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was told of it, he said his mother had made the best choice, for the Macedonians would not endure to be ruled by a woman. Upon this he despatched Nearchus again to his fleet, to carry the war into all the maritime provinces, and as he marched that way himself, he punished those commanders who had behaved ill, particularly Oxyartes*, one of the sons of Abuletes, whom he killed with his own hand, thrusting him through the body with his spear. And when Abuletes, instead of the necessary provisions which he ought to have furnished, brought him three thousand talents in coined money, he ordered it to be thrown to his horses, and when they would not touch it, "What good," he said, "will this provision do us?" and sent him away to prison.

When he came into Persia, he distributed money among the women, as their own kings had been wont to do, who as often as they came thither, gave every one of them a piece of gold; on account of which custom some of them, it is said, had come but seldom, and Ochus was so sordid, that to avoid the expense, he never visited his native country once in all his reign. Then finding Cyrus's sepulchre opened† and rifled, he put Polymachus, who did it, to death, though he was a man of some distinction, a born Macedonian of Pella. And after he had read the inscription, he caused it to be cut again below the old one in Greek characters; the words being these: "O man, whosoever thou art, and from whencesoever thou comest (for I know thou wilt come), I

*Or Oxathres.

At Pasargadæ, not far from Persepolis. Persia is, as before, Persis, or Persia proper.

am Cyrus, the founder of the Persian empire; do not grudge me this little earth which covers my body." The reading of this extremely touched Alexander, filling his mind with the thought of the uncertainty and mu

tability of affairs.

Here also Calanus, having been a little while troubled with a disease in the bowels, requested that he might have a funeral pile erected, to

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which he came on horseback, and after he had said
some prayers and sprinkled himself and cut off some of
his hair to throw into the fire, before he ascended it, he
embraced and took leave of the Macedonians who stood
by, desiring them to pass that day in mirth and good-
fellowship with their king, whom in a little time, he
said, he doubted not but to see again at Babylon.
Having thus said, he lay down, and covering up his
'face, he stirred not when the fire came near him, but
continued still in the same posture as at first, and so
sacrificed himself, as it was the ancient custom of the
philosophers in those countries to do. The same thing
was done long after by another Indian, who came with
Cæsar to Athens, where they still show you "the Indian's
monument."

At his return from the funeral pile, Alexander invited a great many of his friends and principal officers to supper, and proposed a drinking match, in which the victor should receive a crown. Promachus drank twelve quarts of wine, and won the prize, which was a talent, from them all; but he survived his victory but three' days, and was followed, as Chares says, by forty-one more, who died of the same debauch, some extremely Arrival cold weather having set in shortly after. At Susa, he B.C. 324. married Darius's daughter Statira, and celebrated also riage the nuptials of his companions, bestowing the noblest of Statira, the Persian ladies upon the worthiest of them, at the same time making it an entertainment in honour of the year in other Macedonians whose marriages had already taken place. At this festival, it is related, there were no less than nine thousand guests, to each of whom he gave a golden cup for the libations. And not to mention

at Susa,

Mar

with

Elev

enth

Asia.

HIS MARRIAGE WITH STATIRA.

473

other instances of magnificence, he paid the debts of his army, which amounted to nine thousand eight hundred and seventy talents. Antigenes, who had lost one of his eyes, though he owed nothing, got his name set down in the list of those who were in debt, and bringing to the money-table one who pretended to be his creditor, professed there to pay him the money. But when the cheat was found out, the king was so incensed at it, that he banished him from court, and took away his command, though he was an excellent soldier, and when he was but a youth, and served under Philip at the siege of Perinthus, where he was wounded in the eye by an arrow shot out of an engine, he would neither let the arrow be taken out, nor would quit the field, till he had repulsed the enemy and forced them to retire into the town. Accordingly he was not able to support the disgrace with any patience, and it was plain that grief and despair would have made him kill himself, but that the king fearing it, not only pardoned him, but let him also enjoy the benefit of his deceit.

The thirty thousand boys, whom he left behind him to 71 be taught and disciplined, were so improved at his return, both in strength and beauty, and performed their exercises with such dexterity and wonderful agility, that he was extremely pleased with them, which grieved the Macedonians, and made them fear he would have the less value for them. And when he proceeded to send down the infirm and maimed soldiers to the sea, they said they were unjustly and infamously dealt with, after they were worn out in his service upon all occasions, now to be turned away with disgrace and sent home into their country among their friends and relations, in

a worse condition than when they came out; therefore they desired him to dismiss them one and all, and to account his Macedonians useless, now he was so well furnished with a set of dancing boys, with whom, if he pleased, he might go on and conquer the world. These speeches so incensed Alexander, that after he had given them a great deal of reproachful language in his passion, he drove them away, and committed the watch to Persians, out of whom he chose his guards and attendants. When the Macedonians saw him escorted by these men. and themselves excluded and shamefully disgraced, their high spirits fell, and conferring with one another, they found that jealousy and rage had almost distracted them. And at last coming to their senses, they went without their arms, with only their under garments on, crying and weeping, to offer themselves at his tent, and desired him to deal with them as their baseness and ingratitude deserved. However, this would not prevail; for though his anger was already somewhat mollified, yet he would not admit them into his presence. Nor would they sti from thence, but continued two days and nights before his tent, bewailing themselves, and imploring him as their lord to have compassion on them. On the third day he came out to them, and seeing them very humble and penitent, he wept himself a great while, and after a gentle reproof spoke kindly to them, and dismissed those who were unserviceable with magnificent rewards, and with this recommendation to Antipater, that when they came home, at all public shows and in the theatres, they should sit on the foremost seats, crowned with chaplets. He ordered also, that the children of those who had lost their lives in his service, should have their fathers' pay continued to them.