the river Indus divides into two large arms, and forms an ifland, but much larger, like the Delta of the Nile; and hence the city above mentioned received its name, Patala, according to Arrian, fignifying, in the Indian tongue, the fame as Delta in the Greek. Alexander caufed a citadel to be built in Patala, as also an harbour and an arsenal for the fhipping. This being done, he embarked on the right arm of the river, in order to fail as far as the ocean, expofing in this manner fo many brave men to the mercy of a river with which they were wholly unacquainted. The only confolation they had in this rafh enterprife, was Alexander's uninterrupted fuccefs. When he had failed twenty leagues, the pilots told him that they began to perceive the fea-air, and therefore believed that the ocean could not be far off. Upon this news, leaping for joy, he befought the failors to row with all their ftrength, and told the foldiers, "That they at laft were come to the end of their toils, "which they had fo earnestly defired; that now nothing "could oppofe their valour, nor add to their glory; "that without fighting any more, or fpilling of blood, they were mafters of the univerfe; that their exploits "had the fame boundaries with nature; and that they "would be fpectators of things, known only to the "immortal gods.' * Form Being come nearer the fea, a circumftance new and unheard of by the Macedonians, threw them into the utmost confufion, and expofed the fleet to the greatest danger; and this was the ebbing and flowing of the ocean. ing a judgment of this vaft fea, from that of the Mediterranean, the only one they knew, and whofe ebbings are imperceptible, they were very much astonished when they faw it rife to a great height, and overflow the country; and confidered it as a mark of the anger of the gods, to punish their rafhnefs. They were no lefs furprised and terrified, fome hours after, when they faw the ebbing of the fea, which now withdrew as it had • Arrian. in Indic. p. 314. before before advanced, leaving thofe lands uncovered it had fo lately overflowed. The fleet was very much fhattered, and the fhips being now upon dry land, the fields were covered with clothes, with broken oars and planks, as after a great ftorm. At laft Alexander, after having failed full nine months in rivers, arrived at the ocean, where gazing with the utmost eagerness upon that vaft expanfe of waters, he imagined that this fight, worthy fo great a conqueror as himself, greatly overpaid all the toils he had undergone, and the many thoufand men he had loft, to arrive at it. He then offered facrifices to the gods, and particularly to Neptune; threw into the fea the bulls he had flaughtered, and a great number of golden cups; and befought the gods not to fuffer mortal after him, to exceed the bounds of his expedition. Finding that he had extended his conquefts to the extremities of the earth on that fide, he imagined he had completed his mighty defign; and, highly delighted with himself, he returned to rejoin the reft of his fleet and army, which waited for him at Patala, and in the neighbourhood of it. any SECT. SECT. XVII. Alexander, in his march through defarts, is grievously diftreffed by famine. He arrives at Pafagarda, where Cyrus's monument flood. Orfines, a powerful lord, is put to death by the clandeftine intrigues of Bagoas the eunuch. Calanus the Indian afcends a funeral pile, where he puts himself to death. Alexander marries Statira, the daughter of Darius. Harpalus arrives at Athens; Demofthenes is banished. The Macedonian foldiers make an infurrection, which Alexander appeafes. He recalls Antipater from Macedonia, and fends Craterus in his room. The king's forrow for the death of Hephaeftion. ALEXANDER being returned to Patala, prepared all things for the departure of his fleet. He ap pointed Nearchus admiral of it, who was the only officer that had the courage to accept of this commiffion, which was a very hazardous one, because they were to fail over fea entirely unknown to them. The king was very much pleafed at his accepting of it; and, after teffifying his acknowledgment upon that account in the moft obliging terms, he commanded him to take the beft fhips in the fleet, and to go and found the fea-coaft extending from the Indus to the bottom of the Perfian gulph: and, after having given thefe orders, he fet out by land for Babylon. Nearchus did not leave the Indus at the fame time with Alexander. It was not yet the feafon proper for failing. It was fummer, when the fouthern fea-winds rife; and the feafon of the north-winds, which blow in winter, was not yet come. He therefore did not fet fail till about the end of September, which was too foon; and accordingly he was incommoded by winds. fome days after his departure, and obliged to shelter himself for twenty-four days. We ℗ Arrian. in Indic. p. 334. 9 Arrian, p. 335. We are obliged for thefe particulars to Arrian, who has given us an exact journal of this voyage, copied from that of Nearchus the admiral. Alexander, after having left Patala, marched through the country of the Orita, the capital whereof was called Ora or Rhambacis. Here he was in fuch want of provifion, that he loft a great number of foldiers; and brought back from India fcarce the fourth part of his army, which had confifted of an hundred and twentythoufand foot, and fifteen thousand horfe. Sickness, bad food, and the exceffive heats, had fwept them away in multitudes; but famine made a ftill greater havock, among the troops in this barren country, which was neither plowed nor fowed; its inhabitants being favages, who fared very hard, and led a moft uncomfortable life. After they had eaten all the palm-tree roots that could be, met with, they were obliged to feed upon the beafts of burthen, and next upon their war-horfes; and when they had no beafts left to carry their baggage, they were forced to burn thofe rich fpoils, for the fake of which the Macedonians had ran to the extremities of the earth. The plague, a difeafe which generally accompanies famine, completed the calamity of the foldiers, and deftroyed great numbers of them. After marching threefcore days, Alexander arrived on the confines of Gedrofia, where he found plenty of all things: for the foil was not only very fruitful, but the kings and great men, who lay neareft that country, fent him all kind of provifions. He continued fome. time here, in order to refresh his army. The governors of India having fent, by his order, a great number of horfes, and all kinds of beasts of burthen, from the feveral kingdoms fubject to him, he remounted his troops; equipped thofe who had loft every thing; and foon after prefented all of them with arms, as beautiful as thofe they had before, which it was very eafy for him to do as they were upon the confines of Perfia, at that time. in peace, and in a very flourishing condition. He He arrived in Carmania, now called Kerman, and went through it, not with the air and equipage of a warrior and a conqueror, but in a kind of masquerade, and Bacchanalian feftivity; committing the moft riotous and extravagant actions. He was drawn by eight horses, himself being feated on a magnificent chariot, above which a scaffold was raised, in the form of a fquare ftage, where he paffed the days and nights in feafts and caroufing. This chariot was preceded and followed by an infinite number of others, fome of which, in the shape of tents, were covered with rich carpets, and purple coverlets; and others, fhaped like cradles, were overfhadowed with branches of trees. On the fides of the roads, and at the doors of houses, a great number of cafks ready broached were placed, whence the foldiers drew wine in large flaggons, cups, and goblets, prepared for that purpose. The whole country échoed with the found of inftruments, and the howling of the Bacchanals, who, with their hair difhevelled, and like fo many frantic creatures, ran up and down, abandoning themfelves in every kind of licentioufnefs. All this he did in imitation of the triumph of Bacchus, who, as we are told, croffed all Afia in this equipage, after he had conquered India. This riotous, diffolute march lafted feven days, during all which time the army was never fober. It was very happy, fays Quintus Curtius, for them, that the conquered nations did not think of attacking them in this condition; for a thousand refolute men, well armed, might with great eafe have defeated the conquerors of the world, whilft thus plunged in wine and ex-` cefs. Nearchus ftill keeping along the fea-coaft, from' the mouth of the Indus,. came at last into the Perfian gulph, and arrived at the island of Harmufia, now called" Ormus. He there was informed, that Alexander was` not above five days' journey from him. Having left thei fleet in a fecure place, he went to meet Alexander, accompanied Arrian. in Indic. p. 348-352. |