“Stout ropes to check him, and stout oars to guide.”

he sent for Aristotle, the most renowned philosopher of the age, to be his son’s tutor, and paid him a handsome reward for doing so.  He had captured and destroyed Aristotle’s native city of Stageira; but now he rebuilt it, and repeopled it, ransoming the citizens, who had been, sold for slaves, and bringing back those who were living in exile.  For Alexander and Aristotle he appointed the temple and grove of the nymphs, near the city of Mieza, as a school-house and dwelling; and there to this day are shown the stone seat where Aristotle sat, and the shady avenues where he used to walk.  It is thought that Alexander was taught by him not only his doctrines of Morals and Politics, but also those more abstruse mysteries which are only communicated orally and are kept concealed from the vulgar:  for after he had invaded Asia, hearing that Aristotle had published some treatises on these subjects, he wrote him a letter in which he defended the practice of keeping these speculations secret in the following words:—­

“Alexander to Aristotle wishes health.  You have not done well in publishing abroad those sciences which should only be taught by word of mouth.  For how shall we be distinguished from other men, if the knowledge which we have acquired be made the common property of all?  I myself had rather excel others in excellency of learning than in greatness of power.  Farewell.”

To pacify him, Aristotle wrote in reply that these doctrines were published, and yet not published:  meaning that his treatise on Metaphysics was only written for those who had been instructed in philosophy by himself, and would be quite useless in other hands.

VIII.  I think also that Aristotle more than any one else implanted a love of medicine in Alexander, who was not only fond of discussing the theory, but used to prescribe for his friends when they were sick, and order them to follow special courses of treatment and diet, as we gather from his letters.  He was likewise fond of literature and of reading, and we are told by Onesikritus that he was wont to call the Iliad a complete manual of the military art, and that he always carried with him Aristotle’s recension of Homer’s poems, which is called ‘the casket copy,’ and placed it under his pillow together with his dagger.  Being without books when in the interior of Asia, he ordered Harpalus to send him some.  Harpalus sent him the histories of Philistus, several plays of Euripides, Sophokles, and AEschylus, and the dithyrambic hymns of Telestus and Philoxenus.

Alexander when a youth used to love and admire Aristotle more even than his father, for he said that the latter had enabled him to live, but that the former had taught him to live well.  He afterwards suspected him somewhat; yet he never did him any injury, but only was not so friendly with him as he had been, whereby it was observed that he no longer bore him the good-will he was wont to do.  Notwithstanding this, he never lost that interest in philosophical speculation which he had acquired in his youth, as it proved by the honours which he paid to Anaxarchus, the fifty talents which he sent as a present to Xenokrates, and the protection and encouragement which he gave to Dandamris and Kalanus.