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ALEXANDER.

any of the company went astray in the night, they never ceased croaking and making a noise, till by that means they had brought them into the right way again. Having passed through the wilderness, they came to the place; where the high-priest[1] at the first salutation bade Alexander welcome from his father Ammon. And being asked by him whether any of his father's murderers had escaped punishment, 4he charged him to speak with more respect, since his was not a mortal father. Then Alexander, changing his expression, desired to know of him if any of those who murdered Philip were yet unpunished, and further concerning dominion, whether the empire of the world was reserved for him? This, the god answered, he should obtain, and that Philip's death was fully revenged, which gave him so much satisfaction, that he made splendid offerings to Jupiter, and gave the priests very rich presents. 5This is what most authors write concerning the oracles. But Alexander, in a letter to his mother, tells her there were some secret answers, which at his return he would communicate to her only. Others say that the priest, desirous as a piece of courtesy to address him in Greek, "O Paidion,"[2] by a slip in pronunciation ended with the s instead of the n, and said, "O Paidios,"[2] which mistake Alexander was well enough pleased with, and it went for current that the oracle had called him so.

6Among the sayings of one Psammon, a philosopher, whom he heard in Egypt, he most approved of this, that all men are governed by God, because in every thing, that which is chief and commands, is divine. But what

  1. ↑ Literally the Prophet, but the word in English naturally implies a power of prediction possessed by the individual himself; whereas the Greek prophetes, which would not be used in our sense, means merely an utterer of words placed, as it were, in his mouth by the direct act of a divinity.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 O Paidion, O my son, O Pai Dios, O Son of Jupiter.
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