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Now strekis he furth with his stour & steris with his tentis,
He leuys all þe march-gats I neuend ȝow before,
And nymmes a-nothire on̄ þe north þe next to his kith,
Þat to þe marche of Messedone was him mast qweme.
Sone was he lent in a lande a large & a noble,
Preciosa, þe precious þe prose þus it callis;
And clene all þat contre quen þai his come wist,
With sike as provid in þa partis presentis him faire,
Sum fellis of fischis ferly to tell,
Was like as of lepards & lions skynnes;
Sum with lions on̄ lyue & lamprays sloȝis,
Þat sex cubettis clere was of clene lenghe.
Þar was a cite in þat side asisid all with gemmes,
With-outen lyme or laire a lady it kepid,
A worthi wedow & a wlonk with thre wale childire,
Þat qwene Candace þe clere was callid in þa bonds.
Now sall I sothely of hire son̄s say ȝow þe names;
Þe first wos Candoyle callid a kniȝt althire-fairest;
Þe medilmast of þe men̄ was Marcipy hatten̄;
Þe thrid Caraptus is cald þat kepid all hire landis.
Sone as þe kyng of hire knew a clause he hire writis,
An̄ Image all of athill gold of Amon̄ hire sendis;
To mete him in þe montayns þat mild he be-sechis,
Þat þai miȝt sacrif[is]e samme þar to his sere driȝtins.
Sone as þis princes of pris þis pistill had deuysid,
Þan̄ sendis scho to him sandis-men with selid lettris,
With tribute & trouage & many tried giftis,
And þire þe wordis of hire write at on̄ þese wyse spekis.

“To þe kiddest kyng of kyngs all othire,
Sire Alexander þe athilest of Amons strinds,
I, Candace þe conquires coround of Mede,
To ȝour honoure with obeyaunce me ane I comaunde.
For it was purveid a-pert of þe kyng of heuen,
Pre-desteyned of his prouydence & of his pure miȝt,
Þat ȝe suld pas in-to Pers & prese it with armes.
Itale, Egipt, & ynde & all þire Iles ouire,
Ȝour wirschip̄ & ȝour worthenes [in] all þe werd sprong,
Ȝour curtassy, ȝour kniȝthede & all ȝoure clene thewis.
And þat with men̄ of þe mold noȝt melid vs alane,
Bot driȝtins & duesses ȝour dedis declaris.
Forþi like it to ȝour lordschip̄ & lathis noȝt my sawis.
We at ere voide ay of vice & vacant of syn̄,
Quat suld we moue in-to þe montts? þat mysters bot litill,
Outhire Appole to adoure or any othire driȝtins.
Bot sen̄ it syttis noȝt to oure simpilnes ȝour saȝe to with-stande,
Ne noþir to mele ne to mote ȝoure maieste a-gayn̄,
Ȝit sall I send ȝow fra my soile a sertan̄ of giftis,
For reuerence of ȝour rialte & of ȝoure rosid werkis.
I drysse ȝow here a diademe ȝoure druits to were,
Þe gaiest gift vndire god of gold & of stanes,
And to ȝow selfe of þe same o serelepy hewis,
A hundreth in a hale heere hiȝtild with crestis,
And twa hundret & ten̄ be tale at þe leste,
Of rekanthes of rede gold railed of gemmes,
With pellicans & pape-ioyes polischt & grauen,
With cambs & with coronacles all of clene perle,
Thretti goblettis of gold þe grattest in þe worde,
Fyue hundreth all of euyn̄ elde of Ethyops childire,
Rynoseros, a roghe best with raggid tyndis.
An̄ aȝte to ȝour empire I fra myn erd wayue,
Berrers of ane Ebyn̄-tree & brilles a thousand,
Foure hundreth Olifants in fere þis fardill to bere,
And thretti hundreth of my thede þat threuen ere & tame.
I presand ȝow, of panters full of proud mascles,
Foure hundreth fellis ȝit to fee þat fynely ere tewid.”
Of lepards & of lionesses þis lady him sendis,
A purtrayour in preuate scho prays with þam̄ to pas,
And his personele proporcions in perchemen̄ hire bring.
All was done as scho demed & he hire dere thankis,
And graithis hire giftis agayn̄ þe gaiest vndire heuen.
Þe payntour presentis his aport & shoo was proud þen̄,
For scho had depely many day desyrid him to see.
Þen̄ wendis furth hire dere son̄ a litill dais eftir,
Þat was ser Candoile þe kene þat was hire kidd aire,
His wife & his women̄ & with his wale feres,
Out of þe cite þai soȝt to solace þar hertis;
Þe kyng of Bebrike þe bald him on̄ þe bent metis,
With a company clene of kniȝtis enarmed,
Maynes many of his men̄ & him his make refis,
For he þat lady had loued many lange wintire.
He gers a berne on̄ a blonke hire bremely to cast
Before a bald bachelere on̄ a bigg stede;
Scho gaffe skirmand skrikis at all þe skowis range,
It miȝt a persid any hert to here how scho wepid.
Þan was ser Candoile in þat cas kenely distourbid,
Aires on̄ as bely[ue] to Alexander tentis,
Thoȝt he wald sewe to þat sire & seke him of grace,
If he wald helpe with his heere þat hend to reschowe.
Be he þe pauylion̄ a-prochid it past with-in euen,
And sone þe wacche-men̄ with-out quen þai him þare sawe,
Þai tuke him, & to Telomew titte þai him ledd,
Þe mast praysed of þe pers bot þe prince selfe.
“Quat dons man̄ ert þou?” quod þe duke “& quat dos þou here,
Quat is þe cause of þi come? do kith vs þi name.”
“Sirs, Candaces son̄ þe conquires & Candoile I hiȝt;”
And clene tald him [of his] care þe cause all-to-gedire.
Þan trines on̄ ser Telomew & fra his tent wyndis,
Comands ser Candoile to kepe in a kniȝtis warde,
Cairys in-to a cabayne quare þe kyng liggis,
Fand him slowmand on̄ slepe & sleely him rayses,
And tellis him of þat tithandis þe tale how itt standis,
How þar was comyn̄ slike a kniȝt to craue him of help̄,
Þe son̄ of Candace þe quene þe kepare of Mede;
And how þe Bebrik kyng had him his wyfe refid.
“Ȝa, aire a-gayn̄,” quod Alexander “in-to þine awen̄ tent;
Do on̄ þi hede a dyademe þe derrest at I haue,
A croun̄ all of clene gold & a kyngis mantill,
A-seȝee þe doun in my sege as þou my-selfe ware;
Lat com̄ a-boute þe my kniȝtis & call ye my name,
with liȝt lions latis as a lord suld;
Say þi-selfe is my-selfe & þan̄ my-selfe call,
As I ware Antioc þat athill non̄ aghe of me þou stand,
And I sall hiȝe to þi hest as [I] þi hathill ware.
Quen I com̄ to þi call & knele þe before,
Þou sall declare me þe cas of Candals auntir,
Befor his person̄ apert ilk poynt as he touchid.
Be noȝt a-baist quen I bow ne bede me noȝt to ryse,
Bot lat þi semblance be sadd quen þou þi saȝe ȝildis;
And sai þan̄, ‘Antioc, myn athill’ quen þou has all tald,
‘Latt se þi witt in þis werke’ & wysely me rede.”
Þan̄ trines furth ser Telomew & tyris him belyue;
In emperouris aparell his person̄ he clethis.
And Alexander as belyue in antioks name,
Quen he was callid, with a kniȝt he coms in a stounde.
Þan tellis to him ser Telomew þe tale all-to-gedire,
Be-fore ser Candale þe kene his consaile him askis.
“Ware it ȝour will,” quod þe wee “wale emperoure,
Þan wald I fare with þis freke his fere to reskowe,
And bid þe Bebrike on̄ bathe twa his eȝen̄,
Withouten bade to þis briȝt his brid to restore;
And say þat sire, on̄ þi be-half bot he hire sone ȝeld,
We sall his cite & him-selfe synge in-to poudire!”
With þat inclynes þe kniȝt & kyndly him loues,
Said, “antiok, of all men ay be þou Ioyed;
It semes þe, for þi sapience to sit in a trone,
And to be cled as a kyng with croune & with septir!”
Þan aires him furth ser Alexander as Antiok it ware,
Cairis on̄ with candoile & caȝt him his leue,
Soȝt furth þe same niȝt & to þe cite wan,
Quare þe Bebrik kyng with þe bird lengis.
Sone þe wacchis on̄ þe wallis þam̄ wiȝtly ascryes,
Qua þai ware, & of quethen & quat was þar errande.
“It is ser Candoile,” quod þe kyng “is comyn for his spouse;
And I am messangere made þat mild to delyuire.
Þe maistir out of Messedone ȝow maynly enjoynes,
If ȝe ȝoure cite will saue to sese him his brid.”
Þan was þe burgaige a-baiste & brest vp þe ȝatis,
Of þe palais of þe proud kyng his paramour him tuke.
Sire Candoile to oure conquirour carpis þire wordis,
And adoures him for his athill dede & Antiok him calls.
“I pray þe, prince, with me pas to my praysid modire,
Þat þou may merote haue & menske & mede for þi werkis.”
Þan was oure kyng of þat carpe kyndly reioyed,
For him had list on̄ hire to loke many lang wintir.
He said, “aire we to Alexander & askis him his leue,
And I sall fayn̄ with þe found & felsyn̄ þi will.”
Þan trines he to ser Telomew at in his trone sittis,
Laȝt his leue at þe lede as he his lorde ware.
Þis kid he for a coyntise & kest slike a wile,
Lest he ware knawyn̄ for þe kyng þe kniȝt for to blinde.
Þan caires he furthe with Candoile vp at a cliffe wyndis,
A hidous hill & a hiȝe þat to þe heuen semed,
Was loken all in lange lindis like to þe cedres,
Growand full of gernetts & gracious frutes.
Þare fand þai bery-buskis & braunches with grapis,
Þat vnnethes bere miȝt a berin a bole on̄ his schuldire.
With hesils hild of hodere cloud lang þa appills,
And all þe woddis full of wolfes & of wild apis.
Þai bow vp to a banke & þe burgh neȝes;
And Candace þe conquires quen scho þe cas heris,
How bathe hire barne & his brid was broȝt hame sond,
Þan was scho glad in hire gast & gretly reioysed.
In-to a chambre scho chese & changid hire wedis;
A Robe all of rede gold & þan a riche mantill,
A croune & a corecheffe clustert with gemmes,
And [cam] doun of hire closere with kniȝtis him to mete.
A grete gate be degrece agayn̄ þaim scho foundis;
“Kys me, ser Candoile” & clappis him in armes,
Said, “welcum be þou, wale son̄ & þou, my wale doȝtir!
And I am glad of ȝoure gest as gode geffe me ioye.”
Sire Alexander hire a-vises & all his hert liȝtis,
Him þoȝt hire like at a loke his lady his modire.
Scho was so faire & so fresche as faucon̄ hire semed,
An̄ elfe out of an̄-othire erde or ellis an̄ Aungell.
Hire palais was full precious þof it parades ware,
Plied ouir with pure gold all þe plate-rofes,
And þat was ioyned full of gemes & of ioly stanes,
With breme blasenand bemes briȝt as þe son̄.
Þe kyng with dame Candace þe castell he entres,
Silis in with þat semely in-to a somere-hall,
A strenthe, was stiȝtild all of stagis þe stithest of þe werd,
Was nane so comly a close vndire þe can[o]pe of heuen,
Þe bild was all of brent gold þe beddis of þe same,
Piȝt full of pentests & oþire proude stanes,
Of Onycles & orfrays & orient perles,
And with þire precious piers of paradise stremes,
Bathe þe benkis & þe bordis bett of þe noble,
Smeten̄ full of smaragdins & oþir small gemmes,
Of Acats & of Amatistis & adamants fyne,
Calcidoynes & crisopaces & oþir clere bees.
Þe pilars ware of purfire polischt & hewen̄,
With gomes grouelings of gold graythid for þe nanes,
Fondand on all foure on fote & on̄ handis,
Buskid vndire þe baisens to bere vp þe postis.
Þare ran a reuire, as I rede vndire þat riche hame,
Was neuir na cristall so clere as was þa clere strandis.
Þe kyng & Candace þe quene & Candeile hire aire,
Þe same day in þe sale was serued to-gedire.
Scho sesis him on þe secunde day [& sone] with him laches,
Raȝt him by þe riȝt hand & raikis to a chambre,
Was parraillid all of plate-gold pariet & oþire,
With stoute starand stanes þat stremed as þe son̄.
Was þar na leuyand lede ne lyfe bot þam ane.
And þan scho laches him be-lyfe & ledis him forthire,
In-to a clochere with a kay þe clennest of þe werde,
Was sammed all of sipris & seder-tables.