§17.65.1τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀναζεύξαντος ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ κατὰ τὴν πορείαν ὄντος ἧκον πρὸς αὐτὸν παρὰ μὲν Ἀντιπάτρου πεμφθέντες ἱππεῖς μὲν Μακεδόνες πεντακόσιοι, πεζοὶ δὲ ἑξακισχίλιοι, ἐκ δὲ Θρᾴκης ἱππεῖς μὲν ἑξακόσιοι, Τραλλεῖς δὲ τρισχίλιοι καὶ πεντακόσιοι, ἐκ δὲ Πελοποννήσου πεζοὶ μὲν τετρακισχίλιοι, ἱππεῖς δὲ βραχὺ λείποντες τῶν χιλίων, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Μακεδονίαστῶν φίλων τοῦ βασιλέως υἱοὶ πεντήκοντα πρὸς τὴν σωματοφυλακίαν ὑπὸ τῶν πατέρων ἀπεσταλμένοι.
While the king was marching from Babylon and was on his way, there arrived to him reinforcements sent from Antipater: five hundred Macedonian cavalry and six thousand infantry; from Thrace, six hundred cavalry and three thousand five hundred Trallians; from the Peloponnese, four thousand infantry and slightly less than a thousand cavalry; and from Macedonia, fifty sons of the king's Friends, dispatched by their fathers to serve as bodyguards.
§17.65.2ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τούτους παραλαβὼν προῆγε καὶ κατήντησεν ἑκταῖος εἰς τὴν Σιττακινὴν ἐπαρχίαν.
Taking these troops under his command, the king advanced and arrived on the sixth day in the province of Sittacene.
τῆς δὲ χώρας ταύτης πολλὴν ἀφθονίαν ἐχούσης τῶν ἐπιτηδείων πάντων ἐν ταύτῃ πλείους ἡμέρας ἔμεινεν, ἅμα μὲν σπεύδων ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ταλαιπωρίας ἀναλαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν, ἅμα δὲ τῆς στρατιωτικῆς τάξεως διανοούμενος ἐπιμεληθῆναι καὶ τὰς ἡγεμονίας ἀναβιβάσαι καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἰσχυροποιῆσαι τῷ τε πλήθει καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τῶν ἡγεμόνων.
Since this territory possessed a great abundance of all provisions, he remained there for several days, striving on one hand to refresh his army from the hardships of the march, and on the other hand intending to attend to the military organization, to promote the officers, and to strengthen his forces both by their number and by the merits of their commanders.
§17.65.3συντελέσας δὲ τὰ δεδογμένα καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἐπιμελείας περὶ τῶν ἀριστίων κρίσιν ποιησάμενος καὶ πολλοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς μεγάλης ἡγεμονίας ἐπὶ μεγάλας ἐξουσίας ἀναβιβάσας πάντας τοὺς ἡγεμόνας εἰς ἀξίωμα μεῖζον καὶ στοργὴν ἰσχυρὰν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν προήγαγεν.
Having carried out his decisions, and having conducted with great care the evaluation of outstanding bravery, and having promoted many from their previous high commands to major positions of authority, he advanced all the officers to higher rank and inspired in them a strong affection toward himself.
§17.65.4ἐπεμελήθη δὲ καὶ τῆς ἰδιωτικῆς τῶν στρατιωτῶν διατάξεως καὶ πολλὰ πρὸς τὴν εὐχρηστίαν ἐπινοησάμενος ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον διωρθώσατο.
He also attended to the individual organization of the soldiers, and devising many improvements for their efficiency, he reformed them for the better.
κατασκευάσας δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὰν εὐνοίᾳ τε πρὸς τὸν ἡγούμενον διαφέρουσαν καὶ πρὸς τὰ παραγγελλόμενα πειθαρχοῦσαν, ἔτι δὲ ταῖς ἀνδραγαθίαις ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπολειπομένους ἀγῶνας ὥρμησεν.
Having thus rendered the entire army outstanding in loyalty to their leader, obedient to orders, and moreover surpassing in deeds of valor, he set out for the struggles that lay ahead.
§17.65.5εἰς δὲ τὴν Σουσιανὴν καταντήσας ἀκινδύνως παρέλαβε τὰ περιβόητα ἐν Σούσοις βασίλεια, ἑκουσίως Ἀβουλεύτου τοῦ σατράπου παραδόντος αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν, ὡς μὲν ἔνιοι γεγράφασι, προστάξαντος Δαρείου τοῖς πεπιστευμένοις ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ.
Arriving in Susiana, he took possession of the famous palace in Susa without any danger, since the satrap Abulites voluntarily surrendered the city to him—though, as some have written, this was done at the command of Darius to those who had been trusted by him.
τοῦτο δὲ πρᾶξαι τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Περσῶν, ὅπως ὁ μὲν Ἀλέξανδρος εἰς περισπασμοὺς ἀξιολόγους καὶ παραλήψεις ἐπιφανεστάτων πόλεων καὶ θησαυρῶν μεγάλων ἐμπεσὼν ἐν ἀσχολίαις ὑπάρχῃ, ὁ δὲ Δαρεῖος τῇ φυγῇ λαμβάνῃ χρόνον εἰς τὴν τοῦ πολέμου παρασκευήν.
The Persian king, they say, did this so that while Alexander was occupied in distractions and busy with the taking over of most illustrious cities and immense treasures, Darius might by his flight gain time for the preparation of the war.