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ALEXANDER'S CHALLENGE TO PORUS. 1 23<br />

that they wept and howled like dogs, and they The dismay<br />

wished to throw down the arms' which were in donians.""'<br />

their hands and to forsake <strong>Alexander</strong> and go over<br />

to the enemy.<br />

And^ it came to pass that when <strong>Alexander</strong> saw<br />

this he drew nigh unto their midst, being himself<br />

in great tribulation, and he wished to stop the<br />

fight. And having commanded the soldiers to cease <strong>Alexander</strong><br />

fighting, he cried out, saying, "O Porus, king of^eeTporus<br />

"India, behold I perceive and know thy strength and 1.°^^^°'°^''<br />

"might, and moreover, what thou doest lieth hard<br />

"upon me, and my heart is aweary; and I have<br />

"considered the fatigue whereby we all are perishing.<br />

"Now, although I may wish to destroy my own<br />

"life [p. 69], I would not that all these men [who<br />

"are with me] should perish, for it is I who have<br />

"brought [them] nigh unto death here, and it is<br />

"not a right thing for a king to deliver his soldiers<br />

"unto death and to save his own life. Now I would<br />

"that we command our armies to cease fighting<br />

"for a little, and that we two go down and do<br />

"battle with each other; whosoever slayeth his<br />

"neighbour shall take his kingdom, and his soldiers<br />

"shall be servants unto him, and whatsoever he<br />

"willeth he shall do unto them."<br />

And it came to pass that when Porus, the king<br />

' Some words like TrV? • rh^'A ' have dropped out of<br />

the text.<br />

^ See Pseudo-Callisthenes, Bk. iii. chap. 4 (Miiller, p. 98,<br />

Meusel, p. 771).<br />

Q2

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