Tyrians, not at all terrified by Alexander's threats, determined to ftand it out to the laft. What encouraged them to this refolution, was the ftrength of the place, and the confidence they had in the Carthaginians,. their allies. The city then food on an ifland half a mile diftant from the fhore; was furrounded with a strong wall an hundred and fifty feet high; and was ftored with great plenty of provifions, and all forts of warlike machines: befides, the Carthaginians, who were a powerful ftate, and then mafters of the feas, had promifed to fend them fuccours during the war. What animated the Tyrians to ftand a fiege, gave Alexander no fmall uneafinefs in the undertaking, and carrying it on: for he could no otherwife make his approaches to it, than by carrying a mole or caufey from the. continent to the island on which the city ftood. This grand work he undertook; and, as he was refolved, at any rate, to reduce the city, he accomplished it at laft, maugre the innumerable, and almost infurmountable difficulties he met with in fo bold an attempt. He was affifted in raifing the mole (which was two hundred feet in breadth) by the inhabitants of the neigh.' bouring cities, who were all called in on this occafion; and fupplied with ftones from the ruins of old Tyre, and with timber from Mount Libanus. The Tyrians at first looked upon this undertaking as a rafh and defperate attempt, which could never be attended with any fuccefs: and therefore, from their fhips, laughing at the King, afked him, whether he believed himself to be greater than Neptune ? But, feeing the mole, contrary to their expectation,

pectation, beginning to appear above water, they refolved, for fear of the worst, to fend their wives and children, and fuch as were not fit for fervice, to Carthage; but were prevented, by the arrival of Alexander's fleet from Cyprus. Neither could the Carthaginians affift them with the promifed fuccours, being detained at home by domeftick troubles. However, the Tyrians fainted not in the refolution of ftanding to their defence; firft from their ships, and afterwards, as the mole was brought nearer the city, from the walls, with fhowers of arrows, darts, ftones, &c. wherewith they made a moft dreadful havock of the Macedonians, who were employed in the work, and expofed without any defence. But what most of all disheartened the Macedonians, was a violent ftorm, which, arifing all on a fudden, carried away, in great part, the caufey, after it had been, with unwearied labour, and great lofs of men, brought near the walls of the city. This unlucky accident perplexed Alexander to fuch a degree, that he began to repent he had undertaken the fiege; and would have fent ambaffadors to the Tyrians with terms of peace, had he believed they would have hearkened to them. But as they had thrown headlong into the fea the ambaffadors, who, before the siege, had in his name fummoned them to furrender; he was afraid those he should send now, might meet with fuch like, or more severe treatment. Being therefore diverted, by this apprehenfion, from all thoughts of making up matters by way of treaty; and fully apprifed, that his reputation, and the future progress of his arms, entirely depended

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on the fuccefs of the prefent undertaking; he reaffumed, with feeming chearfulness, the work; repaired, with incredible expedition, the breach which the fea had made in the mole; and, having brought it again almost home to the city, began to batter it with all forts of warlike engines; while the archers and flingers harraffed, without interruption, those who defended it, in order to drive them from their pofts. But the Tyrians ftood their ground; and, by means of a new contrivance of wheels with many spokes, which, being whirled about with an engine, either shattered in pieces the enemy's darts and arrows, or broke their force; covered themselves against the aggreffors; and killed great numbers of them, without fuffering any confiderable lofs on their own fide. But, in the mean time, the wall began to yield to the violence of the rams that battered it night and day uninterruptedly. Whereupon the befieged, fetting all hands to work, raifed, in a very fhort time, a new wall, ten cubits broad, and five cubits diftant from the former; and, by filling up the empty space between the two walls with earth and ftones, kept the Macedonians a long while employed, 'ere they could make, with all their engines, the leaft impreffion on this new piece of fortification. However, Alexander, having joined many of his hips together, and mounted upon them a vaft number of battering engines, befides thofe he had already placed on the mole, fucceeded at laft in the attempt, and Imade a breach a hundred feet wide. But when he came to the affault, in hopes of breaking into the city over the ruins, the Macedonians, though

though encouraged by the presence of their King, were forced to give ground, and retire with great lofs to their hips. Alexander defigned to renew the attack next morning; but the breach having been repaired by the Tyrians during the night, he perceived himfelf no further advanced than when he firft began to batter the walls. Hereupon the Macedonian refolved to change his measures; and, having firft of all brought the mole home to the wall, caused feveral towers to be built, equal in height to the battlements. Thefe towers he filled with the most brave and refolute men of his army; who, pursuant to his directions, having formed a bridge with large planks, refting with one end on the towers, and with the other on the top of the ramparts, endeavoured, fword in hand, to gain the wall; but could not prevail, being opposed by the Tyrians, with unparalelled bravery, and weapons which the Macedonians were altogether unacquianted with. These were three-forked hooks, fastened with a cord, (one end whereof they held themfelves), which, being thrown at a little diftance, ftuck in the enemy's targets, and gave the Tyrians an opportunity, either of phucking their targets out of their hands, and by that means expofing them, without defence, to showers of darts and arrows; or, if they were unwilling to part with their fhields, of pulling them headlong out of the towers fome, by throwing a kind of fishingnets upon the Macedonians that were engaged on the bridges, entangled their hands; fo that they could neither defend themselves, or offend the enemy: others, with long poles,

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armed with iron-hooks, drew them off the bridges, and dashed their brains out against the wall, or on the caufey. In the mean time, a great many engines, placed on the walls, played inceffantly upon the aggreffors, with maffy pieces of red-hot iron, which swept away entire ranks at once. But what most of all disheartened the Macedonians, in the attack, and forced them, at laft, to give it over, was the fcorching fand, which the Tyrians, by a new contrivance, showered upon them for this fand, which was thrown in redhot fhields of iron or brafs, getting within their breast-plates, and coats of mail, tormented them to fuch a degree, that many, finding no other relief, threw themselves headlong into the fea; and others, dying in the anguish of inexpreffible torments, ftruck, with their defperate cries, a terror into all those who heard them. This occafioned unspeakable confusion among the aggreffors, which gave new courage to the Tyrians; who, now leaving the walls, charged the enemy hand to hand, on his own bridges, with fuch refolution, that Alexander, feeing his men give ground, thought fit to found the retreat, and, by that means, in fome degree, fave the the reputation of his Macedonians. Such defperate attacks were frequently renewed by the aggreffors, and always fuftained, with the fame unbroken and undaunted courage, by the befieged. And now Alexander began to entertain fome thoughts of abandoning the enterprize, and continuing his march into Egypt but again confidering the dangerous confequences that muft unavoidably attend

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