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fantry and elephants were posted, for the very reason that Porus drew them up in that manner: but his cavalry being stronger, he drew out the greatest part of them; and marching against the left wing, sent Cenu with his own regiment of horse, and that of Demetrius, to charge them at the same time; ordering him to attack the cavalry on the left, behind, during which, he himself would charge them both in front and flank. Seleucus, Antigonus, and Tauron, who commanded the foot, were ordered not to stir from their posts till Alexander's cavalry had put that of the enemy, as well as their foot, into disorder.

Being come within arrow-shot, he detached 1000 bowmen on horseback, with orders for them to make their discharge on the horse of Porus' left wing, in order to throw it into disorder, whilst he himself should charge this body in flank, before it had time to rally. The Indians having joined again their squadrons, and drawn them into a narrower compass, advanced against Alexander. At that instant Conus charged them in the rear, according to the orders given him, insomuch that the Indians were obliged to face about on all sides to defend themselves from the 1000 bowmen, and against Alexander and Conus. Alexander, to make the best advantage of the confusion into which this sudden attack had thrown them, charged with great vigour those that made head against him, who being no longer able to stand so violent an attack, were soon broke, and retired behind the elephants, as to an impregnable rampart. The leaders of the elephants made them advance against the enemy's horse; but that very instant the Macedonian phalanx, moving on a sudden, surrounded those animals, and charged with their pikes the elephants themselves and their leaders. This battle was very different from all those which Alexander had hitherto fought; for the elephants rushing upon the battalions, broke, with inexpressible fury, the thickest of them; when the Indian horse, seeing the Macedonian foot stopped by the elephants, returned to the charge: however, that of Alexander being stronger, and having greater experience in war, broke this body a second time, and obliged it to retire towards the elephants; upon which the Macedonian horse, being all united in one body, spread terror and confusion wherev er they attacked. The elephants being all covered with wounds, and the greatest part having lost their leaders, they did not observe their usual order; but, distracted as it were with pain, no longer distinguished friends from foes. but running about from place to place, they overthrew every thing that came in their way. The Macedonians, who

had purposely left a greater interval between their battal ions, either made way for them, wherever they came forward, or charged with darts those that fear and the tumult obliged to retire. Alexander, after having surrounded the enemy with his horse, made a signal to his foot to march up with all imaginable speed, in order to make a last effort, and to fall upon them with his whole force; all which they executed very successfully. In this manner the greatest part of the Indian cavalry were cut to pieces; and a body of their foot, which sustained no less loss, seeing themselves charged on all sides, at last fled. Craterus, who had continued in the camp with the rest of his army, seeing Alexander engaged with Porus, crossed the river, and charging the routed sol diers with his troops, who were cool and vigorous, by that means killed as many enemies in the retreat as had fallen in the battle.

The Indians lost on this occasion 20,000 foot, and 3000 horse, not to mention the chariots which were all broke to pieces, and the elephants that were either killed or taken. Porus' two sons fell in this battle, with Spitacus, governor of the province; all the colonels of horse and foot, and those who guided the elephants and chariots. As for Alexander, he lost but 80 of the 6000 soldiers who were at the first charge, 10 bowmen of the horse, 20 of his horse guards, and 200 common soldiers.

Porus, after having performed all the duty both of a soldier and a general in the battle, and fought with incredible bravery, seeing all his horse defeated, and the greatest part of his foot, did not behave like the great Darius, who, on a like disaster, was the first that fled: on the contrary, he continued in the field as long as one battalion or squadron stood their ground; but at last, having received a wound in the shoulder, he retired upon his elephant, and was easily distinguished from the rest, by the greatness of his stature, and his unparalleled bravery. Alexander, finding who he was by those glorious marks, and being desirous of saving this king, sent Taxilus after him, because he was of the same nation. The latter advancing as near to him as he might, without running any danger of being wounded, called out to him to stop, in order to hear the message he had brought him from Alexander. Porus turning back, and seeing it was Taxilus, his old enemy, "how !" says he, "is it not Taxilus "that calls, that traitor to his country and kingdom?" Immediately after which, he would have transfixed him with his dart, had he not instantly retired. Notwithstanding this, -Alexander was still desirous to save so brave a prince, and thereupon dispatched other officers, among whom was Mera,

one of his intimate friends, who besought him, in the strongest terms, to wait upon a conqueror, altogether worthy of him. After much intreaty, Porus consented, and accordingly set forwards. Alexander, who had been told of his coming, advanced forwards in order to receive him with some of his train. Being come pretty near, Alexander stopped, purposely to take a view of his stature and noble mein, he being about five cubits in height.* Porus did not seem dejected at his misfortune, but came up with a resolute countenance, like a valiant warrior, whose courage in defending his dominions ought to acquire him the esteem of the brave prince who had taken him prisoner. Alexander spoke first, and with an august and gracious air, asked him how he desired to be treated? "Like a king," replied Porus. "But," "No," continued Alexander, "do you ask nothing more?” replied Porus; "all things are included in that single word." Alexander, struck with this greatness of soul, the magnanimity of which seemed heightened by distress, did not only rêstore him his kingdom, but annexed other provinces to it, and treated him with the highest testimonies of honour, esteem, and friendship. Porus was faithful to him till his death. It is hard to say whether the victor or the vanquished best deserved praise on this occasion.-.

Alexander built a city on the spot where the battle had been fought, and another in that place where he had crossed the river. He called the one Nicea from his victory, and the other Bucephalon, in honour of his horse who died there, not of his wounds, but of old age. After having paid the last duties to such of his soldiers as had lost their lives in battle, he solemnized games, and offered up sacrifices of thanks, in the place where he had passed the Hydaspes,

This prince did not know to whom he was indebted for his victories. We are astonished at the rapidity of Alexander's conquests; the ease with which he surmounts the greatest obstacles, and forces almost impregnable cities; the uninterrupted and unheard of felicity that extricates him out of those dangers into which his rashness plunges him, and in which one would have concluded he must a hundred times have perished. But to unravel these mysterious kinds of events, several of which are repugnant to the usual course of things, we must go back to a superior cause, unknown to the profane historians and to Alexander himself. This mcnarch was, like Cyrus, the minister and instrument of the sovereign Disposer of empires, who raises and destroys them at pleasure. He had received the same orders to overthrow

Seven feet and a half.

the Persian and eastern empires, as Cyrus to destroy that of Babylon. The same power conducted their enterprises, assured them of success, protected and preserved them from all dangers, till they had executed their commission and completed their ministry. We may apply to Alexander the words which God spake to Cyrus in Isaiah,* "Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations "before him; and I will cause the loins of kings to open be"fore him the two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be "shut: I will go before thee, and make the crooked paths "straight; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut "in sunder the bars of iron. And I will give thee treasures "of darkness, and hidden treasures of secret places.-I gird"ed thee, though thou hast not known me." This is the true and only cause of the incredible success with which this conqueror was attended, of his unparalleled bravery, the affection his soldiers had for him, the foreknowledge of his felicity, and his assurance of success, which astonished his most intrepid captains.

SECTION XVI.

ALEXANDER ADVANCES INTO INDIA. HE IS EXPOSED TO GREAT DANGER AT THE SIEGE OF OXYDRACAE. ALEXANDER, after this famous victory over Porus, advanced into India, where he subdued a great many nations and cities. He looked upon himself as a conqueror by profession as well as by his dignity, and engaged every day in new exploits with so much ardour and vivacity that he seemed to fancy himself invested with a personal commission, and that there was an immediate obligation upon him to storm all cities, to lay waste all provinces, to extirpate all nations, which should refuse his yoke; and that he should have considered himself as guilty of a crime, had he forbore visiting every corner of the earth, and carrying terror and desolation wherever he went. He passed the Acesines, and afterwards the Hydraotes, two considerable rivers. Advice was then brought him, that a great number of free Indians had made a confederacy to defend their liberties; and among the rest, the Catheans, who were the most valiant and most skilful of those nations in the art of war; and that they were encamped near a strong city called Sangala. Alexander set out against these Indians, defeated them in a pitched battle, took the city, and razed it to the very foundations.

Chap. xlv, 1-5. tAM. 3678, Ant. J.C, 326. Cur. 1, iz, c, x.

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*One day, as he was riding at the head of his army, some philosophers, called brachmans in the language of that coun try, were conversing together, as they were walking in a meadow. The instant they perceived him, they all stamped against the ground with their feet. Alexander, surprised at this extraordinary gesture, demanded the cause of it. They answered, pointing to the ground with their fingers, "that no man possessed any more of that element than he "could enjoy: that the only difference between him and oth"er men, was, that he was more restless and ambitious than "they, and over-ran all seas and lands, merely to harm oth"ers and himself and yet he would die at last, and pos"sess no greater part of the earth than was necessary for "his interment." The king was not displeased with this answer: but he was hurried on by the torrent of glory, and his actions were the very reverse of what he approved.

These brachmans, says Arrian, are in great veneration in their country. They do not pay any tribute to the prince, but assist him with their counsel, and perform the same of fices as the magi do to the kings of Persia. They assist at the public sacrifices; and if a person desires to sacrifice in private, one of these must be present, otherwise the Indians are persuaded they would not be agreeable to the gods. They apply themselves particularly to consulting the stars; none but themselves pretend to divination; and they foretel, chiefly, the change of weather and of the seasons. If a brachman has failed thrice in his predictions, he is silenced for ever.

Their sentiments, according to Strabo, are not very dif: · ferent from those of the Greeks. They believe that the world had a beginning; that it will end; that its form is circular; that it was created by God, who presides over, and fills it with his majesty; and that water is the principle of all things. With regard to the immortality of the soul, and the punishment of the wicked in hell, they follow the doctrine of Plato; intermixing it, like that philosopher, with some fictions, in order to express or describe those punish

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Several among them go always naked, whence the Greeks gave them the name of gymnosophists. Many incredible particulars are related, concerning the austerity of their lives, and their prodigious patience. Their only meat and drink is roots and water. As they admit the metemphychosis, and believe that the souls of men transmigrate into those

* Arrian. 1. vii. p. 275, 277. Id. in Indic. p. 324. Strab. I. xv. P. 715-717. Plut. in Alex, p. 701. "Cart. I. viii. c. 9.

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