University of Virginia Library

Than Alexander desirit forthermare
Off mervell of the Grete Ynd to se ȝitt mare;
Quhill he enterit into ane fare cuntre,
Quhilk in thare langage is callit ‘Terr[e] de Dee’,
That in oure langage ‘Landis of Goddis’ we call,
Quhilk was in gold and riches groundit all,
With castellis, pallacis, and tempelis at devise.—
Thare Alexander schupe to mak sacrefice.
And Porrus ay past with him curtesly,
Quhilk gracius was, and all his cumpaney.
The land was full of gold and riches,
With walth of frute and victuall in all place;
And held ay with him wylde men and savage,
For thai had of þe cuntre best knawlege,
And als in mony cuntreis of þat land
In wildernes þare was sic men duelland.

Sa com thai till ane land in wildernes,
Quhilk was gude ground, bot na bigging þare was;
The folk war nakit, had nocht on bot ane smoke
To helde thare nature, and sum had a licht cloke—
It was sa hete thai mycht na claithis were;
Bot thai had gold ynewch, and vther gere.
Thay war wele-farand men, and fare of vice,
Wele vnderstandand, wele spokin, and richt wise,
And governit thame by iustice and ressoun;
Bot thai had nowtherane castell, toure, na toun,
Na hous, na mencioun, bot cavis in erde,
Bot wele þai fure, and out of thame nocht sterde.
The gold grew in þe rochis nere thame by;
Off flesche and frute þai had haboundantly,
And bred and wyne in warld na bettir war—
It war ane paradise for to duell thare,
War nocht the hete þat thare sa birnand is,
With dragounis venemous, and wyld beistis.

Than Alexander ane pistill send thame þus,
In fare langage and wordis sententius,
Sayand, “Swete pepill, sin ȝe haue sic renoun
That ȝe governe by iustice and ressoun,
And that ȝe ar baith wise and wourthy men,
Wisdome to lere, and wtheris for to ken,
We vald fane knaw ȝoure conversatioun,
And to do ȝow all consolatioun
That in oure power gudlie was to do,
Giff it ȝow plesis for to cum ws to,
And gif ȝow list, we cum and vesy sall
Ȝoure land, ȝoure leving, and ȝoure generale.”

This pistill hard þare prince, callit Oxidras,
Quhilk of fare langage, wise, and wourthy was,
Quhilk wrett agane vounder debonarely
Sic ane ansure as to ȝow coimpt sall I:
“Till Alexander, þe king of kingis with croun,
Quhilk oure þis warld has wourschip and renovn:
We mak to ȝow instance for ȝoure wourthynes,
Ȝe wald conseder and knaw oure symplines,
That has nocht here bot barely oure liffing,
Na has na hous na herbry for a king;
Bot we haue gold ynewch in grete plentie,
With stanis of vertew, þe wourthyest may be,
Quhilk is alhale at ȝoure commandement,
But any sovme bot at ȝoure awne entent;
Sic obseruance with that as we can ma,
We and oure folk is at ȝoure will alsua.”
Quha was mare plesit þan na was the king,
That thai had made sa gratius ansuering,
And gaif grete giftis to thare messingeris,
And wrette ane pistill agane in þis maner:

“Alexander, king of kingis with croun,
The sone of Quene Olympias and god Aymon,
Till Oxidras, ane wourthy prince and wise:
Traist nocht þat we [d]esire for averice,
Na covatis nocht for ȝoure gold na ȝoure gere,
Na to molest ȝow, na to mak ȝow were,
Bot erare for to do ȝow gude na ill:
We vald ȝe com till ws, or we ȝow till,
Bot, sen it plesis ȝow it be nocht sua,
We pray ȝow writt ws ȝoure will or ȝe ga,
And quhat ȝe pleis to haue of ws, treuly,
We sall ȝow gif and send ȝow hartfuly,
With Goddis pece, fryndschip, and gudlynes,
And till all men þat ȝow in frendschip has.”
And send to him þis pistill with gude chere,
And he ane vther send him in þis maner:

“Prince Oxidras, as writtin is before,
Till Alexander wourschip, honoure, and glore;
Be ȝoure pisting and be ȝoure proferring,
It semys wele ȝe be ane wourthy king.
We thank ȝow mekill of ȝoure gudlynes,
That we may serue to be sua in ȝore grace,
Ws to reward with gold and grete honoure,
Quhilk cummys ȝow as wourthy emprioure.
God ȝeild ȝow ȝoure gud will and behest,
And ȝe sall haue oure prayer, be þe leist;
And sen of gold na myster here haue we,
For we haue mare na is necessite—
Bot of a thing we wald ȝow pray and pris,
Giff that ȝe mycht or couth in ony wise,
To grant ws grece that we war immortale,
Sa that oure liffe war here perpetuall,
For we can nevir in ioy nor blythnes be,
Sen þat we sikkar ar that we mon de;
Na gold na riches gaddir bid we nocht,
Na land na lordschip, for all that we call nocht
Quhen we watt nocht quhat houre we ga to bere.
Quhat proffeittis þan þe gud þat we leif here,
Bot beris with ws the wark and wrangous wyn,
For commounly cumynys na conquest bot syn,
And syn ws puttis out of the state of grace—
Than we ar war na he that euermare was,
And tynes þe gude, the ioy, and the honoure,
And forfettis frendschip of oure Creature.”

Than Alexander, movit of grete pite,
Ane vther pistill to him sendis he,
Sayand, “I traist wele þat ȝe vnderstand,
Suppois I be ane conquerioure of land,
And all this erde giffis me soueranyte,
Nocht þan I am ane mortale man as ȝe;
Thus, sen my-selff I am nocht immortale,
How sould I mak ane vther perpetuall?
For God immortale gevis immortalete,
Na nane may mak perpetuale liffe bot He.”
Quhen thai had hard his gudly ansuering,
Thay said þi trowit for he was souerane king,
And for the sone of God als he him bare,
That he gar men liffe for euermare.
Thus partit þai and Alexander the king,
And he commendit mekill thare gud leving.

Syne passit thai in a land callit Arthera,
Quhilk weround was about with woddis sua
That on all partis þe entre was sa strate,
And als þe oist was all-wayis at the wate
For wikkit beistis, for wodwiȝ, and for weddir,
For þare was mony ane felloun dragoun and eddir,
And in that forest mony wodwiȝ was,
Had [sevintene] fute and mare of mekilnes,
And in thare handis ilkane a grete sapplyne;
Thay war giantis, bot þai had nane armyne,
Bot thai war cled in skynnys of cokkadrelis,
The quhilk war armet oure with balan schellis—
Thare was na wappin of na man of were,
Na swerde na lance, mycht do thame ony dere.
Thay slew richt wounder mony of Porrus men
Betwne tua craggis in ane hidduous glen;
Thare was na man mycht stand agane þare strake,
For ilkane bare any sapplyne of ane ake.—
Thai chaissit agane mony of thare foirridaris.

Than Alexander, quhan he hard, nocht him sparis,
Bot tuke with him all instrumentis of soundis,
The quhilk betuix the craggis sa reboundis
Thay semyt ma na þi war woinit sic sevin.—
The sound of thame redoundit to þe hevin.
With þat in-to þe oist þai gaif ane schout,
And he quhilk was hardy, manfull, and stout,
Tuke with him hors-men of the worthiest,
And of the formest þat þare men has chaist.
Thay cum in sidlingis on þame at ane side,
And to þi wodwiȝ wrocht thai woundis wide;
Quhen thai thare feris þus saw ly bledand,
Thay fled in haist, and mycht no langer stand,
And in þe flicht þare was sa mony slane
That few of thame past to the wod agane.
And sum was tane and brocht was to the king—
The oist made on thame sic ane woundering,
Thai war sa rouch and hidduous of to se;
Thai duelt into ane ile within þe see,
And come thare bot to hount at venesoun;
Thay had na hous bot cavis to þare mansioun.
Thai tuke grete hede to wemen þat was þare,
For in the ost was mony wounder fare.

Than Alexander gart tak ane fare woman,
Betaucht hir in burding till ane wodman;
With that he smylit, and his hart wox warm,
And kest hir vp in the bucht of his arme,
And he to ga with all his [mane] and mycht,
And fra thame all to wod he tuke þe flicht—
Thare was na hors in land mycht oure-hy.
With that the woman schouttit with a cry—
Than Alexander in hart was na thing fane,
And ȝhardit Bussiffall with all his mane,
And him ouretuke, and hett him on the hewit.
Quhill in his harnepan þe spere-had he levit.
With that he gaif ane roust, and doun he fell,
That all the ost on fer mycht here þe ȝell.
Thus savit he þe fare woman fra dede,
And brocht hir sone agane into that stede.

Syne enterit thai agane a nobill cuntre,
Quhare nocht but force and farenes þai mycht see,
Quhare all the kyndis of frotis of Paradise
Was in that cuntre growand at devise.
Thai lichtit thare and stentit thare pavillionis—
Thai had na dout of liouns na dragouns.
The land was veround all with rochis hie,
And within like a paradise mycht men se;
The frute thai fand was liffing gude ynouch,
With all kyn birdis singand on the be[u]ch.
The king vsit to rise in þe mornying,
To take the are and here þe foulis sing:
Sa he persauit ane tre was burgeand—
In the mornying it had na lafe berand,
And ȝitt or none þe frute was ripe at all,
And ȝitt or evin the levis begouth to fall;
The samyne frute that was ripe and fare at none,
At sone-gane-doun was widderit and vndone.
In that garding mony sic was growand,
With fare birdis suetlie on thame singand;
Bot quhan ony plukkit frute of þat tre,
Thai schote out flauchtis of fyre, and gart thame de;
And also, quhat man of þat frute wauld ete,
He deit furthwith, and ete never efter mete.
Biside the roche, þe flude of Phion ran—
The tothir syde þe land was of Bragman,
The quhilk strekit nere Paradise Terrestre;
The tother end, quhare þai had bene, was westre.

Syne come thay to the Monte of Adamant,
Quhare thare grew mony a riche dyamant.
In frontale of þe crag þare was ane stare,
The quhilk of hicht was half a mylle, or mare,
And enterit at ane porte, was cristallyne,
The steppis of dyamentis and sauphir syne.
Off steppis thare was five thousand an[d] five hund[er]
Vp to the hicht quhare fra thai enterit vnder;
The steppis war richt large, þe stare war wide,
Five faldome wele, or mare, fra side to side.
The crag was stay, bot fra the nothir ȝate
Ane goldin chenȝie gydit thame all the gate,
Was grete and lang, and stolpit all the way
Quhare he sould gane, and quhare his gatis lay.

Than Alexander tuke with him princis ten,
And left Porrus þare doun to kepe the men:
Thare was the goddis in þare mansioun
Apoun that mont, quham with he tocht to rovn;
Bot or he wauld begyn to tak the grece,
He made his prayeris and his sacrefice.
Quhen he had made his prayaris, vp he steppit,
And euer the chenȝe in his handis kepit,
Quhill he come to the hicht of the montaingȝe;
He fand a porte, and thare endit þe chenȝe,
And in he enterit with his princis thus:
He fand ane pallice plesand and pretius,
Quhilk was all made of gold and siluer clere
And pretius stanis, was nane in warld þare pere,
The quhilk was callit þe Hous of Son and Mone,
Oure-frett with gold and pretius stanis abone;
Ane pretius tempill on the ta side was,
Was to behald pereles of pretiousnes—
Thare was nocht ellis bot gold and pretius stanis.
And Alexander with his men in it gane is,
And made his prayaris to his goddis all,
That fare fortoun and antre suld him fall.

And syne in-till ane fare hall entr[it] he,
The quhilk was nowther of querrell-stane nor tre,
Bot all was wrocht of pretious stanis of gold,
And all durris oppnyt to entre quha-sa wald.
Syne in ane chalmer of grete solempnite,
Quhare na bedding bot claithis of gold saw he,
Quhare in ane grete bed he saw liand thare
Ane fare auld man, was quhite all grovin of hare.
That bed for to devise, passis my witt—
Was nocht bot gold and pretius stanis in it,
Devisit in sa statelike ane manere;
Baith he and law was all of gold so clere,
The legis all of saphir and tophas;
On everie tor ane grete charbunkill was,
And all the pillaris of chalmer, tempill, and hall,
Ane grete charbunkill on ilkane of thame all.
The covering was in sic a maner wrocht
That all of claith, na but claith was it nocht—
Ane claith of gold was grund and foundment,
Ourefrett with pretius perry of the Orient,

The wourth man lay nocht in nakkit bed,
Bot on þe coverture he lay all cled,
In claith of gold arrayit sa richely,
He semyt ane god as he lay propirly;
He was richt fare of face, baith blyth and hale,
Bot him list nocht to stere na mak travell.
His mete was myr, aloes, and incens—
He semyt to be ane man of excellance—
His drink was balme and gold potabille,
Richt blayith and ioyus in his hart was abill;
He was richt mekill, and of ane grete stature,
Was neuer nane farare formit of nature.
His clething was sa pretius quhare he lyis,
That mannis witt mycht nocht the tend devise,
For thare was [nocht] in chalmer, tempill, na hall
Sa litill ane stane, bot stanis of vertew all,
The quhilkis war nedefull, spedfull, and chors
For sum proffit langand to mannys cors.
Quhilk quhan the king and his men lukit on,
Thay wenyt þat it had bene god Aymon,
And fell on kneis, and wourschip till him made,
As thai wald in the tempill to þe godhede.

Than said that lorde, “Alexander, þow art velcum—
Or ȝow was borne, thy name heirin was [nummyn],
For be the goddis þus ordand it was,
That thow sould cum here and vese þis place,
And tak thyne ansure of þi destanye,
How þow sould end, and quhat dede þow sall de,
And se the haly Treis of Son and Mone,
Quhilk neuer man sall se fra ȝow haue done;
And pas furth in þat garding þat þow seis,
Quhare þow sall fynd diuers maneris of treis—
Bot enter nocht, na na man þat is with the,
Bot ȝe witt first of syn clene ȝe be.
Thow sall fynd thare þe Treis of Son and Mone,
The quhilkis has power be þe goddis abone
To ansure the of quhat thing þow sall spere,
And soithfastlie sall tell the all the maner
Off thyne ending, and quhat dede þow sall de—
Disples the nocht, for it behuffis to be.
Ane mekill dry tre als þow sall fynd þare,
Quhilk never sen Adam synnyt burgioun bare,
Na neuer sall bare quhill ane madyn bare ane childe
But mannis seid, and nocht of fame be fylde.
Ane fenix ȝow sal se sittand tharevpoun,
Off quhilkis þare sal neuer be bot one,
Quhilk, quhan scho is [five hundreth] ȝere of auld,
Scho passis to ane hill on þe feild,
And gadderis mony branchis, sommyr dry,
And with hir wyngis fannys contenualie,
Quhill throw the hete of þe son and hir fannying
Scho garris the stikkis kendill in birnying,
And birnys hir-selff in powder and in as,
The quhilkis lyis still all ȝere into þat place,
Quhill, throw the dew of hevin and sonnys hete,
That as agane sall liffe and quykknying gett,
And birdowis þare, with hete of son, and rane;
Quhen scho is growin, cummyis to þe tre agane,
And levis here vnto þe samyne eild,
Syne in þe samyn wise gais to þe feild.

“Syne efter sall ȝow fynd þe pillicane,
Apoun hir nest in ane grete tre hir allane,
Off quhilk the birdis euermare ar dede borne;
And quhen scho seys þat thai the liffe has [l]orne,
Scho is sa wa þat nere of witt scho wedis,
And slais hir-selff, and with hir blude þame fedis—
For with hir beik scho strykis hir to the hart,
Quhill all hir blude into nest out stert;
Syne in hir blude hir birdis all þame baithis,
Quhilk quykkynnis þame, and liffe into þame grathis,
Syne sall ȝow find all fruitis at devise,
Off all kyndis of frute of Paradise,
Saiffand the Tre of Witt of Gud and Ill,
Quhilk man to se it is nocht Goddis will.”

Than Alexander was blayth of þat tything,
That he sould haue knawlege of his ending,
And schup him and his lordis for to pas
In-to þat garding, and to vesie þat plais.
Tha[n] sais the auld man, “Alexander, latt be—
Ȝe man leif all ȝoure proude gere here with me,
Ȝoure hois, ȝoure schone, ȝoure collaris, and ȝoure ringis,
Ȝoure crovne of gold, and vther pridfull thingis,
Bot in ȝoure lynning claithis, all bare fute,
Or ellis in ȝoure ganging þare is na bute.
This place was ordand for the goddis to be,
And this cuntre is callit Terre [de] Dee;
And all this pallice has hallowit specially
For thare mansioun, of quhilk kepar am I.
[N]ow fallow,” than sais þe wourthy man,
And all þus he þe first entre begane.

The paleis was richt large and spatius,
And eik þe garding fare and gratius;
Sidlingis þe palis by the tempill was
Ane treilȝeit vergiere, was a ferly place—
Off gold was all the veingȝe trie and treilȝeis,
And precious stanis þe rasingis and þe foulȝeis;
The precious gold grew on þe samyne treis,
Sa did the precious stanis þat men seis.
Thai rasingis gaif aurum potabile,
And burgeonand and euermare ripe to be,
The quhilk he drank as we do here þe wyne.
The haly balme was eftir growand fyne,
Syne grew the myrr, þe aloes, and þe cens—
That garding past all vther of excellence.
Syne was thare vthir treis growand nere,
Was like þe olive treis and the laurere,
Syne all spicis that mennis witt couth devise
Was in that garding growand in best wise;
And als into that garding þai micht fynd
All frute þat gannand sould be for mankynde,

Syne was thare wallit in a litill abone
The Dry Tre, and þe Treis of Son and Mone;
And all the wallis þat about þame was,
Was rubyis, diamentis, emerauldis, and tophas,
With charbonkell, onix, and crissolites,
And vther pretius stanis of riches—
Thay war sa clere þat all men throw þame seis,
That throw the wall men mycht persaue þe treis;
Ane hundreth cubeitis was þe wall on hicht,
Quhilk fra men stoppit nowthir sicht nor lycht.
The wertew of þat garding þat is þare,
Quhay-euer duellis in it, deis neuer mare.
About þe grete paleis þare was ane low,
Quhare all maner of foulis swam and row,
Quhilk was sa dipe þat na man mycht ourpas;
And syne þe crag sa strate and schore doun was
That nane mycht entir bot quhare þe grece attengȝeis,
Quhare na man mycht ascend bot with þe chengȝeis.