the news of the
queen's death to Darius, who had fled to the northern part of his
kingdom, where he was hastily gathering together another army. Touched
by Alexander's conduct, Darius now wrote to him, offering peace, and
proposing to share the throne of Persia with him.

The young conqueror's head had been turned by his many victories, and he
was growing more haughty every day: so he proudly refused this proposal,
saying that the world could not have two masters any more than two
suns.

In his pride, Alexander now assumed the dress and state of an Oriental
king, surrounded himself with luxury, and spent most of his time in
feasting and revelry. His courtiers encouraged him in this folly, and he
soon forgot the wise lessons taught by Aristotle.

On several occasions the young king drank so much that he did not know
what he was doing; and once, in a fit of drunken rage, he set fire to
the beautiful palace of Per-sep'o-lis, and burned it to the ground.

As he had refused Darius' offers of peace, he soon considered it
necessary to continue the war: so, laying aside his jeweled robes, he
put on his armor and set out for the north. He was about to overtake the
Persian king, when Darius was mortally wounded by one of his followers
named Bes'sus.

The traitor thought that he would win Alexander's favor by this crime,
and came and boasted of it to him. Alexander was so angry, however, that
he bade his guards seize Bessus, and had him put to death in the most
barbarous way.

When the Macedonian king finally came up with Darius, he found him
bathed in his own blood, and breathing his last. He had only time to
assure him of the safety of his family, and to promise to continue to
protect them, before Darius sank back dead.

By Alexander's orders the body was embalmed, and carried to Sisygambis,
so that it could be properly buried in the beautiful tomb of the Persian
kings. This last act of generosity quite won the aged queen's heart; and
she felt so grateful, that she loved Alexander as long as he lived.

CI. DEFEAT OF PORUS.

Now that Darius was dead, Alexander took the Persian title of "Shah in
Shah" (king of kings), and became ruler of all the empire which had been
subject to the Persian monarch.

He was so proud of his new state and of his vast conquests, that he
entirely forgot that he owed them mostly to his brave generals and
soldiers; and he became so obstinate, that he would no longer listen to
any adv