On the twenty-first he did the same,
but his fever grew much worse, so that he suffered much during the
night, and next day was very ill. On rising from his bed he lay beside
the great plunge-bath, and conversed with his generals about certain
posts which were vacant in his army, bidding them choose suitable
persons to fill them. On the twenty-fourth, although very ill, he rose
and offered sacrifice; and he ordered his chief officers to remain
near him, and the commanders of brigades and regiments to pass the
night at his gate. On the twenty-fifth he was carried over the river
to the other palace, and slept a little, but the fever did not leave
him. When his generals came to see him he was speechless, and remained
so during the twenty-fifth, so that the Macedonians thought that he
was dead. They clamoured at his palace gates, and threatened the
attendants until they forced their way in. When the gates were thrown
open they all filed past his bed one by one, dressed only in their
tunics. On this day Python and Seleukus, who had been to the temple of
Serapis, enquired whether they should bring Alexander thither. The god
answered that they must leave him alone. The eight and twentieth day
of the month, towards evening, Alexander died."
LXXVII. Most of the above is copied, word for word, from Alexander's
household diary. No one had any suspicion of poison at the time; but
it is said that six years after there appeared clear proof that he was
poisoned, and that Olympias put many men to death, and caused the
ashes of Iolas, who had died in the mean time, to be cast to the
winds, as though he had administered the poison to Alexander.
Pages:
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575