infensus, inde Numidiae[1] solitudinibus peragratis cursum Gades[2] dirigere, ibi enim columnas Herculis[3] esse fama vulgaverat, Hispanias[4] deinde, quas Iberiam Graeci a flumine Ibero[5] vocabant, adire et praetervehi Alpes Italiaeque oram, unde in Epirum[6] brevis cursus est. Itaque Mesopotamiae[7] praetoribus imperavit materia in Libano[8] monte caesa devectaque ad urbem Syriae Thapsacum, septingentarum carinas navium ponere. Cypriorum[9] necnon regibus imperatum ut aes stuppamque et vela praeberent.
272.—Hoc fere tempore Alexander punita satraparum quorundam insolentia, quam, dum in extremo orbe Indorum armis retinetur, per[10] summa scelera atque flagitia in provinciales exercuerant, et ceteros coercere constituit: qui in paribus delictis[11] idem admissorum scelerum praemium exspectantes in mercenariorum militum fidem[12] confugiebant, ut illorum manibus, si ad supplicium poscerentur, salutem suam tutarentur: aut pecunia, quanta poterat, coacta, fugam inibant. Ea re cognita, literae ad omnes Asiae praetores missue sunt, quibus inspectis e vestigio[13] omnes peregrinos milites, qui[14] stipendia sub ipsis facerent, dimittere iubebantur.
273.—Neque ita multo post rex, senioribus militum in patriam remissis, tredecim milia peditum et duo milia equitum, quae in Asia retineret,[15] eligi iussit, modico exercitu contineri posse Asiam ratus, quia pluribus locis praesidia disposuisset: nuperque conditas urbes, quas colonis replesset, rerum novandarum cupidis[16] obstare credebat. Prius tamen quam[17] secerneret quos erat retenturus, edixit, ut omnes milites aes alienum profiterentur.[18] Quod cum grave esse comperisset, quanquam ipsorum luxu contractum erat,
- ↑ Numidiae—the country in the neighbourhood of Carthage.
- ↑ Gades—Cadiz, in Spain.
- ↑ Columnas Herculis—‘the pillars of Hercules.’ It was supposed that Spain had been joined to Africa till Hercules tore them asunder. Mount Abyla on the African side, and Mount Calpe (Gibraltar) on the Spanish side, were called the pillars of Hercules.
- ↑ Hispanias—‘the Spains,’ as we say ‘the Emperor of all the Russias.’
- ↑ Ibero—the river Ebro.
- ↑ Epirus—a mountainous district to the N. W. of Greece.
- ↑ Mesopotamiae—the plain between the Tigris and the Euphrates.
- ↑ Libano—Mount Lebanon, to the S. of Syria.
- ↑ Cypriorum—the people of Cyprus, a large island in the Levant Sea.
- ↑ per—‘with.‘
- ↑ in paribus delictis—‘equally guilty.‘
- ↑ fidem—‘the protection.‘
- ↑ e vestigio—‘at once.’
- ↑ qui—facerent—‘who were serving under them.‘
- ↑ quae retineret—subj. after relative with final force.
- ↑ rerum novandarum cupidis—‘those who desired a revolution.‘
- ↑ prius—quam—often separated, as here, by the grammatical figure known as tmesis (a cutting).
- ↑ aes alienum profiterentur—‘acknowledge the amount of their debts.’
