, and to end their days among 
thofe who were already accuftomed to their misfortunes. 
Alexander granted their reqtieft; and prefented each of 
them three thoufand drachmas, five men’s lints of clothes, 
the fame number of women’s, two couple of oxen to 
plough their lauds, and corn to low therfi. He command¬ 
ed the governor of the province not to fuffer them to be 
molefted in any manner; and ordered that they lliould be 
free from taxes and tributes of every kind. Such beha¬ 
viour as this was truly royal. 
During his flay in Perfepolis, he entertained his friends 
at a banquet, at which his guefts drank, as ufual, to excefs. 
Among the women who were admitted to it mafked, was 
'Thais, the courtezan, a native of Attica, and at that time 
miftrefs to Ptolomy, who afterwards was king of Egypt. 
About the end of the feaft, during which fhe had ftudi- 
oufly endeavoured to pleafe the king in the molt artful 
and delicate manner, Hie faid, with a gay tone of voice, 
“ That it would be a matter of inexpreflible joy to her, 
were fhe permitted (mafked as fhe was, and in order to 
end the entertainment nobly) to burn the magnificent pa¬ 
lace of Xerxes, who had burned Athens ; and to fet it on 
fire with her own hand, in order that it might be faid in 
all parts of the world, that the women who followed 
Alexander, in his expedition to Afia, had taken much 
better vengeance on the Perfians, for the many calamities 
they had brought on the Grecians, than all the generals 
who had fought for them, both by fea and land.” All 
the guefts applauded the difcourfe; when immediately the 
king rdfie from table, (his head being crowned with flow¬ 
ers,) and, taking a torch in his hand, he advanced for¬ 
ward to execute this mighty exploit. The whole compa¬ 
ny follow him, breaking out into loud exclamations; and 
afterwards, finging and dancing, they furround the pa¬ 
lace. All the reft of the Macedonians, at this noife, ran 
in crowds with lighted tapers, and fet fire to every part of 
it. However, Alexander was forry, not long after, for 
what he had done; and thereupon gave orders for extin- 
guiffiing the flames, but it was too late. 
His excelfes with regard to wine were notorious, and 
beyond all imagination; and he committed, when drunk, 
a thoufand extravagancies. 
Clitus was one of Alexander’s beft friends, an old offi¬ 
cer, who had fought under his father Philip, and figna- 
lized himfelf on many occafions. At the battle of the 
Granifcus, as Alexander was fighting bare-headed, and 
Rofaces had his arm raifed in order to flrike him behind, 
be covered the king with his fhield, and cut off the bar¬ 
barian’s hand. Hcllenice, his fifter, had nurfed Alexan- 
N D E R. 
der; and he loved I)er with as much tendernefs as if fhe 
had been his own mother. As the king, from thefe fe- 
veral contiderations, had a very great refpedl for Clitus, 
he intruded him with the government of one of the moll 
important provinces of his empire ; and ordered him to 
fet out the next day. In the evening, Clitus was invited 
to an entertainment, in which the king, after drinking to 
excefs, began to celebrate his own exploits; and was fo 
extremely lavifli of felf-commendation, that he even 
fhocked thofe very perfons who knew what he fpoke was 
in general true. Clitus, who by this time, as well as the 
reft of the company, was equally intoxicated, began to 
relate the actions of Philip, and his wars in Greece, pre¬ 
ferring them to whatever was done by Alexander. Though 
the-king was prodigioufly vexed, he neverthelkfs (tilled 
his refentment; and it is probable that he would have 
quite fupprelled his paffion, had Clitus flopped there; but 
the latter growing more and more talkative, as if deter¬ 
mined to exafperate and infult the king, he was command¬ 
ed to leave the table. “ He is in the right (fttys Clitus, as 
he role up) not to bear free-born men at his table, who 
can only tell him truth. He will do well to pafs his life 
among barbarians and (laves, who will pay adoration to 
his Perfian girdle, and his white robe.” The king, no 
longer able to fupprefs his rage, fnatched a javelin from 
one of the guards, and would have killed Clitus on the 
fpot, had not the courtiers withheld his arm, and Clitus 
been forced, with great difficulty, out of the hall. How¬ 
ever, he returned into it that moment by another door, 
finging, with an air of infolence, verfes reflelling highly 
on the prince, who, feeing the general near him, ftruck 
him with his javelin dead at his feet, crying out, at the 
fame time, <l Go now to Philip, to Parmenio, and to At¬ 
tains.” 
As foon as the king was capable of reflecting ferionfly 
on what lie had done, his crime difplayed itfelf to him in 
the blacked and mod dreadful light; for, though Clitus 
bad committed a great and inexcufable fault, yet it mud 
be confelf'ed, that the circumftances of the banquet exte¬ 
nuate in fome degree, or throw, in fome meafure, a veil 
over, Clitus’s conduct. When a king makes a fubjecl his 
companion in a debauch, lie feems, on fuch an occafton, 
to forget his dignity, and to permit his fubjeCts to forget 
it aifo ; he gives a fanCtion, as it were, to the liberties, fami¬ 
liarities, and fudden flights, which wine commonly in- 
fpires. A fault, committed under thefe circumftances, is 
always a fault; but then it ought never to be expiated 
with the blood of the offender. This Alexander had ge- 
nerofity enough to acknowledge ; and at the fame time 
perceived that he had done the vile office of an execu¬ 
tioner, in punilhing, by an horrid murder, the uttering 
fome indifcreet words, which ought to be imputed to the 
fumes of wine. Upon this, he threw himfelf upon his 
friend’s body, forced out the javelin, and would have 
difpatched himfelf with it, had he not been prevented by 
his guards. He pafted that night and the next day in 
tears, ftretched on the ground, and venting only groans 
and deep fighs. 
Alexander, having invited feveral of his friends and 
general officers to fupper, propofed a crown as a reward 
for him who lliould drink moft. He who conquered' on 
this occafion was Promachus, who fwallowed fourteen 
meafures of wine, that is, eighteen or twenty pints. Af¬ 
ter receiving the prize, which was a crown worth a ta¬ 
lent, i. e. about a thoufand crowns, he furvived his victo¬ 
ry but three days. Of the reft of his guefts, forty died 
of their intemperate drinking.—'When this fame prince 
was at Babylon, after having fpent a whole night in ca- 
roufing, a fecond was propofed to him. He met accord¬ 
ingly, and there were twenty guefts at table. He drank 
to the health of every perfon in company, and then pled¬ 
ged them feverally. After this, calling for Hercules’s 
cup, which held an incredible quantity, it was filled, 
when he poured it all down, drinking to a Macedonian of 
the company, Proteas by name; and afterwards pledged 
him 
