Saturday, September 5, 2009

A Hot Place in Hell

Sat 5 Sept 1747: In my road to Bristol I read over Q. Curtius, a fine writer, both as to thought and language. But what a hero does he describe! Whose murder of his old friend and companion Clitus (though not done of a sudden, as is commonly supposed, but deliberately, after some hours’ consideration) was a virtuous act in comparison of his butchering poor Philotas and his good old father, Parmenio. Yet even this was a little thing compared to the thousands and ten thousands he slaughtered, both in battle and in and after taking cities, for no other crime than defending their wives and children. I doubt whether Judas claims so hot a place in hell as Alexander the Great.