Βιβλιοθήκη ἱστορική 17.94

17.94.1

ὁρῶν δὲ τοὺς στρατιώτας ταῖς συνεχέσι στρατείαις καταπεπονημένους καὶ σχεδὸν ὀκταετῆ χρόνον ἐν πόνοις καὶ κινδύνοις τεταλαιπωρηκότας ὑπέλαβεν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τὰ πλήθη τοῖς ἁρμόζουσι λόγοις προτρέψασθαι πρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς Γανδαρίδας στρατείαν.

He saw, however, that his soldiers were dispirited by interminable campaigns, and by their exposure for nearly eight years to toils and dangers reduced to a condition of the utmost misery, and he therefore conceived it was necessary for him to animate his troops for the expedition against the Gandaridai by plying them with suitable arguments. For death had made severe ravages in his ranks, and all hope was gone that his wars would ever come to an end. Then their horses' hoofs had been worn off by ceaseless marches, and their weapons worn out by use. The Hellenic costumes again were by this time threadbare and could not be replaced, and hence the men were obliged to use cloth woven in barbaric looms wherewith to cut out such dresses for themselves as were worn by Indians. It also so happened that violent storms of rain burst from the clouds for the space of seventy days, accompanied with continual outbreaks of thunder and lightning. Alexander, considering this state of things an obstacle to his designs, placed all his hopes of gaining his ends on winning by benefactions the hearty support of his soldiers. Accordingly he allowed them to plunder the enemy's country where supplies of all sorts abounded, and on those days when the army was busily engaged in foraging he called together the soldiers' wives and children, and then promised to give the women an allowance of food month by month, and the children a donative according to the calculations of what their fathers received as the pay of their military rank. When the soldiers who had found a rich and ample booty returned to the camp, he gathered them all together, and in a well-weighed speech addressed the assembly on the subject of the expedition against the Gandaridai; but when the Macedonians would by no means assent to his proposals he renounced his contemplated enterprise.

17.94.2

πολλὴ μὲν γὰρ φθορὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐγεγόνει καὶ λύσις οὐδεμία τῶν πολέμων ἠλπίζετο· καὶ τῶν μὲν ἵππων διὰ τὴν συνέχειαν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας τὰς ὁπλὰς ὑποτετρῖφθαι συνέβαινε, τῶν δὲ ὅπλων τὰ πλεῖστα κατεξάνθαι καὶ τὸν μὲν Ἑλληνικὸν ἱματισμὸν ἐκλελοιπέναι, συναναγκάζεσθαι δὲ βαρβαρικοῖς ὑφάσμασι χρῆσθαι, συντεμόντας τὰ τῶν Ἰνδῶν περιβλήματα.

17.94.3

κατὰ τύχην δὲ καὶ χειμῶνες ἄγριοι κατερράγησαν ἐφʼ ἡμέρας ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ βρονταὶ συνεχεῖς καὶ κεραυνοὶ κατέσκηπτον. ἃ δὴ λογιζόμενος ἐναντιοῦσθαι ταῖς ἰδίαις ἐπιβολαῖς μίαν εἶχεν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, εἰ τοὺς στρατιώτας διὰ τῆς εὐεργεσίας εἰς εὔνοιαν μεγάλην προαγάγοιτο.

17.94.4

διόπερ λεηλατεῖν μὲν αὐτοῖς συνεχώρησε τὴν πολεμίαν χώραν, γέμουσαν παντοίας ὠφελείας· ἐν αἷς δʼ ἡμέραις ἡ δύναμις περὶ τὴν προνομὴν ἠσχολεῖτο, συναγαγὼν τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν γεγονότας παῖδας ταύταις μὲν συνεστήσατο κατὰ μῆνα διδόναι σῖτον, τοῖς δὲ παισὶν ἐπιφορὰς ταγματικὰς ἀπένειμε κατὰ τοὺς τῶν πατέρων συλλογισμούς.

17.94.5

ὡς δʼ ἐπανῆλθον οἱ στρατιῶται πολλῶν πλῆθος ἀγαθῶν ἐκ τῆς προνομῆς εὑρηκότες συνῆγε πάντας εἰς ἐκκλησίαν. διελθὼν δὲ λόγον πεφροντισμένον περὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τοὺς Γανδαρίδας στρατείας καὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων οὐδαμῶς συγκαταθεμένων ἀπέστη τῆς ἐπιβολῆς.