Kleitus was engaged in offering
sacrifice, but on receiving this summons left his sacrifice and went
to the king: upon which, three of the sheep which he was about to
offer up as victims, followed him. When Alexander heard of this, he
consulted his soothsayers, Aristander, and Kleomantes the Laconian. As
they reported that this was an evil omen, he bade them at once offer
an expiatory sacrifice on behalf of Kleitus; for he himself, three
days before, had dreamed a strange dream about Kleitus, that he had
seen him sitting dressed in black amongst the sons of Parmenio, who
were all of them dead. Before, however, the sacrifices on behalf of
Kleitus had been performed, he came to the banquet, before which
Alexander himself had offered sacrifice to the Dioskuri.
After all had drunk heavily, a song was sung which had been composed
by one Pranichus, or Pierion according to some writers, in which the
generals who had recently been defeated by the barbarians were held up
to public shame and ridicule. The elder Macedonians were vexed at
this, and blamed both the writer of the song and the man who sung it,
but Alexander and his associates were much pleased with it, and bade
the singer go on. Kleitus, who was now very much excited by drink and
who was naturally of a fierce and independent temper, was especially
annoyed, and said that it was not right for Macedonians to be thus
insulted in the presence of enemies and barbarians, for that, in spite
of their misfortune, they were far braver men than those who ridiculed
them.
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