The Story of Alexander

by Robert Steele

CHAPTER XX. HOW ALEXANDER CAME TO HIS LIFE’S END AND WAS BURIED, AND WHAT THEREON BEFELL.

Furthermore after the descent of Alexander into the sea, messengers came from Susa with the word that the king of Babylon, Nabuzardan, had refused the tribute that he ought to pay, and had declared war against the Lord of Macedon, for he deemed that Alexander would not return from the far lands to which he had departed, and he thought that the city Babylon could not be taken of man, for it was exceeding great and strong, and needed help of no man when it was closed up. Then Alexander the king grew very wroth, and bade all men prepare to go to Babylon, for he would gather all the armies of the empire against it, and he turned his face towards the land of Babylon and marched towards it, and they went through mighty deserts and strange lands, and many strange things they saw and wild beasts of strange shapes, and some that breathed out fire, and had teeth and claws like iron, and were covered with scales like brass. But above all wonders of the land men brought him a certain bird called Caladrius. Now this bird is white of colour and hath no part of blackness, and its nature is such that when a man suffers from great sickness, and this bird turneth away its face from him that is sick, then without doubt the man shall die. And if the sick man shall escape, the bird setteth its sight on him and beholdeth him as it were fawning and playing. And Alexander made proof of its wondrous gifts.

Now the land of Babylon is the best land to bear all manner of bread-corn and fruit and wine; full of sweet spices, herbs, and trees; and most rich of precious stones and of divers metals, with great plenty of camels, horses, oxen, asses, mules and other beasts. And the greatness of the city may scarcely be told, for the walls were fifty cubits thick, and as much in height, and the city was four hundred and fourscore furlongs about. The walls were of burnt tiles and brick, and without was a broad ditch and deep. Into that ditch ran the river Euphrates all about the city. And in the front of the walls were an hundred gates, and about the walls were dwelling places for them that should defend the city, and those places of defence were wondrous huge and strong.

On the day that Alexander came into the land of Babylon, there met him messengers from his mother Olympias and from Aristotle the wise, whom he had left to govern the land of Macedon. And Olympias wrote telling of troubles in the kingdom, now Antipater the father of Cassander and Roboas had stirred up the people against her, and how he sought to be king of Macedon, for he had heard that Alexander should return no more to Greece. But Aristotle wrote praising the wondrous works he had wrought, and the sights he had seen.

Soon the Lord of Macedon pitched his tents before the walls of Babylon, and called on Nabuzardan its king to yield himself up. Now it was the custom of Alexander when he besieged a town that for three days a white flag hung over his tent, and after that a black one flew, and if the town yielded while the white flag was flying, then Alexander received it into the number of his friends, but if they yielded not then were they treated as enemies and slain or sold for slaves. And three days did the heralds come to the walls of Babylon, and sound their trumpets and call on them to yield, but they did not, and on the fourth day, Alexander brought up great catapults and sent huge stones into the city, and the people feared and sent out the dead body of Nabuzardan their king, and yielded them to the mercy of Alexander. Then the Lord of Macedon entered into the city with all his men, and they came into it and abode there many months.

So Alexander reigned in Babylon, and of the gold of India and of Persia he bade men make him a throne, and they brought the gold on horses, and on camels, and on elephants, and cast it into a heap twelve cubits high, and this was the fashion of the throne they made. It was at the top of twelve steps, and was surrounded by twelve images, the shapes of his twelve tried princes, and each of these held up the heavy work of the canopy of the throne. The seat of the throne was of smaragd stone, green and clear, and above all, in the canopy, was a lovely carbuncle which shone in the darkest of the night like a sun, and on the steps of the throne were engraved the names of all the countries of the world, for they were subject to his rule. Then made he a crown adorned with noble and precious stones, rich beyond all telling, and on it was a name telling of his power and might. And his heart swelled within him and he forgot the warnings of the gods who had told him of his death.

Then wondrous things began to happen in the land, signs and marvels, for on one day an ass fell upon a noble lion and kicked it to death, nor did the lion resist, and on another day a child was born in shape like a lion from the waist up, and the child spoke a word and died. So Alexander asked his wise men and the priests of Babylon, and they told him that it showed evil that should happen to him. And this is how the evil came. There was a certain great lord in Macedon, Antipater by name, and he sent to gather poison from the rock of Nonacris, and so strong was this poison that no cup or vessel might contain it, save only it were made from the hoof of a horse. So when he had gathered it he sent messengers to his son Cassander with the poison, and he bade him fear not to use it. Now Cassander and Roboas his brother had determined evil towards Alexander in their hearts since the day when Roboas had let Alexander loose in the sea, and since the day when Cassander had come into the camp to Alexander. For when Cassander had done his homage to his lord, one of the Indian kings came up and fell on the ground before him, and kissed the ground at his feet, and Cassander laughed out at the Indian king, wherefore Alexander was offended, and struck him a blow so that he reeled against the wall. So when the poison came Cassander rejoiced, and he told his brother, and they set a day to kill the Lord of Macedon, the noble Alexander.

The tale tells how Alexander held high feast in his palace at Babylon, seated on his golden throne with his crown on his head, and Roxana the queen by his side, and with him the twelve princes of Greece, who had been his companions and his friends from the days of his youth up. And they rejoiced and were glad, for all nations were put under their feet, and the burden of warfare was over, and now they had to rule the folk and to lead happy days, and they trusted that they should be great kings under Alexander the emperor. And now men passed the wine, and full draughts were drunk, and Nearchus told a tale of the wonders that he had seen in the great sea of ocean when he had sailed there at the orders of Alexander, and another great lord reached for a lyre and sung a song of old days. Then men told tales of their deeds in battle, and each man boasted how near he had been to Alexander in the days of the great battles, and at the last men fell to talk of that good steed Bucephalus, and how he bore the king in battle, and served him faithfully, and fought with him, and Cassander said to Roboas his brother “What thou hast to do, that do,” and Roboas rose and brought a cup to Alexander, and said “Dear Lord, this cup is made from the hoof of thy brave steed, Bucephalus the white; drink we a cup in memory of this horse, the best in the world.” And Alexander rose and said “O Bucephalus, my fair horse, thou failedst me never; were this cup my bane, I would refuse it not from thee,” and he drank it down. Then he sat down for a space, and then he fell forward from his seat, and his sword fell from its sheath, and pierced his side, and he called but twice “Help! Help!” Yet when his lords ran to him and raised him, he said “Nay, my good lords of Macedon, it is nought; drink ye and rejoice for the good days to come,” but he turned to Cassander and said “My faithful liegeman, go and fetch me somewhat to ease me of this pain,” for he trusted in Cassander as he did in his nearest friend. But Cassander brought him that which only increased his pain.

That night Alexander the king lay alone in his palace at Babylon, for he would have no man near him to watch by him or to guard him, and as he lay the cold poison weighed on his heart. Then his brain grew dizzy and faint, and the room seemed measurelessly great, and all men seemed far away. The beginning of the night seemed to be long time past, the dawn of day was still too far away to hope for, the pain became over great to bear, the poison ran through the veins and seemed to eat his throat with a cold fire, and in the midst of his trouble and fear the light went out and the darkness came on him like a net round him. Then he feared indeed, for he knew that he could not stay there with the terror that was on him, and he tried to stand and walk, but he could not for his wound and the poison that he had drunk, he thought of the great cold river flowing near and the water seemed to call him, so he crawled out of the room on hands and knees painfully, step by step, till the morning broke and he found himself in the garden of the palace close on the bank of the river, and said, “The gods have left me, and I know not why; but one more effort, and I shall be free of this burning and wound.” Then he heard a great cry “My lord, my life!” and Roxana the Queen came running down the garden to him, and after her the women, and the lords of Greece. So one of them snatched a shield from the guard that came up and laid it on the ground for the King, and Roxana sat him on the shield and rested his head on her bosom, while Ptolemy held up his golden shield over him to guard his eyes from the rays of the morning sun, and a cry of confused voices went up round him. Then Roxana the Queen said, for in truth she knew not what to say, “See, my lord, a canopy of gold for my Emperor.” “Aye, fair lady love,” said Alexander, “a sky of gold, and a soil of iron; now are the fates accomplished and my time is surely come; bear me back to my bed that I may die there.” Then at the word all men there burst into tears and lamentation, for the end of all things seemed at hand now their lord was to die so young, and what words can tell the grief of Roxana the Queen.

So his lords bore him gently to his bed in the palace, and stood round it, and listened to the words that he spoke, and Alexander sent for his scribes and bade them bring parchment and an inkhorn for his will. So it was done and he shared out all the lands that he had conquered amongst his war-dukes, to every man of them a kingdom. And he left to the priests of Egypt a thousand talents of gold and his body that they should keep it for ever, and for his wife Roxana, if she should have a son he should be Emperor after him, if a daughter she should be married to the best of the Macedonians and he should be Emperor. Then Alexander put his seal to the parchment, and all the dukes put their seals on it as witnesses, and the will was folded up and laid in a precious casket before them all.

Now drew on the time that this noble Prince was to die, and all the world suffered with the pain of losing him. The thunders rolled and crashed, the lightnings flashed wide over the land, and there was a darkness of thick clouds, and the earth was rent hither and thither, and huge towers toppled and fell, so that all that was strong and well-founded became weak and unstable as water, and the foundations of all things were shaken. Then men in far-off lands feared and wondered what these things should mean, and when they hurried to the temples of the gods to enquire, the oracles answered “The earth is poorer to-day by the loss of its most noble knight and king,” and all men knew that Alexander was dying. Then the seamen heard voices over the sea of weeping and wailing, and they knew that all people mourned for the death of the Lord of Macedon, the bravest, the most courteous, and most generous of knights.

But the army of the Macedonians came round the dwelling of their chief, as it ever was their wont in time of danger, though they knew that they could not help him, nor he them, in this his day of passing away from them. Their hearts longed to see him once more, to look on the face that had led them smiling into danger and out of it again, and it may be, to touch the hand that had struck such blows in their aid, or had given such gifts to them as he had. So Alexander the king was brought on his bed into the great hall of his palace, and the Macedonians crowded round to see him, and one of them was over-bold and asked him “Whom dost thou leave to be lord of thine army?” and Alexander lifted up his head and said “Perdiccas, I leave my army and my Queen in thy charge, take care of them: as I have loved thee, love and keep them in my memory.” Then the Macedonians began to weep and lament and those who were near kissed the cold hand of their king, and they went out, and the sound of their sobs and lamentations was like the dying away of a thunder storm far off.

There stood up in the midst of them a lord of Macedon, Solentius by name, and said “Men of Macedon, our land was a small one, and our name was lightly esteemed in Greece, till this man’s father was born, and he ruled us and made us a mighty people among the Greeks, and subdued Athens and made us first among the folk of our land. And when he died, and Alexander our lord came to the throne he went wide into the world, and rode over it, and conquered it, and he made the footmen of his army lords over the people and kings among the barbarian folk, so that no man stands before the Macedonians, and they are the first of folk under heaven. Now is he at point to die, and what shall fall to us, for no man has he left behind him who can take his place. Soon shall the empire of the Macedonians be broken to pieces, and the name of the country be forgotten.” And all men said that he had spoken true, and they lamented exceedingly.

And Alexander died: and the sun was eclipsed.

Then Ptolemy sent physicians, and they embalmed the body of Alexander, and dressed it in his imperial robes, and set it in a chariot, and with all the army of Macedon, marched from the land of Babylon to the land of Egypt, to the city of Alexandria which Alexander had built. And when they were come there, Ptolemy built a golden sepulchre for him in a high place looking over the city he had built and the sea, and there he set a chair of state, and in it was the body of Alexander, clothed as the Emperor of the World, with his crown upon his head: his right hand held a golden sceptre, and his left a golden ball, and on his knees lay his sword, sheathed and swaddled in his girdle, for he should no more draw it in the face of the foe.

The tale tells of Olympias that when men told in Macedon that Alexander was dead, Antipater the traitor sent men, and they seized the lovely queen, and slew her, and cast out her body to the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air; and great wars followed that cruel deed. And other things are told of the son of Alexander and Roxana, but never did he reach the empire of his father, nor attain the fame of Alexander.

On a day there came to the tomb of Alexander wise men from all lands, and one said, “Alexander made his treasure of gold, and the gold endures, but not Alexander.” The second said, “Yesterday the whole world did not satisfy him, to-day four ells are enough.” The third said, “Yesterday he ruled the people, to-day the people rules him.” The fourth said, “Yesterday he could save a multitude from death, to-day he cannot save his own life.” The fifth said, “Yesterday he led his army from the city, to-day they led him to his burial.” The sixth said, “Yesterday he pressed down the earth, to-day it weighs him down.” The seventh said, “Yesterday all men feared him, to-day they hold him in small honour.” The last said, “Yesterday he had friends and enemies, to-day all men are alike to him.”

Then they went away, and Alexander was alone, sitting in his chair, of state, watching his city.

WHO SHALL ME GIVEN TEARES TO COMPLAIN
THE DEATH OF GENTILLESSE AND OF FRANCHISE.
THE END