Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

DURING Alexander's stay at Persepolis, in Persia, he entertained his friends at a banquet, at which the guests drank, as usual, to excess. Among the women who were admitted to it, masked, was Thais, the courtesan, a native of Attica, and at that time mistress to Ptolemy, who afterwards was King of Egypt. About the end of the feast, during which Thais had studiously endeavoured to please the King, in the most artful and delicate manner, she said, with a gay tone of voice, "That it would be matter of inexpressible joy to her, were she permitted (masked as she was, and in order to end the entertainment nobly) to burn the magnificent palace of Xerxes, who had burned Athens; and to set it on fire with her own hand, in order that it might be said, in all parts of the world, that the women, who followed Alexander in his expedition to Asia, had taken much better vengeance on the Persians, for the many calamities they had brought on the Grecians, than all the Generals who had fought for them, both by sea and land."

All the guests applauded the discourse; when immediately the King rose from table, (his head being crowned with flowers) and, taking a torch in his hand, he advanced to execute this mighty exploit. The whole company followed him, breaking out into loud exclamations; and afterwards, singing and dancing, they surround the palace. All the rest of the Macedonians, at this noise, ran in crowds with lighted torches, and set fire to every part of it: However, Alexander was sorry, not long after, for what he had done; and thereupon gave orders for extinguishing the flames, but it was too late.

Quintil. lib. i.