maried and in an vniuersall heuines bewayled the cause of hir owne sorowe But Sysigambis alone susteyned all there miseries The behauour of Darius mother vpon the death of Alexander and bewayled bothe hir owne case and her nefes her freshe sorowe causing her to call to mynde thinges paste A man would haue iudged by her behauour that Darius had bene newly slayne and that she had celebrated the funeralles of bothe her sonnes togither She did not only lament the deade but sorowed also for the lyuing Who shall nowe qd she take care of this yong woman or who can be like vnto Alexander nowe we be taken prisoners againe nowe we be newly fallen from our dignitie and estate After Darius death we found one to defend vs. But nowe since Alexander is gone who wyll haue respect of vs Amongs she called to mind how Occhus the cruell kinge had slayne her father and foure score of her brethren on one daye and that of seuen children borne of hir bodye there was but one of theim lefte aliue She sawe that fortune had aduaunced Darius and caused him to floryshe for a tyme to the entente he myght ende his life by greater crueltye Finallye she was so ouercome wyth sorowe that she couered her head turning her selfe from her nese and nephew that sate at her fete and abstayninge both frō meate frō beholdynge of the light ended hir life the fift daye after she was determined to dye This hir death was a great argument of the clemencye Alexander hadde shewed towardes her and of the iustice towardes all the captyues seyng that after Darius death she could abide to liue but after Alexanders departure she was ashamed to continue any lenger Considerynge Alexander rightwiselye A discourse of Alexanders vices and his vertues we must impute all his vertues to his owne nature and his vices either to hys youth or to the greatnes of his fortune There was in him an incredible force of courage and an exceadynge sufferaunce of trauaile He was endued with manhode excellinge not onely amonges kynges but also amonges such as had neither vertue nor qualitye He was of that liberalitye that oftentymes he gaue greater thinges then the reciuers could haue asked of God The multitude of kyngdomes that he gaue in gift and restored to such from whom he had taken theim by force was a token of his clemencye towardes them that he subdued He shewed a perpetuall contempte of deathe the feare wherof doth amase other men And as there was in him a greater desire of glorye and worldely prayse then reason woulde beare so was it intollerable in so yong a man enterprisynge so great actes The reuerence and affection he bare towardes his parentes appeared in that he purposed to consecrate his mother Olimpias to immortalitie and that he so sore reuenged Philips death How gentle and familiar was he towardes his frēdes and how beniuolence towarde his souldiours He had a wisedome equall to the greatnes of his harte and suche a policie and forecast as so yong yeres were scarsely able to receiue A measure in immoderate plesures And the vse of his lust lesse then nature desiered vsing no pleasure but that was lawefull these were wonderfull greate giftes and vertues But in that he compared him selfe to the Gods coueted diuine honours and beleued the Oracles that perswaded such thinges that he was offended with thē that woulde not worship him and geuen more vehementlye to wrath then was expedient That he altered his habite and apparell into the fashion of straungers coūterfaited the custome of them he had subdued and despised before his victorye were vices to be attributed to the greatnes of fortune As the heate of youthe stirred him to anger and to the desyre of drinkyng so age might haue mitigated againe those faultes Notwithstandynge it muste nedes be confessed that though he preuailed muche by his vertue yet ought he to impute more vnto his fortune which only of al mortal men he had in his owne power Howe oftē did she deliuer him from the poynte of death Howe often did she defende him wyth perpetuall felicitie when he hadde rashelye brought him selfe in peryll And when she poynted an ende to his glorye she euen then was contente to finyshe his life stayinge his fatall destenye tyll he had subdued the Orient visited the Occean Sea and fulfilled all that mans mortalitie was able to performe To this so greate a kynge and noble conqueroure a successour was loked for But the matter was of ouermuch importaūce for any one mā to take vpō him Alexanders name and renowne was so great amonges all Nacions and they were counted moste noble that might be partakers of his prosperous fortune thoughe the porcion was neuer so small But to returne agayne to Babilon from whence this digression hath bene made The assēble after the death of Alexander They whiche had the guarde and custodie of Alexanders persone ▪ called into the courte suche as hadde bene his chiefe frendes and captaines of the men of warre after whom there folowed a great multitude of Souldioures desierynge to knowe who shoulde be successoure vnto Alexander The thronge of the souldiours was suche that manye of the capitaynes were excluded and coulde not enter into the courte A Proclamation therfore was made wherby all men were forbidden to enter except suche as were called by name But because their commaundement semed to want aucthoritie it was little regarded the multitude at the first began to make a greuous sorow lamentation But straightwaies the desire they had to vnderstande the successe of the matter stopped their lamētatiō made silēce Thē Perditas brought forth in sight of al the people the kinges chayre of estate wherin Alexanders Diademe his vestures regall hys armor was laide Emōges that which ornamētes Perdicas also laide downe the kinges signet deliuered to him the day before at the sight wherof they began to wepe and to renue againe their sorowe Then saied Perdicas Perdicas wordes Lo here is the rynge wherwith he was wōt to seale such thinges as perteined to the force of his Empire as he deliuered the same to me I so do restore it agayne to you And although no aduersitye can be deuised by the Goddes were they neuer so muche offended comperable to this Yet considering the greatnes of the actes whych he hath done we muste thinke that the Goddes sent suche a man as he was to raigne in the worlde whose tyme beyng expired that was appointed they haue called him againe to the place from whence he came Forsomuche therefore as none other thinge remaine of hym amonges vs but onely that whiche is alwayes wont to be remoued from immortalitie let vs perfourme the due pertayninge bothe to his bodye and to his name remembringe in what citye we be amonges what kynde of people and what a kynge and what maner of gouernoure we haue loste We must debate and deuise how to
as were of the Macedons faccion and committed the cytie with a small guarrison to Appollodines and Athenagoras that were enclined to the Percians Alexanders captaines for al this continued the siege of the citie still not so muche in truste of their own strength as they did in hope of the facciō they had within the citie In whiche poinct they were not deceiued for through a sedicion whiche did aryse betwene Apollodines and the captaines of the men of warre occasion was ministred vnto the Macedons to breake into the Cytie When the gate was broken vp and a band of Macedons entred Scio taken then the cytesens whiche before had deuised to rebell against the Percians toke parte with Amphiterus and Egilochus so that the guarrison of the Percians were slaine and Pharnabasus with Apolloindes and Anathogoras were takē prisoners There were .xii. galies takē with their souldiers and rowers besides .xxx. shippes and vessels of Pirates with thre thousand Grekes that were in wages with the Percians with the Grekes they furnyshed vp their owne bandes and put the pyrotes to death bestowyng the rowers in their owne galeis Aristonicus It chaunsed that Aristonicus the vsurper of Methina ignoraunt of any suche matter as was chaunsed in the first parte of the night came with certayn piraters shippes to enter into the hauen whome when the watche demaunded what he was he sayd he was Aristonicus and came to the succour of Pharnabasus they said he was at reste could not then be spoken with all but it should be laufull for hym beyng their frende to enter into the hauē for that night and speake with hym when it was day Aristonicus was the first that entred and the pirates folowed him But whiles they placed their shyppes the watchemen drewe the chayne againe ouer the hauen and then called vp suche as lay there nere about so that none of them durst resist but were al taken prisoners and so deliuered to Amphiterus and Egilocus Mytelene From thence the Macedons passed to Mytelene whiche was kept by Chares of Athens with a guarison of two thousand Perciās but when he was not able to endure the siege he yelded vp the Cytie with conposicion to haue their liues saued and to departe in sauegarde vnto Imbros Imbros Darius dispairing of peace which he had procured both by his lettres and Embassadours gaue his mynd to assemble a new power and freshely to renue the warre Therfore he commaunded the Capitaines and rulers of his men to assemble at Babilon and that Bessus gouernour of the Bactrians Bactrians should come thether with al the power he could make The Bactrians be the moste hardie people amōges those nacions vnciuill men and much abhorring from the delicatnes of the Percians for by reason that they border vpō the Scithians whiche be a warlicke people they are accustomed to lyue by thefte and be conuersant continually in armes But Bessus that was suspect of treason that he would not be content with the second place put Darius in great doubte Who hauing an inckling that he compassed to be kyng feared only his treason hauyng no other way to bryng his purpose to passe Alexander wrought all the wayes he could obtayne to knoweledge where Darius was become and into what coūtrey he was gone And yet could not get any intelligence by reason of a custome amonges the Percians whiche are wont with a marueylous fidelitie to kepe close their princes secretes in the vtteryng wherof neither feare of death nor hope of rewarde can cause them bryng forth a worde This was a goodly discipline that the kinges ther had of olde time vsed emōges their subiectes in ponishing with losse of lief the lavesnes of the tounge which is there more greuosly chastysed then any other cryme The lauesnes of the tounge ponyshed with the Perciās Nor ther is not in those partes any goodnes loked for at any mans handes that hath not the gifte of secretnes wherof nature hath giuen a facilitye in mā Thys was the cause that Alexander was ingnorant of all thinges that his enemies did and therefore continued his siege before Gaza The Siege of Gaza Beties was Captayne there who was a man of a notable fidelitie towardes hys prince which with a small guarison defended the Cytie that was of a large compasse Wherfore Alexander perceyuing the aduauntage of the Scituacion set maney mynes in hande For the lightnes of the ground made the worcke easye hauinge nether rockes nor stones to gyue any impediment They began their mines on that side wher thei within could not destroy them And to auoyde the suspcion of any such worck in hande caused an aproche to be made to the wales wyth Towres that he had made of Tymbre But the ground woulde not serue for their carieng and remouing by reason of the losenes of the sande whereinto the wheles sonk and was cause that the ioyntes of the towres bracke a sonder About the conuoyans of them many were hurte and as muche truble they had in wythdrawinge of them as in setting them forwardes When he perceyued he could not preuail by that meanes he retired againe his mē for that time But the next daye he enuironed the Citie round about to gyue thassaulte in euerye parte at ones and before he remoued out of his campte made sacrifice after his contrey maner requiring the aide of the goddes It chaunsed as he was so doing that a Rauen flieng by let falle a clodde which she caried in hir clawes vpon the kinges Hede where it bracke resolued in peces And the rauen flewe vnto the next towre wher hir fethers were so entangled with Piche that she lighted vpon that she coulde not flee away but was taken of the standers theraboutes This was thought a matter worthye whereupon the deuyners should consulte for he him selfe was not free from the supersticon of such thynges Therefore Aristander to whom he gaue moste credite did interprete the same to be a signe of the distrucion of that Cytie but yet there was some parill apearing towardes the kynges person For which cause he perswaded Alexander that he shoulde not go about any enterpryse that daye Whyche though it greued hym muche that one Cytie shoulde be a staye and impedient vnto hym for hys free passage into Egipt yet he obeied the pronosticator caused all his men to returne Thennemies toke courage of their departure and thinkinge feare to haue bene the cause whie they came not forwardes sayled out of the Cytie and set vpon their tayle But they were more fierse in the beginnyng of the skyrmishe then constante in maintaining of the same For when they sawe the Macedons turne about they stayed and pursued no further Alexander hering the larume and remembring nothing the parill that was prophesied vnto hym at hys frendes requeste put on hys harnys which he was seldom accustmued to do resorted thether where the skyrmushe was moste hote There he
Agramenes and Pharrasians whose kyng was called Agramenes whiche vsed to come to the field with .xx. thousand horsemeÌ„ CC. thousand footemen two thousand armed wagons and thre M. Elephantes whiche were couÌ„ted the greatest terrour Those thinges semed incredible vnto Alexander and therfore enquired of Porus if the thinges were true that had bene told him He coÌ„firmed Phegelas reporte concernyng the force of the nacion â–ª But he sayde their king was come of no noble bloud but of the basest sorte of men whose father being a Barbour and with great payne getting his daily liuyng came in fauour with the quene by reason of his personage who brought him to haue al the doinges about the king her husband which was afterwardes sâ—ayn by their treason and vnder colour to be come tutor vnto the chyldren vsurped the kyngdome to him selfe and puttyng the childreÌ„ to death did beget him that was now king whiche was in hatred and disgrace of the people folowyng more the maners of his fathers former estate theÌ„ such as did beseme the dignitie he was come to wheÌ„ Alexander harde Porus affirme this matter he became in great trouble of minde not that he regarded the multitude of his enemies nor the force of their Elephantes But he feared the greatnes of the riuers and the scituacion of the couÌ„trey so difficult to entre vpoÌ„ He thought it a hard enterprise to seke out nacions so farre inhabityng in the vttermoste boundes of the worlde Yet on the other syde the gredines of glory the vnsaciable desire of fame made no place to sâ—me to far nor no aduenture to be ouerharde He doubted also that the Macedons whiche had passed so many countreys and were waxed daged with warres would not be content to folow hym ouer so many ryuers and against so many difficulties of nature lyeng in their way For he iudged that since they habounded were so laden with spoyle they would rather seke to enioye suche thynges as they had gotten then to trauaill any further in getting of more He could not thinke the same appetite to be in his souldiers that was in himselfe For he coÌ„passed in his mynd how to get the Empire of the hole worlde into which matter he had but made his entre where as they weried with trauail and thinking to haue past all perill loked now to enioy with spede the frute of all their labour yet for all that his assertion ouercame reason For he assembled his army together spake vnto them after this maner Alexanders Oracion to his souldiers I am not ignorant my souldiers howe that there be now many rumores sowed amonges you by the Indians of purpose to put you in feare But the vanitie of their lieng is not so newe a thing that it is able nowe to deceiâ—e you The PerciaÌ„s after that maner would haue made both the streytes of Ciliâ—ia and the plaines of Mesopotamy terrible vnto you yea put you in feare of the ryuers of Tigre Euphrates yet we wadyd ouer th one of theÌ„ and passed the other by a brydge The fame neuer reporte thinges truly but maketh al thinges greater theÌ„ thei be in dede Euen our glory though it be growen to certain perfectioÌ„ yet it is more in fame then in effect Whiche of you of late did thinke that you should haue bene able to endure the ElephaÌ„tes shewing afarre of like castels Who thought I could haue passed the ryuer of Hydaspis when I hard it reported to be muche greather then it was We should long ago my souldiers haue fled out of Asia if tales could haue caused vs to turne our backes Thinke you that the noÌ„bre of the Elephantes be greater then you haue sene herdes of beastes in other places seing thei be so rare in the world and being hard to be taken are muche harder to be tamed Thesame vanitie that hath reported them to you to be of suche nombre haue nombred also their horsemen and their footemen Concernyng the ryuers the more broder they be the more gently they must runne For suche as be narowe and of smalle brede runne alwayes with moste vehement streme Where as contrariwise the brode ryuer passe their course more mildly But you will peraduenture saye that all the perill is at the shore where youre enemies shall wayte for your arriuall Whatsoeuer the ryuer be the hasard is all one at the landing But ymagen that al those thinges were true Whether is it the greatnes of the beastes or the multitude of the men that put you in feare As concerning the Elephantes we haue had experieÌ„ce of them of late howe muche more vigorously the rage against their owne party then against vs. What should we esteme theÌ„ but only abate the greatnes of their bodies with suche weapons as we haue prepared for the purpose What matter is it whether they be of the like noÌ„bre that Porus had or whether thei be .iii. M. seing that we perceiue that when two or thre be once wounded the rest bende them selues to â—le away And forasmuche as thei cannot well be gouerned when they be but fewe when there be so many thousandes together they must then nedes be an impedimeÌ„t one to another and brede a confusion amonges them selues they be so vnweldy by reason of their huge bodies that they be neither apt to passe forwardes nor yet to fle I haue alwayes so litle estemed theÌ„ that when I haue had pleÌ„ty of that kynd I wold neuer vse theÌ„ knowing very well that they be more dauÌ„gerous to such as occupie theÌ„ theÌ„ thei be to their enemies But peraduenture it is the multitude of their horsemeÌ„ fotemeÌ„ that do moue you haue you bene accustomed to fight against smalle nombres or is it the first tyme that you haue encountred with disordred multitudes The ryuers of Granick is a witnes howe inuincible the power of the Macedons is against any multitude And so is Cilicia the flowed with the Percians bloud and Arbella whose playnes be strewed with their bones It is ouer late to counte the nombre of your enemies after that with your victory ye haue made Asia desert When ye passed ouer Hellespont you should then haue considered your smalle nombre Nowe the Scythians do folowe vs we haue ayde at hande from the Bactrians we supply our power with the Sogdians Yet for all that it is not in them I put my confidence I haue a regarde vnto your force I reserue your manhode about me as a pledge and assuraunce of my actes and doinges So long as I may stande in the field amonges you I wil neither way my self nor myne enemies Doe you but shewe an apparaunce that there is hope in you cherefulnes We are not nowe newly entred into our trauailes but haue passed all our labours being come to the rising of the sonne and to the Occean sea except our owne slougthe be our impediment From thence hauing subdued the worlde we shall returne as
from comming on his backe and vpon the fore front he receiued the dartes that were cast against him with his target For though there were neuer so many that contented with him a farre of yet durst there no man come neare vnto him and the boughes kept of the arrowes and the dartes so well as his target did In this extremitie the greatnes of Alexanders fame chiefly fought for him and next desperatioÌ„ a great encouragement for a man to dye honestlye At length through the multitude of his enemies that continually flocked about him both his target was laden with shotte his helmet was broken wyth stones and his legges fainted and fayled vnder him by reason of his continuall trauaile Whiche thing when his enemies perceiued they toke lesse regarde to them selues and drue more neare him of whome he receiued two with his swerde in such sort that thei fell downe dead at his fete And from that time forwardes none was so bolde to approche againe so neare him but threwe dartes and shotte arowes at him a farre of He laye open to euery mans blowe and yet though it were with great payne defended him selfe vpon his knees vntil suche time as an Indian shotte an arowe at hym that was two cubites long whyche a little aboue his right thighe passed throughe his corselet By reason of that wounde he shedde so muche bloude that he lette his swerde fall as one at the pointe of death and therwith so faynte that he hadde not strengthe to plucke oute the arrowe Then the Indian whiche hadde hurte him came with great ioye to spoyle hys bodye But when Alexander felte his enemies hande vpon hym moued as it is to be thought with despite to receyue an infamie to that extremitie called againe his sprites that were passynge awaye and with his swerde thrust his enemye beynge vnarmed throughe the bodye When he had thus slayne two of his enemies whyche laye dead before him all the reste stode amased a farre of Then Alexander desieryng before his last breathe shoulde fayle hym to be kylled fightyng began to raise vp his bodye vpon his target but his strength woulde not serue him therunto therfore reiched at a bough that honge ouer his heade couetynge therby to haue raysed vp hym selfe but his strength not suffisynge therunto he fell downe agayne vpon his knees and by a signe made with his hande chalenged his enemies if any of them durste come and matche with him At the last Pencestes repulcinge his enemies vpon an other parte of the citye gotte into the towne Pencestes and coastyng along the walles came vnto the place where the kynge was When Alexander espied hym thoughe he had no hope to liue yet he toke his comming for a comforte to hys deathe and for all his feablenes beganne to reare vp him selfe Timeus Leonatus Aristonus Then came Timeus and within a while Leonatus â–ª and after them Aristanus When it was once published amonges the Indians that Alexander was entred within the walles they left their defence in other places and came flockynge thither where as they fiercely assailed such as stode in defence of the Kynges person Tymeus after that he hadde fought notablye and receiued manye woundes was there slayne Pencestes also notwithstandynge that he was stricken and wounded wyth their Dartes yet with his Target he defended the kynges person without anie reguarde of him selfe And Leonatus whiles he resisted the Indians that egerlye pressed vpon Alexander receyued so sore a stripe vpon the necke that he fell downe in a swowne at the kinges fete By that time Pencestes became so feable of his woundes that he was not able to defende him anye more The laste hope and refuge remayned in Aristonus who also was so greuouslye wounded that he coulde not endure anye lenger the force of the Indians In the meane season the fame was spredde amonges the Macedons that their kynge was slayne whiche beinge a matter that shoulde haue putte others in feare sturred vp their haâ—res and made theim the hardier For from that time forwardes there was none that hadde respect of his owne peryll but aduentured to the wall and breakynge downe the same with pikeaxes entred at the breache makinge slaughter of their enemies of whom fewe stode at defence but fledde awaye There was neuer man nor woman spared olde nor yonge For they mette none but they iudged him to be the person that hadde hurte their kynge and so at length with the murder of the multitude their iuste ire was satisfied Clitarchus Timagenes Clitarchus and Tymagenes do write that Ptolomeus whiche afterwardes became king of Egipte was presente in this encountre But he him selfe that vsed not to denye any thynge that stode with his owne glorye did put in memorie howe that he was then absent and sent about an other enterprice Such a negligence was in theim that did write the antiquities of thinges or elles an ouermuche credulitie whiche is a faulte no lesse then the other When Alexander was brought into his lodgyng the Surgians cut of the stale of that shaft in suche wise that they moued not the heade that was wythin the fleshe And when they sawe the wounde bare they perceaued hokes to be within the arrowe heade so that wythoute the destruction of his bodye it could not be pulled out except by incision they made the wounde greater And yet in that poynte they feared least aboundaunce of bloud shoulde be impediment vnto them For the heade was verye great and it seamed to be entered farre wythin his bodye There was one Critobolus that was verye cunnynge and moste excellente amonges all the Phisitions and surgions Crytobolâ— and yet in so daungerous a matter as this he was fearful and in doubte to set to his handes least if any thing shoulde chaunce to the kynge otherwise then well whiles he remayned in hys cure the blame myght lyght vpon his heade Therfore wheÌ„ Alexander perceiued by his weping the feaâ— he was in and that through trouble of mynd he loked pale in the face sayde vnto hym What is it that thou lokest for or whye doest thou staye in riddyng me quickelye out of this payne at the leaste wayes by death if thou canst not otherwise bringe it to passe For seinge my wounde is vncurable why doest thou feare that anye thing shoulde be laied vnto thy charge When Critobolus hearde his wordes he either ceassed or dissimuled his feare and exhorted Alexander that he woulde suffer him selfe to be holden whiles they pulled out the arrowes heade that was within his fleshe for the least mocion he saied might be hurtefull vnto him The kynge woulde not be holden but helde his bodye at a staye without mouyng in such sorte as they appoynted him When they had cut the wounde wider and pulled out the heade there issued suche aboundaunce of bloude that the kinge fell in a sownde dimnes came ouer his sight he stretching out him selfe as one in the