He on one occasion before this, when conversing with Alexander, told
him that of all mountains in the world Mount Athos in Thrace was that
which could most easily be carved into the figure of a man; and that,
if Alexander would give him the order, he would form Athos into the
most magnificent and durable monument of him that the world had ever
seen, as he would represent him as holding in his left hand the city
of Myriandrus, and with his right pouring, as a libation, a copious
river into the sea. Alexander would not, indeed, adopt this
suggestion, but was fond of discussing much more wonderful and costly
designs than this with his engineers.
LXXIII. Just as Alexander was on the point of starting for Babylon,
Nearchus, who had returned with his fleet up the Euphrates, met him,
and informed him that some Chaldaeans had warned Alexander to avoid
Babylon. He took no heed of this warning, but went his way. When he
drew near the walls he saw many crows flying about and pecking at one
another, some of whom fell to the ground close beside him. After this,
as he heard that Apollodorus, the governor of Babylon, had sacrificed
to the gods to know what would happen to Alexander, he sent for
Pythagoras, the soothsayer, who had conducted the sacrifice, to know
if this were true. The soothsayer admitted that it was, on which
Alexander inquired what signs he had observed in the sacrifice.
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