10

10

Alexander's first encounter, and victory.

* Leaf. 2

The king
challenges
Alexander.
Alexander
accepts,
and they
both go
home to
gather
forces.

Alexander
gathers his
army,
meets King
Nicholas
and slays
him after
the fight.

On his
home-com-
ing, he
finds his
father at
bridal with
a new wife,
and begs
him to take
Olympia
back again,

lest Alex-
ander, giv-
ing her to
another
king, be
his foe.
One Lesias
jeeringly
foretelling
that Cleo-
patra shall
bear Philip
an heir,

' Luke on me ' * quoth he 'that spekes to the: Fore I swere the
be my Fader hele, & I anes spitte in thi face, thou schale dye'
And wit that he spitte at Alexander, & said: 'Take the thare,
thou biche whelpe, that the seme3 till hafe.' And Alexander 4
stepped furthe, & said un-till hym. 'For thou' quoth he 'hase
dispised me, by-cause I ame littill ; I swere the, bi the pete of my
Fader, & by my moders wambe, in the whilke I was consayued
of godd Amon, that thou schall see mee, are oughte lange, in 8
thi rewme, redi to feghte wit the; and owther I schall wyn
thi rewme wit dynte of swerd, & brynge it under my subieccionn,
or thou schall make me subiecte un-to the.' And thare thay
assignede day of Batelle ; and ayther of tham went hame fra 12
other.
^1 And agaynes the day of Batelle, Alexander, bi ascent &
ordynance of kynge Philippe, gadird a grete Oste, & went to
the place thare the Batelle was assigned, and fand all redy thare, 16
kyng Nicoll and his oste. And thay trumpped up appon bathe
the parties, and bigan to feghte, & many men ware slaen on
bathe the syde3. Bot at the laste, Alexander hade the felde,
& tuke kyng Nicholl, & gart smytte of his heued, & went in-till 20
his land, and conquered it ; and his knyghtes went and coround
hym kynge thare-off. And sythen he went hame till his fader,
kyng Philippe, and fand hym sittand at the mete at a bridale :
For he had put awaye fra hym his wyfe Olympias, Alexander 24
moder, and taken hym an-other that highte Cleopatra ; And
Alexander went in-to the haulle, and said un-to the kynge
Philipp : 'Fader,' quoth he, ' I pray 3ow, that for a rewarde of
my firste iournee that I hafe now made, 3ee graunte me to take 28
my Moder Olympias agayne un-to 3ow, & do to hir as awe
to be done to a qwenne ^2, rathere than I gyffe hir to another
kynge ; so that I be no3te 3oure enemy for ever. For this
weddyng, that 3e hafe now made here, es unlefull! ' When 32
he hadd said thir wordes, ane of the that satt at the kynges burde,
whase name was Lesias, ansuerd & said to the kyng : ' lord'
quoth he 'thou schall hafe a son of Cleopatra, and he schall
regne after the!' Alexander, than, was gretly greuede at his 36
wordes, and wit a wardrere that he hade in his hande, he went

^ Place for miniature blank, twelve
half-lines.

MS. qwnne with e inserted above text.

"Look on me" he said "that speaks to you: For I swear to you
on my father's health and as I spit in your face, you will die"
And with that he spit at Alexander, and said: "Take you there,
you bitches whelp, that you seem to have." And Alexander 4
stepped far adn said to him. "For you" he said "Have
despised me, because I am little; I swear to you, by the pool of my
father and by my mother's womb, in the same I was conceived
of god Amon, that you shall see me, also in any respect belong, in 8
your room, ready to fight with you; and anywhere I shall win
your room with the din of the sword, and bring it under my subjection
or you shall make me subject unto you. And there they
assigned a day of battle; and each of them went home from 12
eachother

And against the day of battle, Alexander, by assent and
ordinance of king Philip, gathered a great host, and went to
the place where the battle was assigned, and found all ready there. 16
King Nicholas and his host. And they trumpeted up upon both
the parties, and began to fight, and many men were slain on
both sides. But at the last, Alexander had the field,
and took King Nicholas, and smote off his head, and went into 20
his land, and conquered it; and his knights went and crowned
him king thereof. And so then he went home to his father,
king Philip, and found him sitting at the meal at a marriage feast:
For he had put away from him his wife Olympias, Alexander's 24
mother, and had taken himself another that high Cleopatra; And
Alexander wen into the hall, and say unto the king
Philip: "Father," he said, " I pray you that for a rewarde of
my first journey that I have now made, you grant me to take 28
my mother Olympias again up unto you, and do to her as aught
to be done to a queen rather than I give her to another
king; so that I am not your enemy forver. For this
wedding, that you have now made here, is unlawful! When 32
he had said the words, one of them that sat with the kings bride
whose name was Lesias, answered and said to the king: "Lord'
he said, "you shall have a son of Cleopatra,a nd he shall
reign after you!" Alexander, then, was greatly greived at his 36
words, and with a (wardrere) that he has in his hand, he went

10

Alexander s first encounter, and victory.

* Leaf. 2

The king
challenges
Alexander.
Alexander
accepts,
and they
both go
home to
gather
forces.

Alexander
gathers his
army,
meets King
Nicholas
and slays
him after
the fight.

On his
home-com-
ing, he
finds his
father at
bridal with
a new wife,
and begs
him to take
Olympia
back again,

lest Alex-
ander, giv-
ing her to
another
king, be
his foe.
One Lesias
jeeringly
foretelling
that Cleo-
patra shall
bear Philip
an heir,

' Luke on me ' * quoth he 'that spekes to the: Fore I swere the
be my Fader hele, & I anes spitte in thi face, thou schale dye'
And wit that he spitte at Alexander, & said: 'Take the thare,
thou biche whelpe, that the seme3 till hafe.' And Alexander 4
stepped furthe, & said un-till hym. 'For thou' quoth he 'hase
dispised me, by-cause I ame littill ; I swere the, bi the pete of my
Fader, & by my moders wambe, in the whilke I was consayued
of godd Amon, that thou schall see mee, are oughte lange, in 8
thi rewme, redi to feghte wit the; and owther I schall wyn
thi rewme wit dynte of swerd, & brynge it under my subieccionn,
or thou schall make me subiecte un-to the.' And thare thay
assignede day of Batelle ; and ayther of tham went hame fra 12
other.
^1 And agaynes the day of Batelle, Alexander, bi ascent &
ordynance of kynge Philippe, gadird a grete Oste, & went to
the place thare the Batelle was assigned, and fand all redy thare, 16
kyng Nicoll and his oste. And thay trumpped up appon bathe
the parties, and bigan to feghte, & many men ware slaen on
bathe the syde3. Bot at the laste, Alexander hade the felde,
& tuke kyng Nicholl, & gart smytte of his heued, & went in-till 20
his land, and conquered it ; and his knyghtes went and coround
hym kynge thare-off. And sythen he went hame till his fader,
kyng Philippe, and fand hym sittand at the mete at a bridale :
For he had put awaye fra hym his wyfe Olympias, Alexander 24
moder, and taken hym an-other that highte Cleopatra ; And
Alexander went in-to the haulle, and said un-to the kynge
Philipp : 'Fader,' quoth he, ' I pray 3ow, that for a rewarde of
my firste iournee that I hafe now made, 3ee graunte me to take 28
my Moder Olympias agayne un-to 3ow, & do to hir as awe
to be done to a qwenne ^2, rathere than I gyffe hir to another
kynge ; so that I be no3te 3oure enemy for ever. For this
weddyng, that 3e hafe now made here, es unlefull! ' When 32
he hadd said thir wordes, ane of the that satt at the kynges burde,
whase name was Lesias, ansuerd & said to the kyng : ' lord'
quoth he 'thou schall hafe a son of Cleopatra, and he schall
regne after the!' Alexander, than, was gretly greuede at his 36
wordes, and wit a wardrere that he hade in his hande, he went

^ Place for miniature blank, twelve
half-lines.

MS. qwnne with e inserted above text.

"Look on me" he said "that speaks to you: For I swear to you
on my father's health and as I spit in your face, you will die"
And with that he spit at Alexander, and said: "Take you there,
you bitches whelp, that you seem to have." And Alexander 4
stepped far adn said to him. "For you" he said "Have
despised me, because I am little; I swear to you, by the pool of my
father and by my mother's womb, in the same I was conceived
of god Amon, that you shall see me, also in any respect belong, in 8
your room, ready to fight with you; and anywhere I shall win
your room with the din of the sword, and bring it under my subjection
or you shall make me subject unto you. And there they
assigned a day of battle; and each of them went home from 12
eachother

And against the day of battle, Alexander, by assent and
ordinance of king Philip, gathered a great host, and went to
the place where the battle was assigned, and found all ready there. 16
King Nicholas and his host. And they trumpeted up upon both
the parties, and began to fight, and many men were slain on
both sides. But at the last, Alexander had the field,
and took King Nicholas, and smote off his head, and went into 20
his land, and conquered it; and his knights went and crowned
him king thereof. And so then he went home to his father,
king Philip, and found him sitting at the meal at a marriage feast:
For he had put away from him his wife Olympias, Alexander's 24
mother, and had taken himself another that high Cleopatra; And
Alexander wen into the hall, and say unto the king
Philip: "Father," he said, " I pray you that for a rewarde of
my first journey that I have now made, you grant me to take 28
my mother Olympias again up unto you, and do to her as aught
to be done to a queen rather than I give her to another
king; so that I am not your enemy forver. For this
wedding, that you have now made here, is unlawful! When 32
he had said the words, one of them that sat with the kings bride
whose name was Lesias, answered and said to the king: "Lord'
he said, "you shall have a son of Cleopatra,a nd he shall
reign after you!" Alexander, then, was greatly greived at his 36
words, and with a (wardrere) that he has in his hand, he went