Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

382 THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Now there ^re some who say that Aristotle,
Aristotle's the sagc, the teacher of Alexander, taught the
^ ° "'"'
ten sciences of the earth and established them,
and that he composed many treatises on the
healing of the body, besides other well known
books. And he compiled for Alexander a work,
which we have mentioned in a previous place, and
entitled it "The Book of the Knowledge of the
"Laws of Destiny," and in it [he treated of] the
science of talismans, and the art of astrology, and
he drew therein magical figures which [were to
be used] for frightening and terrifying [men], and
he further gave instructions to him that would
use them how to make use of them all. Now
Aristotle heard [on a time] that Alexander wished
to make war upon a certain city wherein were
many wise men, and these men, when the enemy
came to this city, were wont to gather themselves
together in the tower and in the fortress of the
city, and to work their magical power, and although
the enemy had weapons of war with them they
were unable to vanquish them by any means,
and submitted before their knowledge. Then did
An instance Aristotle make the magical figures which struck
of his v^an- r-.
n 1 • 1
derfui pow- fear [mto men], which we have already mentioned,
and he skilfully placed in them a number of horns,
great and little, and [to each he gave] a drum
and a trumpet; and he commanded Alexander to
keep this matter secret. And it came to pass
that when he came to fight against the city he
commanded his servants to sound the trumpets