Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/308

276 HISTORY OF GREECE. Lykurgus, and the contentions of orators respecting privats dia putes or politics of the past. But though Grecian history is tlius stagnant and suspended during the first years of Alexander's Asiatic campaigns, it might at any moment have become animated with an active spirit of self-emancipation, if he had experienced reverses, or if the Per- sians had administered their own affairs with skill and vigor. I have already stated, that during the first two years of the war, the Persian fleet (we ought rather to say, the Phenician fleet in the Persian service) had a decided superiority at sea. Darius possessed untold treasures which might have indefinitely in- creased that superiority and multiplied his means of transmarine action, had he chosen to follow the advice of Memnon, by acting vigorously from the sea and strictly on the defensive by land. The movement or quiescence of the Greeks therefore depended on the turn of affiairs in Asia ; as Alexander himself was Avell aware During the winter of 334—333 b. c, Memnon with the Persian fleet appeared to be making progress among the islands in the JEgean,' and the anti-Macedonian Greeks were expecting him farther westward in Euboea and Peloponnesus. Their hopes being dashed by his unexpected death, and still more by Darius's abandonment of the Memnonian plans, they had next to wait for the chance of what might be achieved by the immense Pei'sian land-force. Even down to the eve of the battle of Issus, Demosthenes^ and others (as has already been mentioned) were encouraged by their correspondents in Asia to anticipate success for Darius even in pitched battle. But after the great disaster at Issus, during a year and a half (from November 333 B. c. to March or April 331 b. c), no hope was pos- sible. The Persian force seemed extinct, and Darius was so paralyzed by the captivity of his family, that he suffered even the citizens of Tyre and Gaza to perish in their gallant efforts of defence, without the least effort to save them. At length, in the spring of 331 B. c, the prospects again ap- peared to improve. A second Persian army, countless like the first, was assembling eastward of the Tigris; Alexander ad- ^ Arrian., ii. 1. ' .^schines cont. Ktcsijili. p t>3