Ever insatiable of glory, Alexander laid siege to Persepolis, the
capital of the Persian empire. At his approach, the inhabitants
deserted the city, and fled away into the deserts, and the conqueror
entered without the least obstacle. The Macedonian soldiery, greedy
of booty, pillaged the city, and destroyed the few inhabitants they
met with. But Alexander stopped the carnage, and gave orders that the
virtue of the women should be respected. Almost all the treasures
and magazines of the Persians were collected in Persepolis, which
had been their capital from the time of Cyrus. The amount of wealth
is so enormous, that a modern historian is afraid to repeat what the
ancients have stated: it appears to be a subject for the imagination
rather than of calculation or comparison. So rich a booty gave rise
to the idea of celebrating this event by a festival. Tables were
spread in the streets; the soldiers gave themselves up to rejoicings
and the enjoyment of good cheer, whilst their prince presided at a
grand banquet given to his officers and friends. Thaïs, an Athenian
courtezan, the mistress of Ptolemy, who was afterwards king of Egypt,
had gained the privilege of being admitted to the royal table by her
wit and gaiety, and was accustomed to address the conqueror of Asia
with the utmost freedom. When wine had sufficiently warmed the guests,
Thaïs exclaimed--“Noble lord! thanks to your invincible courage, Greece
is avenged; you are master of Persia, and we are quaffing the wines of
Darius in the palace of the Persian kings. The pleasures I enjoy in
this superb abode make amends for the fatigues I have endured whilst
you subdued Asia. There is only one thing wanting to complete my
felicity. Great prince, why will you not permit the women who have had
the honour to follow your warriors to make one glorious blaze of the
dwelling of Xerxes, the barbarian who burnt and destroyed my country? I
should consider myself a thousand times too fortunate if I could myself
set fire to it in your presence, and to let it be known to all ages,
that a woman in the train of the great Alexander had more nobly avenged
Greece than Miltiades or Themistocles had done!” The guests applauded
this boastful appeal. The king rose from table with his head crowned
with flowers, and seizing a blazing torch, rushed to the execution of
the suggested sacrifice. The Macedonians, following the example of
their king and Thaïs, spread themselves in all directions with their
flaming brands, and soon produced an awful conflagration. But scarcely
had the first flame cast its glare around, than Alexander became aware
of his folly, and gave earnest orders for the extinguishing of the
fire; but it was too late--the palace was consumed.