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Sone eftir in a seson as þe buke sais,
Come driuand fra Darius þe deyne Empereure,
Heraudis on heȝe hors hendly a-rayed,
To ser Philip þe fers to feche þar trouage.
Litill kyngis þar come as þe clause tellis,
Liȝt doune at þe loge & þar blonkis leues,
Caires in-to þe curte to craue him þar dettis,
Touchis titly þar tale & tribute him askis.
“Ȝa, caires hame,” quod Alexander “a-gayn̄ to ȝour kithes,
And sais ȝour maister, he make na ma sandis;
For sen Philip had a fresche son̄ þat fast now encressis,
Þat bees noȝt suffird, I supose nane slike him to ȝeld.
For sais ȝour lord, þe lefe hen̄ þat laide hir first egg,
Hire bodi nowe with barante is barely consumed,
And is Darius so of his dett duly depryued;
And be þis titill, him tellis na tribute him fallis.”
Þen merualid þam̄ þe messangirs mekill of his speche,
His witt & his wisdome wonderly praysed.
Faire at ser Ph[ilip] þe fers fang þai þar leue,
And syne clene of all þe curte & cairis to þar landis.
To þe palais of þe proude kyng to persie þai went,
Dose þam in to Darius þar he on̄ dese syttis,
And telles him how his trouage is tynt al-to-gedire,
As Alexander awyn̄ mouth had þam̄ all enfourmed.

Þen messangirs to Messedoyne come in þe mene qwile
To Ph[ilip] þe fell kyng & freschly him tald,
Þat all þe erthe of Ermony Erles & princes,
Þat suld be suget to him-selfe wald seke him with armes.
And Alexander belyfe as athil man̄ suld,
Vndirfangid to feȝt for Ph[ilip] to wende,
Gedirs him a grete ost graithes him in plates,
And aires toward Ermony þat erd to distroy.
Þan was a man in Messadone in þe marche duellid,
A proued prince & a proude Pausanna was hatten̄,
A big berne & a bald in brenys to ryde,
Þe son̄ of ane Cerastis as þe buke witnes.
Þis freke all his franche of Ph[ilip] he haldis,
And was a suget to him-selfe & serues him aȝt;
Bot þan̄ he depely many day disired to haue þe quene,
And lyes vmlapped with hire lufe many lange wynter.
And by þat cause to þe kyng he kest slik a hate,
Þat he desiris his deth & diȝtis [him] þare-fore.
All þe folke of his affinite he freschly a-semblis,
And sekis furth with a hoge some a-saile him to ȝeld.
Quen̄ Ph[ilip] heris of þat fare gret ferly him̄ thinke[s],
Ferkis furth with a fewe folk him in þe fild metis,
Seis þe multitude sa mekill of men at he bringes,
Braidis on̄ his blonke toward þe burȝe & þaim þe bak shewis.
Þen schrikis schilli all þe schalkis & schoutis him at anes,
And Pausanna þe prince a-pon a proude stede
Sprengis out with a spere & spedis him eftir,
And þurgh þe bac in-to þe brest him beris to þe erd;
He heldes doun̄ in þe hey way & halfe deyde liggez,
All ware he wondirly wondid he wendis noȝt be-lyfe.
His men & all þe Messadones full mavnly ware stourbed,
Quat of doloure & dyn quen þai him dede hopid.
Pausanna þan for þe prowis slike a pride hentis,
Vnethes wist he for welth wirke quat he miȝt.
He prekis in-to þe palais to pull out þe quene,
Wenys to wild hire at will & away lede.
Þan comes Alexander in þat cas þe cronaclis tellis,
With a riall ost of many able princes,
Airand out of Ermony & had all þe erth won̄;
Sees slike a rottillyng in þe rewme & ridis al þe faster.
Þan̄ past vp þe proud quene in-to preue chambre,
Wayues out at wyndou & waytis a-boute,
Saȝe be þe sygnes & be sike as with hire son̄ comys,
And be þe alyens armes at he was all maister.
With þat scho haldis out hire hede & heȝe to him callis,
“Quare is þi werdes, my wale son̄ þou wan̄ of þi godis,
Þou suld be victour & venge & vencust neuire?
If þou haue any hert here help now þi modire.”
Sone as pausanna þe prince with-in þe palais heris
Þe comyng of þe kene knyȝt he caires him agaynes,
Presis out of þe palais with a pake armed,
And metes him in þe myd-fild with a mekill nounbre.
And Alexander be-lyue quen he on̄ him waites,
He swyngis out with a swerd & swappis him to dethe;
And þe renkis, all the route reches vp þaire wapen
Vn-to þis kid conquirour & cried eftir socure.
Þan̄ was þar ane in þe ost on̄ Alexander callis,
Sayd, “Ph[ilip] þi fadire is in þe fild drepid.”
And he halis furth on hede & halfe-dede him fyndis,
Brusches doune by þe berne & bitterly wepis.
“A! Alexander!” quod þe kyng “now am I at ane ende;”
A litill liftis vp his liddis & lokis in his face;
“Bot ȝit it gladis me,” quod þe gome “to ga þus to deth,
To se my slaare in my siȝt be sa sone ȝolden,
A! wele be þe, my wale son̄” & waged with his hede;
“Þou has baldly on̄ my bane & bremely me vengid.”
With þat he bloþirs in þe brest & þe breth stoppis,
And in a spedfull space so þe sprete ȝeldis.
And Alexander ay on̄-ane augirly he wepis,
And gretis for him as greuously as he him geten hade.
With barons & bachelers him broȝt to þe cite,
And erdis him in his awen erd as Emperoure fallis.
The day efter his deth drerely him wendis
Alexander his aire & syttis in his trone,
A clene croune on̄ his hede clustird with gemmes,
To se how him seme wald þe sete of his fadire.
He seis doune in þe sete with septer in hande,
Makis a crie þat all þe curte kniȝtis & erles
Suld put þaim in-to presens his precep to here.
And all comyn̄ at a kall & on̄ kneis heldis;
Þan blisches he to his baronage & breues þir wordis:
“Lo! maistirs of Messedone sa miȝty men̄ & noble,
Ȝe Traces & of Tessaloyne & ȝe þe trewe Grekis,
How likis ȝow nowe ȝour lege lord? lokis on̄ my fourme,
And letis all ferdschip at flee & fange vp ȝour hertis,
And aires for nane alyens quils Alexander lastis.
For with þe graunt of my god I gesse, or I dye,
Þat all the Barbare blode sall bowe to my-selfe.
Þare is na region̄ ne rewme ne renke vnder heuen,
Ne nouthire-quare na nacion̄ bot it sall my name loute.
For we of grece sall haue þe gree with grace ay to wild,
And anely be ouer þe werd honourd & praysed.
And quilk of all myne athill men̄ þat any armes wantis,
Lat pas in-to my palais & plates him delyuire,
And he at of his awen̄ has harnas him swythe,
And make him boune ilka berne to bataill to ride.”
Þan̄ answard him with [a] voice all his proud princes,
And Erles in his Empire þat ware in eld striken̄,
Hathils of hiȝe age Auncient kniȝtis,
Barons & bachelers & bryssid ware in Armes:
“Sire, we hafe farne to þe fiȝt & bene in fild preued
With ser Ph[ilip] ȝour fadire mony fele wynter,
And now vs failis all oure force & oure flesch waykis;
For be þe floure neuer sa fresche it fadis at þe last.
Sire, all þe ȝeris of oure ȝouthe es ȝare syne passid,
And we for-trauailid & terid þat now oure topp haris,
Al to heuy to be hildid in any here wedis,
Or any angwische of armes any mare suffire.
For-þi, lord, with ȝoure leue we lawe ȝow be-sechis
We may noȝt stand now in stede oure strenth is [to] febill.
Wale ȝow oþer werriouris þat wiȝt ere & ȝonger,
Slike as ere stife in a stoure strakis to thole.”
“Nay, be my croune,” quod þe king “my couatyng is elder
Þe sadnes of slike men̄ þan swyftnes of childir;
For barnes in þar bignes it baldis þam̄ mekill,
Oft with vnprouednes in presse to pas out of lyfe;
For-thi ouer-siȝt of alde men I anely me chese;
Be connynge & be consaile þai kyth ai þar werkis.”
Þe sleȝt of hys sapience þai selcuthely prayse,
And clene a-cordis to his carpe kniȝtis & othire.

Þen dose him furthe þis dere kyng a litill dais eftir,
Alexander with ane ost of many athill dukis,
Samed a vnsene somme to saile he begynnes
Ouer in-to ytaile þa yles to distruye.
In-to þe coste of Calodone he comes him ouer first,
And þar a cite he asailes & in sege lengis.
Bot wees wiȝtly with-in þe wallis ascendid,
Freschly fendid of & fersly with-stude.
“Ȝe Calodoyns,” quod þe kyng he callis fra withoute,
“Outhire macches ȝow mayn̄ly þerto or namely dies,
And fiȝtis fast with ȝour fais to ȝe fey worthe,
Or ȝefes ȝarely vp þe ȝerde & ȝeld me þe cite.”
So chaunses it þis chiftan or he a-cheued þine,
Þat fele he brenes of þa bernes & þe burȝe wynnes,
And caires so out of Calodone quen he it couerid had,
Ouer þe ythes in-to Italee & þat Ile entirs.
Þen̄ ware þai [redles of] rede all redd of his come,
Prays him all of þe pees & presandis him faire,
Sexti thousand þai him send of sekire besandis,
Of clere gold of þaire kist & coruns a hundrethe.
Þare tuke he tribute þat tyme þe titill recordis,
Out euyn in-to þe occident of all at þare duellid,
Of qwilke þe erde & þe erthe Europe was callid,
And ames þan̄ to Affrike & all at esse leues.
Þan raȝt he fra þa regions & remowed his ost,
Cachis in-to anoþire kythe & crossis ouer þe stremes,
Aires in-to Affrike with many athill prince[s],
Anoþer wing of þe werd & wynnes it be-lyfe,
Þat syde sodanly & sone þat ser he a-cheues.
For þar he fande bot fewe þat felly withstude,
Na ridars in þa regions ne rebell bot littill;
He laches it þe liȝtlyere as was þe les wonder.
Þan kaires he fra þo contres & kerue[s] ouer þe stremes,
Furthe to Frantites he ferd slike a ferre Ile,
Seches þar to a synagoge him-selfe & his princes,
Amon þar awen god at þai honoure myȝt.
And so to þe temple as he tiȝt with his tid Erles,
Þan̄ metis him myddis þe way was meruale to sene,
A hert with a huge hede þe hareest on̄ erthe,
Was to be-hald as a harow for-helid ouer þe tyndis;
And þan̄ comande him þe kyng kenely to schote,
Bot þar was na man̄ so nemyll þat him hit couthe.
“A! hilla, haile,” quod Alexander & him a narawe hent,
Droȝe, & at þe first draȝte him dreped for euire.
Fra þethen to þis ilk day þan is þat ilke place,
Þe stede þar þis stith man̄ strikis þis hert,
Sagittarius forsoth men̄ gafe it to name,
And will do for þat ilke werk ay qwen þe werd turnes.
Þen aires him on̄ ser Alexander till Amon̄ temple,
Offirs to his awen gode & honours him faire,
Geuys him garsons of gold & of gud stanes,
And hald hestes him to hete him hettirly besekis.
Þan passes he þethen with his princes to sich a place wendis,
Capho Resey we rede þe romaunce it callis;
And þar-in fyndis him þe freke fyftene Burghes,
And glidand to þe grete see xij grym̄ waters.
Of ilka bild, sais þe buke barred was þe ȝatis,
Stoken stifly with-out with staplis & cheynes.
Þare lengis him lefe þe kynge & logis all a neuen,
And sacrifyce þar efsones to many sere godis.
Þe same niȝt in his slepe Seraphis aperis,
Anothire of his grete godis in a grym fourme,
Cled in a comly clathe of castans hewes,
And silis euyn̄ to him-selfe & said him þir wordis:
“Alexander, athill kyng” & asperly spekis,
Toward a miȝti montayne him myntis with his fynger,
“May þou oȝt, lede, þe ȝonder lawe lyft on̄ þi schulder,
And stire it oute of þe stede & stable in a-nothire?”
“Nay, qua miȝt þat,” quod þe man̄ “for mede vndire heuen?”
“Sire, as ȝone ȝondire hiȝe hill sall ay hald his place,
So sall þi name fra now furth be mynned in mynde,
And ay to þe day of dome þi dedis be remenbrid.”
Þan Alexander belyue him askis a demaunde,
“I be-seche þe now, Syraphas if þou me say wald
Þe prophecy, or þou pas of all my playn̄ werdis,
How me is destayned to dye & quen my day fallis?”
“Sire, certayne,” quod Seraphis “as to my-selfe thinkis,
For any hathill vnder heuen I hald for þe better,
Withouten wa noȝt at wete þe wathe of his ende
Þen̄ know þe cas or it come & ay in care lenge.
Bot neuer-þe-les I sall þe neuen̄ sen̄ þou me now prays,
Þou sall be drechid of a drinke a draȝte of vnsele,
And all þi ȝeris ere ȝeten ȝare & þi ȝouthe fenyst,
Lange or þou haue meten̄ þe merke of þi mydill age.
Bot quen ne in quat time sal qwaite þe þis aunter,
Enquire me noȝt þat question̄ for I queth þe it neuer.
For outhire out of þe orient sall openly here-efter
Vndo þe dreȝt of þi days & þi ded tell.”
Þan̄ waynest him þis vayne god & voidis fra þe chambre.
Þe modi kyng on þe morne all monand he ryses;
Þe mast parti of his princes & of his proud ost
Hastis þam̄ in-to Ascoiloym & þar þai him bydis.
Þan callis he to him̄ carpentaris & comandis þaim swyþe
In mynde & in memory of him to make a cite,
And neuens it his awen̄ name þat neuer syne changid,
Bot Alexsander ay furth efter him-seluen̄.