Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/180

 148 HISTORY OF GREECE, inflation above the limits of humanity. His achievements during the lav=;t three years had so transcended the expectations of every- one, himself included — the gods had given to him such inces- sant good fortune, and so paralyzed or put down his enemies — that the hypothesis of a superhuman personality seenced the natu- ral explanation of such a superhuman career.^ He had to look back to the heroic legends, and to his ancestors Perseus * and Herakles, to find a worthy prototype.^ Conceiving himself to be (like them) the son of Zeus, -with, only a nominal human parent- age, he resolved to go and ascertain the fact by questioning the infallible oracle of Zeus Ammon. His march of several days, through a sandy desert — always fatiguing, sometimes perilous, was distinguished by manifest evidences of the favor of the gods. Unexpected rain fell just when this thirsty soldiers required wa- ter. When the guides lost their track, from shifting of the sand, on a sudden two speaking serpents, or two ravens, appeared pre- ceding the march and indicating the right direction. Such were the statements made by Ptolemy, Aristobulus, and Kallisthenes, companions and contemporaries ; while Arrian, four centuries af- terwards, announces his positive conviction that there was a di- vine intervention on behalf of Alexander, though he cannot satisfy himself about the details.^ The priest of Zeus Ammon addressed Alexander, as being the son of the god, and farther assured him that his career would be one of uninterrupted victory, until he was taken away to the gods ; while his friends also, who con- sulted the oracle for their own satisfaction, received for answer that the rendering of divine honors to him would be acceptable to Zeus. After profuse sacrifices and presents, Alexander quitted the oracle, with a full and sincere faith that he really was the son of Zeus Ammon ; which faith was farther confirmed by declarations transmitted to him from other oracles — that of Erythrae in lo- ' Diodor. xvii. 51. TEKjiiipia J' iaeadai Ti/g in tov -^eov yeviaeuc Tb fuys'&oq tC)v kv Talc ■^rpd^ecrL KaTop-&u/Ltaruv (answer of the priest of An - mon to Alexander). * Arrian, iii. 3, 2. ^ An-ian, iii. 3, 12. Kat otl fiiv -delov tl ^vve-i/.a(3ev avrC), ex'-' ^'^X "• p laaff-d a t, on Kal to e'lKoc TavTij ix^i-' ~'i ^ uTpcKeg tov ?^6yov d^efAprro ol I'M.ri Kal uA/lj vrrep avTov k^Tfyeaafievoi. Compare Curtius, iv. 7, 12-15; Diodor. xvii. 49-51 ; Plutarch, Alo 87, Ealliithencs ap. Strabon. :ivii. p. 814.