and folded up within it, cut it asunder with his sword. But Aristobulus
tells us it was easy for him to undo it, by only pulling the pin out
of the pole, to which the yoke was tied, and afterwards drawing off the
yoke itself from below.

Darius was by this time upon his march from Susa, very confident, in the
number of his men, which amounted to six hundred thousand. But Alexander
was detained in Cilicia by a sickness, which some say he contracted from
his fatigues, others from bathing in the river Cydnus, whose waters were
exceedingly cold. None of his physicians would venture to give him any
remedies, they thought his case so desperate, and were so afraid of the
suspicions and ill-will of the Macedonians if they should fail in the
cure; till Philip, the Acarnanian, seeing how critical his case was, but
relying on his own well-known friendship for him, resolved to try the
last efforts of his art, and rather hazard his own credit and life,
than suffer him to perish for want of physic, which he confidently
administered to him, encouraging him to take it boldly, if he desired
a speedy recovery, in order to prosecute the war. At this very time,
Parmenio wrote to Alexander from the camp, bidding him have a care of
Philip, as one who was bribed by Darius to kill him, with great sums of
money, and a promise of his daughter in marriage. When he had perused
the letter, he put it under his pillow, without so much as showing it
to any of his most intimate friends, and when Philip came in with the
potion, he took it with great cheerfulness and assurance, giving him
meantime the letter to read. This was a spectacle well worth being
present at, to see Alexander take the draught, and Philip read the
letter at the same time, and then turn and look upon one another, but
with different sentiments; for Alexander's looks were cheerful and open,
to show his kindness to and confidence in his physician, while the other
was full of surprise and alarm at the accusation, appealing to the gods
to witness his innocence, sometimes lifting up his hands to heaven, and
then throwing himself down by the bedside, and beseeching Alexander to
lay aside all fear, and follow his directions without apprehension. For
the medicine at first worked so strongly as to drive, as it were, the
vital forces into the interior; he lost his speech, and falling into a
swoon, had scarcely any sense or pulse left. However, in a very short
time, by Philip's means, his healt