Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/197

 BATTLE ON THE GRECIAN LEFT. 1G5 aid, either from mistrust of their force, or gratitude for the good treatment received from Alexander.^ But while these assailants were engaged in plundering the baggage, they were attacked in the rear by the troops forming the second Macedonian line, who though at first taken by surprise, had now had time to fjice about and reach the camp. Many of tlie Persian brigade were thus slain, the rest got off as they could.^ Mazasus maintained for a certain time fjvir equality, on his own side of the battle, even after the flight of Darius. But when, to the paralyzing effect of that fact in itself, there was added the spectacle of its disastrous effects on the left half of the Persian army, neither he nor his soldiers could persevere with unabated vigor in a useless combat. The Thessalian and Grecian horse, on the other hand, animated by the turn of fortune in their favor, pressed their enemies with redoubled energy and at length drove them to flight ; so that Parmenio was victor, on his own side and with his own forces, before the succors from Alexander reached him.^ In conducting those succors, on his way back from the pursuit, Alexander traversed the whole field of battle, and thus met face to face some of the best Persian and Parthian cavalry, who were among the last to retire. The battle was already lost, and they were seeking only to escape. As they could not turn back, and had no chance for their lives except by forcing their way through his Companion-cavalry, the combat here was desperate and mur- 1 Curtius. iv. 15,9-11 : Diodor. xvii. 59. Curtius and Diodorns repre sent the brigade of cavalry who plundered the camp and rescued the pris oners, to have been sent round by Mazieus from the Persian right : while Arrian states, more probably, that they got through the break accidentally left in the phalanx, and traversed the Macedonian lines. driven off by Aretes and a detachment sent expressly by Alexander him self. Diodorus describes it as if it had not been defeated at all, but had ridden back to MaziEus after plundering the baggage. Neither of these accounts is so probable as that of Arrian. •"Diodor. xvii. 60. 'O Uap/ieviuv /toXic cTpetpaTo roiic f3apf3upovc, (laJ.cara naTaiiAayEvTaq ry Kara rbv Aapelov <fvy^. Curtius, iv. 16, 4—7. " Interim ad Mazasum fama superati regis pervenerat. Itaque, quanquam validior erat, tamen fortune partiam territus, perculsis languidius imtabat*' Arrian, iv. 14, 11 ; iv, 15, 8.
 * Arrian, iii. 14, 10. Curtius represents this brigade as having been