Besides, he was already greatly feared, and inexorable in the chastisement of a transgressor. For instance, when a certain Menander, one of his companions, who had been put in command of a garrison, refused to remain there, he put him to death; and Orsodates, a Barbarian who had revolted from him, he shot down with his own hand.
Edition :
Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives. with an English Translation by. Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1919. 7.
Remark :
victim: Because Plutarch said "revolted", we assume Orsodates to have been some high-ranking officer, Alexander probably wouldn't have shot a deserter of lower rank himself. motive: Alexander probably wanted to keep others from revolting, so his motives were political as well as emotional. long-term consequence: Alexander's army begins to fear him.
