herbis in þe feldez. And he asked of þaim mony questions, to whiche þai answerd wisely. And þan he bad þaim aske of hym some þing þat might do þaim good & to all þair people, and he wold gyff þaim it gladly. And þen þai said: "Sir, we aixe þe none other þing bot at þou wol gyff vs euerlastyng lyfe." Thenne alexander answerd & said: "howe might a man make other mennes liues euerlastyng whan he may not lennthe hys awne life one houre? And þat ȝe axie of me is in no mannez power þat leueth." Thenne þai said to hym: "Seth þou hase good know|legh therof, wher trayvelles þou þi-self to distroye all the worlde and gadre all [MS. and gadre alle (fol. 46 b) And to gedyr all.] þe wordly tresours, And wotte not when þou must lefe þaim?" Then Alex|ander sayd to hym: "I do nott all þis at ȝe say as of my-self. Butt god hath sent me thrugh all þe world for texalte [MS. to texalte: (texalte = to exalte).] and magnifye hys lawe and distroy all þem þat beleue not in hym."
And some tyme Alexander wente disgysed visityng hys lordez & enquiryng of þair dedes. And on a tyme he Come in-to a towne of hys awne, And sawe two men of þe same towne bifore a iuge pletyng, of the which on said to þe Iuge: "Sir, I haue boght on house of thys man; And, long after, I haue founde in it a tresour vnder þe erthe, which is nott myne. And I haue offerd to deliuer it to hym: And he hath refusyd it; wherfore, Sir, I beseche the he be compellyd to take it, for alse moche as he knoweth it is not myne; for I haue no right þerto." Thenne the Iuge com|maund hys aduersarie parte to answere to þe same. And þen he sayd: "sir Iuge, that same tresour was neuer myne; but he hath edyfyed in þat place that was byfore comyn to all þoo that wold haue edyfyed ther-in. And þerfore I haue no right to take it."
