Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.

Capitulum vicesimum octavum.

AFTER this kynge Alexander toke to hym þe diademe of kynges of Persia, ageyne the maner and consuetude of men

of Macedonia. Whiche commaundede also his frendes to were longe clothenges of clothe of golde, leste that he scholde seme to be a transgressor oonly, causenge also his hoste to be noryschede with mony diversites of meytes leste that the concupiscence of the flesche scholde decrease with abstinence. Also he onornede theire meytes with mony disportes, hauenge not in remembrance that richesse scholde decrease þerby rather then to be encreasede. The peple grucchenge that he refusede as consuetudes of theire cuntre of Macedony and of his faders afore hym, thenkenge to redresse that rumor by some pleasure, suffrede his knyȝhtes and men to mary women whom he hade taken in captivite, that they myȝte berre more liȝhtely the labores of chevallery, and haue the lesse remembraunce of theire cuntre, supposenge and iug|genge men of Macedonia to be more stronge mariede in [folio 161a] ferre cuntres then and if they scholde fiȝhte in theire awne

cuntre. Also kynge Alexander ordeynede for the norisch|enge of theire childer, and horses and armor for yonge men, and rewardes to theire faders; and if the faders diede theire sonnes scholde haue theire stipendy, the childehode of whom was as chevallery. After that Alexander hauenge the victory of men of Parthia began to be fers and cruelle amonge his peple, and specially with his luffers reprouenge hym for his excesse or offense. Whiche did sle Parmenides with his son Phileta, in that thei seide he hade forgeten the consuetude of his progenitors and of his cuntre. Policronicon. Alexander laborenge ofte in drunkenesse, exercisede most specially that

tyme crudelite, in whiche passion it happede him to haue condempnede a noble man of his hoste in a tyme to be hedede. That noble man herenge the iuggemente appellede from hym. Alexander meruailenge of that appellacion, sithe appellacion awe to be hade from the inferior to þe superior, and mouede more greuously ageyne hym, inquirede of hym from whom he appellede and vnto whom. The noble man seide openly, "From kynge Alexander drunke to kynge Alexander beenge sobre." Alexander mitigate þro that answere differrede the sentence, and after ȝafe to hym his lyfe. Trogus. After that kynge Alexander made subiecte to hym peple dwellenge at the foote of the hille of Caucasies, whiche edifiede a cite callede Alexandria, on the water of Thanays. ℞. Hit is to be attended that kynge Alexander made xij. cites in diuerse regions, namenge theyme by this name Alexandria, that is to say, at Thanays, Pontus, Sithia, at þe Messagetes, Egipte, Troada, Tigris, and at Staurum. In the walles of whom he causede to be write in Grewe in this wise: "Alexander of þe

kynde of Iubiter the grete godde." Trogus, libro vicesimo secundo. The peple inclusede within Meotides paludes wrote to kynge Alexander in this wyse: "Thauȝhe goddes obeye and expresse the habite of thy mynde and body, neuertheles thei wille not condescende to the couetisenesse of thy mynde; for and if thei scholde, alle the worlde wolde not suffice to the. Knowes þow not trees that haue growen longe sodenly [folio 161b] to falle. Attende welle leste that thow takenge bowes falle downe with the tree. A lyon is seen oftetymes to be the meyte of smale bestes and briddes. Also harde irne is con|sumede ofte by rowste. Þer is noo þinge so sure but it is unstable by perelle, and ofte destroyede by a simple thynge. What wolde þou with us? we towche not thy londe; we desire not to be subiecte to eny man, neither to haue lordeschippe. Also thow hase ioy to folowe thefes, being as maister of alle theues. What nede hase thow to rich|esse,

whiche cause the to be so covetous, noo man suffrethe gladdely a straunge gouernour and an aliaunte. And if thow be a god thow awe to schewe grace to thynges mortalle and benefites, and not to take theire goodes from theyme. And if thow be a man, haue remembraunce what thow arte; for thou may haue þose men frendes to the ageyne whom thow ȝiffes not bataile, also þow may haue those men suspecte alleweye whom þow hase made subiecte to the by werre and bataile. There is frendeschippe be|twene a servaunte and a lorde vnnethe luffe in pease." On a tyme in a feste þer was mencion made amonge the frendes of kynge Alexander of the gestes of kinge Philippe, where kynge Alexander began to boste of hym selfe. A noble clerke and an olde man, trustenge moche in the frendeschippe of þe kynge, commendenge kynge Philippe, was sleyne of kynge Alexander. After that, kynge Alexander remembrenge the

dethe of his frende, the cause, and also the tyme of the feste, makenge grete sorowe began to weipe, whiche embracenge his frende y-sleyne, and felenge his woundes, toke þe wepyn owte from his wounde, and wolde haue pereschede hym selfe with hit. For that clerke was the broþer of the norische of kynge Alexander: whiche sorowe Calistenes the philosophre, and condisciple of kynge Alexander, kowthe vnnethe sease by the space of iiij. daies. Trogus, libro vicesimo primo. And after that kynge Alexander commaundede the seide philo|sophre to be pereschede, and to haue his membres kytte aweye, [folio 162a] and to be caste in to a diche with a grete dogge, thenkenge this philosophre to haue intendede treason in that he despisede the maner and consuetude of men of Persia. A noble man, Lisimachus by name, seenge the philosophre Calistenes laboure in so grete peyne, ȝafe to hym poyson to drynke, in to the remedy of his peyne and grevaunce. Alexander perceyvenge

that, toke Lisimachus to a lyon to be deuourede; þis noble man perceyvenge that, put a clothe of silke lappenge hit mony folde abowte his arme, whiche goenge to the lyon putte his honde in his mowthe and drawede owte the tonge of þe lyon. Alexander seenge that ȝafe to hym pardon and grace, and luffede hym more better after that tyme. Solinus. After that kynge Alexander come to the hilles Caspy, where the childer of the captivite of x. tribus inclusede late, askede licence of kynge Alexander to go from that place, whiche vnderstondenge theyme to be so includede for theire synnes, and also hit was propheciede that thei scholde not go furthe: wherefore he made theym to be inclusede more streytely, stoppenge theire entre with hilles picchede. Neuerthelesse Alexander perceyvenge that labore not to be finischede by the power of man, preyede God of Israel to finische that laboure, and anoon the hilles mette to gedre, and so the place of theym was made inaccessible. ℞. This peple so inclusede

schalle go furthe abowte thende of the worlde, and make grete destruccion of oþer peple, after the testimony of Iosephus. Valerius, libro 2^o. Alexander ȝafe in a tyme a cite to a man askenge of hym a peny. The man seide that ȝifte was not conueniente to his fortune. Then kynge Alexander seide to hym: "I attende not to that thynge þow scholde seme to take, but that thynge whiche besemethe me regally to ȝiffe." Seneca. A noble man callede Antigonus answerede an other man a frende of his askenge a talente of hym, seyenge that hit was moore then a frende awe to desire. Then the man confusede as thro schame askede of hym a peny. To [folio 162b] whom Antigonus seide that hit was lesse then it semede a prince to ȝiffe. Alexander wente after that, abowte the x. yere of his reigne, vn to Ynde, induenge his knyȝhtes with armoure made of siluyr, and toke the noble cite callede Nisa. After that he brouȝhte his hoste to the siȝhte of the holy hille, where men couer theire secrete membres with yuy; from theym he wente to the hilles Dedalyn, whiche be in the realme of the qwene Cleofilis. That qwene not able to resiste kynge Alexander with armes, suffrede hym to take his pleasure of her, of whom sche conceyvede a childe, whiche childe borne and namede Alexander, reignede in Ynde after the dethe of his

moder. Neuertheles þat qwene was callede a kynges hoore after that alle the tyme of her lyfe. After that kynge Alexander come to the ston of meruellous scharpenesse, to whom moche peple hade fledde for refute, at whiche ston Hercules was prohibite to goe eny forther. Alexander thenkenge to excede the actes of Hercules, þro grete labor made the peple subiecte to hym. After that kynge Alexander ȝafe metenge to Porus, kynge of men of Ynde, whiche dede sle Buxefal, the hors of kynge Alexander. Neuerthelesse Porus woundede soore was taken; which restorede to his realme by kynge Alexander, sorowede so moche that he was ouercommen, that he wolde neither eite ne drynke, neither suffre his woundes to be healede.