treatment of bessus.

when he had accomplished this, he came to zariaspa; where he remained until the depth of winter arrived.529 at this time came to him phrataphernes the viceroy of parthia, and stasanor, who had been sent into the land of the areians to arrest arsames.530 him they brought with them in chains, as also barzanes, whom bessus had appointed viceroy of the land of the parthians, and some others of those who at that time had joined bessus in revolt. at the same time arrived from the sea, epocillus,531 melamnidas and ptolemy, the general of the thracians, who had convoyed down to the sea the grecian allies and 217the money sent with menes.532 at this time also arrived asander and nearchus at the head of an army of grecian mercenaries.533 asclepiodorus, viceroy of syria, and menes the deputy also arrived from the sea, at the head of another army. then alexander gathered a conference of those who were then at hand, and led bessus in before them. having accused him of the betrayal of darius, he ordered his nose and ears to be cut off, and that he should be taken to ecbatana to be put to death there in the council of the medes and persians.534 i do not commend this excessive punishment; on the contrary, i consider that the mutilation of the prominent features of the body is a barbaric535 custom, and i agree with those who say that alexander was induced to indulge his desire of emulating the median and persian wealth and to treat his subjects as inferior beings according to the custom of the foreign kings. nor do i by any means commend him for changing the macedonian style of dress which his fathers had adopted, for the median one,536 being as he was a descendant of heracles.537 besides, he was not 218ashamed to exchange the head-dress which he the conqueror had so long worn, for that of the conquered persians. none of these things do i commend; but i consider alexander’s great achievements prove, if anything can, that supposing a man to have a vigorous bodily constitution, to be illustrious in descent, and to be even more successful in war than alexander himself; even supposing he could sail right round libya as well as asia, and hold them both in subjection as alexander indeed designed; even if he could add the possession of europe to that of asia and libya; all these things would be no furtherance to such a man’s happiness, unless at the same time he possess the power of self-control, though he has performed the great deeds which have been supposed.