The History of Alexander by Quintus Curtius Rufus

Author:Quintus Curtius Rufus
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2001-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

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[1] When he could no longer maintain an expression at variance with his feelings, Alexander withdrew into his tent, which he had deliberately set on the river bank. [2] There, in complete seclusion, he spent a sleepless night weighing up one by one the plans he had formulated, often lifting the skins of his tent to get a view of the enemy fires, from which he could estimate their numbers. [3] As dawn was approaching, he put on his cuirass and walked to the men, the first time he had done so since receiving the most recent wound. [4] The men idolized their king so much that his presence easily dispelled thoughts of the impending danger which had been filling them with dread. [5] They greeted him joyfully, with tears of happiness streaming from their eyes, and they insistently called for action, which they had balked at earlier. [6] Alexander proclaimed that he would use rafts to transport the cavalry and the phalanx; the lighter-armed troops he ordered to swim over on skins. [7] The situation required no further talk, nor was Alexander’s health up to it.

The boats were put together with such zest by the men that some 12,000 were completed within three days. [8] When they had completed all the preparations for the crossing, twenty Scythian ambassadors came riding through the camp (a practice of their race) and ordered that the king be informed that they wished to deliver a message to him personally. [9] The ambassadors were admitted to his tent and told to take a seat. They kept their eyes fixed on the king’s face, presumably because they judged a man’s courage according to his physique and they thought Alexander’s slight build entirely at odds with his reputation. [10] The Scythians differ from other barbarians, however, in not being intellectually backward and unrefined – some of them are even said to have a capacity for philosophy (as far as is possible for a race perpetually under arms). [11] What they are reported to have said before the king is perhaps foreign to our way of thinking and our character, since we have enjoyed more cultivated times and intellects but, though their oratory could be criticized, my accurate reporting should not. I shall relate without alteration the account as it has been passed down to us. [12] According to my sources, one of the Scythians, the eldest, spoke as follows:

‘Had the gods willed that your stature should match your greed the world could not hold you. You would touch the east with one hand and the west with the other, and reaching the west you would want to know where the mighty god’s light lay hidden. Even as it is, you covet things beyond your reach. [13] From Europe you head for Asia; from Asia you cross to Europe. Then, if you defeat the whole human race, you will be ready to make war on woods, on snow, on rivers, on wild animals. [14] Don’t you know

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