Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/110

 78 HISTORY UF GREECE. nun both acti-s'e and successful even against the Macedonian jren. erals, on the region north-east of the -S^gean. This may help to explain that fatal imprudence, wheriby the Persians permitted Alexander to carry over without opposition his grand army into Asia, in the spring of 334 B. c. They possessed ample means of guarding the Hellespont, had they chosen to bring up their fleet, which, comprising as it did the force of the Phenician towns, was decidedly superior to any naval armament at the dis- posal of Alexander. The Persian fleet actually came into the ^gean a few weeks afterwards. Now Alexander's designs, preparations, and even intended time of march, must have been well known not merely to Memnon, but to the Persian satraps in Asia Minor, who had got together troops to oppose him. These satraps unfortunately supposed themselves to be a match for him in the field, disregarding the pronounced opinion of Memnon to the contrary, and even overruling his prudent advice by mi? trustful and calumnious imputations. At the time of Alexander's landing, a powerful Persian force was already assembled near Zeleia in the Hellespontine Phry- gia, under command of Arsites the Phrygian satrap, supported by several other leading Persians — Spithridates (sati-ap of Lydia and Ionia,) Pharnakes, Atizyes, Mithridates, Rhomithres, Niphates, Petines, etc. Forty of these men were of high rank (denominated kinsmen of Darius,) and distinguished for pei^sonal valor. The greater number of the army consisted of cavalry, in- cluding Medes, Baktrians, Hyrkanians, Kappadokians, Paplda- gonians, etc.^ In cavalry they greatly outnumbered Alexander ; but their infantry was much inferior in number,^ composed how- ever, in large proportion, of Grecian mercenaries. The Persian total is given by Arrian as 20,000 cavalry, and nearly 20,000 mercenary foot ; by Diodorus as 10,000 cavalry, and 100,000 infantry ; by Justin even at 600,000. The numbers of Arrian are the more credible ; in those of Diodorus, the total of infantry 13 certainly much above the truth — that of cavalry probably be- low it. Memnon. who was present with his sons and with his own ' Diodor. xvii. 18, 19; Arrian, i. 12, 14; i. 16, 5. •Arrian, i. 12, 16; i. 13, 4.