The prose life of Alexander

Alexander and the Gymnosophists. 73

herde thir wordes they keste fra tham thaire wapynes & thanked Alexander and wirchiped him rigte als he hadd bene a godd. Than kyng Alexander luged hym thare & his Oste wit hym, & he command to bery the dede corses that ware slayne in the Batell, and offred sacrafice till his goddes. Also he garte Entere Porus the kynge of Inde wirchipfully.

Fra thethyn Alexander removed his Oste & come till a cuntree that was called Oxidraces. The folkes of that cuntree are wonder Symple men, and noghte prowde, & thay are called Gumnosophiste. Thay feghte neuer mare ne stryfes. Thay ga alway naked, & cites ne townez hafe thaty nane, Bot duellez in luges & in caues. When the kyng of this folke herd tell of the commyng of Alexander he wrate a lettre, & sent un-till hym whareoffe this was the tenour.

2* 'The coruptible Gumnosophist un-till Alexander a man wee wryte. We here tell that thou commes to werre apon us, whare of we merueylle us gretly. For wit us sall thou fynd nathyng that thou may spoyle us offe. For we have na thyng elles amanges us, bot allany whare with we may sustene oure wafull bodys. What may thon than take fra us. Bot if thon come for to feght with us, feghte on. For I late the wele witt, that oure symplenes will we on na wyse lefe.' When Alexander had redd this lettre he sent ane ansuere gayne on this wyse. 'Paisably,' quoth he, 'will we com to sow and no violence do sow.' And than he wente in-to the cuntree ware thay duelled. And he saw tham ga naked & duelle in luges & in caves, & thaire wyfes & thaire childre away fra tham, walkand wit wilde bestes. And he hadd grete marueylle, & asked tham if thay hadd any oper howses. And that ansuerde & said, 'Nay. Bot in thir holettes duelle we always & in thir caves' And Alexander commendid gretely thaire symplenesse, and bad tham aske hym whate-so that walde. And thay ansuerd & sayde, 'Gyfe us,' quoth thay, 'undedlynesse, so that we mow noghte dye; for other reches couet we nane.' Quoth Alexander, 'I am dedely my selfe, how than may I giffe you undedlyness?' And when thay herd hym say soo than they ansuerd & sayde on this wyse.

'A, A, wreched man,' quoth thay, 'whare to wendes thou thus

74 The pillars of Hercules and the uttermost islands.

aboute, & quelles so many men, & soo many ilke dedis dooes sen thou wate wete that thou sall dye.' 'For sothe,' quoth he, 'the cause whi I do it es of the provydence of godd. For hys mynystre I am, doand the commandement of hym. See wate wele that the see es note trubbled of hym self. Bot when the wynde entres in-till hym, than it stirees hym & trules hym. I walde hafe ristedd and lefte all werre. Bot thare es another spryryte & suffres it note be in reste.' And when Alexander hadde said thir wordes he lefte tham & wne ttiff another cuntree.

Another day, he come with his Oste till a place wharee twa ymages ware, the whilke Ercules gart make & sett in that place. And the tane of tham was of fyne golde and the toper of fyne Silvere, & the lenthe of aythir of tham was twa cubettis. When Alexaner saw thir ymages, he gert perche tham for to witt, whether that ware holle or massy. And he fand that thay were a party holle. And he garte stoppe te hole agayne and putt in tham a thowsande nobles, & fyve hundreth. And fra theine he removed is Oste, and entrede in-till a wildirnesse calde & myrk, so that that myghte unnesthes an knawe another or see another. And fra thythird that went seven daye iournee and entred in-till a wildirnesse, and come till a grete revere. And bi-yonde that rivere that saw wonder faire & wele vesaged women cledd in foule clethyng & horrible; and that hadd in thaire handes wapne made all of silvere, bicause thay hadd nother Iren ne stele. And that rade one horse. And men saw that nane amonges tham. And wen the Oste walde have passede over this ryvere, that myte note be cause it was rite brade and full of dragones and other monstres.

Fra, thethin thay went aboute towards the lefte party of Inde and come till a dry Marras full of gret redes. And as thay passed thurgh tat Marras, be-lyve thare come owte of the redes a beste lyke an ypotayne, whase breste was lyke to the cocadrille, and his bakke lyk a sawe, and his tethe wonder grete, & als scharpe as a suerde; bot in his gangyng he was

Adventures with wild beasts and wondrous folk, 75

als slaw als a snyle. And, in his oute - come, he slew twa They come

knyghtis of Alexander. This like beste niy3te J^ay on na wyse moras?and

perche wit ]?aire speres. Bot wit mellis of yreii) J)ay slew it. meet a

4 * And fra f»eine |?ay trauelde thritty day io«riie5 and come to beast.

]?e vttermaste iles of Inde, & ]?are ]?ay luged* J?am) beside5 a tothe°^"^^

ryuere j^at es callede in J^at langage of Inde Hemmahurer. And uttermost

aboute J?e EleuendT houre f)ar come owte of \>e wodde^ a grete India.

8 mrtltitude of Olyphante^ & come apon) f)am) wtt a gret birre & ^ great^™^

J?aire groynes opyfD. And onane AXeyiander lepe apon) his horse multitude

Buktiphalas and busked^ hym agaynes J^am) and badd \>q mace- phants

doynes \}at J^ay solde tak )?aire horse and ilk a man) a swyne in ^fem^ But

12 a bande, & wende agaynes be olyphantis. And when) be oli- Alexander

\ . . - overcomes

phantes saw pain), pay come gapande wit paire groyne5 redy te them by a

tak f)am). And when) f>e Macedoynes saw j^at f>ay ware fered? ^^° '

and durste no^te go to fiam). And AXeyiander saide vn-to fam, He bids his

i6'My wirchipfutt knyghtes,' qud\> he, ' bese of gud comforthe ^^e^ ^ and drede^ 50W na-thynge. For, and 56 will gare ^oure swyne against crye faste * 56 schall see alt Jjir Olyphantes flee anon).' And Leaf 31. alsone als be Olyphantes herde be crye of be swyne, and be tliem and

20 noyse of )?aire trompes, J)ay fledd' and durste no^te habyde. swine And Alexanc?er & his men) pitrsued? tham), and what wit nettis, ^^^®^^' whatt wit swerdes & speres, fay slewe of ]:>am) a grete mttltitude, and come agayne to thaire tentis.

24 2 Anojier day ]?ay removed )?eine, and trauelde thurgh the same They wodde5 of ^Inde. And Jjay fande ])are womefD with berdis thence rechande downn) to p»aire pappes, & J^aire heuede^ playne Jh^^fbf^t abownTie, and ]?ay ware cledd att in skynnes. pay chasede thir of India

28 women) and sum of J?am) j^ay tuke & broghte ]?am) tilt AJexam^^r. upon wild And he gart spirre )5am in the langage of Inde, how f>ay liffed ^?-^®j^ in thase woddes, whare na duellyng was of men). And ]?ay beards, ansuered* & said, ' We lyffe atl,' qwoj* f)ay, ' wit venyson) Jjat we

3 a take in thir woddes thurgt huntynge.'

* When) |?ay ware passed oute of thir wodde^ f)ay come in-tilt a And they faire felde vn-titt a place whare this forsaid riuere ran). And ot^er^tribes f>are J)ay fande bath raefO & women) att naked. And J)ay ware of wild men

* Four lines with red capital A and ^ pnde altered into Inde.

small a beside it in margin. * Four lines with red capital W and

* Four lines with capital A in red, and small w written in the margin beside, small a beside.

76 Strange Beasts and fearful storms.

als rugtie of hare as Tp&y hade bene bestes. Whase kynde & custom it was als wele to be in the water, als on the lande. And als sone als thay saw Alexander Oste onane thay fledd to tpe water, and dowked in-till it. Fra theine thay traueld xv day iournee, 4 and entred in-till woddes that ware full of cynocephals, the whilke als son als thay saw Alexander & his oste onane thay assaillede tham. Bot Alexander & his men, what wit arowes whate wit speres & nettes slew a grete multitude of tham, and the remenaunt of tham fledd here and thare in the woddes. ¹Fra thethyn thay went fourty dayes & come in-till a champaynne cuntree, that was all Barayne, and na hye place ne na hilles myghte be sene on na syde. And as it ware aboute the xj 12 houre of the day, thare bigan so grete a wynde to blawe oute of Este that it blew doune to the erthe all thaire tentis & thaire luges. And thare was grete disese ymang the oste. For the wynde tuk fire-brandes oute of fyres that thay hadd made, and 16 smate dyuerse men & brynte tham. And than Alexander knyghtes mournurede gretly & said amanges tham, ' The wrethe & the wreke of oure goddes,' quoth thay, ' falles apon vs, Bicause we seke to ferre towarde pe son rysynge.' 'My wirchipfull 20 knyghtes,' quoth Alexander, ' bese * of gud comforthe and no thyng ferde for this tempeste es noghtee fallen thurgh wrethe of oure goddes bot be- cause of eqwinox of heruest.' When the wynde was cessed thay gadirde to-gedir that the wynd hadd 24 sparpled.

² Fra theine thay went xxv days and come in-till a grene valay, and thare thay luged tham. Than commanded Alexander that thay schuld make many fyres. For it began for to be vn- 28 sufferable calde. And thare be-gan for to falle grete flawghtis of snawe, as thay had bene grete lokkes of wolle. When Alexander saw that, he was ferde that it schuld noghte hafe cessed sone, and bad his men that thay suld tred doun the snawe & full 32 it wit thaire fete. And thaire fyres also helpe tham gretly. Neuer-the-lesse thare ware fyve hundrethe of the Oste dedd thurgh that snawe, the whilk Alexander gart bery. Than thare felle a passand grete rayne, and the snaw cessed. Wit the rayne, also, thare 36 come so thikke a myste, that contenually three days to gedir thay

¹ Four lines with red capital F and small f in margin beside.

² Four lines with red capital F and small f in the margin beside.

Alexander and Dindimus, King of the Brahmans. 77

saw na son And oute of the elude that hange abown than ther fell as it hadd bene grete fyrebrandes the whilk brynt many of thaire tenttis and of thaire luges. And onane Alexander offred 4 sacrafice till his goddes and bad his knyghtis put aide ryuen clathes wate bi-fore the fire, and he made his prayere. And also son the whedir wexe clere & faire.

¹ Fra thethin, puj remowed" and come titt a grete ryuere J^at offers sacri-

8 es called" Ganges & fare f)ay luged J^am). And as J'ay luked" his^gods ouer on the tobe?* syde, bay saw twa or thre men) walke up & and the

weather

downn) ]:»are. And Alexander baddT his men) spirre J^aiiO in pe becomes langage of Inde what Ipej ware. And lpa.j ansuered" & said". Thev come

12 'We are Bragmayns/ quo]) bay. Alexander hadd" grete desyre to the

. -r. , 1 Ganges, on

to speke wit pe Bragmayns. Bot lie my^te no^te wynn) ouer the other

Ipe water ; it was so depe & so brade Bot if it had bene in J)e ^ya<^ are

monethe of July and Auguste. And also it was futt of ypotaynes the Brah-

i6 & scorpyones and cocadrilles, out taken) in Ipe forsaid" monethes. They can-

And when) he saw pat he myghte on na wyse wynn) ouer he was because of

reite heuy. And belyfe he garte make a lyttitt bate of redis, & tiie danger,. . ,iiTft 1 T ^ 'J 11,1 ., -n ous beasts.

couerde it wit nowtte hydis & gerte pykk it wele bathe wet-m & He sends a

20 wit-owtten). And when) pe bate was made, he gert a knyght of ^^^^J^t

his gang in-to it, and gaffe hym a lettre wit hym for to here boat with a

* to Dindimws, pat was kyng of pe Bragmayns, of whilk le^^re Jjis *Leaf 32.

was be tenot^r. 1^!^*^,^.*^

' Dmdimus,

24 ^ ' Kyng of kynges and lorde of lorde^, Alexanc^er pe son) of king of the

godd" AmofD & of pe queue Olympias, vn-to Dindimz^s kyng Alex-°^^

of Bragmayns, ioy. Euer sen) we were comen) to ]?at age J)at ander's

we couthe discerne by-twix gud & itt we hafe desyred? soueraynly Dindimus,

28 for to hafe wysdomwe & konnyng, & for to putt away fra Bra^hmans

vs ignorance & vnconnynge. For as pe wise techynge of oure *h® reason

philosophres declares opynly. Eloquence wit owttefD witt & wis- strange

dom) dose ofte-sythes mare skathe J^an) gude. parefore we hafe ^nce^he^'

22 wele vnderstanden) by relacion) of dyuerse mefD, pat 5owr lyfe & fain would

. pxii 1 learn wis-

50wr maners are diuisea and diuerge Ira att oper men) ; so pat dom of

noper on) pe See ne on J^e lande ^e seke na helpe and pat ^e * ®°^'

^eme anoj^er man ere of doctryne J^an) we hafe lerende of oure

36 doctowrs. Whare-fore we pray 50W pat 50 witt certyfye vs bi

jowr le^^res of ^owr lyffe and ^owr maners and ^our doctryne. For

^ Four lines with capital i*' and small/ ' Four lines with capital K in red,

written in the margin beside. and small k in the margin beside.