Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/276

 244 HISTORY OF GREECE. speech of consideiable length. He boasted of the great exploits of PhiUp, and of his own still greater : he affirmed that all the benefit of his conquests had gone to the Macedonians, and that lie himself had derived from them nothing but a double share of the common labors, hardships, wounds, and perils. Reproaching them as base deserters from a king who had gained for them all these unparalleled acquisitions, he concluded by giving discharge to all — commanding them forthwith to depart.^ After this speech — teeming (as we read it in Arrian) with that exorbitant self-exaltation which foraied the leading feature in his character — Alexander hurried away into the palace, where he remained shut up for two days without admitting any one except his immediate attendants. His guards departed along with him, leaving the discontented soldiers stupefied and motion- less. Receiving no farther orders, nor any of the accustomed military indications,- they Avere left in the helpless condition of soldiers constrained to resolve for themselves, and at the same time altogether dependent upon Alexander whom they had of- fended. On the third day, they learnt that he had convened the Persian officers, and had invested them with the chief military commands, distributing the newly arrived Epigoni into divisions nf infantry and cavalry, aU with Macedonian military titles, and passing over the Macedonians themselves as if they did not ex- ist. At this news, the soldiers were overwhelmed with shame and remorse. They rushed to the gates of the palace, threw down their arms, and supplicated with tears and groans for Alex- 1 Arrian, vii. 9, 10; Plutarch, Alex. 71 ; Curtius, x. 2 ; Justin, xii. II. ^ See the description given by Tacitus (Hist. ii. 29) of the bringing round of the Vitellian army, — which had mutinied against the general Fabius Valens : — " Turn Alphenus Varus, prafectus castrornm, deflagrante paula- tim seditione, addit consilium — vetitis obire vigilias centnrionibus, omisso tubas sono, quo miles ad belli mania cietur. Igitur torpere cuncti, circum- spectare inter se attoniti, et id ipsum, quod nemo rtgeret, paventes ; silentio, patientia, postremo precibus et lacrymis veniam quserebant. Ut vero de- formis et flens, et prjeter spem incolumis, Valens processit, gaudiuntij raiseratio, favor; versi in laetitiam (ut est vulgus utroque immodicum) luu- dantes gratantesque, circumdatum aquilis signisque, in tribunal ferunt." Compare also the narrative in Xenophon (Anab. i. 3) of the embarrass- ment of the Ten Thousand Greeks at Tarsus, when they at first refusf d to obey Klearchus and march against the Great King.