Letters of Darius and Alexander.

Letters of Darius and Alexander. 43

often wings, or other instruments of flying, for to be lifted up
to thee sterness, let not to thine hurt be raised too high in pride
for thee victories that thou has gotten. We have well heard tell that thou
has done gently, and showed great humanity to our mother, our wife and our children, and therefore I let thee well with that, as long as thou does well to them, thou shall find me none enemy to thee. And if thou do ill to them thou shall have thee enemy of me, and therefore spare them not, but do to them as thee [liste]. For sometime thou shall see and feel the sentence of our ire light upon the high pride.' When Alexander had read this letter he wrote him another again whereof the tenor] was this.

Alexander the son of Phillippe and queen Olympias to Darius king of Persia we write. Pride and vainglory has our gods always hated; and takes vengence of deadly men that takes upon them the name of immortality. But thou, as I well see,
ceases not that hitherto for to blaspheme in all that thou may. But of that that thou blames me for the benignities that I showed thy mother, thy wife, and thy children; thou art moved on a [lewd] fantasy. For I let thee well [?] I did it not for to be thanked of thee, nor for to have thy benevolence therefore. But it come of a gentleness of our own heart, founded in virtue. Of the victories also which the foresight of god has sent us, here we nothing enprided. For we know well that our gods always helps us, which thou each a day despises and sets at naught. And this shall be the last letter that I shall write unto thee. Beware if thou will, for I say the [secretly?], I come to thee anon.' This letter gave Alexander to the messengers of Darius and many great gifts therewith. Seyme, he sent another letter to his princes and lords under our subjection in Capadoce, in [laodice?], or elsewhere [duelland?], greeting, and good grace. We charge thou and commands thou straightly that each of thou ordain us in all the haste that thee may [nete-hydes barked], and send them to Alexander, that we and our Knights may [gere?]