The wars of Alexander: an alliterative romance translated chiefly from the Historia Alexandri Magni de preliis. Re-edited from ms. Ashmole 44, in the Bodleian library, Oxford, and ms. D.4.12, in the library of Trinity college, Dublin: by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat.

¶ Vicesimus tertius passus Alexandri.

Þen aires furth ser Alexander · in-to þis athill temple, With Caulus & with cleopas · & othire kidd princes, And fand a berne in a bedd · bawnand alane, Ane of þe graciousest gomes · þat euire god fourmed. All lemed of his letere · þe loge as of heuen, Line 4910

Line 4910 For it was gayly begane · with golden webbis. A blewe bleaut o-bofe · brad him al ouire, Line 4912 Was browde all with brent gold · full of briȝt aungels. Þe testre trased full of trones · with trimballand wingis; Þe silloure full of Seraphens · & othire sere halows, With curtyns all of clene silke · & coddis of þe same, With cumly knottis & with koyntis · & knopis of perle. It ware to tere me to tell · þe tirement to-gedire, Line 4918 Or a nany [Sic in MS.] clerke · þe cost to de-vise; And he þat ristis in þat rowme · þe romance it tellis, [folio 85a] Was ane of þe borliest bernes · þat euire body hade, With fell face as þe fire · & ferly faire schapen, Line 4922 Balgh brade in þe brest · & on þe bely sklendire. His cheuelere as chauele [Or chaaele; indistinct.] · for changing of eld, And as blaȝt was his berd · as any briȝt snaw. [Substituted for swaw.] Line 4925 Sone as oure prince with his peris · his person avyses, He gesse him wele to be god · & of na gome kind. He knelis doun with his kniȝtis · on þe cald erthe, With haile him hailsis on heȝe · & oþir hend wordis. Þe renke within þe redell · þan raxsils his armes, Line 4930 Rymed him full renyschly · & rekind þir wordis: "Haile, Alexander!" quod þis athill · "at [In the margin.] all þe erth weldis, Þou ert welcum, I-wis · & all þi wale princes. Sire, þou sall see with þi siȝt · slike signes, or þou passe, As neuire segge vndire son · saȝe bot þine ane. Line 4935 And þou sall here apon happis · or þou hethen founde, Þat neuire hathill vndire heuen · herd bot þi-selfe." "A! A! happy haly here man" · quod þis hathill þan, "How þat þou neuynes my name · & þou me neuire kend?" Line 4939 "Ȝis, sothly, ser," saied þe segge · "þi-selfe & þi werkis, Or any drope of þi delume · drechet had þe erd. List þe noȝt loke on þe lindis · þat leuys euire mare,

Þat has þe surname of þe son · & of þe mone alls; Þat is to mene, bot of þe mone · & miȝt has to speke, And tell þe trewly all þe text · quat tide sall here-eftir?" "Ȝis, by my croune," quod þe kyng · & kyndly was ioyed, Line 4946 "Þis word I wald, be ȝour will · noȝt all þe werd leuir!" "Ser, waite at þou be wemles · for woman touching, Þan may ȝe leuely on þam loke · & lesten ȝour wirdis. [folio 85b] For be ȝe pure of þat pliȝt · ȝe may þis place entre, Þat is þe sette of þat sire · þat sett all þe werd." Line 4951 "Ser, I am clene of þat craft · I knaw wele my-selfe, Be þou oure gide to þe greuys · apon gods name." With þat bownes him þat berne · & fra his bed ryses, Cled all in clene gold · kirtill & mantill, A grym grisely gome · with grete gray lokis; Line 4956 Al glitered þe ground · for glori of his wedis. "Sirs, ȝe þat will has to wend · ȝour wapens deuoidis, Nymes of ȝour nethirgloue · & nakens ȝoure leggis, Pesan, pancere, & platis · all to ȝoure preue clathis, Iopon & iesserand · & radly me folows!" Line 4961 Þe kyng at his comaundment · with his kniȝtis him spoilis, Puttis of to þe selfe serke · senture & othire, Takis with him ser telomew · an of his princes, Line 4964 And Antiet, an athill duke · & eftir him wendis. Þai ferd furth all in fere · þir foure all to-gedire; Þe lede at was þar ladisman · þe lord & his kniȝtis Went þurȝe a wale wode [Here follows an s erased.] · was wondire of to tell, As it ware hiȝtild in þat hill · with handis of aungels. For þare ware tacchid vp trees · þe triest of þe werd, A hundreth fote to þe hede · þe hiȝt was & mare, Lyke oleues out of lebany · & lores so grene, Line 4972 With sichomures [MS. sichourmes.] & sipresses · & sedrisse e-blande. þar trekild doun of þa · teres of iemmes, Boyland out of þe barke · bawme & mirre, Line 4975

Line 4975 Of scence & of othire salue · as sechis out of wellis, [folio 86a] Þat rase neuire of Aromitike · sike rekils in erth. Þai fande a ferly faire tre · quare-on na frute groued, Was void of all hire verdure · & vacant of leues, A hundreth fote & a halfe · it had of leȝt large, Line 4980 With-outen bark ouþir bast · full of bare pirnes. þar bade a brid on a boghe · a-bofe in þe topp, Was of a port of a paa · with sike a proude crest, With bathe þe chekis & þe chauyls · as a chykin brid, And all gilden [MS. wing lidin gilden; with wing lidin struck through.] was hire gorg · with golden fethirs, All hire hames be-hind · was hewid as a purpure. And all þe body & þe brest · & on þe bely vndire Was finely florischt & faire · with frekild pennys, Line 4988 Of gold graynes & of goules · full of gray mascles. Þan waitis on hire þe wale kyng · & wondire him thinke, Was in þe figure of hire fourme · noȝt ferlid a littill. "Quat loke ȝe?" quod þe ladisman · "do lendis on [In the margin.] forthire, Line 4992 Ȝone is a fereles foule · a Fenix we calle." Þan [MS. þam.] bowe þa forthe all ebland · & to þire treis comes, Þe plants of þe proud son · & of þe pale mone. "Behalds now," quod þis hare man · "to þir haly bowis, And quat þou will of þaim to wete · wis in þi saghe. Appose þaim all in preuate · bot make na playn wordis, And þou may swythe haue a sware · at swike sall þe neuire. Þan may þou gesse in þi gast · it is a gude sprete Line 5000 Þat sends þe sike asouerance [MS. asouerante.] · & sees to þi thoȝtis." Þire boles was, as þe boke sayes · borly & hiȝe, Þe lind of þe liȝt son · louely clethid, Line 5003 With feylour as of fine gold · þat ferly faire lemes, [folio 86b] Þat oþir loken ouire with leues · as it ware liȝt siluir. Þan Alexander at þis athill · askis a demande, "In quatkyn manir of lede · sall me þir treis sware?"

"Sothly, ser, þe son-tree" · said þe segge þan, Line 5008 Entris in with yndoyes · & endis in greke; And mast-quat ay þe mone-tree · þurȝe miȝt of hire kynde, Quen it kithis vs any carpe · þe contrarie spekis; For scho begynes all in grew · & endis in ynde, Line 5012 And þus be twinlepi tongis · tell þai oure wirdis." Þan knelis doun þe [MS. þe k conquirour.] conquirour · vn-to þe cald erthe, And aithire bole eftir bole · blithly he kissis, And þoȝt if he suld with þe thra · of all þe thedes wete, If he suld move agayn to Messedon · quare his modire duellid. Line 5017 Þan schogs hire þe son-tree · & schoke hire schire leues, And with a sweȝand swoȝe · þis sware scho him ȝeldis: "Sire, þou ert lele of ilk lede · þe lorde & þe fadire; Bot þi sire soile in na side · see sall þou neuire. Line 5021 For þi modire nor ȝit Messedon · þou seȝis þaim na mare." Þan list him lithe of his lyfe · & of his last ende: "So maideux," quod þe mone-tree · "þi meere bees na langir Line 5024 Bot out þis anlepi ȝere · & aftir viij monethis; Þan sall he duale þe with a drinke · at þou full dere traistis." Þan makis he [In the margin.] mournyng & mane · & in his mynd thinkis, Line 5027 Qua suld þat trecherous trayne · of treson him wirke. He said, "hende haly tree" · & halsid hire in armes, "Quat person sall do me depresse · I pray þe me tell?" "Sire, sothely," said þe son-tree · "if I [In the margin.] þe sothe neuened, Qua suld þe wite out of þe werd · & þe þi werdis dele, Þan suld þou slaa þe same segge · & so my sawis faile; And þat [In the margin.] may worthe be na wai · for ay my wordis standis." [folio 87a] Line 5034 Þan lokid on him his ladisman · said, "lefe of þi wordis,

For writhing of þir wale treeis · & willne þaim na mare. Bot graythe þe, gome, on gods behalue · and a-gayn turne, Line 5037 For ouire þe lemetis of þir lindis · may no lede founde." Þen bownes agayn þe bald kyng · baldly he wepis, Þat he so skitly suld skifte · & fra [Sic; perhaps read for.] his skars terme. So did his princes, sais þe prose · for pete of him-selfe, With ȝedire ȝoskingis & ȝerre · ȝett out to grete. Line 5042 Þan bedis þaim þe barotour · on bathe þaire eȝen twa, Þat þai suld neuire þis note · to nane of his ost neuyn, Quat þai beheld in þe hill · & herd with þaire eres; And he þan styntis of his stoure · & steris his hert. "If ȝe will gange," quod þis gide · "a-gayn to ȝoure kniȝtis, Line 5047 Moves ȝow to þe nethire-ward · next I it hald." Þan passis he to þis proud place · & oure kynge leues, And he gose doun be grece · a-gayn to his tentis. þar logis he fra þe late niȝt · till efte þe [MS. his þe; with his struck out.] liȝt schewis, With sare sighingis & sadd · for sake of his wirdis; Costreynes him with his contenance · to with his kniȝtis play, Line 5053 Bot þat bot sprang of þe splene · þe sprite was vn-esid. Sone as þe day-rawe [MS. day day rawe; but corrected.] rase · he risis vp belyue, Riches him radly to ride · & remows his ost, Driues on with his dukis · day eftir othire, Line 5057 Till he was meten to þe meere · quare he þe monte entird, Þat was þe proud playn fild · I proued ȝow be-fore, Quare all þe face of þe fild · was of fyne goules. Þare piȝt he doun his pauylions · & with his princes bidis, Line 5061 And þe driȝt of a day · he duellis in þa costis. Betwene þa styes in a stound · þat strekis þurȝe þe mountis [folio 87b]

He mas twa pylars [A curl over p.] doun to pynche · all of playn marble, And tacchis vp of treid gold · a pelare in þe myddis, With a prolouge in þat plate · on aithire post writen. "I, Alexander þe athill · eftire þe date [MS. datere.] Line 5067 Of þe prince & Persye & Porrus · þire pilars en-haunsid. Qua list þis lymit ouir-lende · lene to þe left hand, For þe rake on þe riȝt hand · þat may na man passe." Þis titill was of twa tongis · tane out & grauen, Line 5071 Of Ebru & of yndoys · & of þire ald lettres, Of latine & of othire lare · & leues out of grece, Proudly prikid all in prose; · & here a pas endis.