The prose life of Alexander

113

Alexander and the Macedonians.

heyne wham ye wilt that be oure emperour efter yow.' And [side note =] him for Perdicas for their king. Alexander ansuerd & sayde, ' A, A, my dere knyghtis,' quoth he, ' when I am dede whaym so ye wilt chese, be your emperour 4 efter mee.' And thay ansuerde, ' Lord,' quoth thay, ' we beseke yowe that ye wilt graunt vs Perdic to be oure Emperour.' ' I vouche wele saffe,' quoth Alexander, ' that Perdic be your Emperour. Gers hym come be-fore mee.' ¹And when he was [side note = ] He gives 8 comen by-fore hym he gaffe hym the kyngdome* of Macedoyne [side note = ] * Leaf 48 bk. wit the Emperourchipe. And he gaffe hym also Rosan for to be [side note = ] Perdicas Macedonia and the Emperorship, and also Roxana as wife. his wyffe, and prayed hym that he walde be gude & gentilt tilt hir. And than he kyssede alt the lordey & the knyghtis of [side note = ] He kisses all the Macedonian Lords. 12 Macedoyne ilkane after other, and sighed and weped wonder sare. Thare was than so grete dole & wepynge, that it was lyke a thonere. For men Supposey that noyte allanly men made Sorow for the dede of so worthy ane Emperour, Bot also the son 16 and alt the other planetis and elementes ware troubled.

²A prynce of Macedoyne stode nere Alexander bedd that highte Seleucus, & wit grete dole & wepynge he sayd: ' A, A, [side note = ] Seleucus grieves by Alexander's bedside that they shall have no good leader. thou wirchipfult emperour,' quoth he, ' what salt we do when thou 20 ert dede. Philippe thi fader gouerned vs wele & alte oure rewme, Bot the gentilnes & the largesse of the na tunge may telt.' And than Alexander sett hym vp in his bedd and gaffe hym selfe a grete flappe on the cheke and by-gan for to wepe riyte 24 bitterly, and in the langage of Macedoyne, he sayde on this wyse :

'Fult waa es me vnhappy wreche,' quoth he, ' that euer I was [side note = ] Alexander bewails his fate that Macedonia shall dwindle with his death. borne to man. For now Alexander dyes and Macedoyne salt waxe ay lesse & lesse and emenische day bi day.' Than alt the Macedoynes wit an hye voyce and bitter wepynge sayd vn-tilt hym : ' Better it ware tilt vs,' quoth thay, ' for to dy wit the than for to se the dy in oure presence. For wele we wate that, efter [side note = ] All the Macedonians say it were better to die with him. the dede of the, the kyngdom of Macedoyne es vndone for euere. 32 Allas oure wirchipfult Alexander, why lefes thou vs here and wendey away be thyn ane, withowten thi Macedoynes ? ' Than kyng Alexander alway sighand & wepand said vn-to tham : ' A, A, my dere Macedoynes,' quoth he, ' fra this tym forwarde 36 salt neuer yowr name hafe lordchipe ouer the Barbarenes.' And [side note = ] The grief of the Macedonians. than the Macedoynes cryed and sayde : ' O wirchipfult lorde,' quoth

[footnote = ] ¹ Three lines with red capital A, and smaller a in the margin beside. [footnote = ] ² Four lines with red capital A, and small a in the margin beside.

8

114 The death and burial of Alexander.

thay, ' thou ledd vs in-to Perse, Arraby, and Inde, and vn-to the werldes ende, and in-to what cuntree that the liste wende; why, lorde, flees thou now fra vs ? Lede vs wit the whedir so thou gase.'

Than kyng Alexander sent to the templee of Appollo in 4 Athenes many riche iowels, and on the same wyse till all oper temples. And than he commanded' that when he ware dede, thay schulde enoynte his body and embawme it wit riche oynementes, the whilke kepis menes bodys in graues wit-owtten corupcioun. 8 Than he badde Tholomcus that he scholde [take] a c̃ besantes of golde, & thare-off gere make hym a tombe in Alexander. And onane * as he had commanded hym thus, one-seeand than all, he swelt. And than his prynces lifte vp his body, and did apon his 12 clethyng of astate and putt a riche coron on his heued, and sett hym in the emperours chayer, the whilke twelue prynces drewe wit thaire brestes fra Babiloyne till Alexander. Tholomeus went alway bi-fore the chayere wepande & sayande one this 16 wyse : 'Fult waa es me, My lord Alexander, waa es me. For in all thi lyfe slew thou neuer so many men as thou dose nowe after thi dede.' All Alexanders knyghtis also weped & made grete dole & sayde on this wyse : ' Waa es vs wreches ! whatt schall wee 20 now do after the dede of oure lorde Alexander ? Whedir sall we now gaa or whate party e may we now chese ? Whare schall we now get any helpe till oure lyfelade ! ' One this wyse thay went wepand after Alexander, till thay come till the citee of 24 Alexander. And thare thay beryed hym in a toumbe that was righte hye and wonder curyouslye wroghte. This tombe was all of fyne golde sett full of precyous stanes, and on that toumbe ther was sett xxx ymages of golde wonder craftily made. 28

¹ Alexander was a man bot of a comon stature, wit a lange nekke, Faire eghne & glad, his chekes ruddy, and all the remenant of his lymmes ware faire & semely & lyke vn-till a lorde. He ouercome all men & neuer was ouercomen. The lenthe 32 of his lyffe was xxxij yere, twa & thritty yere & seuen monethes. Fra the twentyd yere of his birthe he gaffe hym to werre, and in twelue yere he coriquered all the werlde, and made subiect un-till hym alkyn nacyonns. Seuen monethes he ristede hym. He was 36 borne on the vij kt of January, and dyed on the vij kl of August.

¹ Large red capital A.

His names. 115

He byggid also in his lyfe xij grete citees that hider-to-wardes bene enhabyt, and this are thaire names. Firste Alexander that es called yprysilicas, the secund Alexander es called Bepyporitm, 4 the thrid Alexander es callede Sithia, the ferthe Alexander es called Bicontristi, the fifte Alexander es called Theraucton, the sext Alexander es called Buctiphaloin, the seuent es called under the ryuer of Tygre, the aghtend New Babiloyne, the nyend Aptreadam, 8 the tend Messagetes, the elleuend Ypsyacon, the twelfed es called Egipt.

Explicit vita Alexandry magni conquestoris. Here endes the lyf of gret Alexander conquerour of all the 12 worlde.

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