G R E 
Sin. Alexander, willing fo admit a pretenfion, which 
might atteft to fucceeding ages that he had carried his 
conqiieds ftill farther than Bacchus, readily granted 
their requeft. Having underftood tliat Nyla was go. 
verned by an ariflocracy, he demanded, as hodages, an^ 
hundred of their principal citizens, and three hundred 
of their cavalry. This demand excited tlie fmile of 
Acuphis, who headed the embaffy. Alexander defired 
liim to explain his fmile. He replied, “O king ! you 
are welcome to three hundred of our horfemen, and 
more, fliould you think proper. But can you believe 
if poffible that any city (houid long continue fafe, after 
lofing an hundred of its mod virtuous citizens ? Indeacl 
of one hundred of the bed, (houid you be coniented 
with two hundred of the word men in Nyfh, be affured 
that, at your return, you will find this country in as 
flourilhing a condition as whesr you left it.” Pleafed 
with tliis remark, Alexander remitted his demand of 
the magidrates ; he was accompanied by the cavalry, 
and by the fbn and nephew of Acuphis, who were am¬ 
bitious to learn the art of war under fuch an accom- 
plidied general. Thefe tranfadlions, added to’a march 
of dxteen days from the Oxus to the Indus, allowed 
time for Hepliaedion and Perdiccas to make the prepa¬ 
rations necelfary for pafling the latter river. On ,the 
eadern bank, Alexander received the fubmillion of the 
neighbouring princes. Of thefe, Taxiles, who was the 
mod confiderable, brought, betides .pther valuable pre- 
fents, the adidance of (even tlioufand Indian horfe, and 
furrendered his capital, Taxila, tlie mod wealth.;,’ and 
populous city between the Indus and Ilydafpes. But 
the king, who never allowed himfelf to be outdone in 
generofity, redored and augmented the dominions of 
Taxiles. 
The army crofTed the Indus about the time of the 
fiimmer foldice, at which lealbn the Indian rivers are 
(welled by heavy rains, as well as by tlie melted (now, 
which defeends in torrents from tlie heights above. 
Truding to this circumdancc, Porus, a powerful warl 
like prince, had encamped on the Shantroii, or Hy'daf- 
pes, w’ith thirty thoufand foot, four thoufand horfe, 
three hundred armed chariots, and two hundred ele¬ 
phants. At a (mail didance from tlie main body, his 
Ibii commanded a detachment, confiding of the fame 
kind of forces, well accoutred, and excellently difei- 
plined. Alexander perceived tlie difficulty of pading 
the Hydalpes in the face of this formidable hod ; a diffi. 
culty which mud be greatly increafed by the elephants, 
whole noife, and fmell, and afpebi, were alike terrible 
to cavalry. He therefore collebted provifions on the 
oppofite bank, and gave out that he purpofed to delay 
pading the river till a more favourable feafon. This 
artifice deluded not the cunning Indians ; and Porus 
kept his pod. The king next had recourfe to a dif¬ 
ferent dratagem. Having poded his cavalry in feparate 
detachments along the river, he commanded them to 
raife in the night loud lliouts of war, and to fill the 
bank with agitation and tumult, as if they had deter¬ 
mined at all hazards to edebt their palfage. The noife 
roufed the enemy, and Porus condubled his elephants 
wherever the danger threatened. This Icene was re¬ 
peated I’everal fuccceffive nights; during which the 
barbarians were fatigued and haraded by the perpetual 
alarms. Porus now thought that nothing was intended 
by this vain noife, but merely to dKturb his repofe ; he 
therefore defided from follow'ing the motions of the 
Macedonian cavalry, and remained quiet in his encamp¬ 
ment, having dationed proper guards on the bank. 
The falle feciirity of Porus enabled Alexander to efi 
feci his purpofe. At the didance of about eighteen 
miles from his camp, and at the principal winding of 
the Hydafpes, there dood a lofty rock, thickly covered 
with trees ; and near it an idand, likewife over-run w'ith 
wood, and uninhabited. Such objebts were favourable 
for concealments they immediately fuggefled, to Alex. 
VgL..VIII. No. 5,57. 
E C E. ')4.V 
ander the defign of paffing the river with a flrong de. 
tachment, which he refolved to command in perfon, as 
he feldom left to otliers what he could himfelf perform ; 
and, amidd the variety of operations, always claimed 
the ta(k of importance or danger. The Macedonian 
phalanx, tlie new levies from Paropamifus, together 
witli tlie Indian auxiliaries, and one divi(ion of tlie ca¬ 
valry, remained under the command of Craterus. They 
had orders to amufe the enemy by making dres in the 
nigiit, and by preparing openly during day-time to crofs 
the Hydafjies. Wliile thefe operations were carrying 
on by Craterus, Alexander, iiaving collebled hides and 
boats, uiarclied-up the country with a ciioice body o4' 
light infantry, the archers and Agrians, the Babtrian, 
Scythian, and Partliian, cavalry, together with a dub 
proportion of heavy-armed troops. Having receded 
from the bank to a didance fufficiently remote for elud¬ 
ing the obfervatioii of Porus, he advanced towards the', 
rock and idand ; and in this fecure pod prepared to em¬ 
bark, after taking fuch precautions againd the vicidi- 
tudes ot war and fortune, as could be fuggeded only by 
the mod profound military genius. The orders given 
to Craterus were precife; (houid the Indians perceive, 
and endeavour to interrupt, the paffage to the rock and 
idand, he was in that cafe to haden over with his ca¬ 
valry ; otherwife not to dir from his pod, until he ob.. 
lerved Porus advancing againd Alexander, or flying 
from the field. At an equal didaiice between the bank, 
where Alexander meant to pafs, and the camp where 
Craterus lay, Attains and Meleager w'ere poded with a’ 
powertnl body of mercenaries, chiefly confiding of In¬ 
dian mountaineers, wdio had been defeated by the Mace¬ 
donians, and taken into tlie pay of the conqueror. To 
provide for any luiforcfeen accident, fentinels were 
placed along the bank, at convenient didances, to ob- 
lervc and repeat fignais. Fortune favoured tliefe judi¬ 
cious difpofitioiis. A violent temped concealed from 
the enemy’s out-guards the tumult of preparation ; the 
cladi of armour and tlie voice of command being over¬ 
powered by the complicated cradi of rain and tluuide!'. 
When the dorm fomewhat abated, the liorl'e and infan¬ 
try, in fucJi proportions as both the boats and hides 
could convey, palled over uiip.erceived into tlie iflaiid. 
Alexander led the,line, accompanied in his vedel of 
tliirty oars by Seleucus, Ptolemy, Perdiccas, and Ly(i- 
machus; names dedined to fill the ancient world, 'when 
their renown was no longer reprelied by the inefidible 
did'ulion of their inuder’s glory. 
The king fird reached the oppodte bank, in fight of 
the enemy’s out-guards, who iiadeiied to convey the 
unwelcome intelligence to Porus. The Macedonians 
'meanwhile formed in order of battle ; but before meet¬ 
ing their enemies, they had to druggie with an unforc- 
leen difficulty. The coad on which they landed was 
the (liore of another idand, disjoined from the contiiveiit 
by a river commonly fordable, but actually fo much 
fwelled by the rains of the preceding night, that the 
water reached-the breads of the men, and tlie liecks of 
the horl'es. Having palled this dangerous dream with 
his cavalry and targeteers, Alexander advanced witli 
all poffible expedition, conddering, that (houid Porus 
offer battle, thefe forces would redd till joined by the 
heavy infantry; but (houid the Indians be druck with 
panic at liis unexpelled palfage of the H'ydafpes, the 
light-arnyed troops would tliu.s arrive in time to attack 
and purfue them with advantage. Upon the fird alarm, 
Porus detached his (bn to oppofe the landing of the 
enemy, with two tliouland horfe and one hundred and 
twenty armed chariots. Thefe forces, arriving too late, 
were fpeedily broken and put to flight-by the equeilriafi 
archers ; their leader and four hundred horlenien were 
dain; mod of the chariots were taken ; the dime of tli_e 
river, whicli rendered them unferviceable in the adtion, 
likewife interrupted their flight. 
The news of.this difeomfiture deeply afllibted Pori’is'^ 
IIH but 
