The Anabasis of Alexander or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great
the notice of the guards there, nor that of Ptolemy, who had been
placed behind them to render aid. But at this moment the buglers gave
him the signal, and he advanced against the barbarians with his army
fully equipped and drawn up in battle array. Moreover the waggons and
the stockade which had been placed in the intervening space, were an
obstruction to them. When the bugle sounded and Ptolemy attacked them,
killing the men as they kept on stealing out through the waggons, then
indeed they were driven back again into the city; and in their retreat
500 of them were killed. In the meanwhile Porus arrived, bringing with
him the elephants that were left to him, and 5,000 Indians. Alexander
had constructed his military engines and they were being led up to the
wall; but before any of it was battered down, the Macedonians took the
city by storm, digging under the wall, which was made of brick, and
placing scaling ladders against it all round. In the capture 17,000 of
the Indians were killed, and above 70,000 were captured, besides 300
chariots and 500 cavalry. In the whole siege a little less than 100 of
Alexander’s army were killed; but the number of the wounded was greater
than the proportion of the slain, being more than 1,200, among whom
were Lysimachus, the confidential body-guard, and other officers. After
burying the dead according to his custom, Alexander sent Eumenes, the
secretary,[708] with 300 cavalry to the two cities which had joined
Sangala in revolt, to tell those who held them about the capture of
Sangala, and to inform them that they would receive no harsh treatment
from Alexander if they stayed there and received him as a friend; for
no harm had happened to any of the other independent Indians who had
surrendered to him of their own accord. But they had become frightened,
and had abandoned the cities and were fleeing; for the news had already
reached them that Alexander had taken Sangala by storm. When Alexander
was informed of their flight he pursued them with speed; but most of
them were too quick for him, and effected their escape, because the
pursuit began from a distant starting-place. But all those who were
left behind in the retreat from weakness, were seized by the army and
killed, to the number of about 500. Then, giving up the design of
pursuing the fugitives any further, he returned to Sangala, and razed
the city to the ground. He added the land to that of the Indians who
had formerly been independent, but who had then voluntarily submitted
to him. He then sent Porus with his forces to the cities which had
submitted to him, to introduce garrisons into them; whilst he himself,
with his army, advanced to the river Hyphasis,[709] to subjugate the
Indians beyond it. Nor did there seem to him any end of the war, so
long as anything hostile to him remained.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE ARMY REFUSES TO ADVANCE.—ALEXANDER’S SPEECH TO THE OFFICERS.
It was reported that the country beyond the river Hyphasis was fertile,
and that the men were good agriculturists, and gallant in war; and
that they conducted their own political affairs in a regular and
constitutional manner. For the multitude was ruled by the aristocracy,
who governed in no respect contrary to the rules of moderation. It was
also stated that the men of that district possessed a much greater
number of elephants than the other Indians, and that those men were
of very great stature, and excelled in valour. These reports excited
in Alexander an ardent desire to advance farther; but the spirit of
the Macedonians now began to flag, when they saw the king raising
one labour after another, and incurring one danger after another.
Conferences were held throughout the camp, in which those who were the
most moderate bewailed their lot, while others resolutely declared that
they would not follow Alexander any farther, even if he should lead
the way. When he heard of this, before the disorder and pusillanimity
of the soldiers should advance to a great degree, he called a council
of the officers of the brigades and addressed them as follows:—“O
Macedonians and Grecian allies, seeing that you no longer follow me
into dangerous enterprises with a resolution equal to that which
formerly animated you, I have collected you together into the same
spot, so that I may either persuade you to march forward with me, or
may be persuaded by you to return. If indeed the labours which you
have already undergone up to our present position seem to you worthy
of disapprobation, and if you do not approve of my leading you into
them, there can be no advantage in my speaking any further. But, if as
the result of these labours, you hold possession of Ionia,[710] the
Hellespont, both the Phrygias, Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Lydia, Caria,
Lycia, Pamphylia, Phoenicia, Egypt together with Grecian Libya, as
well as part of Arabia, Hollow Syria, Syria between the rivers,[711]
Babylon, the nation of the Susians, Persia, Media, besides all the
nations which the Persians and the Medes ruled, and many of those which
they did not rule, the land beyond the Caspian Gates, the country
beyond the Caucasus, the Tanais, as well as the land beyond that river,
Bactria, Hyrcania, and the Hyrcanian Sea; if we have also subdued
the Scythians as far as the desert; if, in addition to these, the
river Indus flows through our territory, as do also the Hydaspes, the
Acesines, and the Hydraotes, why do ye shrink from adding the Hyphasis
also, and the nations beyond this river, to your empire of Macedonia?
Do ye fear that your advance will be stopped in the future by any other
barbarians? Of whom some submit to us of their own accord, and others
are captured in the act of fleeing, while others, succeeding in their
efforts to escape, hand over to us their deserted land, which we add to
that of our allies, or to that of those who have voluntarily submitted
to us.
CHAPTER XXVI.
ALEXANDER’S SPEECH (_continued_).
“I, for my part, think, that to a brave man there is no end to labours
except the labours themselves, provided they lead to glorious
achievements. But if any one desires to hear what will be the end to
the warfare itself, let him learn that the distance still remaining
before we reach the river Ganges and the Eastern Sea is not great; and
I inform you that the Hyrcanian Sea will be seen to be united with
this, because the Great Sea encircles the whole earth. I will also
demonstrate both to the Macedonians and to the Grecian allies, that the
Indian Gulf is confluent with the Persian, and the Hyrcanian Sea with
the Indian Gulf. From the Persian Gulf our expedition will sail round
into Libya as far as the Pillars of Heracles.[712] From the pillars all
the interior of Libya[713] becomes ours, and so the whole of Asia[714]
will belong to us, and the limits of our empire, in that direction,
will be those which God has made also the limits of the earth. But, if
we now return, many warlike nations are left unconquered beyond the
Hyphasis as far as the Eastern Sea, and many besides between these and
Hyrcania in the direction of the north wind, and not far from these the
Scythian races. Wherefore, if we go back, there is reason to fear that
the races which are now held in subjection, not being firm in their
allegiance, may be excited to revolt by those who are not yet subdued.
Then our many labours will prove to have been in vain; or it will be
necessary for us to incur over again fresh labours and dangers, as
at the beginning. But, O Macedonians and Grecian allies, stand firm!
Glorious are the deeds of those who undergo labour and run the risk
of danger; and it is delightful to live a life of valour and to die
leaving behind immortal glory. Do ye not know that our ancestor[715]
reached so great a height of glory as from being a man to become a god,
or to seem to become one, not by remaining in Tiryns[716] or Argos, or
even in the Peloponnese or at Thebes? The labours of Dionysus were not
few, and he was too exalted a deity to be compared with Heracles. But
we, indeed, have penetrated into regions beyond Nysa[717]; and the rock
of Aornus, which Heracles was unable to capture, is in our possession.
Do ye also add the parts of Asia still left unsubdued to those already
acquired, the few to the many. But what great or glorious deed could
we have performed, if, sitting at ease in Macedonia, we had thought
it sufficient to preserve our own country without any labour, simply
repelling the attacks of the nations on our frontiers, the Thracians,
Illyrians, and Triballians, or even those Greeks who were unfriendly
to our interests? If, indeed, without undergoing labour and being free
from danger I were acting as your commander, while you were undergoing
labour and incurring danger, not without reason would you be growing
faint in spirit and resolution, because you alone would be sharing
the labours, while procuring the rewards of them for others. But now
the labours are common to you and me, we have an equal share of the
dangers, and the rewards are open to the free competition of all. For
the land is yours, and you act as its viceroys. The greater part also
of the money now comes to you; and when we have traversed the whole of
Asia, then, by Zeus, not merely having satisfied your expectations, but
having even exceeded the advantages which each man hopes to receive,
those of you who wish to return home I will send back to their own
land, or I will myself lead them back; while those who remain here, I
will make objects of envy to those who go back.”[718]
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE ANSWER OF COENUS.
When Alexander had uttered these remarks, and others in the same
strain, a long silence ensued, for the auditors neither had the
audacity to speak in opposition to the king without constraint, nor did
they wish to acquiesce in his proposal. Hereupon, he repeatedly urged
any one who wished it, to speak, if he entertained different views
from those which he had himself expressed. Nevertheless the silence
still continued a long time; but at last, Coenus, son of Polemocrates,
plucked up courage and spoke as follows[719]:—“O king, inasmuch as
thou dost not wish to rule Macedonians by compulsion, but sayest thou
wilt lead them by persuasion, or yielding to their persuasion wilt not
use violence towards them, I am going to make a speech, not on my own
behalf and that of my colleagues here present, who are held in greater
honour than the other soldiers, and most of us have already carried off
the rewards of our labours, and from our pre-eminence are more zealous
than the rest to serve thee in all things; but I am going to speak on
behalf of the bulk of the army. On behalf of this army I am not going
to say what may be gratifying to the men, but what I consider to be
both advantageous to thee at present, and safest for the future. I feel
it incumbent upon me not to conceal what I think the best course to
pursue, both on account of my age, the honour paid to me by the rest
of the army at thy behest, and the boldness which I have without any
hesitation displayed up to the present time in incurring dangers and
undergoing labours. The more numerous and the greater the exploits
have been, which were achieved by thee as our commander, and by those
who started from home with thee, the more advantageous does it seem to
me that some end should be put to our labours and dangers. For thou
thyself seest how many Macedonians and Greeks started with thee, and
how few of us have been left. Of our number thou didst well in sending
back home the Thessalians at once from Bactra, because thou didst
perceive that they were no longer eager to undergo labours.[720] Of the
other Greeks, some have been settled as colonists in the cities which
thou hast founded; where they remain not indeed all of them of their