Βιβλιοθηκη ιστορικη 17.99

17.99.1

ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐρημωθεὶς πάσης βοηθείας ἐτόλμησεν ἐπιτελέσαι πρᾶξιν παράδοξον καὶ μνήμης ἀξίαν. τὸ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ἀπελθεῖν ἄπρακτον πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀνάξιον κρίνας ὑπάρχειν τῆς ἰδίας εὐπραξίας καθήλατο μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων μόνος εἰς τὴν πόλιν.

Chapter XCIX. — Alexander left alone leaps down from the walls into the citadel, bravely defends himself but is dangerously wounded — He is rescued by his friends, who capture the stronghold — The Greek colonists in Bactria revolt
The king being thus isolated from all help, performed a feat of marvellous audacity, which well deserves to be put on record. For, thinking it would be unworthy of his characteristic good fortune if he retired from the walls to his men leaving his purpose unaccomplished, he leaped down, arms and all, alone as he was, into the citadel. The Indians hastened up to assail him, but with undaunted courage he sustained the brunt of their onslaught. Protecting himself on his right hand by the shelter of a tree rooted by the wall, and on the left by the wall itself, he thus kept the Indians at bay, firmly fixed in his purpose to bear himself right gallantly like a king by whom such great things had been achieved, and ambitious to make the close of his life the most glorious of his whole career, for numerous were the blows which he received on his helmet, nor few were those which he caught on his shield. At last, however, being hit by an arrow under the pap, he sank on his knee, overcome by the force of the blow. The Indian who had shot the arrow immediately sprang forward, thinking lightly of the danger, but while he was fetching down a blow, Alexander smote him with his sword under the ribs, and, as the wound was mortal, the barbarian fell. Then the king, grasping a branch within reach of his hand, and raising himself up with it, challenged any of the Indians who so wished to come forward and fight him. Just at this crisis Peukestas, one of the hypaspists, who had mounted by a different ladder, was the first who succeeded in covering the king with his shield. After him many others appeared on the scene, who terrified the barbarians and saved Alexander. The city was then stormed, and the Macedonians, in their rage for what the king had suffered, slew all whom they could anywhere find, and filled the city with dead bodies. While the king's attention was for many days absorbed with the curing of his wound, the Greek colonists of Bactria and Sogdiana, who had long felt it a great grievance to be settled among barbarians, when they heard at that time that the king had died of a wound, revolted from the Macedonians, and, having mustered to the number of 3000, set out on their return home. They had many sufferings to endure on the way, and they were subsequently put to death by the Macedonians after Alexander's death.

17.99.2

συνδραμόντων δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τῶν Ἰνδῶν ὑπέστη τεθαρρηκότως τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπιφοράν· προβαλλόμενος δʼ ἐκ τῶν δεξιῶν δένδρον τι παρʼ αὐτὸ τὸ τεῖχος ἐρριζωμένον, ἐκ δὲ τῶν εὐωνύμων αὐτὸ τὸ τεῖχος ἠμύνετο τοὺς Ἰνδούς, οὕτω τῷ θυμῷ παραστὰς ὡς ἄν τις βασιλεὺς τηλικούτων ἤδη ἀπειργασμένων ἀνδραγαθήσειε, τὴν ἐσχάτην τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴν εὐκλεεστάτην γενέσθαι φιλοτιμούμενος.

17.99.3

πολλὰς μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸ κράνος ἐλάμβανε πληγάς, οὐκ ὀλίγας δὲ εἰς τὴν πέλτην ἐδέχετο· τέλος δὲ τοξευθεὶς ὑπὸ τὸν μαστὸν ἔπεσεν εἰς γόνυ, κατισχυθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς πληγῆς. εὐθὺ δʼ ὁ μὲν τοξεύσας Ἰνδὸς καταφρονήσας προσέδραμε καὶ καταφέροντος αὐτοῦ πληγὴν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ὑπέθηκε τῇ λαγόνι τὸ ξίφος καὶ καιρίου γενομένου τοῦ τραύματος ὁ μὲν βάρβαρος ἔπεσεν, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐπιλαβόμενος τοῦ πλησίον κλάδου καὶ διαναστὰς προεκαλεῖτο τῶν Ἰνδῶν τοὺς βουλομένους διαγωνίσασθαι.

17.99.4

κατὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον Πευκέστης, εἷς τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν, διʼ ἑτέρας κλίμακος προσαναβὰς πρῶτος ὑπερήσπισε τὸν βασιλέα· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἕτεροι πλείους ἐπιφανέντες καὶ καταπληξάμενοι τοὺς βαρβάρους διέσωσαν τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον. τῆς δὲ πόλεως ἁλούσης κατὰ κράτος οἱ μὲν Μακεδόνες διὰ τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως θυμὸν πάντας τοὺς περιτυχόντας ἀνῄρουν καὶ τὴν πόλιν νεκρῶν ἐπλήρωσαν.

17.99.5

ἐπὶ πολλὰς δὲ ἡμέρας τοῦ βασιλέως ἀσχοληθέντος περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν οἱ κατὰ τὴν Βακτριανὴν καὶ Σογδιανὴν κατοικισθέντες Ἕλληνες ἐκ πολλοῦ μὲν τὸν ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις κατοικισμὸν χαλεπῶς ἔφερον, τότε δὲ φήμης προσπεσούσης αὐτοῖς ὅτι τρωθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς τετελεύτηκεν ἀπέστησαν ἀπὸ τῶν Μακεδόνων.

17.99.6

ἀθροισθέντες δὲ εἰς τρισχιλίους, κατὰ τὴν εἰς οἶκον ἀνακομιδὴν πολλὰ πονήσαντες, ὕστερον ὑπὸ τῶν Μακεδόνων κατεκόπησαν μετὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου τελευτήν.