542 G R E 
his front, and form in two line?, each of whicli was ex. 
tremely deep. According to the Perfian ciiftom, tlie 
king occupied the centre of tite firft line, furrounded 
by the princes of tlie blood, and the great officers of 
Ills court, and defended hy his horfe and foot guards, 
amounting to fifteen thoufand chofen men. Thefe fplen- 
did troops were Hanked, on eitlier fide, by the Greek 
mercenaries, and other warlike battalions, carefully le- 
ledted from the whole army. The right wing confided 
of the Medes, Parthians, llyrcanians, and Sacae ; the 
left was chiefly occupied by the Bactrians, Perfians, 
and Caidnfiaits. The various nations- compofing this 
iinmenfe hofi: were diR'ercntly armed, wit it fwords, 
fpears, clubs, and hatchets ; while the horfe and foot 
of each divjfion were promifeuoufiy blended, rather 
from the refult of accident than the fagacity of defign. 
The armed chariots fronted tIte fiilt line, whofe centre 
was farther defended by the elephants. Chofen fqua- 
drons of Scythian, Bactrian, and Cappadocian, cavalry 
advanced before either wing, prepared to bring on tlie 
adtion, or, after it began, to attack the enemy in flank 
and rear. 
At day-break, Alexander difpofed his troops in a 
manner fuggefted by tlie fuperior numbers and order of 
tjie enemy. His main body confiltcd of two heavy- 
armed phalanxes, each amounting to above fixteen 
thoufand men. Of thefe, the greater part formed into 
one line ; behind which, he placed the heavy-armed 
jiien, reinforced by his targeteers, with orders, that 
w hen the out-fpreading wings of the enemy prepared to 
attack the flanks and rear of his firfl line, the fe 9 ond 
fliould immediately wheel to receive them. The c-a- 
valry and light infantry were fo difpofed on tlie v\ings, 
that while one part relifled the fliock of the Perfians in 
front, another, by only facing to the right or left, might 
■take them in flank. Skilful archers and darters were 
poked at proper intervals, as affording the befl: defence' 
againfl; the armed chariots. Alexander, with equal 
judgment, led the whole in an oblique diredfion towai ds 
the enemy’s left; a manoeuvre which enabled the Mace¬ 
donians to avoid contending at once with fuperior num¬ 
bers. When his advanced battalions, notwitliftanding 
their neariiefs to the enemy, kill kretclied towards the 
right, Darius alfo extended his left, tilb, fearing that 
by continuing this movement his men kiould be drawn 
gradually off the plain, he commanded the Scythian 
Iquadrons to adviince, and prevent the further extenkon 
of the Macedonian line, Alexander i’nmediately de¬ 
tached a body of horfe to oppofe them. An equekrian 
combat enfued, in which both parties were reinforced, 
and tlie barbarians finally repelled. The armed cha¬ 
riots then iffued forth with impetuous violence ; but 
their appearance only was formidable ; for the precau¬ 
tions taken by Alexander rendered their affault harm- 
lefs. Darius next moved his main body, but with fo 
little order, that the horfe, mixed with tlic infantry, 
advanced, and left a vacuity in the line, which his ge¬ 
nerals wanted time or vigilance to fupply. Alexander 
feized tJie favourable moment, and penetrated into the 
void with a wedge of fquadrons. Pie was followed by 
the nearek feflions of the phalanx, who riifhed forward 
with lend fhouts, as if they had already purl'ued the 
enemy. In this part of the field, the viclory was not 
long doubtful ; after a feeble refikance, the barbarians 
gave way ; and the Perkan king was foremolL in the 
flight. 1 he battle, however, was far from being de¬ 
cided. 1 he more remote divilions of the phalanx, 
upon receiving intelligence that the left wing, com¬ 
manded by Pavn.enio, was in danger, had not immedi¬ 
ately followed Alexander. A vacant fpace was thus 
left ill the Macedonian line, through which fome fqua¬ 
drons of Perkan and Indian liorfe penetrated with cele¬ 
rity, and advanced to the hollile camp.. It was tlien 
that Alexander derived fignal advantages from his ju- 
iUciouaorder of battle. The heavy-armed troops and 
E C E. 
targeteers, w'hich he had flcilfnlly poked behind the 
phalanx, fpeedily faced about, advanced with a rapid 
kep, and .attacked the barbarian cavalry, already entan¬ 
gled among tlie baegage. The enemy, thus furprifed, 
were foon dekroyed, or put to flight. Meanwhile, the 
danger of b.is left wing recalled Alexander from the 
piirfuit of Darius. In advancing againk tlie enemy’s 
right, he was met by tlie Parthian, Indian, and Perfian, 
liorfe, wlio maintained a kiarp conflicl. Sixty of the 
Companions fell; Hephxkion, Ccenus, and Menidas,wcre 
wounded. Having at length diffipated tills cloud of 
cavalry, Alexander prepal'ed to attack the foot in that 
wing. But the bufinefs was already effedted, chiefly by 
the Thefl’alian horfe ; and nothing remained but to pnr- 
fue the fugitives, and to render the viftory as decifive 
as poffible. 
According to the leak extravagant accounts, with 
the lofs of five hundred men Alexander dekroyed forty 
thoufand of the barbarians, who never thenceforth af- 
fembled in fufficient numbers to dispute his dominion 
in the eak. The invaluable provinces of Babylonia, 
Sufiana, and Perks, with their relpettive capitals of 
Babylon, Sufa, and Perfepolis, formed the prize of his 
fkil! and valour. Alexander had not yet attained the 
fuinmit of his fortune, though he had reached the height 
of his renown. The burning of the royal palace of 
Perfepolis, to retaliate the ravages of Xerxes in Greece, 
afforded the firll indication of his being overcome by 
too much profpsrity. To fpeak the mok favourably of 
this tranfaclion, an undikinguifiiing rel’entment made 
him forget that he dekroyed his own palace, not that 
of b.is adverfary. 
Dafiiis, after his defeat, efcaped by a precipitate 
flight acrofs the Armenian mountains into Media. Be- 
ing gradually joined by the fcattered remnant of his 
army, amounting to feveral thoufand barbarians, and 
fifteen hundred Greek mercenaries, he purpofed to have 
ekabiiflied his court in Media, ihonld Alexander re¬ 
main at Sufa or Babylon ; but in cafe he were kill pur- 
fued by the conqueror, his refolution was to proceed 
eakward, through Parthia and Hyrcania, into the valu¬ 
able province of B..(ffria, laying wake the intermediate 
country, that he might tlui.s interpofe a defert between 
himfelf and the hlacedonians. With this defign he 
difpatched to the Cafpian Gates the waggons convey¬ 
ing his women, and fuch inkrumenrs of convenience or 
luxury as kill foftened liis misfortunes ; while he re¬ 
mained in perfon at Ecbatana with his army. Alexan¬ 
der, w’hen apprifed of thefe meafiires, hakened into Me¬ 
dia. In his way he fubdued thePaiitacae ; and having 
reached within three days’ march of the Median capi¬ 
tal, was met by Bikhanes, the fon of Ochus, Darius’s 
predecelfor. 1 his prince informed him, that Darius 
had fled from thence kve days before, attended by threC 
thoufand horfenien and fix thouland foot. Animated 
by this intelligence, Alexander proceeded to Ecbatana, 
in which place he left his treafures, and poked a krong 
garrifon. A detachment under Pannenio was fent into 
Hyrcania ; Caeniis, who had been left fick at Sufa, was 
commanded to march with all convenient fpeed into 
Parthia ; while the king, with a chofen army, advanced 
in piirfuit of Darius. Having pafl'ed the Calpian Straits, 
he learned that Darius, being feized and bound, was 
carried prifoner in his chariot; that Befl'iis, governor of 
Badlria, in -whofe province this treafon had been com¬ 
mitted, had all’umed the imperial honours ; and that all 
the barbarians (Artabazus only and his fons excepted) 
already acknowledged tlie iirui per. 'Alexander further 
learned, that kiould he purfue BelT'us and his ak'ociates, 
it was their intention to make peace with him by deli¬ 
vering up Darius; but lliould he ceafe fioni tlie pur- 
fuit, that they had determined to colledk forces, and to 
divide the eakern provinces of the empire. 
After this information, Alexander marched all night, 
and next day till noon, without overtaking the enemy. 
s tk 
N 
