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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §17.31.1-17.31.6

Darius's March and Alexander's Dangerous Illness

Passage 636 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Darius assembles a massive army in Babylon and marches toward Cilicia with his family. Meanwhile, Alexander is relieved by the news of Memnon's death but falls seriously ill, only to be saved by the rapid treatment of the physician Philip.

§17.31.1εὐθὺς οὖν μετεπέμπετο τὰς πανταχόθεν δυνάμεις καὶ προσέταξεν ἀπαντᾶν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα καὶ τῶν φίλων καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν ἐπελέγετο τοὺς εὐθέτους, ὧν τοῖς μὲν τὰς ἁρμοζούσας ἡγεμονίας κατεμέριζε, τοὺς δὲ μεθʼ αὑτοῦ κινδυνεύειν προσέταττεν.
Therefore, he immediately summoned his forces from everywhere and ordered them to assemble in Babylon; and from among his friends and relatives he selected those who were suitable, to some of whom he assigned appropriate commands, while ordering others to share the danger with himself.
§17.31.2ὡς δʼ ὁ τῆς στρατείας ἀφωρισμένος χρόνος προσεγένετο, κατήντησαν ἅπαντες εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα.
And when the time appointed for the campaign arrived, they all came down to Babylon.
ὁ δʼ ἀριθμὸς ἦν τῶν στρατιωτῶν πεζοὶ μὲν πλείους τῶν τετταράκοντα μυριάδων, ἱππεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν δέκα μυριάδων.
The number of the soldiers was more than four hundred thousand infantry, and not less than one hundred thousand cavalry.
Δαρεῖος μὲν οὖν μετὰ τοσαύτης δυνάμεως ἀναζεύξας ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος προῆγεν ἐπὶ Κιλικίας, ἔχων μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ τήν τε γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα, υἱὸν καὶ δύο θυγατέρας, καὶ τὴν μητέρα·
Darius, therefore, breaking camp from Babylon with so great a force, advanced toward Cilicia, having with him his wife and children, a son and two daughters, and his mother.
§17.31.3Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ πρὸ μὲν τῆς Μέμνονος τελευτῆς πυνθανόμενος Χῖον καὶ τὰς ἐν Λέσβῳ πόλεις κεχειρῶσθαι, τὴν δὲ Μιτυλήνην κατὰ κράτος ἡλωκυῖαν, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὸν Μέμνονα τριακοσίαις τριήρεσι καὶ πεζῇ δυνάμει μέλλοντα στρατεύειν ἐπὶ Μακεδονίαν, τῶν δʼ Ἑλλήνων τοὺς πλείους ἑτοίμους εἶναι πρὸς ἀπόστασιν οὐ μετρίως ἠγωνία,
Alexander, on the other hand, before the death of Memnon, had been in no small anxiety upon learning that Chios and the cities in Lesbos had been subdued, and that Mitylene had been taken by storm, and furthermore, that Memnon, with three hundred triremes and a land force, was about to campaign against Macedonia, and that most of the Greeks were ready to revolt.
§17.31.4ὡς δʼ ἧκόν τινες ἀπαγγέλλοντες τὴν Μέμνονος τελευτήν, ἀπελύθη τῆς πολλῆς ἀγωνίας.
But when some came reporting the death of Memnon, he was released from his great anxiety.
μετʼ ὀλίγον δὲ εἰς ἀρρωστίαν βαρυτέραν ἐμπεσὼν καὶ χαλεπῷ πάθει συνεχόμενος συνεκάλεσε τοὺς ἰατρούς.
Shortly afterward, however, having fallen into a rather severe illness and being gripped by a grievous affliction, he summoned his physicians.
§17.31.5τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων ἕκαστος δυσχερῶς εἶχε πρὸς τὴν θεραπείαν, Φίλιππος δʼ Ἀκαρνὰν τὸ γένος παραβόλοις καὶ συντόμοις θεραπείαις χρώμενος ἐπηγγείλατο διὰ φαρμακείας λύσειν τὴν νόσον.
Now while each of the others was hesitant toward the treatment, Philip, an Acarnanian by birth, who was accustomed to using risky and rapid remedies, promised to dispel the disease by means of medicine.
§17.31.6ἀσμένως δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπακούσαντος διὰ τὸ λέγεσθαι Δαρεῖον μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ὡρμηκέναι ὁ μὲν ἰατρὸς δοὺς φάρμακον πιεῖν καὶ συνεργὸν λαβὼν τὴν φύσιν τοῦ κάμνοντος καὶ τὴν τύχην εὐθὺς ἀπήλλαξε τῆς νόσου τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον.
The king gladly complied because it was reported that Darius had set out from Babylon with his army. The physician, having given him a medicine to drink and having as allies the nature of the patient and good fortune, immediately delivered Alexander from his illness.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν παραδόξως ἐκφυγὼν τὸν κίνδυνον καὶ τὸν ἰατρὸν τιμήσας μεγαλοπρεπῶς κατέταξεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς εὐνουστάτους τῶν φίλων.
Thus, having escaped the danger beyond expectation, he honored the physician magnificently and enrolled him among his most loyal friends.

Notes

  1. §17.31.1ὧν — The antecedent is `τοὺς εὐθέτους` ("those who were suitable"), and the relative pronoun functions as a partitive genitive. With the subsequent `τοῖς μὲν ... τοὺς δὲ`, it subdivides and contrasts the selected people into two groups ("to some of whom... while others...").
  2. §17.31.3Ἀλέξανδρος — There is a wide hyperbaton between the subject `Ἀλέξανδρος` and the main verb `ἠγωνία`. In between, the participle `πυνθανόμενος` ("learning") governs four subordinate constructions as objects (1. `κεχειρῶσθαι`, 2. `ἡλωκυῖαν`, 3. `μέλλοντα`, 4. `ἑτοίμους εἶναι`). The core structure of the sentence is "Alexander, learning [these events], was in no small anxiety."
  3. §17.31.5δυσχερῶς εἶχε — A construction of `ἔχω` + adverb indicating state, synonymous with `δυσχερὴς ἦν` ("was hesitant/found it difficult"). This expression is highly common in Classical Greek.
  4. §17.31.6συνεργὸν λαβὼν — The noun `συνεργόν` is used as a predicate accusative with the participle `λαβών` ("taking as..."), forming the meaning "taking the nature of the sick man and good fortune as allies (co-workers)."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §17.31.1-17.31.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:17.31.1-17.31.6

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