University of Virginia Library

Be þis ser Dary was diȝt whit his dere erles,
Heuyd vp a huge ost & hast him to ryde,
His ginge & all his garysons in glyssynand wedis,
Gaes him on̄ to granton̄ & graithes þare his tentis.
His stoure was so stalworthe & store & strange to a-byde,
He had of men̄ out of mynde many mayn̄ hundreth,
Þat sike a siȝt & a sowme of seggis enarmed
Was neuer sene, I suppose sen̄ þe sege of troy.
Þe chiftayne had chariotis chosen for þe nanes,
Ten thousand be tale tried for þe were.
And þai ware sett aþire side full of sythe-bladis,
Kene keruand as knyfes & cursers þam drowe.
Þe next day be þe none new note ryses,
Aithire freke with his folke in þe fild metis,
And bald bernes on̄ bent banars vnfaldis,
Put pennons on̄ pollis payntid of siluir.
Alexander as belyue is armed vp clene,
Bounes him to his blonke þe best vndire heuen,
Þat was þe blonk Bucifal as þe buke tellis,
A foole worth fyfty of þe firste þat in þe flode drouned.
He spynnes him out a grete space fra he[s] peris all,
Couers him full clenly & closed in̄ his gere.
Þe powere out of Persy quen̄ þay þe prince saȝe,
Frayed was of his fourme so ferdfull him semed.

Now ere þe batails boune with braggins in trumpis,
Þe breme bemen blaste beres to þe welken̄.
Alexander allþire first on̄ þaim all he settis,
And aithire ward at a wap̄p wiȝtly inIoynes.
Archars & all men̄ asperly fiȝtis,
Þare was Iusting o Ioy Iopons a-tamed;
Siles doun on̄ aithire side selcuth kniȝtis,
Sum darid, sum dede sum depe wondid.
So fell fliȝt was of flanys as I fynd wreten̄,
Of arrows & of all quat þat all þe aire blindid;
Hogere on̄ to be-hald þan̄ of haile-stanes,
And all þe fild full of folke fyue mile large.
Als sone as þe son̄ vp soȝt þe slaȝtere begynnes,
And so to þe son̄-sett slakid þai neuire.
Be þat þe barbryne blode be-gan̄ to discende,
Þe proudest of þe Persyns past out of lyue.
Sone as ser Dary it deuysid & seȝis his foke faile,
With þat he bedis þam þe bake & bidis na langir;
Þen quen̄ þai fange to ȝe fliȝt was furth in with euyn,
And mirke out of mesure na man þaim a-pered.
For-þi þe chariotis in þe chace choppid þaim to deth,
Þe cartis þat I carpid of with þe kene sythis,
Þare fell as fele þam̄ before of fotemen̄ & othire,
As risonis in a ranke fild quen riders it spillen̄.
Sire Dary dryue in þe derke & his douth folows,
Gaes him on to grantun vn-to þe grete burne,
Fand it frosen him before as fell for þe time,
Past him on̄ with his pers a pake out of nombre.
His folke fellis all þe flode a forelange o brede,
Þe streme fra þe a strande streȝt to þat othire.
Sone fra him-self was at þe side it sonders behind,
And all at lent ware on-loft loste þar þe swete.
Þus many deed þat day as þe buke tellis,
Of pollis out of Persye withouten þe grekis,
Thre hundreth Mille thra men̄ þat tharned þaire lyues,
With þe fooles & þe folke þat þe flode drouned.
Þis senioure out of Susys to his cite wendis,
Fallis doun on̄ his face flat in̄ þe sale,
“Wa is me!” quod he, “wriche wa is me vnhappy!”
Siȝis selcuthely sare & sadly he wepys,
“I þat was straȝt to þe sternes am streken now to grond,
Now craton̄, now caitefe now am I kast vndire,
Þat had of the Orient all ouire homage vmqwile.
Wist any we quat him suld worth þis werd wald he leue,
Full sympill in a seteqwile seke to þe cloudes,
And þai at mast ere of miȝt smyten all to poudire.”
With þat reufully he rase & renkis out he sendis,
To Alexander belyue & all slike a pistill.

“I, drery kynge on̄ my dese Darius of Persy,
To Alexander þat Aire þat all has to wild,
Þe lege lord of my lyfe to lose or to saue,
Þus send I to my souerayne salutis & ioy.
So wyde is þe wisdom̄ þat wonne[s] in ȝour saule,
Þat wele ȝe wate, of all men at I worthid here before,
Of all þe notis þat ere now & quat on̄ next sewes.
For-þi ȝour werke ay be witt ȝe wirke vn̄reproued.
Sire, I knawlage me a creatour & come of a woman,
Heues noȝt ȝour hert vp to hiȝe take hede to ȝour end;
It limps noȝt all-way þe last to licken̄ with þe first,
Quat suld a kniȝt mare to kepe bot conquire his enmy?
Was noȝt Sexes him-selfe þe souereynest in erth,
And cheued him of cheualry chekis out of nombre?
Ȝit for his will out of worde was won̄ in-to pride,
In þe lede here of Elanda lithirly he feyned.
Þinke þat allanely of god þis ouirlaike þou haues,
For-þi haue mercy on̄ þi men̄ þi meche we beseke,
Als of ȝoure grete gudnes to grant vs oure modire,
Oure bride, oure barnes out of bande for besandis enoȝe,
For all þe feete at oure fadirs in þe fold hade,
In Battri & in þis bild þe burȝe of Elanda,
Þe maistri & þe maieste of Mede & of Persy,
With all þe Iolyte & Ioy þat Iubiter vs lenes.”
Þe seggis at fra Susses was sent with þe pistill
Aires to ser Alexander onone hit him reches;
And he dos on̄ before his ost openly to rede,
And all his kniȝtis for þe carpe ware kenely reioysed.
Þen̄ was ane Permeon̄, a pere a prince of his oste,
Enclynes him doun to þe kyng said: “kid emperoure,
Resayue þis risches, I rede þat ȝow þis renke bedis,
And lyuers him his ladis & all his lele childire.”
Þan̄ Alexander belyue þa hathels he callis,
Þe berne at broȝt him þe brefe said: “bowis to ȝour lord,
And say, me wondirs, I-wisse if he it wete wald,
For any mede a-pon̄ mold his meneyhe to lyuire?
If he be fallen̄ vndire fote & his folke streyned,
And vencust of oure violence quat vailis him his hestis?
His person & his prouynce he put it in my will,
And ȝeld him vndire my ȝoke þan̄ ȝerne I na mare.
And if [he] grant him noȝt de-grayd bot for þe gre threpis,
Bid buske him eft to þe bent vs bataill to ȝeld.”
Þus monest he þe messangers þaire maistir to say,
Geuys þam̄ giftis full gude & lete þam̄ ga swyth.
And þan comands he his kniȝtis þe corses vp to gedire,
Of all þe douth at was dede & diȝt þam in graues.
And at wondid was, I-wis as þe writt tellis,
To serche þaire saluys & þar saris with surgens noble.
At þe grete flode of Granton̄ now graythis he his tentis,
Honoured þare his ald gods & offirs þam̄ nouches;
Þare fand he palais vp piȝt & many proud hames,
Sum-quile of Sexes ware sett þe sire of þo landis.
Þa bildis he bedis þam̄ to brin sone of his bone rewis,
And bad na beren̄ be sa bald a brand for to kyndill.
Þare was a brade bent fild was beried full of kniȝtis,
Of ald peres out of Persy prince & dukes.
Þe Messedones in þe mold mynes to þe graues,
Fand coupis all of clene gold & costious stanes,
Þe sepulture of a sire þat of Surre was kyng.
Him was þe name Ninus was in a noke fonden̄,
Was of ane athill amatist & all within grauen̄,
Plantid full of palmetres & many proud fowles,
And slike a clerete it kest þu[r]ȝe kynd of it-selfe,
Þai miȝt haue kend without þe kist þe corps all-to-gedire.
Þare was a tenefull toure & tulkis in-closid;
Sum ware þe handis of hewen̄ & sum wondid hoȝes,
Sum þe eȝen, sum þe eres & egirly cries
On Alexander eftir help̄ & he þam all liuers.
He wepis on̄ þam̄ for wa said, “wa is me, my childire!”
And ilkane of his talentis he takis ten thousand.
Þus ware þai diȝt of ser Dary for he dedeyne hade,
þat þai ware comen doun of kyngis & be no cause ellis.
Be now þe douth of ser Daris þe derfe messangere
Fra Alexander agayn̄ his answare him broȝt;
And he þan girdis out to grete eft graythis him to fyȝt,
To þe honoryd here out of ynde þus ordans a pistill.
“þat þe sceptoure & þe soile sesid am of Persy,
To Porrus vndire my present plesance & ioy.
First wrate I to ȝour worthines ȝit write I þe same,
To help vs at þire hathill men̄ þat haue wald my regne,
And, be ȝe sure, þe same way is to ȝour-self ettild.
For he þat werrais vs with þe wildare of grece,
Is wrawid & wrathfull of will & wode as a lyon̄,
As wawes of þe wild see when̄ wynd þaim distrobles;
And if I sande men̄ & sammen seggis out of nombre,
And cokke with þe conquirour till I be cald drepid,
Ȝit me is better on̄ þe bent in bataile be slayne,
Þan se þe lose of my ledis & ay leue in̄ sorowe.
For-þi ȝoure lordschip as legeman I lawly be-seke,
As I þat am in angwisch myne askyng to fill;
Ten schilling of my trew gold a man̄ þat is armed,
And fyue to a fote-man faithely I hete.
Ȝit sall I ordane to ȝour ane quare-euire oure ost liggis,
A ix score of new geere of nurtrid maydens.
Bucifalon þe bald stede sall bathe be oure awen̄,
And þe armes of Alexander & all þe pilage.”

Now flees þar fra þe fell kynge a fone of his kniȝtes,
To Alexander beliue & all þus him tald,
How þat ser Dary with his dukis eft drissis him to fiȝt,
Had prayd eftir powere to Porrus of ynde.
Þan ordans him þis honorable with his ost flitis,
Agayn̄ þe Persyns king him ordans to ride,
For þe name of an̄ Emperoure ne wald he neuire fange,
Or þen þat souerayne ware slayne or ȝild him his regne.
Sone as þe kyng of þat kith of his come herys,
Þan̄ was he ferly a-friȝt & his folke bathe.
Than kest þam twa of his kniȝtis him causeles to spill,
Þai trowid þan of Alexander to adill þaim a mede;
Þire traitours on̄ þis trechoure trowthis has strakid,
Lendis þaim on-loft to þe lorde laȝt out swerdis.
“Quat sall I dreȝe,” quod ser Dary “my dere-worth childire?
First cald I ȝow my clyentis þat now I call lordis,
Semes ȝow noȝt it suffice my sorowe with-out,
Þat as a bitand brand me brettens with-in,
And slaa ȝe me þus sudanly? þe se[n]ioure of grece,
He will me wreke on ȝoure werke wers þan of thefes!”
Þar meuyd þaim na mercy bot maynly him woundid,
Þat doun he hildis all to-hewyn þaire handis be-twene.
Þan dryfes furthe þa dones men & halfe dede him leuys,
Famand out of fresch blod & here a fitt end.