The Golden Hope: A Story of the Time of King Alexander the Great

For what was all his war in Asia after the death of Philippus, but tempests, extreme heats, wonderful deep rimers, marvellous high mountains, monstrous beasts for greatness to behold, wild savage fashions of life, change and alteration of governors upon every occasion, yea treasons and rebellions of some? At the beginning of his voyage, Greece did yet lay their heads together, for the remembrance of the wars that Philippus made upon them: the towns gathered together: Macedonia inclined to some change and alteration: divers people far and near lay in wait to see what their neighbours would do: the gold and silver of Persia flowing in the orators purses, and governors of the people did raise up Peloponnese: Philippus treasure and coffers were empty, and the debts were great. In despite of all these troubles, and in the middest of his poverty, a young man, but newly come to mans estate, durst in his mind think of the conquest of Asia, yea of the empire of the whole world, with thirty thousand footmen and five thousand horse, howbeit he was furnished with magnanimity, with temperance, with wisdom, and valour: being more holpen in this martial enterprise, with that he had learned of his tutor Aristotle, than with that which his father Philippus had left him. In Alexander sactions they see, that his valiantness is gentle, his gentleness valiant: his liberality, husbandry, his choler soon down, his loves temperate, his pastimes not idle, and his travels gracious. What is he that hath mingled feasting with wars, and military expeditions with sports? Who hath intermingled in the middest of his besieging of towns: and in the middest of skirmishes and fights, sports, banquets, and wedding songs? Who was ever more enemy to those that did wrong, nor more gracious to the afflicted? Who was ever more cruel to those that fought, or mare just unto suppliants? Nor