§17.69.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὴν Περσέπολιν προάγων κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐπιστολὴν ἐκομίσατο παρὰ τοῦ κυριεύοντος τῆς πόλεως Τιριδάτου.
After this, as he was advancing toward Persepolis, he received a letter along the way from Tiridates, the keeper of the city.
ἐν ταύτῃ δʼ ἦν γεγραμμένον ὅτι ἐὰν παραγενόμενος φθάσῃ τοὺς ἐπιβαλλομένους διατηρῆσαι Δαρείῳ τὴν Περσέπολιν, κύριος ἔσται ταύτης ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ παραδοθείσης.
In this it was written that if he should arrive and forestall those who were attempting to preserve Persepolis for Darius, he would become master of it, as it would be surrendered by him.
§17.69.2διόπερ ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος κατὰ σπουδὴν ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὸν Ἀράξην ποταμὸν ζεύξας διεβίβασε τοὺς στρατιώτας.
Therefore Alexander led his army in haste, and having bridged the Araxes River, he brought his soldiers across.
προάγοντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως θέαμα παράδοξον καὶ δεινὸν ὤφθη, μισοπονηρίαν μὲν περιέχον κατὰ τῶν πραξάντων, ἔλεον δὲ καὶ συμπάθειαν ἐπιφέρον πρὸς τοὺς ἀνήκεστα πεπονθότας.
As the king advanced, an extraordinary and terrible sight appeared, containing a cause for hatred against those who had done the deed, while bringing pity and compassion for those who had suffered incurable injuries.
§17.69.3ἀπήντησαν γὰρ αὐτῷ μεθʼ ἱκετηριῶν Ἕλληνες ὑπὸ τῶν πρότερον βασιλέων ἀνάστατοι γεγονότες, ὀκτακόσιοι μὲν σχεδὸν τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες, ταῖς δʼ ἡλικίαις οἱ πλεῖστοι μὲν γεγηρακότες, ἠκρωτηριασμένοι δὲ πάντες, οἱ μὲν χεῖρας, οἱ δὲ πόδας, οἱ δὲ ὦτα καὶ ῥῖνας·
For there met him with suppliant branches Greeks who had been carried away from their homes by the former kings, being about eight hundred in number, most of them advanced in age, and all of them mutilated, some in their hands, some in their feet, and others in their ears and noses.
§17.69.4τῶν δʼ ἐπιστήμας ἢ τέχνας εἰδότων καὶ ἐν παιδείᾳ προκεκοφότων τὰ μὲν ἄλλα τῶν ἀκρωτηρίων ἀπεκέκοπτο, αὐτὰ δὲ μόνα τὰ συνεργοῦντα πρὸς τὰς ἐπιστήμας ἀπελέλειπτο·
In the case of those who possessed knowledge or crafts and had made progress in education, their other extremities had been cut off, and only those very parts that assisted in their crafts had been left.
ὥστε πάντας ὁρῶντας τὰ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀξιώματα καὶ τὰς περιεχούσας τὰ σώματα συμφορὰς ἐλεεῖν τὰς τύχας τῶν ἀκληρούντων, μάλιστα δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον συμπαθῆ γενέσθαι τοῖς ἠτυχηκόσι καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι κατασχεῖν τὰ δάκρυα.
Consequently, everyone who saw the dignity of their age and the misfortunes that enveloped their bodies pitied the fate of these luckless men, and especially Alexander himself felt deep compassion for the unfortunate and was unable to restrain his tears.
§17.69.5ἀναβοησάντων δὲ ἅμα ἁπάντων καὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ἀξιούντων ἀμῦναι ταῖς ἰδίαις συμφοραῖς ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς προεστηκότας καὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ μεγαλοψυχίας ἀξίως τιμήσας ἐπηγγείλατο πολλὴν πρόνοιαν ποιήσασθαι τῆς ἐπʼ οἶκον ἀνακομιδῆς.
When they all cried out at once and asked Alexander to help them in their misfortunes, the king called their leaders to him, and having treated them with a respect worthy of his own magnanimity, promised to take great care for their return home.
§17.69.6οἱ δὲ συνελθόντες καὶ βουλευσάμενοι προέκριναν τὴν αὐτόθι μονὴν τῆς εἰς οἶκον ἀνακομιδῆς.
But having gathered and deliberated, they chose to remain there rather than to return home.
ἀνασωθέντας μὲν γὰρ αὑτοὺς διασπαρήσεσθαι κατʼ ὀλίγους καὶ περιόντας ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐπονείδιστον ἕξειν τὴν ἐκ τῆς τύχης ἐπήρειαν· μετʼ ἀλλήλων δὲ βιοῦντας, τὴν ὁμοίαν συμφορὰν ἔχοντας, παραμύθιον ἕξειν τῆς ἰδίας ἀκληρίας τὴν τῶν ἄλλων τῆς ἀκληρίας ὁμοιότητα.
For they believed that if they were restored, they would be scattered in small numbers, and as they went about in the cities, they would have the insult of their fortune as a source of reproach; whereas if they lived with one another, having similar misfortunes, they would find a consolation for their own ill-fortune in the similarity of the ill-fortune of the others.
§17.69.7διὸ καὶ πάλιν ἐντυχόντες τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν κρίσιν δηλώσαντες ἐδέοντο πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ὑπόστασιν οἰκείαν παρέχεσθαι βοήθειαν.
Therefore, meeting the king again and declaring their own decision, they begged him to provide suitable assistance for this undertaking.
§17.69.8ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος συγκαταθέμενος τοῖς δεδογμένοις τρισχιλίας μὲν ἑκάστῳ δραχμὰς ἐδωρήσατο καὶ στολὰς ἀνδρείας πέντε καὶ γυναικείας ἴσας, ζεύγη δὲ βοϊκὰ δύο καὶ πρόβατα πεντήκοντα καὶ πυρῶν μεδίμνους πεντήκοντα· ἐποίησεν δὲ καὶ ἀτελεῖς αὐτοὺς παντὸς βασιλικοῦ φόρου καὶ τοῖς ἐπιστάταις προσέταξε φροντίζειν ὅπως μηδʼ ὑφʼ ἑνὸς ἀδικῶνται.
Alexander, agreeing to their decision, presented to each of them three thousand drachmas, five men's robes and an equal number of women's, two yokes of oxen, fifty sheep, and fifty medimnoi of wheat; he also made them exempt from all royal taxes and commanded the overseers to take care that they should be wronged by no one.
§17.69.9Ἀλέξανδρος μὲν οὖν ἀκολούθως τῇ κατʼ αὐτὸν ἐπιεικείᾳ τοιαύταις εὐεργεσίαις τὰς τῶν ἠτυχηκότων συμφορὰς διωρθώσατο.
Thus Alexander, in accordance with his own kindness, alleviated the misfortunes of these luckless men with such acts of beneficence.