Life of Alexander by Plutarch

1 It being my ршроѕе to write the lives of Alexander the king, and of Caesar, by whom Pompey was destroyed, the multitude of their great actions affords ѕо large а field that I were to blame if I should not by way of apology forewam my reader that I bave chosen rather to epitomize the most celebrated parts of their story, than to insist at large on every particular circumstance of it. It must be borne in mind that my design is not to write histories, but lives. And the most glorious exploits do not always fumish us with the clearest discoveries of virtue or vice in men; sometimes а matter of less moment, an expression or а jest, infoпns us better of their characters and inclinations, than the most famous sieges, the greatest armaments, or the bloodiest battles whatsoever. Therefore аѕ portrait-painters are more exact in the lines and features of the face in which the charactei­ is seen, than in the other parts of the body, ѕо I must be allowed to give my more pai-ticular attention to the marks and indications of the souls of men, and while I endeavor by these to ро111-ау their lives, may be fi:ee to leave more weighty matte1-s and great battles to be treated of by others.

It is agreed on by all hands, that on the father's side, Alexander descended fi:om Hercules by Caranus, and fi:om Aeacus by Neoptolemus on the mother's side. Нiѕ father Philip, being in Samothrace, when he was quite yotшg, fell in love there with Olympias, in company with whom he was initiated in the religious ceremonies of the country, and her father and mother being both dead, soon after, with the consent of her brother Arymbas, he married her. Тhе night before the consuonnation of their marriage, she dreamed that а th1.Шderbolt fell upon her body, which kindled а great ftre, whose divided flames dispersed themselves all about, and then were extin,,auished. And Philip some time after he was married, dreamt that he sealed up his wife's body with а seal, whose impression, аѕ he fancied, was the figure of а lion. Some of the diviners intelJ)feted this аѕ а waming to Philip to look narrowly to his wife; but Aristandei- of Tebnessus, considering how 1.Шusual it was to seal up anything that was empty, assured him the meaning of his dream was, that the queen was with child of а boy, who would one day prove аѕ stout and courageous аѕ а lion. Once, moreover, а sel.J)ent was fo1.Шd lying by Olympias аѕ she slept, which more than anything else, it is said,

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