 | The Buik of King Alexander the Conqueror |  |
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How Alexander enterit in þe garding off þe Treis of Son and Mone
The pallais was of lenth and brede ane myle,
All closit in roche and rivere, as ane yle.
Than Alexander beheld the pillegane,
And syne vnto þe Dry Tre is he gane,
Quhare þat fenix satt, with fetherane fare—
In all þis warld he wend nocht sic ane ware:
Scho was of bodie grete as ane ostrike,
Hir fetherame mekill was till ane pacok like—
Becaus thare was na levis nor nane bewis,
He mycht wele se hir fetherame and hir hewis—
Scho had ane craist apoun hir hede richt hie,
As fetheryn busche or basnett suld be,
Hir tale, hir hals, as gold sterynit and asure;
Micht nane discr[i]ve hir richt native culloure,
For as he past about to se hir hewis,
The sonnys beme his diuers culloure sewis,
For mycht a man þis [sevin] ȝere þairin be,
He wauld neuer irk hir bewteis for to se.
All closit in roche and rivere, as ane yle.
Than Alexander beheld the pillegane,
And syne vnto þe Dry Tre is he gane,
Quhare þat fenix satt, with fetherane fare—
In all þis warld he wend nocht sic ane ware:
Scho was of bodie grete as ane ostrike,
Hir fetherame mekill was till ane pacok like—
Becaus thare was na levis nor nane bewis,
He mycht wele se hir fetherame and hir hewis—
Scho had ane craist apoun hir hede richt hie,
As fetheryn busche or basnett suld be,
Hir tale, hir hals, as gold sterynit and asure;
Micht nane discr[i]ve hir richt native culloure,
For as he past about to se hir hewis,
The sonnys beme his diuers culloure sewis,
For mycht a man þis [sevin] ȝere þairin be,
He wauld neuer irk hir bewteis for to se.
Than said þe garde till Alexander, “Now ga,
And spere quhat þe list at ȝoure treis tua;”
And than he past to the Trie of þe Son,
And sperit giff he suld cum in Massedone—
He gart his princis bide in þe garding
Quhill he had done, and eft cum till him syne—
And syne ane wther questioun he sperd,
Giff he suld be lord of all þis erde.
The first tre ansurid, as I herd recorde,
“Off all this erde þow salbe anys lorde,
And syne þow sall cum into Babillone,
Bot þow sall neuer cum into Massedone.”
(The langage that it spak was into Grewe,
For Alexander ay þat langage best knewe).
And efter he spered syne at the tother tre
How lang he suld liff, and quhat dede he sould de;
Bot he sperit nocht with woce spekand þame till,
Bot tocht in-till his mynde quhat war his will.
And spere quhat þe list at ȝoure treis tua;”
And than he past to the Trie of þe Son,
And sperit giff he suld cum in Massedone—
He gart his princis bide in þe garding
Quhill he had done, and eft cum till him syne—
And syne ane wther questioun he sperd,
Giff he suld be lord of all þis erde.
The first tre ansurid, as I herd recorde,
“Off all this erde þow salbe anys lorde,
And syne þow sall cum into Babillone,
Bot þow sall neuer cum into Massedone.”
(The langage that it spak was into Grewe,
For Alexander ay þat langage best knewe).
And efter he spered syne at the tother tre
How lang he suld liff, and quhat dede he sould de;
Bot he sperit nocht with woce spekand þame till,
Bot tocht in-till his mynde quhat war his will.
The tother tre ansured richt sobirlie,
Sayand, “Þi dede sall cum richt soiddantly,
Bot þow may nocht, be na maner of thing,
Haue wittering of þe day of þi ending;
Bot as to witt þe dede þat þow sall de,
Thow salbe poysound with þine awne menȝie,
And for to do þat horrabill wikkit syn,
Sall be a man quhilk þow maist treistis in;
And in thai drink þi poison he sall giff,
And efter þat þow sall nocht lang tyme liff.”
Sayand, “Þi dede sall cum richt soiddantly,
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Haue wittering of þe day of þi ending;
Bot as to witt þe dede þat þow sall de,
Thow salbe poysound with þine awne menȝie,
And for to do þat horrabill wikkit syn,
Sall be a man quhilk þow maist treistis in;
And in thai drink þi poison he sall giff,
And efter þat þow sall nocht lang tyme liff.”
“Quha sall that do?” þan Alexander speris.
“That is na ressoun”, said he, “þat þow requeris,
For and I tald the, þow wald him fordo—
Than suld be fals þat I haue said the to,
The quhilk on na wyis God will thole to be;
It may suffice þat I haue said to the:
Thow sall neuer de on wappyn na in battalȝie,
Na sall neuer thing þe maister þat þe assailȝeis,
Nowther fire n[a] wattir, fische, na foull, na man,
Na nevir did s[e]n first þe were began:
Sa did the goddis quhan first þow at þame sperit,
And of þi fortoun first at thame requirit.”
Than Alexander wald fane haue sperit mare,
Bot he wald nocht him thole na langare þare,
And bad him pas his way, þe hour was gane,
And vther wittering of þame suld he haue nane.
Than come he to þe princis quhare þi stude;
He was richt movit and maid in-till his m[ude],
He was agast, and spak to þame na thing,
Quhareof þai had richt grete discomforting—
Richt grete murnying into þare mynd þai maid,
And furth þai past withoutin mare abaide.
Quhan þai war past, þe chengȝe drawin was,
Na erdlie man sen-syne com in þat place.
“That is na ressoun”, said he, “þat þow requeris,
For and I tald the, þow wald him fordo—
Than suld be fals þat I haue said the to,
The quhilk on na wyis God will thole to be;
It may suffice þat I haue said to the:
Thow sall neuer de on wappyn na in battalȝie,
Na sall neuer thing þe maister þat þe assailȝeis,
Nowther fire n[a] wattir, fische, na foull, na man,
Na nevir did s[e]n first þe were began:
Sa did the goddis quhan first þow at þame sperit,
And of þi fortoun first at thame requirit.”
Than Alexander wald fane haue sperit mare,
Bot he wald nocht him thole na langare þare,
And bad him pas his way, þe hour was gane,
And vther wittering of þame suld he haue nane.
Than come he to þe princis quhare þi stude;
He was richt movit and maid in-till his m[ude],
He was agast, and spak to þame na thing,
Quhareof þai had richt grete discomforting—
Richt grete murnying into þare mynd þai maid,
And furth þai past withoutin mare abaide.
Quhan þai war past, þe chengȝe drawin was,
Na erdlie man sen-syne com in þat place.
| The Buik of King Alexander the Conqueror | |