BOOK VII.

I. Alexander’s Plans.—The Indian Philosophers 369

II. Alexander’s Dealings with the Indian Sages 371

III. Self-sacrifice of the Indian Calanus 372

IV. Marriages between Macedonians and Persians 374

V. The Soldiers Rewarded 376

VI. An Army of Asiatics Trained under the Macedonian

Discipline 378

VII. Navigation of the Tigres 379

VIII. The Macedonians Offended at Alexander 381

IX. Alexander’s Speech 383

X. Alexander’s Speech (_continued_) 386

XI. Reconciliation between Alexander and his Army 387

XII. Ten Thousand Macedonians sent Home with Craterus.—Disputes

between Antipater and Olympias 390

XIII. The Nisaean Plain.—The Amazons 393

XIV. Death of Hephaestion 395

XV. Subjugation of the Cossaeans.—Embassies from Distant

Nations 398

XVI. Exploration of the Caspian.—The Chaldaean Soothsayers 400

XVII. The Advice of the Chaldees rejected 402

XVIII. Predictions of Alexander’s Death 404

XIX. Embassies from Greece.—Fleet prepared for Invading

Arabia 406

XX. Description of Arabia.—Voyage of Nearchus 408

XXI. Description of the Euphrates and the Pallacopas 411

XXII. An Omen of Alexander’s Approaching Death 412

XXIII. The Army Recruited from the Persians.—Hephaestion’s

Memory Honoured 414

XXIV. Another Omen of Alexander’s Death 417

XXV. Alexander Seized with Fever 418

XXVI. Alexander’s Death 420

XXVII. Rumour that Alexander was Poisoned 421

XXVIII. Character of Alexander 422

XXIX. Apology for Alexander’s Errors 424

XXX. Eulogy of Alexander 425

Index of Proper Names 429

ERRATA.

Page 3. Four lines from the bottom, for Anab. v. 1, _read_ v. 5, 1.

Page 8. Note 1, for Diod., xix. 93, 94; _read_ xvi. 93, 94.

Note 3, for Diod., xvi. 85; _read_ xvii. 4.

Page 48. For Onares _read_ Omares.

Page 108. (Note) for Zeph. i. 2; _read_ 11.

Page 116. (Note) for _Paradise Lost_, viii. 18; _read_ i. 446.

LIFE AND WRITINGS OF ARRIAN.

All we know of Arrian is derived from the notice of him in the

_Bibliotheca_ of Photius, who was Patriarch of Constantinople in

the ninth century, and from a few incidental references in his own

writings. We learn from Suidas that Dion Cassius wrote a biography of

Arrian; but this work is not extant. Flavius Arrianus was born near

the end of the first century of the Christian era, at Nicomedia, the

capital of Bithynia. He became a pupil of the famous Stoic philosopher

Epictetus, and afterwards went to Athens, where he received the surname

of the “younger Xenophon,” from the fact that he occupied the same

relation to Epictetus as Xenophon did to Socrates.[1] Not only was he

called Xenophon by others, but he calls himself so in _Cynegeticus_ (v.

6); and in _Periplus_ (xii. 5; xxv. 1), he distinguishes Xenophon by

the addition _the elder_. Lucian (_Alexander_, 56) calls Arrian simply

_Xenophon_. During the stay of the emperor Hadrian at Athens, A.D. 126,

Arrian gained his friendship. He accompanied his patron to Rome, where

he received the Roman citizenship. In consequence of this, he assumed

the name of Flavius.[2] In the same way the Jewish historian, Josephus,

had been allowed by Vespasian and Titus to bear the imperial name

Flavius.[3]

Photius says, that Arrian had a distinguished career in Rome, being

entrusted with various political offices, and at last reaching the

supreme dignity of consul under Antoninus Pius.[4] Previous to this

he was appointed (A.D. 132) by Hadrian, Governor of Cappadocia, which

province was soon after invaded by the Alani, or Massagetae, whom he

defeated and expelled.[5] When Marcus Aurelius came to the throne,

Arrian withdrew into private life and returned to his native city,

Nicomedia. Here, according to Photius, he was appointed priest to

Demeter and Persephone. He died in the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

The earlier literary efforts of Arrian were philosophical. After

the expulsion of the philosophers from Rome, by Domitian, Epictetus

delivered his lectures at Nicopolis, in Epirus, where it is probable

that Arrian was his pupil.

I. These lectures were published by Arrian, under the title of

_Discourses of Epictetus_, in eight books, the first four only of which

have come down to us. He tells us himself in the introduction to this

work, that he strove as far as possible to preserve the very words

of his teacher as mementoes of his method of reasoning and diction.

Gellius (xix. 1) speaks of a fifth book of these Discourses.

II. He also compiled _The Enchiridion of Epictetus_, an abstract of

the philosophy of Epictetus, which is still extant. This manual of

the Stoic moral philosophy was very popular, both among Pagans and

Christians, for many centuries.

III. Another work by Arrian, in twelve books, distinct from the above,

is mentioned by Photius under the title of “Ὁμιλίαι Ἐπικτήτου”,

or _Friendly Conversations with Epictetus_. Of this only a few

fragments survive.

IV. Another lost work of Arrian on the life and death of Epictetus

is mentioned by Simplicius in the beginning of his Commentary on the

Enchiridion.

V. Besides editing these philosophical works, Arrian wrote many

original books. By far the most important of these is the _Anabasis of

Alexander_, or the History of Alexander the Great’s Campaigns. This

is one of the most authentic and accurate of historical works. Though

inspired with admiration for his hero, the author evinces impartiality

and freedom from hero-worship. He exhibits great literary acuteness in

the choice of his authorities and in sifting evidence. The two chief

sources from which he drew his narrative were the histories written by

Ptolemy, son of Lagus, and Aristobulus, son of Aristobulus, both of

whom were officers in Alexander’s army. Other authorities quoted by

Arrian himself were:—Eratosthenes, Megasthenes, Nearchus, Aristus,

and Asclepiades. He also made use of Alexander’s letters, which he

mentions five times;[6] only once, however, quoting the exact words of

the writer. The last authority which he mentions, is the _Royal Diary_

kept by Eumenes, of Cardia, the private secretary of Philip as well as

of Alexander, and by the historian Diodotus, of Erythrae. It is used by

Arrian only once,[7] as it is by Plutarch.[8]

VI. The work named _Indica_, is a description of India, and was usually

united in manuscripts with the Anabasis, as an eighth book. Though

it may be looked upon as a supplement to the Anabasis, Arrian often

refers in the one work to the other.[9] From this we may infer that the

author wished the _Indica_ to be considered a distinct book from the

Anabasis; and from the remark in Anab. v. 1, it is clear that it was

composed after the Anabasis. This book is written in the Ionic dialect,

like the History of Herodotus and the Indica of Ctesias. The latter

untrustworthy book Arrian wished to supplant by his own narrative,

principally based on the works of Megasthenes and Nearchus.

VII. Photius mentions among Arrian’s historical works:—_The Events

after Alexander_, in ten books, which gives the history of Alexander’s

successors. Photius (cod. 92) has preserved many extracts from this

work.

VIII. _Bithynica_ in eight books, a work often quoted by Eustathius in

his commentaries to the Iliad and to Dionysius Periegetes. In regard

to the contents of this book, Photius (cod. 93) says:—“The Bithynica

commences from the mythical events of history and comes down as far

as the death of the last Nicomedes, who at his death bequeathed his

kingdom to the Romans, who had never been ruled by a king after the

expulsion of Tarquin.”

IX. _Parthica_, in seventeen books. See Photius (cod. 58).

X. _History of the Alani_. See Photius (cod. 93). Only fragments of

this and the _Parthica_ remain.

XI. Besides the large works, we learn from Photius (cod. 93) that

Arrian wrote the biographies of the Corinthian Timoleon and of the

Syracusan Dion. Lucian (Alex. 2), also states that he wrote the life of

Tilliborus, the notorious robber of Asia Minor.

XII. A valuable geographical work by Arrian has come down to us, called

“Περίπλους πόντου Εὐξείνου”, a description of a voyage round the coasts

of the Euxine. This naval expedition was executed by him as Governor

of Cappadocia. The Alani, or, Albani of the East, a tribe related to

the Massagetae, were threatening to invade his province, and he made

this voyage with a view of fortifying the most important strategic

points on the coast. From section 26 of the Periplus we find that this

voyage must have taken place about the year 131 or 132 A.D.; for the

death of King Cotys II., noticed in that passage as just dead, is

proved by Böckh’s investigations to have occurred in 131 A.D. Two other

geographical works, _The Periplus of the Red Sea_ and _The Periplus of

the Euxine_, formerly ascribed to Arrian, are proved to belong to a

later date.

XIII. A work on _Tactics_, composed 137 A.D. In many parts this book

agrees nearly verbally with the larger work of Aelian on the same

subject; but Leo Tacticus (vii. 85) expressly mentions the two works as

distinct.

XIV. _An Array of Battle against the Alani_, is a fragment discovered

in the seventeenth century in the Description of his Battles with the

Alani, who invaded his province, probably 137 A.D., as Arrian had

previously feared.[10]

XV. A small work by Arrian on the Chase, forms a supplement to

Xenophon’s book on the same subject. It is entitled _Cynegeticus of

Arrian or the second Xenophon the Athenian_.

The best editions of the Anabasis are the following:—The _editio

princeps_ by Trincavelli, Venice, 1535; Gerbel, Strassburg, 1539; Henri

Estienne, 1575; N. Blancardus, Amsterdam, 1668; J. Gronovius, Leyden,

1704; G. Raphelius, Amsterdam, 1757; A. C. Borkeck, Lemgovia, 1792;

F. Schmieder, Leipzig, 1798; Tauchnitz edition, Leipzig, 1818; J. O.

Ellendt, Königsberg, 1832; C. W. Krüger, Berlin, 1835; F. Dübner,

Paris, 1846; K. Abicht, Leipzig, 1871.

ARRIAN’S PREFACE.

I have admitted into my narrative as strictly authentic all the

statements relating to Alexander and Philip which Ptolemy, son of

Lagus,[11] and Aristobulus, son of Aristobulus,[12] agree in making;

and from those statements which differ I have selected that which

appears to me the more credible and at the same time the more

deserving of record. Different authors have given different accounts

of Alexander’s life; and there is no one about whom more have

written, or more at variance with each other. But in my opinion the

narratives of Ptolemy and Aristobulus are more worthy of credit than

the rest; Aristobulus, because he served under king Alexander in his

expedition, and Ptolemy, not only because he accompanied Alexander in

his expedition, but also because he was himself a king afterwards, and

falsification of facts would have been more disgraceful to him than to

any other man. Moreover, they are both more worthy of credit, because

they compiled their histories after Alexander’s death, when neither

compulsion was used nor reward offered them to write anything different

from what really occurred. Some statements made by other writers I

have incorporated in my narrative, because they seemed to me worthy of

mention and not altogether improbable; but I have given them merely as

reports of Alexander’s proceedings. And if any man wonders why, after

so many other men have written of Alexander, the compilation of this

history came into my mind, after perusing[13] the narratives of all the

rest, let him read this of mine, and then wonder (if he can).

THE ANABASIS OF ALEXANDER.