callisthenes opposes the proposal to honour alexander by prostration.

when anaxarchus had uttered these remarks and others of a similar kind, those who were privy to the plan applauded his speech, and wished at once to begin the ceremony of prostration. most of the macedonians, however, were vexed555 at the speech and kept silence. but callisthenes interposed and said:—“o anaxarchus, i openly declare that there is no honour which alexander is unworthy to receive, provided that it is consistent with his being human; but men have made distinctions between those honours which are due to men, and those due to gods, in many different ways, as for instance by the building of temples and by the erection of statues. moreover for the gods sacred enclosures are selected, to them sacrifice is offered, and to them libations are made. hymns also are composed in honour of the gods, and eulogies for men. but the greatest distinction is made by the custom of prostration. for it is the practice that men should be kissed by those who salute them556; but 226because the deity is located somewhere above, it is not lawful even to touch him, and this is the reason no doubt why he is honoured by prostration. bands of choral dancers are also appointed for the gods, and paeans are sung in their honour. and this is not at all wonderful, seeing that certain honours are specially assigned to some of the gods and certain others to other gods, and, by zeus, quite different ones again are assigned to heroes, which are very distinct from those paid to the deities.557 it is not therefore reasonable to confound all these distinctions without discrimination, exalting men to a rank above their condition by extravagant accumulation of honours, and debasing the gods, as far as lies in human power, to an unseemly level, by paying them honours only equal to those paid to men.” he said that alexander would not endure the affront, if some private individual were to be thrust into his royal honours by an unjust vote, either by show of hand or by ballot. much more justly then would the gods be indignant at those mortals who usurp divine honours or suffer themselves to be thrust into them by others. “alexander not only seems to be, but is in reality beyond any competition the bravest of brave men, of kings the most kingly, and of generals the most worthy to command an army. o anaxarchus, it was thy duty, rather than any other man’s, to become the special advocate of these arguments now adduced by me, and the opponent of those contrary to them, seeing that thou associatest with him for the purpose of imparting philosophy and instruction. therefore it was unseemly to begin this discussion, when thou oughtest to have remembered that thou art not associating with and giving advice to cambyses or xerxes, but to the son of philip, who derives his origin from heracles and aeacus,558 whose 227ancestors came into macedonia from argos, and have continued to rule the macedonians, not by force, but by law. not even to heracles himself while still alive were divine honours paid by the greeks; and even after his death they were withheld until a decree had been published by the oracle of the god at delphi that men should honour heracles as a god. but if, because the discussion is held559 in the land of foreigners, we ought to adopt the sentiments of foreigners, i demand, o alexander, that thou shouldst bethink thyself of greece, for whose sake the whole of this expedition was undertaken by thee, that thou mightest join asia to greece. therefore make up thy mind whether thou wilt return thither and compel the greeks, who are men most devoted to freedom, to pay thee the honour of prostration, or whether thou wilt keep aloof from greece, and inflict this honour on the macedonians alone, or thirdly whether thou wilt thyself make a difference in every respect as to the honours to be paid thee, so as to be honoured by the greeks and macedonians as a human being and after the manner of the greeks, and by foreigners alone after the foreign fashion of prostration. but if it is said that cyrus, son of cambyses, was the first man to whom the honour of prostration was paid, and that afterwards this degrading ceremony continued in vogue among the persians and medes, we ought to bear in mind that the scythians, men poor but independent, chastised that cyrus;560 that other scythians again chastised darius, as the athenians and lacedaemonians did xerxes, as clearchus and xenophon with their 10,000 followers did artaxerxes; and finally, that alexander, though not honoured with prostration, has conquered this darius.”