M A C E D O N. 
for Darius. The governor defended the place with 
great valour, and feveral times repulfed his enemies; but 
at Lift it was taken by, dorm, and all the garrifon (lain to 
a man; (fee Alexander, vol. i. p. 167, 8,) This fe- 
cured to Alexander an entrance into Egypt, which, hav¬ 
ing before been very impatient of the Perfian yoke, ad¬ 
mitted the Macedonians peaceably. Here the king laid 
the foundations of the city of Alexandria, which for many 
years after continued to be the capital of the country. 
While he remained here, he alfo formed the extraordi¬ 
nary defign of vifiting the temple of Jupiter Ammon. 
As to the motives by which he was induced to take this 
ftrange journey, authors are not agreed ; but certain it 
is, that he hazarded himfelf and his troops in the higheft 
degree; there being two dangers in this march, which, 
with the example of Cambyfes, who ioft the greatell part 
of his army in it, might have terrified any body but Alex¬ 
ander. The firft was the want of water, which, in the 
fandy deferts furrcunding the temple, is nowhere to be 
found ; the other, the uncertainty of the road from the 
fluctuation of the fands; which, changing their fituation 
every moment, leave the traveller neither a road to walk 
in nor track to fteer by. Thefe difficulties, however, 
Alexander got over; though not without a miraculous in- 
terpofition-, as is pretended by all his hiftorians. Alexan¬ 
der, having confulted the oracle, and received a favourable 
anfwer, returned to purfue his conquefts. Having fettled 
the government of Egypt, he appointed the general ren¬ 
dezvous of his forces at Tyre. Here he met with ambaf- 
fadors from Athens, requefting him to pardon fuch of 
their countrymen as he found ferving the enemy. The 
king, being defirous to oblige fuch a famous ftate, granted 
their requelt; and fent alfo a fleet to the coaft of Greece, 
to prevent the effefts of fome commotions which had 
lately happened in Peloponnefus. He then directed his 
march to Thapfacus; and, having palled the Euphrates 
and Tigris, met with Darius near Arbela, where the Per- 
fians were again overthrown with prodigious flaughter, 
and Alexander in effeft became mafter of the Perfian em¬ 
pire. See Greece, p. 942. 
After this important victory, Alexander marched di¬ 
rectly to Babylon, which was immediately delivered up ; 
the inhabitants being greatly difaffeCted to the Perfian 
intereft. After thirty days ltay in this country, the king 
marched to Sufa, which-had already furrendered to Phi- 
loxenus; and here he received the treafures of the Per¬ 
fian monarch, amounting, according to the moll generally 
received account, to 50,000 talents. Having received 
alfo at this time afupply of 6000 foot and 500 horfe from 
Macedon, he fet about reducing the nations of Media, 
among whom Darius was retired. He firft reduced the 
Uxians; and, having forced a paffage to Perfepolis the ca¬ 
pital of the empire, he.like a barbarian deftroyed the 
ftately palace there, a pile of building not to be equalled 
in any part of the world, after having given up the city 
to be plundered by his foldiers. In the palace he found 
120,000 talents, which he appropriated to his own ufe, 
and caufed immediately to be carried away upon mules 
and camels; for he had fuch an extreme averfion to the 
inhabitants of Perfepolis, that he determined to leave no¬ 
thing valuable in the city. See vol. i. p. 270. 
During the time that Alexander remained at Perfepolis, 
he received intelligence that Darius remained at Ecbatana 
the capital of Media ; upon which he purfued him with 
the greateft expedition, marching at the rate of near forty 
miles a-day. In fifteen days he reached Ecbatana, where 
he was informed that Darius had retired from thence five 
days before, with an intent to pafs into the remoteft pro¬ 
vinces of his empire. This put fome flop to the rapid 
progrefs of the Macedonian army ; and the king, perceiv¬ 
ing that there was no necefiity for hurrying himfelf and 
his foldiers in fuch a manner, began to give the orders 
zequifite in the prefent fituation of his affairs. The Thef- 
falian horfe, who had deferved exceedingly well of him 
Voe. XIV. No. 954. 
25 
in all his battles, lie difmilTed according to his agreement 
gave them their whole pay, and ordered two thoufand ta¬ 
lents over and above to be diffributed among them. He 
then declared that he would force no man; but, if any 
were willing to ferve him longer for pay, he defired they 
would enter their names in a book, which a great many 
of them did ; the reft fold their horfes, and prepared for 
their departure. The 'king appointed Epocilius to con¬ 
duct them to the fea, and afiigned him a body of horfe as 
an efcort : he likewife fent Menetes with them, to take 
care of their embarkation, and that they were fafely landed 
in Eubcea without any expenfe to themfelves. 
On receiving freffi information concerning the ftate of 
Darius’s affairs, the king fet out again in purfuit of him, 
advancing as far as Rhages, a city one day’s journey from 
the Cafpian ftraits ; there he underftood that Darius had 
parted thofe ftraits fome time before ; which information 
leaving him again without hopes, he halted for five days. 
Oxidates, a Perfian whom Darius had left prifoner at Sufa, 
was made governor of Media, while the king departed on 
an expedition into Parthia. The Cafpian ftraits he parted 
immediately without oppofition ; and then gave direc¬ 
tions to his officers to coiled: a quantity of provifions fuf- 
ficient to ferve his army on a long inarch through a wafted 
country. But, before his officers could accompliffi thofe 
commands, the king received intelligence that Darius had 
been murdered, as related under the article Greece, 
p. 943. 
As foon as Alexander had collefted his forces together, 
and fettled the government of Parthia, he entered Hyrca- 
nia; and having, according to his ufual cuftom, commit¬ 
ted the greateft part of his army to the care of Craterus, 
he, at the head of a choice body of troops, parted through 
certain craggy roads, and, before the arrival of Craterus, 
who took an open and eafy path, ftruck the whole pro¬ 
vince with fuch terror, that all the principal places were 
immediately put into his hands; and foon after the pro¬ 
vince of Aria alfo fubmitted, and the king continued Sa- 
tibarzanes the governor in his employment. The reduc¬ 
tion of this province finiftied the conqueft of Perfia; but 
the ambition of Alexander to become mafter of every na¬ 
tion of which he had the leaft intelligence, induced him 
to enter the country of the Mardi, merely becaufe its 
rocks and barrennefs had hitherto hindered any body 
from conquering, or indeed from attempting to conquer, 
it. This conqueft, however, he eafily accompliflied, and 
obliged the whole nation to fubmit to his pleafure. But 
in the mean time difturbances began to arife in Alexan¬ 
der’s new empire, and among his troops, which all his ac¬ 
tivity could not thoroughly fupprefs. He had fcarcely 
left the province of Aria, when he received intelligence, 
that Beflus, governor of Bactria, had caufed himfelf to be 
proclaimed king of Ada, by the name of Arioxerxes ; and 
that Satibarzanes had joined him, after having malfacred 
all the Macedonians who had been left in the province. 
Alexander appointed one Arfames governor in the room 
of Satibarzanes: and marched thence with his army againft 
the Zarangte, who under the command of Barzaentes, one 
of thofe who had confpired againft Darius, had taken up 
arms, and threatened to make an obftinate defence. But, 
their numbers daily falling off, Barzaentes, being afraid 
they would purchafe their own fafety at the expenle of his, 
privately withdrew from his camp, and, crofting the river 
Indus, fought flicker among the nations beyond it. But 
they, either dreading the power of Alexander, or detefting 
the treachery of this Perfian towards liis former mafter, 
feized and delivered him up to Alexander, who caufed 
him immediately to be put to death. 
The immenfe treafure which the Macedonians had ac¬ 
quired in the conqueft of Perfia began now to corrupt 
them. The king himfelf was of a nioft generous difpofi- 
tion, and liberally bellowed his gifts on thofe around him; 
but they made a bad ufe of his bounty, and fooliftily in¬ 
dulged in thofe vices by which the former polfeiTors of that 
H vyealtia 
