‘Now beware, Alexander, that the same thing does not happen to you. Take counsel, write to us again; you will find our camp at the frontier.’
26. When Alexander received this letter, he smiled and wrote back to the Amazons, as follows:
‘King Alexander greets the Amazons. We have made ourself lord of the three continents and we have not failed to set up trophies of all our victories. It would be seen as shameful in us if we did not campaign against you too. If you are ready to be destroyed and to see your land made uninhabitable, remain at your frontiers. But if you would rather dwell in your own land without risking the fortunes of war, cross your river and let us see you. Let the men also show themselves in the open. If you do this, I swear by my father and my mother, Olympias, that I will do you no harm, but will accept from you whatever tribute you care to give, and I will not attack your country. Send us as many horsewomen as you think fit. We will pay each of them wages of a gold stater every month, and their food and drink in addition. At the end of a year these shall return to you and you shall send others. Take counsel and inform me of your decision. Farewell.’
When the Amazons received Alexander’s letter, they held an assembly and wrote to inform him of their decision, as follows:
‘The leaders of the Amazons greet King Alexander. We give you permission to come to us and to see our country. We undertake to pay you 100 talents of gold each year, and we have sent 500 of our strongest warriors to meet you, bringing with them the money and also 100 pure-bred horses. They will remain with you for one year. If any of them is deflowered by any foreigner, she may remain with you. Write and tell us how many choose to remain with you, send us back the remainder and we will send you replacements. We will obey you whether you are near or far. We have heard of your bravery and generosity. We dwell beyond the edges of the world, but still you have come to be our lord. We have determined to write to you and to dwell in our own land, obeying you as lord. Farewell.’110
[Supplement J]
27. After this exchange of letters, Alexander wrote to his mother, Olympias, to tell her everything he had done. His letter ran as follows:111
‘King Alexander greets his sweet mother, Olympias. [As far as concerns my first achievements up until we reached Asia, I am sure that you are fully informed by my previous letters. I thought it would be best to tell you about our journey to the interior also. We made a journey to Babylon, taking with us 150,000 soldiers. And then we made another journey… arriving at the Pillars of Heracles in ninety-five days. The local inhabitants told us that Heracles, in order to mark the limits of the lands he travelled, had set up two columns, one of gold and one of silver; and each of them was 20 feet high and 3 feet broad. I did not believe that they were solid, so I decided to sacrifice to Heracles and to make a hole in one of them. Then I discovered that it was of solid gold. So I filled up the hole again, which turned out to contain the equivalent of 1,500 gold pieces.
‘Then I marched on through a deserted and craggy land, where it was impossible to see the person standing next to one because of the fog. Enough about these places. A-text]
‘We mounted an expedition against the Amazons and marched as far as the river Prytanis. When we reached the edge of the city, we saw a river full of wild beasts. The soldiers were very downhearted. Although it was midsummer it rained without ceasing, and many of the infantry had painful feet. There was also a tremendous amount of thunder, flashes of lightning and thunderbolts. While we were waiting to cross the river Prytanis, which I mentioned, many of the natives were killed by our soldiers.
‘Then we came to the river called Thermodon, which flows through a level and fertile country. Here dwell the Amazons, who are larger than other races of women, and remarkable for their beauty and strength. They wear flowery garments and carry silver weapons and axes: iron and bronze are unknown among them. They are notable for their intelligence and quick wits. As we approached the river where the Amazons live – it is a very wide river, hard to cross and full of wild animals – they crossed over themselves and lined up against us. But we persuaded them by a series of letters to submit to us.
28. ‘We took tribute from them and continued towards the Red Sea as far as the river Tenon. Next we came to the river Antlas, where we could see neither land nor sky. A great variety of races dwelt there. We saw dog-headed men, and men without heads who had their eyes and mouths in their chests; we saw men with six hands, others with bulls’ heads, and troglodytes and the wild strap-legs; still others were hairy like goats and had heads like those of lions. There were strange-looking animals of every kind.
‘We sailed on from that river to a large island, 14 miles from the shore. There we found the City of the Sun. It had twelve towers built of gold and emeralds. The wall of the city was built of an Indian stone. In the centre was an altar constructed also of gold and emeralds, with six steps leading up to it. On top of this were a horse-drawn chariot and charioteer, yet again of gold and emeralds. It was hard to see these things because of the fog. The priest of the Sun was an Ethiopian, and was dressed in pure linen. He told us in a barbarian tongue to depart from there. After we had left, we marched for seven days until we came to a place of darkness where there was not even a fire to give light.
‘We left there and came to the harbour of Lyssos. Here there was a very high mountain, which I climbed and saw beautiful houses full of gold and silver. I also saw a perimeter wall of sapphire, with 108 steps. On top was a circular temple ringed by 100 columns of sapphire. Within and without were carved images of almost divine artistry: bacchants, satyrs, maenads playing pipes and raving in trances, and the old man Maron112 sitting on his mule. In the middle of the temple was a couch of polished gold, covered with cushions, on which a man lay, clothed in thin muslin. I could not see his shape because he was covered up, but I could see his strength and the size of his body. Also in the middle of the temple hung a golden chain weighing 100 pounds and a golden crown. Instead of a fire there was a precious stone that lit up the whole place. There was a golden birdcage hanging from the ceiling, and in it was a bird somewhat like a dove, which called to me in a human voice, in Greek, and said: “Alexander, desist now from struggling against the gods; return to your own palace and do not strive to climb the paths of heaven.” I wanted to take down the cage and the candelabrum to send them to you, but then I saw the man on the couch move as if he were about to get up. My friends said, “Stop now, your majesty; this is sacred property.” When I went out into the temple precinct I saw two engraved golden mixing bowls, each holding sixty measures – as we discovered at dinner time. I ordered the army to pitch camp there and enjoy themselves. There was a very large mansion, which contained the finest goblets imaginable, carved from precious stones. As we and the army settled down to dinner, there was a sudden tremendous sound, loud as thunder, of pipes and many cymbals, of fifes and trumpets and drums and lyres. The whole mountain began to smoke as if we had been struck by lightning.
‘We were afraid and left the place at once, and came to the royal palace of Cyrus. We came across a great many deserted cities and one very fine city, in which there was a large building where the Persian king himself used to conduct business. They told me that a bird was there that spoke with a human voice. When we entered the building we saw a great many things worth seeing. It was built entirely of gold. In the middle of the ceiling hung a golden birdcage, like the previous one, and in it was a bird like a golden dove. They said that this bird could speak to the kings in tongues. There I also saw, inside the palace of Cyrus, a large engraved golden mixing bowl, which held 160 measures. The craftsmanship was amazing: on the rim it had statues, and on the upper band of decoration a relief of a sea battle. Inside the bowl there was an honorific inscription, and the exterior was adorned with gold. They said that this vessel had once been in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and had been brought here when the Persians conquered that city.
‘There was also a house built in the Greek style, where the king used to conduc
t his business. In this was depicted the sea battle fought by Xerxes. There were also a throne of gold and precious stones, and a lyre which played of its own accord. Around the throne was a sideboard 24 feet long, and standing at the top of a flight of eight steps. Above it was an eagle of gold which spanned the entire circuit with its wings. There was also a golden vine with seven branches, all made of gold. But why should I tell you so much about all the other sights of the palace?113 They are such that their very quantity prevents us from describing their astonishing excellence. Farewell.’114
30. Alexander also wrote another letter to his mother, Olympias, after he had reached Babylon, and was close to the end of his life. It ran as follows:115
It is said that the gods have great powers of foresight. One of the women here bore a child whose upper body was human as far as the flanks, but from the hips downward it had the legs and paws of a wild beast; it resembled the monster Scylla. The paws were those of a lion and of a wild dog. These extremities moved and could be clearly seen, so that their distinctive forms could be recognized; but the upper body of the baby was lifeless. As soon as the mother had given birth, she wrapped the child in a cloth and went to Alexander’s palace, saying to his servant, ‘Tell King Alexander of a great wonder; I have come to show him something.’ Alexander happened to be having his afternoon rest in his room. When he woke up, he was told of the woman and ordered her to be brought in. He told all those who were with him to leave. Then the woman showed him the prodigy and explained that she had given birth to it.
When Alexander saw it, he was amazed and at once sent for his magicians and his interpreters of omens. When they arrived, he asked them to give a judgement about this miraculous birth, and threatened them with death if they did not tell him the truth. They were the most famous and learned of the Chaldaeans, in number five;116 but the one whose skill was greater than that of any was not at that time in the city. Those who were there told Alexander that he would be stronger than all men and overcome all his enemies, and be lord of all the world. For, they said, the savage beasts in the lower part of the human body represented the nations who had been subdued; and that was their interpretation of the omen.
But later the other Chaldaean came to Alexander. When he saw the form the omen had taken, he cried out and wept and tore his clothes, in a frenzy of grief. Alexander, seeing him in this state, was extremely disturbed and told him to pull himself together and explain the significance of the omen. ‘King,’ came the reply, ‘you may no longer be numbered among the living.’ Alexander asked him to explain the omen in detail, and the Chaldaean replied: ‘Mightiest king of all the world, you yourself are the human part, and the animal elements are those around you. If the upper part were alive and moved like the animal parts below, so would you, O king; but just as the animal parts are, so are those around you: they have no understanding and are savage towards men, and just so are those around you disposed to you.’ Then the Chaldaean went out, ordering that the child be burnt. After he had heard this, Alexander began to put his affairs in order.117
31. In Macedonia Antipater had taken over the reins of power and was treating Alexander’s mother Olympias just as he liked. Olympias wrote frequently to her son about Antipater, as she was very angry about this. Finally, when she was planning a trip to Epirus, Antipater forbade her to go. Alexander, having received his mother’s letter and learned what a difficult position she was in, sent Craterus to Antipater in Macedonia to take charge of the country. When Antipater learnt of Alexander’s plan and of the arrival of Craterus, who had brought an army with him to Macedonia and Thessaly, he was afraid. He decided to murder Alexander. Otherwise, he feared, he would be imprisoned because of the way he had treated Olympias. He had heard that Alexander had far exceeded his earlier arrogance as a result of his great successes. So he laid a plot, and prepared a poison which could not be carried in any vessel of bronze, glass or clay, because such a vessel would shatter instantly. Antipater put the poison in a jar of lead, and placed this in another jar of iron; then he gave it to his son and sent it to Babylon to Alexander’s cupbearer lolaus.118 He explained to him the ferocity and fatal power of the poison, so that if any of his enemies met him in battle he could take it and make an end of himself.
When Antipater’s son arrived in Babylon, he spoke secretly to Alexander’s cupbearer, Iolaus,119 and asked him to give the king the poison. Now lolaus was nursing a grudge against Alexander because some days earlier he had made some mistake and Alexander had hit him over the head with his stick, injuring him severely. So lolaus in his anger was very willing to become accomplice to Antipater’s son in the crime. lolaus also took into his confidence a certain Medius who had likewise been assaulted by Alexander. They discussed how they would get Alexander to drink the poison. One day Alexander was sleeping off a large dinner. Medius came to him the following morning and invited him to his house as a guest.
Alexander accepted the invitation and came to dinner; there were several other guests besides him. They included Perdiccas, Ptolemy, Olcias, Lysimachus, Eumenes and Cassander.120 None of these knew anything about the planned crime; but the others present at the dinner were in the secret of the poison and had sworn oaths to each other and to Iolaus the cupbearer. All of them had reason to be angry at Alexander’s acts.
When Alexander was reclining at table, lolaus brought him first an uncontaminated cup. As the conversation grew general, and, as a result of their drinking, had been going on for some time, Iolaus brought another cup, this time containing the poison. Alexander, to his misfortune, accepted it and drank it down. At once he gave a loud yell as if he had been pierced by an arrow through the liver. He remained conscious for a time, and fought down the pain enough to return to his own house. He asked the guests to continue with their meal.
32. [They were very upset and at once broke up the party; then they went out to see what would happen next. Alexander wanted to bring up the excess of wine and asked for a feather, for that was how he usually made himself vomit. Iolaus smeared one with some of the poison and gave it to him. In this way the poison infected him all the more quickly, spreading unchecked throughout his body. Alexander was racked with cramps and doubled up with pain. He endured a night of agony with great fortitude. On the next day, seeing how ill he was, unable even to speak clearly because his tongue was swollen, he sent everyone out, hoping to get some rest and to talk privately about the affairs that concerned him. Cassander121 conferred with his brother and departed by night. He removed to the mountains of Cilicia and waited there for Iolaus to arrive. He had made a pact with Iolaus, that if Alexander died, he would not be implicated. He sent the husband of their nurse by sea to his father in Macedonia, carrying a coded message indicating that the affair was concluded.
When night fell, Alexander ordered all the girls and boys who were attending him to leave the house, including Kambobaphe and Roxane his wife. There was a door leading out of the house towards the river Euphrates, which runs through the middle of Babylon. He ordered this to be opened, and that no one was to stand guard by it, as was usual. When they had all left, and it was the middle of the night, Alexander rose from his bed, extinguished the lamp, and left the house on all fours, heading for the river. As he approached, he looked around and saw his wife Roxane running towards him. She had guessed, when he sent everyone away, that he was going to attempt some deed worthy of his great audacity, and had followed him out by a secret door into the darkness, guided by the sound of his groans, faint though they were. He stopped, and she embraced him and said, <‘Alexander, are you leaving me to kill yourself?’ He replied,> ‘Roxane, it is small benefit to you to take away my glory. Let no one else hear about this.’ Then, with her support, he made his way back secretly to the house. A-text]
The next day he summoned Perdiccas, Ptolemy and Lysimachus. He instructed that no one else should enter the room until he had made his will. Suddenly there was a great outcry from the Macedonians, who all ran to the courtyard of Alexander’s palace, read
y to kill his guards if they would not let them see the king. When Alexander asked what the commotion was about, Perdiccas told him what the Macedonians were saying. So Alexander ordered his bed to be positioned where all the army could march past and see him, going out again by another door. Perdiccas did as Alexander commanded, and the Macedonians alone came in and saw Alexander. There was not one among them who did not weep to see their great king, Alexander, lying on his bed at the point of death. One of them, a good-looking man but only a private soldier, came close to the bed and said, ‘Your father, Philip, your majesty, ruled as a good king, and so have you done. You are leaving us now; it would be good that we should die with you, for you made Macedon a free country.’ Alexander wept, and stretched out his hand with a consoling gesture. [The horse Bucephalus ran into their midst and, standing close to Alexander, began to water the bed with his tears. Both the Persians and Macedonians exclaimed in amazement when they saw the horse weeping. γ-text]
[When the Macedonians had filed past, he called back those who were with Perdiccas. He took Olcias by the hand and ordered him to read out the will. What follows is a copy of the will’s dispositions, as taken down from Alexander by Olcias.
Alexander’s Will122
King Alexander, the son of Ammon and Olympias, greets the Rhodian generals and their rulers, the council and people.
Since we have crossed the boundaries marked by the Pillars of Heracles our forefather, and, by the will of Providence above, have reached our fated day, we have decided to send and inform you of our decisions, in the belief that you of all the Greeks will be the most suitable guardians of our achievements, and because we have always loved your city. Therefore, we have written to order that the garrison be removed from your city. Thus you will be able to enjoy free speech and preserve your freedom for ever. Also, we wish you to guard my treasure among you. We know that your city is generous and deserves to be remembered: therefore, we shall make plain that we think no less of it than of our own country, but as a city worthy of us. We have made the following disposition of our affairs, giving each his land with freedom, beginning with the land where we were born to this glory.
The Greek Alexander Romance Page 17