§17.76.1Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ τὴν Ὑρκανίαν καὶ τὰ συνορίζοντα τῶν ἐθνῶν ταύτῃ τῇ χώρᾳ προσηγάγετο· καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν συμπεφευγότων ἡγεμόνων τῷ Δαρείῳ παρέδωκαν αὑτούς· οἷς ἐπεικῶς προσενεχθεὶς μεγάλην δόξαν ἐπιεικείας ἀπηνέγκατο·
Alexander brought under his control Hyrcania and the tribes bordering on this region; and many of the leaders who had fled with Darius surrendered themselves to him; treating them with clemency, he won a great reputation for mildness.
§17.76.2εὐθὺ γὰρ οἱ Δαρείῳ συνεστρατευμένοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὄντες περὶ χιλίους καὶ πεντακοσίους ἀνδρείᾳ τε διαφέροντες, παρέδοσαν ἑαυτοὺς Ἀλεξάνδρῳ καὶ συγγνώμης ἀξιωθέντες κατετάχθησαν εἰς τὰς τάξεις ἐπὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς μισθοφοραῖς.
For immediately those of the Greeks who had campaigned with Darius, being about fifteen hundred and outstanding in courage, surrendered themselves to Alexander, and, having been deemed worthy of pardon, they were enrolled in his ranks at the same rate of pay.
§17.76.3ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπελθὼν τὴν παραθαλάσσιον τῆς Ὑρκανίας ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν ὀνομαζομένων Μάρδων.
Alexander, having traversed the coastal region of Hyrcania, invaded the territory of those called Mardi.
οὗτοι γὰρ ἀλκῇ διαφέροντες ὑπερεφρόνησαν τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς ἐντεύξεως ἢ τιμῆς ἠξίωσαν αὐτόν, §17.76.4προκαταλαβόμενοι δὲ τὰς εἰσβολὰς στρατιώταις ὀκτακισχιλίοις τεθαρρηκότως τὴν τῶν Μακεδόνων ἔφοδον ὑπέμενον.
For these people, excelling in valor, looked down on the growth of the king's power and did not deem him worthy of any embassy or honor, and having preoccupied the passes with eight thousand soldiers, they boldly awaited the onset of the Macedonians.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐπιπεσὼν αὐτοῖς καὶ συνάψας μάχην τοὺς πλείους μὲν κατέκοψε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς εἰς τὰς δυσχωρίας κατεδίωξε.
But the king, falling upon them and joining battle, cut down the majority of them, and pursued the rest into difficult terrain.
§17.76.5πυρπολοῦντος δʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν χώραν καὶ τῶν τοὺς βασιλικοὺς ἵππους ἀγόντων παίδων βραχὺ τοῦ βασιλέως χωρισθέντων ἐπιβαλόντες τινὲς τῶν βαρβάρων ἀφήρπασαν Βουκεφάλαν τὸν ἄριστον τῶν ἵππων.
While he was laying waste the country with fire, and the grooms who led the royal horses had separated a short distance from the king, some of the barbarians made an attack and carried off Bucephalus, the finest of his horses.
§17.76.6οὗτος δʼ ἐδόθη δῶρον μὲν ὑπὸ Δημαράτου τοῦ Κορινθίου, συνηγώνιστο δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ πάντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἀγῶνας.
This horse had been given as a gift by Demaratus of Corinth, and had shared with the king in all his battles in Asia.
γυμνὸς δʼ ὢν ἔτι τὸν πωλοδαμαστὴν μόνον προσεδέχετο, τυχὼν δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς σκευῆς οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἔτι προσίετο, μόνῳ δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ παρίστατο καὶ συγκαθίει τὸ σῶμα πρὸς τὴν ἀνάβασιν.
When unsaddled, it would accept only its trainer, but when it received the royal trappings, it would no longer let even him approach, standing by Alexander alone and lowering its body to facilitate his mounting.
§17.76.7ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ζῴου δυσφορήσας τὴν μὲν χώραν δενδροτομεῖν προσέταξε, διὰ δὲ τῶν ὁμοφώνων τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις κηρύττειν ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸν ἵππον ἀποδῶσι, τήν τε χώραν εἰς τέλος ὄψονται κατεφθαρμένην τούς τʼ ἐνοικοῦντας πανδημεὶ κατεσφαγμένους.
The king, deeply distressed because of the excellence of the animal, ordered the country to be cleared of its timber, and directed heralds who spoke the same language as the natives to proclaim that if they did not return the horse, they would see their land utterly destroyed and their inhabitants slaughtered to a man.
§17.76.8τῶν δʼ ἀπειλῶν ὀξέως ἐπιτελουμένων καταπλαγέντες οἱ βάρβαροι τὸν ἵππον ἀποκατέστησαν καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ πολυτελέστατα δῶρα προσεκόμισαν, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ πεντήκοντʼ ἄνδρας ἀπέστειλαν, δεόμενοι τυχεῖν συγγνώμης.
As the threats were being swiftly put into execution, the barbarians, struck with terror, returned the horse and brought with it most costly gifts, and in addition to these, they sent fifty men, begging to obtain pardon.
ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος τοὺς μὲν ἀξιολογωτάτους τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἔλαβεν ὁμήρους.
Alexander took the most noteworthy of these men as hostages.