University of Virginia Library

When folk ere festid & fed fayn̄ wald þai here
Sum farand þing efter fode to fayn þare her[t],
Or þai ware fourmed on fold or þaire fadirs oþer.
Sum is leue to lythe þe lesing of Sayntis,
Þat lete þer lifis be lorne for oure lordis sake;
And sum has langing of lufe lays to herken,
How ledis for þaire lemmans has langor endured.
Sum couettis & has comforth to carpe & to lestyn
Of curtaissy of knyȝthode of craftis of armys,
Of kyngis at has conquirid & ouer-comyn̄ landis.
Sum of wirschip I-wis slike as þam̄ wyse lattis,
And sum of wanton̄ werkis þa þat ere wild-hedid;
Bot if þai wald on̄ many wyse a wondire ware it els;
For as þaire wittis ere with-in so þer will folowis.
And I forwith ȝow all ettillis to schewe
Of ane Emperoure þe aȝefullest þat euer armys hauntid,
Þat was þe athill Alexsandire as þe buke tellis,
Þat aȝte euyn as his awyn̄ all the werd ouire.
For he recouerd quills he regnyd þe regions all clene,
And all rialme & þe riches in-to þe rede est.
I sall rehers, & ȝe will, renkis rekyn ȝour tongis,
A remnant of his rialte & rist quen vs likis.

Oute in þe erth of Egipt enhabet vmquile
Þe wysest wees of the werd as I in writt fynd.
For þai þe mesure & þe mett of all þe mulde couthe,
Þe sise of all þe grete see & of þe grym̄ wawys;
Of þe ordere of þat odde home þat ouer þe aire hingis
Knew þe kynd, & þe curses of þe clere sternys,
Of Articus the aghill tre airis & oþire
Of þe fold & of þe firmament wele þe fete cuthe;
And Antarticus also þat all apon̄ turnys,
Þe pasage of þe planettis þe poyntis & þe sygnes.
Þai ware þe kiddest of þat craft knawyn in̄ þaire tyme,
And þe sotellest vndere son segis in̄ þaire lyfe.
Þus ware þai breued for þe best as þe buke tellis;
All þai lerid of þat lare þat it lere wald.
As wide as þe werd was went worde of þaire teching,
Of sorsery & slike werkis sleȝtis enogh.
And þe kyng of þat contre was a clerke noble,
Þe athelest ane of þe werd & Anec was hatten.
He was wyse enoȝe wirdis to reken,
When he þe heuyn beheld of lede[s] opon̄ lyfe;
Þe iapis of all gemetri gentilli he couth,
And wele as Aristotill þe artis all seuyn.
Þer preued neuer nane his prik for passing of witt,
Plato nor Piktagaras ne Prektane him seluen.
Emang his duykis on a day as he on̄ dese syttis,
Þan̄ was him bodword vnblyth broȝt to þe sale,
Þat Artaxenses was armed with þe men of his rewme,
Þe proude king of Persy to pase him agayn̄.
Þoȝe he þa sawis herd say ȝit samyd he na princis,
Ne ost ordand he nane of na kyd knyȝtis,
Bot airis euen furth him ane & entirs his chambre,
To knaw by his clergi þe come of his faa.
He takis a Boll of bras burneschid full clene,
And full he fillis it of the flode at fell fra þe heuen.
On hiȝt in his a hand haldis a wand,
And kenely be coniurisons callis to him spritis.
In-to þis water as he waitis was he ware sone
Of his enmys in þat Element ane endles nombre;
He saȝe þam̄ in þe hiȝe see sailand to-gedire,
Was neuer sene slike a some vnder þe son bemys.
Carrygis comand he knew keruand þe ithis,
Dromonds dryfes ouer þe depe with dukis & Erles,
Gales & grete schipis full of grym wapens,
And full of breneid bernes bargis a hundreth,
Of slik a naue is noy to here or to tell.
For all þe largenes of lenth at he luke myȝt,
Slik was þe multitude of mast so mekil & so thike,
Þat all him þoȝt bot he treis a hare wod it semyd.
At þe enteris of Egipt as Anec had beden,
Ware peris of his prouynce & princes of his cytes,
Was comandid of þaire kyng to kepe þa landis,
Þat nane aproche it to paire of Persy ne othire.
Þan was a wardan̄ ware oute in þe wale stremys
Of all þe naue & þe note I neuenyd be-fore;
Laȝt liȝtly his ledis & leuys his warde,
Comes to courte to þe kyng & on̄ kneys fallis,
Anec bi his awyn name he onane gretis,
Sais, “ȝare þe now ȝapely or ȝild vp þi rewme;
Artaxenses is at hand & has ane ost reryd,
And resyn vp with all his rewme to ride vs agayn̄;
For he him-self is on̄ þe se with siche a somme armed,
Þat any hathill vnder heuen̄ ware hardy to rekyn.
For þer is comyn̄ with him knyȝt[es] of landis dyuerse,
Segis of many syde oute of sere remys,
Þe perseyns & a pupill þat parthy is callid,
Men of Mesepotayme & of Mede bathe,
Of Syre & of Sychim a selle nounbre,
Of Capidos & Caldec kene men̄ of armes,
Fell feȝtand folke þat Faire we call,
Þe Arrabiens & all þa [of] þat origyne,
Bernys out of Batary batails arayed,
Aud oþire out of þe orient many od hundrethe.”

Þen Anec onane riȝt efter þire wordis,
A lowde laȝter he loȝe & to þe lede said,
“Haue þou na care,” quod þe kyng “bot kepe to þe marche,
As I have demyd þe to do & dred þou na ferryre;
For soth it is vnsemely slike sawis of a prynce.
I kan noȝt knaw at þou carpis as a knyȝt suld,
Bot as a frek at ware ferid & feynes riȝt nowe.
Ert þou noȝt hurtles & hale? lat noȝt þi hert faile.
For vertu vailes noȝt all if þou avaied worthe,
Emang þe multitude of men̄ quare mane ere togeder,
Bot þer aboute as þai ere blend with bignes of will.
If þai be folke bot a fa oft tydis þam þe better.
Or elis wate þou noȝt wele þe witles berne,
How it is comonly carped in contries a-boute,
Þat anelepy leon̄ þat ouer þe land rynnys,
Will make to fange to þe fliȝt & flay many hertis?”
With þat þe segge all him selfe silis to his chambre,
And in þe brasen boll full [of] blak watere
He shapis him of shire wax litill schipis many,
And ȝapely ȝarkid in his hand a ȝerd of a palme.
Þen con̄ he chater & enchant with all his chefe miȝtis,
A-vysid him in þe vessell & was avaied sone,
How þe powere out of Persy pellid doune his knyȝtis,
And how his land suld be lost withouten lett mare.
When he was ware of þis wathe how it worthe suld,
Þan wendis he wiȝtly furth & his wede changis,
Clede him all as a clerke & his croune shauys,
And with a bytand blade he his bered voydis.
Þen takis to him tresour & trusses in baggis,
As many Besandis on̄ his bake as he bere miȝt,
And oþire necessari notis as nedis to his craftis,
To sike salmary dangell as him self vyses.
He toke traimmes him with to tute in þe sternes,
Astralabus algate as his arte wald,
Quadrentis coruen all of quyte siluyre full quaynte,
Mustours & mekil quat mare þen a littill.
When he was graþed with his gere a gladen he waytis,
And passis furþe at a Posterne preualy alane,
Furþe on his fete withouten fole he passis his way,
Vn-wetandly to any wee þat wont in his wanes.
Þus airis he out of Egipte & his erde leuys,
Fled for ferd of his fais fere fra his kythis,
It was na bote him to bide ne batill to ȝelde;
For all his kyngdome he knew suld be kast vnder.
Fra þe partis of Persy he past bot a littill,
And euyn so þurȝe Ethyope & þar him̄ eft clethis,
All his liche in lyn claþe for ledis suld trowe
And all þe puple persayue a prophete he were.
Þen̄ metis he furthe to Messadon̄ full vn̄-mete gatis,
And quen he come to þat kith as þe chance tellis,
Oft with his instrumentis out he openly deuynes,
And noþer hild he it ne hid bot here qua sa likid.
Bot þan was methe for to mele þurȝe men of his burȝ,
Þat he by-hind him at hame withoute hede leuyd.
Slik care kindils in his curte quen þai þer kyng myssid,
Þat it ware tere any tonge of þar tene to reken;
Princes of his palas preses in-to chambre,
To laite þar lord at was lost with latis vn-blythe;
Kairis in-to closettis knyȝtis & Erlis,
Sekand þar souerayn̄ with many salt terys;
Barons & bachelers balefully gretis,
Swiers swemyle swouned ladys,
And many was þe bald berne at banned þar quile,
Þat euer he dured þat day vndede opon erthe.
Bot quen þai wist he was went & wald noȝt be foun,
Couth þai na bote þam̄ ebland how best for to wirke,
Bot silis to ser Sirraphis at sittis in his trone,
Þat was þar god alþire-graythist on̄ þe ground samen.
Him þai supplyed & soȝt & him ensence castis,
Honourd him with offyrings & elkend him fayre,
Þat he suld say þam̄ þe sothe & sorely þam teche
Queder þaire kyng was becomen̄ at þar care kyndils.
Þan sayd Syraphis him selfe he sayd þam þir wordis:
“Anec, ȝour athill kyng is out of his awyn land,
For Artaxenses aȝe is all him̄ ane foundid,
Þe proude kyng of Persee þat passes vs a-gaynes.
Full wele he wist, or he went quat suld worþe efter,
And all þe fourme of þe fare þat fall ȝow be-houys.
For all þe erth of Egipt fra end vn̄-to othire
Bees conquirid & ouercomyn clene alto-gedre.
Þe puple out of Perse is purvaid all samen;
Þe kyng is comand full kene with his kene ostis,
Þat sall oure renkis all rayme & oure rewme bathe,
And we be all at þare will þus is wirdis schapen.
Sen it is sett to be soo & slipe it ne may,
Ne schewid to be na noþire schap̄ ne we to schount nouthire,
Bot gefe þaim vp þe girdill vs gaynes noȝt ellis.
Bot seses, seris, of ȝour syte & soruȝes na mare;
For certayn̄,” quod Syraphis “my-selfe I it knawe,
Ȝour king sall in a noþire kithe kast out his elde,
And come a-gayn̄ eft ȝonge man ȝit to his rewme.
Þan̄ sall þat victoure ȝow venge on̄ ȝour vile fais,
And þe province of Persee purely distruye,
And gett agayn̄ his avyn̄ gronde at he forgais nowe,
And ane of þe oddist Emperours of þe werde worthe.”

When he þis talis had tald þen tuke þai be-lyfe,
And efter Anec on-ane ane ymage gert make;
Þe buke sais, of blake stane all þe bode ouyre,
With corone & with conyschantis as it a kynge were.
Quen it was perfite & piȝt a place þai it wayted,
And stallid him in a stoute stede & stiȝthed him faire.
Lordis lift him on̄ loft & lawe to him bowid,
In reuerence of þe riche kyng at had þer rewme gydid.
Quen he was semely vp set with septour in hand,
Þen ledis at ware lettird on̄ lawe at his feet
All þe sawis of þaire Syre as Siraphis tald,
Þare gan̄ þai graithly þam̄ graue in golden lettirs,
All þe wordis at he þaim werpid of þaire ware kynge.
Þare þai wrate þam I-wis as þe buke tellis,
Supposand þaim in sum tyme for sothe to be knawen,
And men to make of þam̄ mynd euer-mare efter.
Be þat þaire enmes þar erde was entird with-in,
Þe powere oute of Persee with many proude ostes;
Bot of þar batails to brefe it botis me na ferrire.
For all þai conquirid clene þis cithe at þaire will,
And Anec is all his ane ferre of his awyn̄ landis,
With-in þe merris of Messedoyn̄ þar na man̄ him knewe.
Bot will ȝe herken hende now sall ȝe here
How he kide him in þe courete & quayntid him with ladis.