| 6 Amid wonders the child is born.HOW A BIRD LAID AN EGG IN PHILIP'S BOSOM AT WHOSE BREAKING THERE CAME FORTH A SERPENT, WHICH FORTH-WITH DIED.
And a few days after this Philip the king was sitting in his
palace, and there appeared unto him a little and most gentle
bird, which flew into his bosom and laid an egg. And the egg,
falling to the ground, was broken. And at once there crept 4
forth from it a very little snake. And it turned around, wishful
to go into the egg, but, before it might put in its head, it was
quenched. And Philip, seeing this, was heavily distressed, and
called to him Arideus, and showed him the monstrous thing he 8
had seen. And Arideus said to him, ' King Philip, a son shall
be born to thee, who shall reign after thy death, and shall fare
forth over the whole world and sway all peoples, and ere he
come back to the land of his birth, shall die by a most swift 12
death.'
And as the time of child-birth was drawing nigh, Olympia
began to feel pain, and her womb was tormented, and she bade
Arideus be called to her, and spoke with him : ' Master, my 16
womb is wrenched with very heavy labours.' Anectanabus
[sic in both editions 1489 and 1494] then spake : ' Raise thyself
awhile from thy throne, for in this hour the elements are
troubled by the sun.' This was done, and the pain went from 20
her. And soon after, Anectanabus said to her, ' Sit down,
O Queen ! ' and she sate herself and bore a child. And as soon
as the boy was fallen on to the earth, a mighty thunderclap and
[24] thunderbolts, with tokens and lightnings came about through- 24
out the whole world. Then night was spread forth and lasted,
it reaching unto the last hour of day. Then parts of the clouds
fell down in Italy. And seeing these signs, Philip the king
was afrighted, and went in to Olympia, and said : ' I deemed 28
that this little babe should in no wise be fostered. For he
is not conceived of me, but of some god, for at his birth I beheld
the heavens changed. Yet let him be fostered in my memory,
as though he were my son, and follow in the stead of a son 32
I begot through another wife.' And when he said this, she
handled the babe with great care. And the boy's face had the
likeness neither of father nor mother. The hair on his head
Translation | 6: Amid wonders the child is born.HOW A BIRD LAID AN EGG IN PHILIP'S BOSOM AT WHOSE BREAKING THERE CAME FORTH A SERPENT, WHICH FORTH-WITH DIED.
And a few days after this Philip the king was sitting in his
palace, and there appeared unto him a little and most gentle
bird, which flew into his bosom and laid an egg. And the egg,
[4] falling to the ground, was broken. And at once there crept
forth from it a very little snake. And it turned around, wishful
to go into the egg, but, before it might put in its head, it was
quenched. And Philip, seeing this, was heavily distressed, and
[8] called to him Arideus, and showed him the monstrous thing he
had seen. And Arideus said to him, ' King Philip, a son shall
be born to thee, who shall reign after thy death, and shall fare
forth over the whole world and sway all peoples, and ere he
[12] come back to the land of his birth, shall die by a most swift
death.'
And as the time of child-birth was drawing nigh, Olympia
began to feel pain, and her womb was tormented, and she bade
[16] Arideus be called to her, and spoke with him : ' Master, my
womb is wrenched with very heavy labours.' Anectanabus
[sic in both editions 1489 and 1494] then spake : ' Raise thyself
awhile from thy throne, for in this hour the elements are
[20] troubled by the sun.' This was done, and the pain went from
her. And soon after, Anectanabus said to her, ' Sit down,
O Queen ! ' and she sate herself and bore a child. And as soon
as the boy was fallen on to the earth, a mighty thunderclap and
[24] thunderbolts, with tokens and lightnings came about through-
out the whole world. Then night was spread forth and lasted,
it reaching unto the last hour of day. Then parts of the clouds
fell down in Italy. And seeing these signs, Philip the king
[28] was afrighted, and went in to Olympia, and said : ' I deemed
that this little babe should in no wise be fostered. For he
is not conceived of me, but of some god, for at his birth I beheld
the heavens changed. Yet let him be fostered in my memory,
[32] as though he were my son, and follow in the stead of a son
I begot through another wife.' And when he said this, she
handled the babe with great care. And the boy's face had the
likeness neither of father nor mother. The hair on his head
Translation |
EN