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 Macedonian 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 an unanimous vote. 17. Having escaped this danger, the attention of Alexander was next called to the situation of the provinces bordering on Scyth'ia, the modern Tartary. (B. C. 329.) 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 Macedonians 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 pre tence of unfavourable omens. Alexander 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 Spitame'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. 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. 22. 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 enterprize, 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 pro vinces 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, restrained the incursions of the barbarians, and by sending colonies into these remote provinces, laid the foundations of a system of social order, which would have produced the most beneficial effects, but for the premature death of the illustrious founder. Questions. 1. Why had Darius no reason to dread immediate pursuit? 2. What treasures did Alexander acquire at Susa? 3. Why did the Babylonians submit patiently to a change of masters ? 4. By what enemies was the march of Alexander into Persia impeded? 5. Did the Persians themselves make any resistance? 6. How was the position of Ariobarzanes forced? 7. How was Persepolis treated? 8. Did Alexander spend the winter in idleness? 9. How was Darius employed? 10. Was Darius closely pursued by Alexander? 11. What evils did the royal fugitive suffer from his followers? 12. Did Alexander succeed in rescuing Darius ? 13. How did Alexander honour his deceased rival? 14. What became of the traitors? 15. How was the rest of the campaign spent? 16. What dangerous conspiracy was formed against Alexander? 17. To what quarter was Alexander's attention next directed? 18. Why was the invasion of Scythia a dangerous enterprize? 19. What success had the Macedonians against the Scythians? 20. How was the revolt of Spitamenes suppressed? 21. What gave Oxyartes courage to defy Alexander? 22. How was the Sogdian fortress taken? 23. Who was Roxana ? 24. Were any other acquisitions made in this campaign? 25. What was the effect of Alexander's conquests? 1. The numerous victories obtained by Alexander, and the extensive empire he had acquired with such rapidity, naturally inspired him with a high sense of his personal dignity, and led him to claim honours such as the Greeks had been accustomed to bestow on the gods alone; ever since the conquest of Egypt, the flatterers of the king had pretended to believe that he was the son of Jupiter Ammon; and this gross flattery, which sounds so strange to modern ears, was not unacceptable to Alexander, whose greatest weakness was the desire of being considered the rival of those fabulous heroes, Her'cules and Bac'chus. 2. The Greeks were very unwilling to imitate the degrading prostrations of the Asiatics in the presence of their sovereign, and they saw with regret their beloved monarch daily exhibiting a greater taste for the despotic customs of the ancient Persian court, than for the simpler manners of his native country. The adoption of the Persian dress, which appears to have been dictated by sound policy, was equally offensive to the haughty Greeks, who looked upon every nation but their own as barbarous; they thought that their leader had degraded himself to the condition of the vanquished, by assuming their costume; for the expediency of conciliating those who had been but lately subdued, seems never to have entered into their contemplation. 3. These circumstances caused frequent murmurings in the camp, which were not a little aggravated by the jealousy of several captains, who saw Alexander bestowing marks of favour on the Persian nobles, and who deemed that all honours and all rewards should be entirely confined to themselves. They began to draw comparisons between Philip and his son, to the disadvantage of the latter; they even depreciated their own victories, and asserted that their triumphs were due rather to the cowardice and weakness of their enemies, than to the courage or conduct of their commander. 4. There were also in the camp several philosophers whom Alexander patronized from his love of science; men who piqued themselves on their unbounded liberty of speech, and thought that their literary attainments placed them far above the kings of the earth. Among these was Callis'thenes, a disciple of Aristotle, but differing from his master in being a fierce democrat and a violent asserter of tyrannicidal doctrines. 5. Amidst these elements of strife, Alexander pursued his course, either not suspecting, or defying danger, daily imitating more and more the luxury and ostentation of the Persian kings, but becoming daily more sensible of the deep feelings of anger which he thus excited. 6. The Persians were remarkable for their attachment to the pleasures of the table; they loved to drink deep, and one of their 'sovereigns had his prowess in drinking-bouts inscribed with his other triumphs on his tomb. Unfortunately Alexander was seduced into the adoption of this pernicious habit, and under 1 Darius Hystaspes. |