ALEXANDER CAPTURES THE ROCK AND MARRIES ROXANA.
All the men who had gained practice in scaling rocks in sieges, banded
themselves together to the number of three hundred, and provided
themselves with the small iron pegs with which their tents had been
fastened to the ground, with the intention of fixing them into the
snow, where it might be seen to be frozen hard, or into the ground, if
it should anywhere exhibit itself free from snow. Tying strong ropes
made of flax to these pegs, they advanced in the night towards the most
precipitous part of the rock, which was also most unguarded; and fixing
some of these pegs into the earth, where it made itself visible, and
others into the snow where it seemed least likely to break up, they
hoisted themselves up the rock, some in one place and some in another.
Thirty of them perished in the ascent; and as they fell into various
parts of the snows, not even could their bodies be found for burial.
The rest, however, reached the top of the mountain at the approach of
dawn; and taking possession of it, they waved linen flags towards the
camp of the Macedonians,[584] as Alexander had directed them to do. He
now sent a herald with instructions to shout to the sentries of the
barbarians to make no further delay, but surrender at once; since “the
winged men” had been found, and the summits of the mountain were in
their possession. At the same time the herald pointed at the soldiers
upon the crest of the mountain. The barbarians, being alarmed by the
unexpectedness of the sight, and suspecting that the men who were
occupying the peaks were more numerous than they really were, and that
they were completely armed, surrendered, so frightened did they become
at the sight of those few Macedonians. The wives and children of many
important men were there captured, including those of Oxyartes. This
chief had a daughter, a maiden of marriageable age, named Roxana,[585]
who was asserted by the men who served in Alexander’s army to have been
the most beautiful of all Asiatic women, with the single exception of
the wife of Darius.[586] They also say that no sooner did Alexander
see her than he fell in love with her; but though he was in love
with her, he refused to offer violence to her as a captive, and did
not think it derogatory to his dignity to marry her. This conduct of
Alexander I think worthy rather of praise than blame. Moreover, in
regard to the wife of Darius, who was said to be the most beautiful
woman in Asia, he either did not entertain a passion for her, or else
he exercised control over himself,[587] though he was young, and in
the very meridian of success, when men usually act with insolence and
violence. On the contrary, he acted with modesty and spared her honour,
exercising a great amount of chastity, and at the same time exhibiting
a very proper desire to obtain a good reputation.[588]