The history of the world Author:John Gillies Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PRELIMINARY SURVEY ALEXANDER'S CONQUESTS. SECTION V. Application of the preceding Survey to Alexander's Undertakings in the East. His Views with regard ... more »to the West. The Historian Livys Defiance. State of Rome at that Period. Of Carthage. Alexander's Helps towards executing his boldest Projects. Especially from Greeks in the three Divisions of the World. Alexander's lust Operati'.iis in Babylonia, connected with useful Establishments on his most remote Frontiers. His Death and Testament SECT. IN surveying Alexander's conquests, the object which I v have in view, is that of qualifying my readers to enter with tioPnPofathis satisfaction on the historical part of this work. The descrip- :|u"re?- tion of imperial districts and great capitals is therefore more copious and more circumstantial than that of other cities and provinces, not only because such objects are peculiarly interesting in themselves, but because our attention will more frequently be recalled to them. Upon the same principle, as far as my materials would allow me, I have adjusted the proportions of all subordinate parts; so that wherever the scene of the following history may be transported, the reader may still find himself among countries and nations, with whose transactions, manners, and local circumstances, he is not unacquainted. But besides this general end, which bears a reference to the whole of the following history, the above related changes in empire, and the statistical discussions with which they areaccompanied, will enable us jto discern the intent of underta- Sect. kings which Alexander, indeed, lived not to cany into exe- — cution,but which serve to-evince his perfect knowledge, both of the materials with which he had to work, and of the lessons which correct historical experience...« less