CHAPTER V. HOW ALEXANDER GATHERED AN ARMY TOGETHER: HOW HE BUILT ALEXANDRIA AND LAID SIEGE TO THE CITY OF TYRE.
As to the giving in marriage of the daughter of Darius, the Emperor of Persia, it is to be told that on a set day the wise men of the land came before him, and the painter brought out to them the portraits he had made, and they examined them but found none that was worthy to rule, for one was covetous, and another quarrelsome, and a third given to much speaking, and these faults the wise men read in the faces on the parchment. Then they came to the likeness of Alexander and all men said “This man is born to be lord of men” and they brought it before Darius, and he sent for his daughter Roxana, and made her stand by the picture, and when she did so, she was taller than the figure painted thereon. Then Darius turned away and said nought, but shook his head, and Roxana took with her the cast-away drawing and bore it to her own rooms, and kept it safe; and she vowed offerings to the gods if they would make this man her lord and husband.
But Alexander gathered together all the warriors of the land, and made them a speech: “Lo, barons of Macedon, Thrace, and Thessaly, and all true Greeks, how like you now your liege lord: look on my face and let fear depart: hold up your hearts, and flee from no alien while Alexander lives. The gods have granted me that all the barbarians shall obey me: and there shall be no nation so rich or great under heaven that my name shall not be honoured there, for we of Greece shall be praised and feared over the wide world. Now, then, prepare ye for war; he who has arms of his own, trusty and good, let him take them; he who has them not, let him come to me, and I will furnish him for battle.”
Then answered him with one voice all the old knights and peers of his father’s army: “Sire, we have fought often in hard fields with Sir Philip, your father, and many winters have gone over our heads; now our force fails us and our flesh is weak, for be the flower never so fresh it fades at the last. Sir, all the days of our youth are long past, we are over-travelled and tired, our heads are white and too weak to bear the helmet or to seek adventures of arms. Excuse us, Lord, we pray, and take with thee younger men, stout in battle, and fit to deal heavy strokes.”
“Nay, by my crown,” said the king, “I cannot spare my old men; an army of young men will often break their line in battle, trusting to their own strength. I choose the older men who do all their works by plan and counsel.” And the old knights yielded to his wishes, and all men praised his wisdom.
Now the time had come when kings go out to war, and Alexander took ship from the coast of Greece and sailed towards Italy. So at the first his army turned towards Chalcedon, a strong and mighty city, and he besieged it. And when the men of the city fought but faintly, Alexander rode up to the walls and cried out with a loud voice: “O men of Chalcedon, either fight bravely or yield up your town without delay”; and they of the city were so fearful that at the sound of his voice they owned him for master, and all the land took him for lord. Then Alexander sailed into Italy and took tribute of all men; even the mighty Romans sent him sixty thousand gold pieces, and Europe was subject to him.
From Europe the king sailed over the great sea into Africa, and many days he sought an enemy and found none, for the fame of him had gone before him. On a day he sought a temple of the god Ammon with his earls and mighty men, and there happed on the way a marvel. For it fell as he was going, that a hart with a huge head leaped forth before them; hardly had man ever seen so noble a beast. Then said Alexander: “Lo, the emperor of harts, slay him ere he escape.” And all men shot, but so fleet was the hart that none could reach him. Then Alexander bent a bow, and with a mighty shout let fly at him, and the arrow struck him and pierced him through, though all men deemed that the hart was far out of bowshot. Then his men wondered greatly, and the country folk who saw the shot deemed that Alexander was indeed some god, and the name of the place is called in their tongue Bowshot to this day. But the king went into the temple and offered great gifts.