3. His successe in battell was admirable, he neuer encountred any enemie, but he ouer∣came
him; neuer besieged citie, but he tooke it: and in 3. battels, one at the flood Granicus,
an other at Issus in Cilicia, the third at Arbella, he ouercame all the power of Asia, Darius
hauing in his armie 10. hundreth thousand men, aboue one for tenne.
4. As was his successe in battell, so was (as the Gentiles call it) his good fortune for him∣selfe,
or rather his prosperous deliuerance from many daungers: that oftentimes he had re∣ceiued
deadly wounds, and yet recouered; was in a manner dead, and yet reuiued: insomuch
that Curtius writeth of him, cum plurimum virtuti debuerit, plus eum fortunae debuisse, &c.
as he did owe much vnto vertue, so yet he owed more vnto fortune, which of all men liuing
he seemed onely to haue power of: yet Plutarke in his two orations, which he made of that
argument, sheweth that more is to be ascribed to Alexanders vertue, then to his good
fortune.
5. The largenes of his Empire was wonderfull: for he subdued the more noble part of
Europe, Syria, and Egypt, all Asia, and India vnto the riuer Ganges: yea Plinie writeth, that
in the vtmost boundes of the Sogdianes he built the citie Alexandria, where Hercules, Se∣miramis,
and Cyrus had set vp altars before him, as boundes of the Empire: Lysippus the
painter hereupon made the picture of Alexander looking vp to heauen, with this posie,
Iupiter asserui terram mihi, tu assere coelum, Iupiter I haue taken the earth to my selfe, take
thou heauen, &c. with which picture Alexander was so delighted, that he proclaimed,
none should take his picture but Lysippus.
6. Such was his celeritie also, that in the space of 13. yeares he conquered more nations,
then one would haue thought he could haue trauelled ouer in so short a time: Apelles there∣fore
pictured Alexander with a thunderbolt, signifying his great swiftnes and agilitie in
his exploits.
7. Alexanders great ••ame also may be counted among other parts of his greatnes: by
the which he subdued more nations, then by warre, for the very terrour of his name made
many Kingdomes submit themselues vnto him: and at the same time when he died, he ex∣pected
Embassadours from all the Nations of Europe, from France, Spaine, Italie, Sicilie, and
from Africa: for if he had not then died, he had taken order, to prouide him a great navie, to
haue compassed Arabia and Africa, and so to haue surprised Spaine and Italie.
8. The acts and monuments of Alexander are to be counted among other memorable
things, as first the Cities which he built, which Plutarke nameth to haue beene 70. then
he brought the barbarous nations to ciuilitie: he taught the people Hyrcani the vse of mari∣age,
the Arachosians tillage and husbandrie, the Sogdians that they should nourish and not
kill their parents: the Persians to honour their mothers, and not to vse them for their
wiues: the Scythians that they should not eate the dead, but burie them.
9. Adde hereunto his singular vertues: his constancie and patience in induring of la∣bour,
his clemencie toward those whome he conquered: the same day he tooke and resto∣red
againe to the king of India his kingdome: Darius mother he honourably entertained as
a Queene: his continencie was singular, Darius wife, and his most beautifull daughters he
touched not, but preserued their chastitie, neither would he see them. But his liberalitie and
magnificence exceeded his other vertues: he gaue 23. thousand talents among his souldiers
to pay their debts: he bid to one feast 9. thousand ghests, and gaue vnto euery one a cuppe of
gold: to one that asked a reward of him, he gaue a citie: which he refusing as too great a gift
for him, Alexander said; Non quaero quid to decet accipere, sed quid me decet dare, I stand
not vpon it, what it is meete for thee to take, but what it is fit I should giue. And to con∣clude
this point, Plutarke saith, that those vertues for the which seuerally certaine worthie
men haue beene commended, did all concurre in him, as the valour of Achilles, the chastitie
of Agamemnon, the pietie of Diomedes, the courage of Cyrus, the policie of Themistocles, the
boldnes of Brassida, the wisdome of Philip his father.
10. This was also part of his terrene happines, that as he counted Achilles happie, because
he had Homer to set forth his praise, so he had diuers excellent writers to register his acts:
as Ptolome King of Egypt, Hecataeus, Aristobulus, Callisthenes, Onesicratus, Diodorus Sicu∣lus,
Trogus Pompeius, Iustinus, Q. Curtius, with others.