Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

494 ALEXANDER'S ORIENTALISM.Macedonian leaders. The devotion of some pages to thematter will therefore be pardoned. As a touch in Alexander'sportrait, the story is perhaps essential.Alexander's assimiing some portions of the Oriental dressand manners, and encouraging, or at least allowing, the Easterncustom of prostration on approaching his person, was nodoubt jjartly another symptom of weakness as derogatory tohis character as his occasional fits of intemperance ; althoughthe latter had no connection with political requirements, theformer had. It was such lapses from moderation which gaverise, also, to the conspiracy of the pages and the execution ofCallisthenes, the philosopher, and of Hermolaus.Alexander had no doubt begun to suffer in personal characterfrom his almost superhuman successes. His moralforce had in nowise declined ; but some of the petty traits ofhuman nature had struggled through to the surface. Thiswas natural enough. We have seen how violent were thepassions and how strong the superstition he inherited fromhis mother. These had been increased by his career of victoryto a very material extent. The priests of the oracle ofJupiter Ammon had deemed it wise to declare him descendedfrom a god, and though it is improbable that Alexander actuallygave credit to such an idea, he saw fit to use the oraclefor political effect. His remarkable campaigns might wellhave inflated his ideas to the point of real belief in this oraculardictum ; but there are many hints to the effect thatamong his friends he laughed at the proposition. He hadbegun to adopt the Eastern dress and customs for perfectlyvalid political reasons, but he had gone beyond the necessaryor advisable, and had recently come to require a servilitywhich his liberty-loving Macedonians gravely resented. Tothose who remembered the honest greatness of Philip, Alexander'sclaim to be descended from other loins than his had