Читать книгу The Story of Alexander - Robert Steele - Страница 7

CHAPTER IV. TELLS OF THE EMBASSY OF DARIUS, OF THE DEATH OF PHILIP, AND THE CROWNING OF ALEXANDER.

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The tale tells that on a day men told in Macedon that an embassy from the Emperor of the World, Darius of Persia, was drawing near; and the whole city came out, men, women, and children, to see them enter. But there was doubt and fear in the court of Philip, for they were coming to demand from him the tribute which he had not paid for the last three years, and the king had made up his mind to be no more subject to the Persians, and Alexander had sworn to conquer them in war if his father would raise an army against them, but Philip would not, for he knew that no man could count the armies of Darius, spent he his whole life to that end.

And so the heralds came riding up to the gate of the town mounted on their high steeds, and there were three of them, and each of them was a king, and wore armour of proof. On each man’s head was a golden crown, and their pages bore before them their helmets. The herald who was on the right wore bright silver armour; his surcoat was dark green, and on it was worked a fierce tiger rushing on his prey, and he was the herald of Media. The herald riding on the left wore black armour from head to foot, and his surcoat was of scarlet, and on it was a wild boar turning to face his foe, and this was the herald of Persia. But the herald in the middle was clad from head to foot in bright gold, and his surcoat was of a deep clear blue, and on it shone the sun high over all the world, and all men shouted when they saw him, for he was a head taller than common men, and he was the herald of the Emperor of the World.

When they reached the gate the trumpeters blew three long calls on their trumpets with a silence between each, and the drawbridge, which had been raised, slowly fell, and the great gate of the city opened, and the herald of the King of Macedon came forth and greeted them fair, and offered them rest and hostage till such time as they should see the king. But they said, “O dear brother and friend, it is not fitting that we eat or drink in this town till we have done the errand of our lord, or till we know whether we harbour with friends and servants, or with foes and traitors of the Master of the World. Wherefore we pray you, dear brother, that you will lead us to the hall of your prince that we may do our errand, not doubting that after it we shall be beholden to your love for rest and comfort.” So the heralds dismounted, and their men remained without with their horses, while they went into the town and through the streets up to the palace hall of Philip.

Now the king was sitting on his throne under the daïs at the upper end of the hall, and on his right hand sat the noble Alexander, and round the king on his right and his left were the nobles of the land, greybeards and youth. And when the coming of the heralds was told them the king rose from his seat, and as they stepped forward so did he, and he came to the middle of the hall and three steps further, for all men did reverence in those days to the herald. And he greeted them, and on the neck of each man he threw a chain of gold, and much he praised them for their fame. But the heralds spoke and said, “O king, we have a message for thee, nor may we delay.” And he said, “Speak on.”

The Heralds of the Emperor Darius.

So the Wild Boar of Persia spake: “O Philip, for three years thou hast not sent thy accustomed tribute to Persia, nor a part of it. Now, therefore, pay it at once, or fear the wrath of Persia.” Then the Tiger of Darius the Mede, spake: “O king, forasmuch as in past years thou hast served the king, and as perchance thy land has suffered from famine and war, thy king and friend, Darius, forgives thee freely thy past tribute by my mouth.” But the herald of the Empire of the World added: “On this condition only, that thou payest over to me three sacks full of Grecian earth in token of thy obedience to the great Emperor, and to show that hereafter thy tribute shall not fail.”

For a short time there was silence in the great hall, and then Alexander spake out: “Fair father and lord, suffer me to answer for thee.” Then turning to the heralds, “Return,” said he, “return to your people and to your master, and bid him to send no more messages here of this matter, for know that Philip hath a son grown that yields to no man, and obeys no lord. Tell him that the land of Macedon which in times past yielded him wealth so freely is now barren, and will give him henceforth no tribute, come what may.” These words and more he said, yet he departed not from the courtesy that beseemeth great lords, and the heralds wondered at his speech, and greatly they praised him to his father. But Alexander sought out the herald of the Sun and gave him a fair jewel, and said to him that it was to retain him against the day when he should be emperor in his turn.

It must be said that these heralds had gone through all the lands subject to the Emperor of Persia, for they had a secret errand from Darius. Now Darius had no son, and but one fair daughter, Roxana by name, and he was minded to marry her to one of the king’s sons of the lands, so the heralds were straitly charged to get the portraits of the princes and kings, and in their train was a skilled painter. Thus it fell that during the three days of guesting the painter drew a likeness of the prince exactly his height and size, and it was taken back to Darius with the other portraits, that the Emperor might choose the prince who should marry his daughter, and succeed him in the empire. And after the three days of hostage the heralds took their leave of King Philip, and went their way, and in due time they arrived at the court of Darius, the proud king of Persia, and there they told him how his tribute was lost, and how Philip’s son had spoken.

In Macedon meanwhile many things had happened, for it was told Philip that all the land of Armenia had revolted against him, and that the earls and princes were in arms, so Alexander gathered a host and marched against them, and, shortly to tell, he laid waste all the land of the rebels. But while he had marched away a worse thing fell to Philip, for a prince of the land, Pausanius, son of Cerastes, who dwelt in the marches of Macedon, and was one of his noblest knights, rose against him. And this was the reason of his rebellion:—For many years this lord had loved the queen Olympias, and when Philip put her away he had come to the feast of the king’s new marriage to defy him and to take her away, but when Alexander restored her to her place he departed sorrowful, and the love in his heart burned up, till at the last he summoned all his friends to make war on Philip, if by any means he might kill him, and carry off the fair queen to be his wife.

Now Philip gathered together all his men and went out to war with Pausanius, but the folk that were with him were few, and when they met in the field fear fell on him, and he turned and fled to his castle. Then all men shouted when they saw that the great Philip had shewn his back, and Pausanius sprung out of the ranks on his proud steed, and speeding after the king struck him through the back to the breast and bore him to the earth, and there he lay on the highway half dead. Then Pausanius rode on, and all Philip’s men fell back, for they were sore troubled when they saw their king wounded to death. So the prince came to the castle, and joy was in his heart, for he thought to bring out the fair queen and to lead her away. But in the heat of his joy Alexander returned victorious from Armenia with the nobles of Macedon, and when he heard the noise of the weapons he spurred into the town. Now the queen had shut the door of the castle-keep, and when the noise of the host was heard she flew to the window at the top, and by the arms and spoil she knew it was her son returned victorious. Then the queen called to her son with a loud voice, “O son, who shall never be conquered, avenge and help thy mother in her need,” and Alexander heard her, and wrath rose in his heart. But when Pausanius heard that Alexander had come, he came armed out of the palace, and with him a host of mighty men, and the hosts met in mid-field; yet short was the fight, for Alexander swung out his sharp sword and with one blow struck him dead, and all his men gave up their weapons to the noble conqueror. Then came one and told him that his father lay wounded on the highway, and Alexander rushed forth and found him as one near death, and he fell down by his side and wept bitterly. But the old king said, “Ah, son Alexander, now am I near my end, but yet am I glad to have lived long enough to see my slayer so soon killed. Well be thou that thou hast avenged me.” Then he raised up his head and looked at his son, but the effort was too much for him, and with one groan he died.

The tale tells of how Alexander grieved for the death of Philip as one grieves for the loss of his father, and of the burial of the old king: how he was borne on men’s shoulders to bale, how his barons and knights followed him as he was laid to rest in his own land, and how all men of the land, rich and poor, noble and simple, grieved for the loss of the great king. The next day Alexander sat on his throne, a bright gold crown studded with gems on his head, and in his hand the sceptre of his father. Then the heralds proclaimed that all the court should draw near, and that all men should do their liege homage to him, and they came at his call, and all men acknowledged him as lord on their bended knees, and Alexander put off his crown from him and laid it on the throne, and rose up and spoke to his people in this wise: “Fair lords, I will in no wise be contrary to your wills, nor to your deeds. But I show to you that I hate frauds and malice, and as I have loved you during my father’s life, so will I do in time to come. And I both counsel and pray you that ye dread the gods, and obey them; and that ye choose for king him that shall best provide for the good estate of his people, and that shall be most courteous and merciful to poor folk, him that will best keep justice and the right of the feeble against the mighty, and him that most boldly shall put him in array to destroy your enemies; for such ought to be chosen king and none other.”

Now when the lords of the land had heard his reasons abovesaid, and considered his great discretion, wit, and understanding, they marvelled greatly, and answered him thus: “We have heard and understand thy great reasons, and have received thy good counsels, and therefore we will and beseech thee that thou reign over us, and have the lordship upon us. During thy life may there be none who shall deserve to be our king rather than thou.” And thus they chose him to be their king, and crowned him, and gave him their troth, and prayed the gods to bless and maintain him.

That night as Alexander lay on his bed he dreamed, and in his dream he saw Anectanabus, the wise Egyptian, come to him; on his head were two ram’s horns, and his coat was brown. It seemed that he came to him as he lay, and put his hand on his shoulder and said, “Stay thou not in this land of Macedon, but go forth into all lands, for thou shalt conquer them, and they shall be subject to thee, and thou shalt not die, except on a soil of iron, beneath a sky of gold.” Then came to him one dressed in robes of blue and purple and gold, covered with all manner of embroidered figures, and on his head was a strange crown of gold and pearls and precious stones, and he said, “The God whom I serve shall teach thee to destroy the empire of the Persians.” And last there came to him a very fair lady, tall and graceful, and she looked on him with love, and said, “O Alexander, my heart’s lord, when thou hast overcome the Persians, indeed thou shalt reign over them, and I shall be thy queen and lady-love. Let this be the sign between thee and me, that we meet first at the feast of the Lord of Persia.”