The god, who is worshipped in this temple, is not represented under the form which painters and fculptors generally give to gods; for he is made of emeralds, and other precious ftones, and from the head to the navel, resembles a ram. The king being come into the temple, the fenior priest declared him to be the fon of Jupiter; and affured, that the god himself beftowed this name upon him. Alexander accepted it with joy, and acknowledged Jupiter as his father. He afterwards afked the priest, whether his father Jupiter had not allotted him the empire of the whole world? To which the prieft, who was as much a flatterer as the king was vainglorious, anfwered, that he fhould be monarch of the universe. At laft, he inquired, whether all his father's murderers had been punished; but the priest replied, that he blafphemed; that his father was immortal; but that with regard to the murderers of Philip, they had all been extirpated; adding, that he fhould be invincible, and afterwards take his feat among the deities. Having ended his facrifice, he offered magnificent prefents to the god, and did not forget the priests, who had been fo faithful to his intereft. Swelled with the fplendid title of the fon of Jupiter, and fancying himself raised above the human species, he returned from his journey as from a triumph. From that time, in all his letters, his orders and decrees, he always wrote in the ftyle following: ALEXANDER KING, SON OF JUPITER-AMMON: In anfwer to which, Olympias, his mother, one day made a very witty remonftrance in few words, by defiring him not to quarrel any longer with Juno. Whilft Alexander prided himfelf in these chimeras, and tafted the great pleasure his vanity made him conceive from this pompous title, every one derided him in fecret; and fome, who had not yet put on the yoke of abject flattery, ventured to reproach him upon that 1 Varro apud A. Gell. 1. xiii. c. 4. account; This paffage in Quintus Curtius is pretty difficult, and is vari oufly explained by interpreters. account; but they paid very dear for that liberty, as the fequel will fhow. Not fatisfied with endeavouring to pals for the fon of a god, and of being perfuaded, in cafe this were poffible, that he really was fuch, he himfelf would alfo pafs for a god; till at laft, Providence having acted that part, of which fhe was pleased to make him the inftrument, brought him to his end, and thereby levelled him with the rest of mortals. Alexander, upon his return from the temple of Jupiter-Ammon, being arrived at the Palus Mereotis, which was not far from the island of Pharos, made a visit to the new city, part of which was now built. He took the best methods poffible to people it, inviting thither all forts of peafons, to whom he offered the most advantage. ous conditions. He drew to it, among others, a confiderable number of Jews, by allowing them very great privileges; for, he not only left them the free exercife of their religion and laws, but put them on the fame foot in every refpect with the Macedonians, whom he fettled there. From thence he went to Memphis, where he spent the winter. Varro obferves, that at the time this king built Alex. andria, the ufe of papyrus (for writing) was found in Egypt; but this I fhall mention elsewhere. "During Alexander's ftay in Memphis, he fettled the affairs of Egypt, fuffering none but Macedonians to command the troops. He divided the country into diftricts, over each of which he appointed a lieutenant, who received orders from himself only; not thinking it fafe to entrust the general command of all the troops to one fingle perfon, in fo large and populous a country. With regard to the civil government, he invested one Doloafpes with the whole power of it; for being de firous that Egypt should still be governed by its ancient laws and cuftoms, he was of opinion that a native of Egypt, to whom they must be familiar, was fitter for that office than any foreigner whatsoever. Το m Jofeph. contra Appian. Q. Curt. li. iv. c. 8. n Arrian 1. iii. p. 108-110. To haften the building of this new city, he appointed Cleomenes infpe&tor over it; with orders for him to levy the tribute which Arabia was to pay. But this Cleomenes was a very wicked wretch, who abufed his authority, and oppreffed the people with the utmost barbarity. He SECT. VIII. Alexander, after his return from Egypt, refolves to go in purfuit of Darius. At his fetting out, he hears of the death of that monarch's queen. caufes the feveral honours to be paid her which were due to her rank. He paffes the Euphrates and Tygris, and comes up with Darius. The famous battle of Arbela. ALEXANDER having fettled the affairs of Egypt, fet out from thence about fpring-time, to march into the east against Darius. In his way through Paleftine, he heard news which gave him great uncafinefs. At his going into Egypt, he had appointed Andromachus, whom he highly efteemed, governor of Syria and Paleftine. Andromachus coming to Samaria to fettle fome affairs in that country, the Samaritans mutinied; and fetting fire to the house in which he was, burnt him alive. It is very probable, that this was occafioned by the rage with which that people were fired, at their having been denied the fame privileges that had been granted the Jews, their enemies. Alexander was highly exafperated against them for this cruel action, and accordingly he put to death all thofe who had any hand in it, banished the reft from the city of Samaria, fupplying their room with à colony of Macedonians, and divided the reft of their lands among the Jews. He made fome ftay in Tyre, to fettle the various affairs of the countries he left behind him, and advanced towards new conquefts. He Diod. I. xvii. p. 530-536. Arrian 1. iii. p. 111-127. Plutarch in Alex. p. 681-685. Q. Curt, 1. iv. c. 9—16. Justin. 1. xi. C. 12-14. He was scarce fet out, but an eunuch brought word, that Darius's confort was dead in child-bed. Hearing this, he returned back, and went into the tent of Syfigambis, whom he found bathed in tears, and lying on the ground, in the midst of the young princeffes, who alfo were weeping; and near them the fon of Darius, a child, who was the more worthy of compaffion, as he was lefs fenfible to evils, which concerned him more than any other. Alexander confoled them in fo kind and tender a manner, as plainly fhowed that he himself was deeply and fincerely afflicted. He caufed her funeral obfequies to be performed with the utmoft fplendour and magnificence. One of the eunuchs who fuperintended the chamber, and who had been taken with the princeffes, fled from the camp, and ran to Darius, whom he informed of his confort's death. The Perfian mo. narch was feifed with the moft violent affliction upon hearing this news, particularly, as he fuppofed fhe would not be allowed the funeral ceremonies due to her exalted rank. But the eunuch undeceived him on this occafion, by telling him the honours which Alexander had paid his queen after her death, and the civilities he had always fhown her in her life-time. Darius, upon hearing thefe words, was fired with fufpicions of fo horrid a kind, that they did not leave him a moment's quiet. 66 Taking the eunuch aside, he spoke to him as follows. "If thou doft ftill acknowledge Darius for thy lord and fovereign, tell me, by the refpect and veneration "thou oweft to that great fplendour of Mithres, "which enlightens us, and to this hand which the king "ftretcheth out to thee; tell me, I fay, whether, in "bemoaning the death of Statira, I do not bewail the "leaft of her evils; and whether, as fhe fell into the "hands of a young monarch, fhe did not firft lofe her honour, and afterwards her life." The eunuch, throwing 44 PA. M. 3674. Ant. J. C. 330. Ob id ipfum miferabilis, quòd nondum fentiebat calamitatem, maxima ex parte ad ipfum redundantem." Q. CURT. + The Perfians worthipped the fun under the name of Mitbres, and the moon under that of Mithra, throwing himself at Darius's fect, befought him not to think fo injurioufly of Alexander's virtue; nor difhonour his wife and fifter after her death; and not deprive himfelf of the greatest confolation he could poffibly have in his misfortunes, viz. to be firmly perfuaded, that the prince, who had triumphed over him, was fuperior to the frailties of other men; that he ought rather to admire Alexander, as he had given the Perfian ladies much ftronger proofs of his virtue and continence, than he had given the Perfians themselves of his valour. After this, he confirmed all he had before faid, by the most dreadful oaths and imprecations; and then gave him a. particular account of what public fame had related, concerning the wifdom, temperance, and magnanimity of Alexander. แ Darius, returning into the hall where his courtiers were affembled, and lifting up his hands to heaven, he broke into the following prayer: "Ye gods, who pre"fide over the birth of men, and who difpofe of kings "and empires, grant that, after having raifed the for"tune of Perfia from its dejected ftate, I may tranfmit "it to my defcendants with the fame luftre in which I "received it; in order that, after having triumphed over my enemies, I may acknowledge the favours. "which Alexander has fhown in my calamity to per-. "fons who, of all others, are most dear to me: or, in "cafe the time ordained by the fates is at last come, or that it muft neceffarily happen, from the anger of the gods, or the ordinary vicillitudes of human affairs, "that the empire of Perfia muft end; grant, great gods, "that none but Alexander may afcend the throne of "Cyrus." ་་ In the mean time, Alexander having fet out upon his march, arrived with his whole army at Thapfacus, where he paffed a bridge that lay cross the Euphrates, and continued his journey towards the Tygris, where he expected to come up with the enemy. Darius had already made overtures of peace to him twice, but finding at last that there was no hopes of their concluding one, unless he refigned |