Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata

Once, when all preparations had been made for battle, his generals asked him whether there was anything else in addition to what they had done. Nothing, said he, except to shave the Macedonians’ beards. And as Parmenio expressed his surprise, Alexander said, Don’t you know that in battles there is nothing handier to grasp than a beard? [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Theseus, chap. iii. (3 A); Athenaeus, 565 A.)

When Darius offered him two million pounds, and also offered to share Asia equally with him, Parmenio said, I would take it if I were Alexander. And so indeed would I, said Alexander, if I were Parmenio. But he made answer to Darius that the earth could not tolerate two suns, nor Asia two kings. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, chap. xxix. (681 F): Arrian, Anabasis, ii. 25; Diodorus, xvii. 54: Longinus, De sublimitate, ix. 4; Valerius Maximus, vi. 4, ext. 3.)

When he was about to risk everything at Arbela against a million men arrayed against him, his friends came to him and accused the soldiers of talking together and making agreements in their tents that they would hand over none of the spoil to the royal treasury, but would keep everything for themselves. And he smiling said, You bring good news; for I hear in this the talk of men prepared to conquer and not to flee. And many of the soldiers came to him and said, Be of good cheer, Sire, and do not fear the great numbers of the enemy; for they will not be able to stand the very smell of goat that clings to us.

As the army was being drawn up for battle, he saw one of the soldiers fitting the thong to his javelin, and he shoved him out of the line as a useless man who was making ready at this time when he ought to be using his weapons.

As he was reading a letter from his mother, which contained secret slanders against Antipater, Hephaestion, as usual, was reading it with him. Alexander did not prevent Hephaestion from reading it, but, when he had finished the reading, he took off his ring, and placed the seal on Hephaestion’s lips. [*](Cf. Moralia, 332 F and 240 A, and Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, chap. xxix. (688 A).)

In the shrine of Ammon he was hailed by the prophetic priest as the son of Zeus. That is nothing surprising, said he; for Zeus is by nature the father of all, and he makes the noblest his own. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, chap. xxvii. (680 F).)

When he was hit in the leg by an arrow, and many of those who were oftentimes wont to hail him as a god hurried up to him, he, relaxing his countenance, said, This is blood, as you see, and not

Ichor, like that which flows from the wounds of the blessed Immortals.

When some commended the frugality of Antipater, who, they said, lived a plain and simple life, he remarked, Outwardly Antipater is plain white, but within he is all purple. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Phocion, chap. xxix. (754 E).)

When one of his friends was entertaining him in the cold of winter, and brought in a small brazier with a little Are in it, Alexander bade him bring in either firewood or incense.

When Antipatrides brought to dinner a beautiful harp-player, Alexander, stirred to love at the sight of her, asked Antipatrides whether he happened to be at all in love with the girl; and when he admitted that he was, Alexander said, You abominable wretch ! Please take her away from here at once.

On another occasion Casander forced Python, beloved by Evius the flute-player, [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Eumenes, chap. ii. (583 D).) to kiss him, and Alexander, seeing that Evius was vexed, leapt up in anger against Casander, exclaiming It isn’t allowable even to fall in love with anybody, because of you and people like you.

When he was sending away to the sea those of the Macedonians who were sick or incapacitated, a man was reported to have put down his name in the list of the sick although there was nothing the matter with him. When therefore the man was brought before Alexander and examined, he admitted that he had employed this ruse because of love for Telesippa, who was departing for the sea; and Alexander asked, With whom must one talk concerning Telesippa ? And when he learned that she was not a slave, he said, Then let us, Antigenes, try to persuade Telesippa to stay with us; for to coerce her, a free woman, is not within our right. [*](Cf. Moralia, 339 C, and Plutarch’s Lfe of Alexander, chap. xl. (689 B).)

When Greek mercenaries serving on the enemy’s side carne into his hands, he would order the Athenians among them to be kept in chains, because, while they could live at the expense of the State, they were serving as mercenaries, and so also the Thessalians, because, although they owned the very best land, they did not till it. But the Thebans he let go free, saying that these alone, because of us, have neither city nor land left to them.

When he had taken captive the man who had the greatest repute for marksmanship among the Indians, of whom it was said that he could send an arrow through a finger-ring, Alexander bade him show his skill, and when he would not, the king in anger decreed his execution. The man, as he was being led away, said to those who were taking him that he had not practised for many days, and was afraid of failing; and when this came to the ears of Alexander, he marvelled and let the man go with

When Taxiles, king of the Indians, met Alexander, he charged him not to fight or make war, but, if he were inferior, to accept favours, and, if he were superior, to bestow them. To this Alexander replied that this was the very issue between them, to determine which could outdo the other in bestowing favours. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, chap. lix. (698 B).)

When he was told concerning the Birdless Rock, [*](Cf. Cunningham, Ancient Geography of India, i. pp. 58 ff.) as it is called, in India, that the place was extremely difficult to capture, but that the man who held it was a coward, he said, In that case it is easy to capture. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s, Life of Alexander, chap. lviii. (697 E); Arrian, Anabasis, iv. 28; Diodorus, xvii. 85; Quintus Curtius, Hist. Alexandri, viii. 11.)

When another man who held a seemingly impregnable rock surrendered himself together with his stronghold to Alexander, Alexander bade him to continue to rule, and gave him additional country to govern, saying that this person seems to me to show sense in trusting himself to a good man rather than to a strong place.

After the capture of the rock his friends were saying that he had surpassed Heracles in his deeds, but he remarked, No, I do not feel that my deeds, with my position as commander, are to be weighed against one word of Heracles. [*](Arrian, Anabasis, v. 26. 5, represents Alexander as boasting over the capture of the rock, which Heracles had failed to capture.)

Learning that in gambling with dice some of his friends did not enter into the game as a sport, he punished them.[*](Alexander himself, when he was ill, spent the whole day in throwing dice with Medius, according to Plutarch, Life of Alexander, chap. lxxvi (706 D).)

Of his foremost and most influential friends he seems to have honoured Crateras most and to have loved Hephaestion best. For, said he, Crateras is fond of the king, but Hephaestion is fond of Alexander. [*](Cf. Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, chap. xlvii. (691 F), and Diodorus, xvii. 114.)