Alexander   

rapidity of the stream; so that the action seemed to have more
frenzy and desperation in it, than of prudent conduct. However, he
persisted obstinately to gain the passage, and at last with much ado
making his way up the banks, which were extremely muddy and
slippery, he had instantly to join in a mere confused hand-to-hand
combat with the enemy, before he could draw up his men, who were still
passing over, into any order. For the enemy pressed upon him with loud
and warlike outcries; and charging horse against horse, with their
lances, after they had broken and spent these, they fell to it with
their swords. And Alexander, being easily known by his buckler, and
a large plume of white feathers on each side of his helmet, was
attacked on all sides, yet escaped wounding, though his cuirass was
pierced by a javelin in one of the joinings. And Rhoesaces and
Spithridates, two Persian commanders, falling upon him at once, he
avoided one of them, and struck at Rhoesaces, who had a good cuirass
on, with such force that, his spear breaking in his hand, he was
glad to betake himself to his dagger. While they were thus engaged,
Spithridates came up on one side of him, and raising himself upon
his horse, gave him such a blow with his battle-axe on the helmet that
he cut off the crest of it, with one of his plumes, and the helmet was
only just so far strong enough to save him, that the edge of the
weapon touched the hair of his head. But as he was about to repeat his
stroke, Clitus, called the black Clitus, prevented him, by running him
through the body with his spear. At the same time Alexander despatched
Rhoesaces with his sword. While the horse were thus dangerously
engaged, the Macedonian phalanx passed the river, and the foot on each
side advanced to fight. But the enemy hardly sustaining the first
onset soon gave ground and fled, all but the mercenary Greeks, who,
making a stand upon a rising ground, desired quarter, which Alexander,
guided rather by passion than judgment, refused to grant, and charging
them himself first, had his horse (not Bucephalus, but another) killed
under him. And this obstinacy of his to cut off these experienced
desperate men cost him the lives of more of his own soldiers than
all the battle before, besides those who were wounded. The Persians
lost in this battle twenty thousand foot and two thousand five hundred
horse. On Alexander's side, Aristobulus says there were not wanting
above four-and-thirty, of whom nine were foot-soldiers; and in
memory of them he caused so many statues of brass, of Lysippus's
making, to be erected. And that the Grecians might participate in
the honour of his victory he sent a portion of the spoils home to them
particularly to the Athenians three hundred bucklers, and upon all the
rest he ordered this inscription to be set: "Alexander the son of
Philip, and the Grecians, except the Lacedaemonians, won these from
the barbarians who inhabit Asia." All the plate and purple garments,
and other things of the same kind that he took from the Persians,
except a very small quantity which he reserved for himself, he sent as
a present to his mother.
This battle presently made a great change of affairs to
Alexander's advantage. For Sardis itself, the chief seat of the
barbarian's power in the maritime provinces, and many other
considerable places, were surrendered to him; only Halicarnassus and
Miletus stood out, which he took by force, together with the territory
about them. After which he was a little unsettled in his opinion how
to proceed. Sometimes he thought it best to find out Darius as soon as
he could, and put all to the hazard of a battle; another while he
looked upon it as a more prudent course to make an entire reduction of
the sea-coast, and not to seek the enemy till he had first exercised
his power here and made himself secure of the resources of these
provinces. While he was thus deliberating what to do, it happened that
a spring of water near the city of Xanthus in Lycia, of its own
accord, swelled over its banks, and threw up a copper plate, upon
the margin of which was engraven in ancient characters, that the
time would come when the Persian empire should be destroyed by the
Grecians. Encouraged by this accident, he proceeded to reduce the