The Story of Alexander

by Robert Steele

Then went Alexander on his way and came to a very fruitful land, a land with twelve rivers running into the sea. And on a night as he lay on his bed he saw in a dream the god of the land, tall and fair, clad in a chestnut-brown robe, wearing on his head a gold crown, and having two horns like ram’s horns. And as he dreamed the god said to him, pointing to a high mountain: “King Alexander, canst thou lift yonder hill and carry it on thy shoulder.” “Nay,” said Alexander, “who is there under heaven who might try?” “King,” said the god, “your name shall ever be remembered, till yonder hill is removed from its place.” Then Alexander laughed out with joy, and he said to the vision: “I beseech thee now, O Shining One, tell me as at this time ere thou pass away how I shall die, and when my day shall come?” Then the god looked on him sadly, and said: “Truly I hold it better that a man should not seek to know that which shall come upon him; yet since thou hast asked me, I tell thee that thou shalt conquer all nations, and die by poison, and thy years shall be finished ere thou reach middle age. Ask me no more of this as now; far in the Land of the East thou shalt be told the end of thy days by number.” And with these words the light in the room flickered and blew sideways, and Alexander started up, and behold there was no man with him. Then in the morning the king ordered his men to build him there a city, and that city remains to this day, and the name of it is Alexandria.

Now when the city was built, and men from Greece had come thither, with merchants from Tyre and from far lands, to dwell, to buy, and to sell, Alexander went forth with his host through all the land of Egypt, and the men of that land feared him as one of the high gods. And as he came to a certain city he found in it an image of a king carved in black stone, a crown on its head, and a royal sceptre in its hand; but below it were many words carven—the words which the god had told the men of the land many years before. Then Alexander asked the chief men of the city: “Sirs, what statue is this, and what be the words that are written beneath it?” And the men of that place answered him: “Truly, O king, this man was Anectanabus, once king of all this land; yet because he was bidden of the gods he left us, and the writing below tells us that he shall come again and free us from the Persians, and make us a great people. And some men say that it shall be a son of his that shall do these great things.” Then Alexander knew that this was that same Egyptian who had been his fosterer, and he said to the men of the place: “I knew the man, and for his sake I will make ye free from all men, rich and happy shall ye be.” And he fell at the feet of the statue and kissed it, and they stood by him in silence.

But on a day it was told him that they of Tyre had destroyed a ship of Alexandria, and had spoken evil of him, and Alexander marched into Syria with all his host to subdue it and to conquer Tyre. Now Tyre was a fair city, built on an island in a bay, with the sea washing up to its walls. And it was so strong that no army had ever taken it, and so rich that its merchants were princes and hired armies to defend them, and all the country round owned the men of Tyre as their lords. But they of the city said: “What king shall injure Tyre, for our walls defend us, and our ships sail every sea, and bring to us the good things of earth and food and drink, and our wealth is great, and all men shall serve us for it?”

But Alexander and his host were marching towards them, and one day the men of Tyre saw the army of Alexander on the plain before them, for he had taken two strong cities, Damascus and Sidon, and had made all the land subject to him. And as they looked the camp seemed to grow and tents were raised, and no man could count their number. So Alexander’s army was before the town, and he thought that he should take it easily, but not a few troubles were suffered before Tyre submitted to him.

Now it fell that many days had been spent in fruitless assaults on the city before Alexander found out that its walls were too high for him to take it by storm. Everywhere were turrets and towers of defence, and the wild waves of the sea outside beat on the walls to as much purpose as the army of Alexander. Then men began to murmur and complain first of one thing, then of another, and Alexander ordered them to construct a great castle beside the city in the sea, and raise it up to the height of the walls of the city, that he might prevent ships coming into it to bring food and riches. But when the tower was nearly finished the army was in sore strait, for food was wanting in the camp. Princes, dukes and fierce knights were famishing, yea, all men were starving.

Then Alexander pitied his men, and resolved to get provision and help for them, so he sent special messengers to those tribes which were near, bidding them to send him help both in men and in food. And among others he sent to Jaddua, chief bishop in Jerusalem, and admonished him to send fresh men for the fight and food for the folk that were with him, and to pay all the tribute due to Darius to the Greeks. And he told his scribe to put into the letter gentle words, saying that it was better to be the helpers of the men of Macedon than to be the servants of Darius.

Now when the messengers came to Jerusalem they were received by the chief bishop in a great hall, and when they gave him the king’s letter he went away into an upper room to read it by himself. But when he had read it he stayed a little, and then coming down the steps into the hall he gave this answer to the envoys: “Sirs, return to Alexander, and say thus: Many years have passed since I made oath never to harm Persia, nor to pass in arms against Darius all the days of his life.” When Alexander received this answer he was very wroth, and he vowed to teach the Jews whose orders they should obey; yet he would not leave the siege of Tyre, but sent away a part of his army to obtain food for him and the rest of the Greeks.