field. 28. The left wing under Parme'nio was severely handled by the Persian right, and was in danger of destruction, when Alexander galloped to its assistance with the Companion cavalry. But the news of the king's flight had by this time spread through the field, and Alexander found the Persians on his arrival in full retreat. The pursuit was therefore renewed, and Alexander persevered in it with so much ardour, that he arrived the next day at Arbe'la, forty miles from the field of battle. 29. The loss of both armies in this battle has been variously estimated; the account of Diodorus appears however to be the most probable; he says that the Persians lost ninety thousand, and the Macedo'nians about five hundred men. Questions for Examination. 1. What were the causes of the greatness of Tyre? 2. How was the city situated? 3. Was Alexander well prepared for this siege? 4. What was the first labour of the Macedonians? 5. How was their labour frustrated? 6. What necessary reinforcement did Alexander soon after receive? 7. Were the Tyrians daunted by the Macedonian exertions? 8. Why were the Macedonians peculiarly eager to destroy the Tyrians? 9. How was the city taken? 10. Was the defence desperate? 11. What offers of peace did Darius make, and how were they received? 12. Was any other city soon after taken by storm? 13. What account is given of the interview between Alexander and the Jewish high priest? 14. How was Egypt easily subdued? 15. What city did Alexander found in that country? 16. To what celebrated temple did Alexander proceed? 17. For what was the Ammonian oasis remarkable? 18. What delayed the opening of the next campaign? 19. How long did Alexander remain in Mesopotamia ? 20. Where and how was the army of Darius posted? 21. Did the two armies immediately engage? 22. How did the two armies spend the night before the battle? 23. How did Alexander show that he was sure of victory? 24. On what arrangements did Alexander rely for success? 25. How did the battle begin? 26. Of what opportunity did Alexander avail himself? 27. What was the result of this movement? 28. How was the battle finally won ? 29. What were the losses of both armies ? SECTION III. DEATH OF DARIUS-OVERTHROW OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 1. THE unfortunate Dari'us fled with a small escort from the field of battle over the mountains; he had no reason to dread a very vigorous pursuit in that direction, as neither he nor Alexander could have expected that the important cities of Su'sa and Bab'ylon would have been resigned without a struggle, and their riches and importance would naturally claim the first attention of the victor: 2. The satraps both of Babylo'nia and Susia'na however met Alexander on his march, and tendered their submission; the enormous treasures which the monarchs of Persia had been for centuries accumulating at Su'sa were seized by the conqueror, and among other curiosities found there the statues of Harmo'dius and Aristogei'ton, which Xerxes had brought from Athens. These Alexander sent back to the Athenians, and transmitted at the same time large sums of money, to purchase the tranquillity of the Grecian states. 3. The Babylo'nians gladly submitted to a change of masters: their city, once the greatest in the world, had fallen into gradual decay under the dominion of Persia, and they hoped that it would once again become the seat of empire under a new dynasty. 4. Having provided for the security of these provinces, Alexander next advanced into Persia Proper, through those mountains which have been in all ages the favourite haunt of robber-hordes. Even the kings of Persia were forced to pay tribute to these fierce mountaineers, when passing from Su'sa to Persepolis. But Alexander was too confident in his own resources to purchase the forbearance of these plunderers; he refused to pay the customary tribute; and when the mountaineers attempted to impede his march, he attacked them unawares, and routed them with great slaughter. 5. The Persians, under the command of Ariobarza'nes, made one vigorous effort to defend their native land. They posted themselves in a mountainous defile, through which the entrance to Persia lay, and repulsed the army of Alexander when an attempt was made to force a passage. 6. But a circumstance similar to that which enabled the Persians to force Thermop'ylæ now gave the victory to the Greeks; some deserters showed Alexander a secret path over the mountains, and he was thus enabled to attack the enemy in the rear. Assailed at once on both sides, surprised and confounded, the army of Ariobarza'nes made a very weak resistance, and the Macedonian army having once passed the defiles, found no other enemies to impede their course. 7. Persep'olis was taken without a blow, and given up to be plundered; it was afterwards burnt to the ground, in revenge for the cruelties practised by the Persians in Greece; or as most authors say, at the instigation of Tha'is, an Athenian courtesan, who accompanied Alexander. 8. The winter was spent in completing the conquest of Persia, and reducing to obedience the Tartar tribes that border on that country. 9. The Macedo'nians were again called into ac- SB.C. tive service, by the news of a large army of Scyth'i- 330. ans and other barbarous tribes having joined Dari'us. This, however, was false; that monarch now completely despaired of success, and only sought for a retreat in some distant province with the relics of his treasure. 10. Alexander immediately commenced a vigorous pursuit, but Dari'us had escaped through the passes of the mountains that skirt the Caspian sea, before he could be overtaken. After a short delay to refresh his forces, the Macedo'nian monarch renewed the chase with redoubled vigour, having received intelligence that changed his hostility into pity of his former rival. 11. The satraps, under the guidance of Bes'sus, the governor of Bactria, had deposed their unfortunate sovereign, and were hurrying him off a close prisoner to some distant retreat. Alexander, eager to rescue the unhappy prince from these traitors, redoubled his diligence, and after a fatiguing chase overtook the army of Bes'sus. 12. The satraps, though their army was far superior in number, did not make any attempt to resist the Macedo'nians; their only aim was to secure their safety by flight, and finding that their speed was retarded by their royal prisoner, they wounded him mortally and left him to expire by the road side. Dari'us was in the last agony of death when a Ma cedo'nian soldier came up, and brought him a little water to cool his raging thirst; he expressed great anxiety to see his generous conqueror, and thank him in person for the kindness that had been shown to his mother and family, but before Alexander came up, he expired. 13. Thus fell the sovereign of Asia, after having in the space of three years fallen from the summit of greatness to the condition of a wretched fugitive, and finally to that of a miserable captive among cruel traitors. To the charity of a private soldier he was indebted for a cup of water in his last moments, a melancholy example of human vicissitudes. His generous rival honoured his remains with a magnificent funeral, treated his family with all the respect due to their illustrious birth, and finally married one of his daughters. 14. Most of the traitors were afterwards taken and given up by Alexander to the surviving relatives of Dari'us, who, after the custom of the East, put them to death by the most cruel tortures. 15. The remainder of this campaign was spent in subduing the northern provinces of Persia, and receiving the submission of the Greek mercenaries who had been in the pay of Dari'us, and appear to have been the only part of his forces on which any reliance could be placed. Those who had joined the Persians before the appointment of Alexander to the command of the confederate Greeks were allowed to return home, the others were permitted to purchase their pardon by joining the Macedo'nian forces, an offer which they readily embraced. 16. In the midst of this success Alexander had the mortification to discover a conspiracy, in which the son of Parme'nio, hitherto the most able and faithful of his generals, was engaged; and Parme'nio himself was more than suspected, if not of active participation, at least of guilty concealment. The particulars of the plot have not been explained by the ancient historians, but the conspirators were openly tried by the general council of the army, and sentenced to death by a unanimous vote. B.C. 17. Having escaped this danger, the attention of 329. Alexander was next called to the situation of the provinces bordering on Scyth'ia, the modern Tartary. 18. The nomade races of people in these countries have been in all ages the principal agents in all the great revolutions that have taken place in Asia; from them are descended the Turks, the Tartar rulers of Persia, the Mogul conquerors of India, and the powerful tribes which subdued the ancient empire of China. The Greeks had long learned to dread these fierce barbarians, by whom Cy'rus the Great had been destroyed, and Dari'us Hystas'pes forced to an inglorious retreat. 19. The Macedo'nians did not, therefore, evince much alacrity when summoned to invade Scyth'ia, and the diviners detained the army several days on the banks of the Jax'artes, under the pretence of unfavourable omens. Alex ander at length crossed the river, and inflicted on the Scythian army a defeat so severe and unexpected, that all the tribes sent deputies to proffer their submission. 20. In the mean time Epitame'nes, the satrap of Sogdia'na, had broken out into open rebellion, and defeated with great slaughter the detachment of Macedonians sent to reduce him to obedience. On the approach of Alexander the gallant satrap, having vainly endeavoured to infuse his own courage into the breasts of his followers, retreated towards the deserts. He was slain on the road by some of his own soldiers, who sent his head to Alexander, in order to purchase their own pardon. 22. 21. Oxyar'tes the Bactrian still defied the Macedo'nian monarch, and shutting himself up in one of the mountain fortresses of Sogdia'na, obstinately refused submission. The strength of the place might indeed well have justified his confidence; the castle was situated on a rock so lofty, that it was surrounded by perpetual snows, and the garrison, proud of their position, when summoned to surrender, contemptuously asked, "if Alexander had supplied himself with winged soldiers?" Irritated by this taunt, the king offered large sums to those who would scale the cliff. Stimulated both by the hope of reward and the desire of glory, a detachment succeeded in ascending some rocks that overlooked the fortress, by driving iron pins into the congealed snow, from which they suspended scaling-ladders. After the detachment had surmounted the dangers and difficulties of this hazardous enterprise, Alexander sent to the Sogdians a fresh summons, at the same time bidding them "to view his winged soldiers." 23. The astonished barbarians surrendered at discretion, and among the captives was found Roxa'na, the daughter of Oxyar'tes, whose charms captivated the victor so much that he made her the partner of his throne. 24. In this campaign Alexander subdued all the north-eastern provinces of the ancient Persian empire, extending from the Caspian sea to the chain of lofty mountains that bound India on the north. 25. It would be very unjust to ascribe these conquests to mere warlike ambition, or a desire of extended empire; the inhabitants of these countries had been long a great impediment to the progress of civilization in Asia; they issued from their mountain fastnesses to plunder the cultivators of the plain, and were in their turn the prey of the Scythian tribes. Alexander, by placing garrisons along the banks of the Ox'us and Jax'artes, |