Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

HISTORICAL ANECDOTE

When the Scythian Ambassadors waited on Alexander the Great, they gazed attentively upon him for a long time without speaking a word, being very probably surprised (as they formed a judgment of men from their air and stature) to find that his did not answer the high idea they had entertained of him from his fame. At last, the oldest of the Ambassadors addressed him thus: "Had the Gods given thee a body proportionable to thy ambition, the whole universe would have been too little for thee. With one hand thou wouldst touch the East, and with the other the West, and, not satisfied with this, thou wouldst follow the Sun, and know where he hides himself. But what have we to do with thee? we never set foot in thy country. May not those who inhabit woods be allowed to live without knowing whom thou art, and whence thou comest? We will neither command over nor submit to any man. And that thou mayest be sensible what kind of people the Scythians are, know, that we received from Heaven, as a rich present a yoke of oxen, a plow-share, a dart, a javelin, and cup:--these we make use of, both with our friends and against our enemies--To our friends we give corn, which we procure by the labour of our oxen; with them we offer wine to the Gods in our cup: and with regard to our enemies, we combat them at distance with our arrows, and near at hand with our javelins.--But thou, who boastest thy coming to extirpate robbers, thou thyself art the greatest robber upon earth. Thou hast plundered all nations thou overcamest: thou hast possessed thyself of Lydia, invaded Syria, Persia and Bactrinia; thou art forming a design to march as far as India, and now thou comest hither to seize upon our herds of cattle. The great possessions thou hast, only make thee covet more eagerly what thou hast not. If thou art a God, thou oughtest to do good to mortals, and not deprive them of their possessions. If thou art a mere man, reflect always on what thou art. They whom thou shalt not molest, will be thy true friends--the strongest friendships being contracted between equals; and they are esteemed equals who have not tried their strength against each other; but do not imagine, that those whom thou conquerest can love thee."