§17.93.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις ἧκεν Ἡφαιστίων μετὰ τῆς συναπεσταλμένης δυνάμεως πολλὴν τῆς Ἰνδικῆς καταπεπολεμηκώς.
While these things were being done, Hephaestion arrived with the force that had been sent with him, having subdued a large part of India.
τοῦτον μὲν οὖν διὰ τὰς ἀνδραγαθίας ἐπῄνεσεν· αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς τὴν Φηγέως δυναστείαν ἐμβαλὼν καὶ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ἀσμένως τὴν τῶν Μακεδόνων παρουσίαν προσδεξαμένων καὶ τοῦ Φηγέως μετὰ δώρων πολλῶν ἀπαντήσαντος τήν τε βασιλείαν ἔχειν συνεχώρησε καὶ ξενισθεὶς μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπὶ δύο ἡμέρας λαμπρῶς ἐπὶ τὸν Ὕφασιν ποταμὸν προῆγεν, οὗ τὸ μὲν πλάτος ἦν σταδίων ἑπτά, τὸ δὲ βάθος ἓξ ὀργυιῶν, τὸ δὲ ῥεῦμα σφοδρὸν καὶ δυσδιάβατον.
Him, therefore, he praised for his brave deeds; while he himself invaded the territory of Phegeus. Since the inhabitants gladly welcomed the arrival of the Macedonians and Phegeus met him with many gifts, Alexander permitted him to retain his kingdom; and after being splendidly entertained with his army for two days, he advanced to the Hypanis River, the width of which was seven stades, and the depth six fathoms, with a violent and difficult-to-cross current.
§17.93.2ἀκούσας δὲ τοῦ Φηγέως περὶ τῆς πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ χώρας ὅτι δώδεκα μὲν ἡμερῶν ἔχει δίοδον ἔρημον, μετὰ δὲ ταύτην εἶναι ποταμὸν τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Γάγγην, τὸ μὲν πλάτος τριάκοντα καὶ δυεῖν σταδίων, τὸ δὲ βάθος μέγιστον τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰνδικήν, πέραν δὲ τούτου κατοικεῖν τό τε τῶν Ταβραισίων καὶ Γανδαριδῶν ἔθνος, τούτων δὲ βασιλεύειν Ξανδράμην, ἔχοντα δισμυρίους μὲν ἱππεῖς, πεζῶν δὲ εἴκοσι μυριάδας, ἅρματα δὲ δισχίλια, ἐλέφαντας δὲ πολεμικῶς κεκοσμημένους τετρακισχιλίους, ἀπιστήσας δὲ τοῖς λεγομένοις προσεκαλέσατο τὸν Πῶρον καὶ περὶ τῶν προσαγγελλομένων τἀκριβὲς διεπυνθάνετο.
When he heard from Phegeus about the country beyond the river—that it had a twelve days' journey through a desert, and that after this was a river called the Ganges, thirty-two stades in width and the deepest of those in India, and that beyond this dwelt the nation of the Tabraesians and the Gandaridae, ruled by Xandrames, who had twenty thousand cavalry, two hundred thousand infantry, two thousand chariots, and four thousand elephants equipped for war—he disbelieved these reports and summoned Porus, inquiring of him the exact truth about what had been reported.
§17.93.3ὁ δὲ τἄλλα μὲν ὑπάρχειν ἅπαντα ἀληθῆ διεβεβαιοῦτο, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τῶν Γανδαριδῶν ἔφησεν εὐτελῆ παντελῶς εἶναι καὶ ἄδοξον ὡς ἂν κουρέως υἱὸν νομιζόμενον εἶναι.
Porus assured him that all the other details were completely true, but said that the king of the Gandaridae was an utterly worthless and ignoble man, inasmuch as he was believed to be the son of a barber.
εὐπρεπῆ γὰρ ὄντα τὸν τούτου πατέρα μεγάλως ὑπὸ τῆς βασιλίσσης ἀγαπηθῆναι καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς δολοφονηθέντος εἰς τοῦτον περιστῆναι τὴν βασιλείαν.
For his father, being handsome, had been greatly loved by the queen, and when the king was murdered through his wife, the kingdom devolved upon him.
§17.93.4ὁ δʼ Ἀλέξανδρος, καίπερ ὁρῶν δυσεπίτευκτον τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς Γανδαρίδας στρατείαν οὖσαν, ὅμως οὐκ ἀφίστατο τῆς φιλοτιμίας, ἀλλὰ πιστεύων ταῖς τῶν Μακεδόνων ἀρεταῖς καὶ τοῖς χρησμοῖς ἐλπίδας εἶχε κρατήσειν τῶν βαρβάρων· τὴν μὲν γὰρ Πυθίαν ἀνίκητον αὐτὸν ὠνομακέναι, τὸν δʼ Ἄμμωνα συγκεχωρηκέναι τὴν ἁπάσης τῆς γῆς ἐξουσίαν.
Alexander, although he saw that the campaign against the Gandaridae would be difficult to accomplish, nevertheless did not abandon his ambition, but, trusting in the valour of the Macedonians and in the oracles, had hopes of conquering the barbarians; for the Pythia had named him invincible, and Ammon had granted him the rule over the entire earth.