Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/184

 ^^2 HISTORY OF GREECE. Alexander, while offering solemn sacrifices to Sun, Moon, and "Earth, combated the prevailing depression by declarations from his own prophet Aristander and from Egyptian astrologers, Avho proclaimed that Helios favored the Greeks, and Selene the Per- sians ; hence the eclipse of the moon portended victory to the Macedonians — and victory too (so Aristander promised), before the next new moon. Having thus reassured the soldiers, Alex- ander marched for four days in a south-easterly direction through the territory called Aturia, with the Tigris on his right hand, and the Gordyene or Kurd mountains on his left. Encountering a small advanced guard of the Persians, he here learnt from pris- oners that Darius with his main host was not far off.' Nearly two yeai-s had elapsed since the ruinous defeat oflssus. What Darius had been doing during this long in- terval, and especially during the first half of it, we are una- ble to say. We hear only of one proceeding on his part — his missions, twice repeated, to Alexander, tendering or entreat- ing peace, with the especial view of recovering his captive fam- ily. Nothing else does he appear to have done, either to re- trieve the losses of the past, or to avert the perils of the future ; nothing, to save his fleet from passing into the hands of the con- queror ; nothing, to relieve either Tyre or Gaza, the sieges of which collectively occupied Alexander for near ten months. The disgraceful flight of Darius at Issus had already lost him the con- fidence of several of his most valuable servants. The Macedon- ian exile Amyntas, a brave and energetic man, with the best of the Grecian mercenaries, gave up the Persian cause as lost,- and tried to set up for himself, in which attempt he failed and per- ished in Egypt. The satrap of Egypt, penetrated with contempt for the timidity of his master, was induced, by that reason as well as by others, to throw open the country to Alexander.^ Having incurred so deplorable a loss, as well in reputation as in territory, Darius had the strongest motives to redeem it by augmented vigor. ' Anian. iii. 7, 12: iii. 8, 3. Curtius, iv. 10, 11-18. ' Arrian, ii. 13 ; Curtius, iv. 1, 27-30 — " cum in illo statu icium iJ quem- que, quod occupasset, habiturum arbitraretur" (Amyntas). Arrian, iii. ]. 3. ti]v te iv 'laacj fiuxvv ottlx; avvijSri TzsTTva^evoc (tha satrap of Egypt) Kal i^apelov on alaxpa (pvyy ecpvye, etc.