us, which runs by the town. The result was a fever, which soon
became so violent as to threaten his life. An Acarnanian physician,
named Philip, who accompanied him, prescribed a remedy; but at the same
time Alexander received a letter informing him that Philip had been
bribed by Darius, the Persian king, to poison him. He had however, too
much confidence in the trusty Philip to believe the accusation and
handed him the letter whilst he drank the draught. Either the
medicine, or Alexander's youthful constitution, at length triumphed
over the disorder. After remaining some time at Tarsus, he continued
his march along the coast to Mallus, where he first received certain
tidings of the great Persian army, commanded by Darius in person. It
is said to have consisted of 600,000 fighting men, besides all that
train of attendants which usually accompanied the march of a Persian
monarch. Alexander found Darius encamped near Issus on the right bank
of the little river Pinarus. The Persian king could hardly have been
caught in a more unfavourable position, since the narrow and rugged
plain between Mount Amanus and the sea afforded no scope for the
evolutions of large bodies, and thus entirely deprived him of the
advantage of his numerical superiority. Alexander occupied the pass
between Syria and Cilicia at midnight, and at daybreak began to descend
into the plain of the Pinarus, ordering his troops to deploy into line
as the ground expanded and thus to arrive in battle-array before the
Persians. Darius had thrown 30,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry across
the river, to check the advance of the Macedonians; whilst on the right
bank were drawn up his choicest Persian troops to the number of 60,000,
together with 30,000 Greek mercenaries, who formed the centre, and on
whom he chiefly relied. These, it appears, were all that the breadth
of the plain allowed to be drawn up in line. The remainder of the vast
host were posted in separate bodies in the farther parts of the plain,
and were unable to take any share in the combat. Darius placed himself
in the centre of the line in a magnificent state chariot. The banks of
the Pinarus were in many parts steep, and where they were level Darius
had caused them to be intrenched. As Alexander advanced, the Persian
cavalry which had been thrown across the river were recalled; but the
20,000 infantry had been driven into the mountains, where Alexander
held them in check with a small bod