The prose life of Alexander

The ivonders of India. 89

rayse vp a pelare of Marble a wonder grete, & an heglie, and Alexander gart writt Ipare-a-pon this title wit le^^res of grewe, of latyne, a^pifiarand and of be lanffaefe of Inde. 'I Alexander, Philipp) son of wrote his

r t> b ^ 3 ^ ftr victories

4 Macedoyne, aft(?r ])e discomfyto-i^r & pe deddT of Dariws & Torus on it in

. ,1 • 1 t Greek,

come on werre vn-to this place. Latin and

^ Fra beine kynsr Alexander & his Oste remowed' & come in- ^^ ^^^ ^^'^-

guage of

tilt a felde, J^at was called" Actea & J>are J^ay lugedl Abowte India.

8 f'at felde was a thikke wodd"" of treesse berand" fruyte ; of J^e ^^^ ^i^rSt

whilke wilde men) bat duelt in be Same wodd"" vsede for titt hafe ^^il ^^ '^}^^ . ■• ' . men eating

paire fude, wliase bodyes ware grete as geaunte^, and Jjaire fruit and

clethynge ware made of skynnes of dyuersc beste^. And when) ^^^ skins^of

12 Ip^J saw Alexa9i^^r Oste luee bare, onane bare come oute of be 'beasts.

jj, . &r' ^ . . , ^ They fight

wodd) a grete mi^ltitude of J>am) w^t lange roddes in fjaire hand^ & Alexander

bi-gan) for to feghte wit J)e oste. And J^an Alexa^ic^er cowimanded* ^^^^he^r ^

f»at all: [pe~\ oste schulde sette vp a schowte at anes. And also hands.

i6 sone als pe wylde* mefD herde pai^ noyse, ]^ay were wondere feredT *J^^^^^^ be-cause fay had neu^r be-fore herde swilke a noyse. And than) r^j^^ Greeks J?ay be-gan) to flee hedir & thedir in pe wodd. And Alexander & v^^^ t^em his men) persued? f)am) and slewe of ]?afn) vi^ xxx iiij. And J^ay slew shouting,

2o of Alexander knyghtes xxvij. In Jjat felde Alexanc^er & his ^^^^^^f oste leuged* iij dayes and vetailed? J>am of ]?at fruyte pat growed" them, in pe woddl

^ Fra J)eine pay remowed" and come till a grete ryuer, & luged' They come

24 pdiin. Jjare. And as it ware abowte none, J^are come apon) pam river and a wilde man), als mekitt als a geaunte. And he was rusfhe of stay there.

' . ° . . =• There they

hare att ouer, and his hede was lyke titt aswyne, And'his voyce meetawonalso. And when) Alexander saw hyw, he bad his knyghtis tak ^^an^^th

28 hyffi) & bryng hym bi-for hyifD. And when) })ay come abowte a swine's hym, be was nathynge fered, ne fledd" no^te, bot stodd" baldly bi- voice, fore pB,m). And when AlexfmcZer saw that, he comanded" Jjat ]?ay They tempt sulde take a jonge damesett & nakkefi) bir & sett hir bi-fore hym. nSeddam-

32 And ]pay did" soo. And onane, he ranne apon) bir romyandd" as sel and he hadd" bene woddl Bot pe knyghtes wit grete deficcultee refte hyr fra hym. And ay he romyed"" & made grete mane. And efte pSij broghte hym tilt Alexanc^^r and sett hym bi-fore hym.

36 And Alexander wonderd' gretly of his figure. And J^an) he

* Four lines with red capital F. * Five lines with large red F, small /

^ ^at at the bottom of leaf 37 and/f^ at beside, the top of leaf 37 bk.

90

then burn him alive. They come to a wondrous woodland with trees that spring up in the daytime and at sunset sink back into the earth, with fruit of sweet smell but of bitter taste. A knight takes of this, but is smitten dead by an evil spirit, and a voice proclaims the same to any that come nigh. In that * Leaf 38. place are tame birds, and who touches them is scorched by fire. They come to a mountain, climb for 8 days, and at the top they fight dragons, etc. Going down they come into a dark valley with wondrous trees and streams, and a mountain with thick air,

Wondrous trees, mountains, and valleys.

gerte bynd hym till a tree & make a fyre abowte hym & brynne hym. And so pay didd. Fra peine pay remowed & come till anoper felde in pe whilke pare ware growand treesse, of a wonderfull heghte, and pay bigan for to sprynge vp at pe son rysynge ; And bi pe son settynge pay wyted a-way in-to pe erthe agayne. At pe firste houre of pe day bi-gan to sprynge oute of pe erthe, & so pay wex ay to myddaye, and pan pay bi-gan to decresse. And by pe son) settynge pay ware in pe erthe agayne, And was na thyng of pam sene bi-fore on pe morne. Pir treesse bare a fruyte wonder swete of reflayre bot fay [ware] bitter of taste. When Alexander saw pat fruyte he bade a knyghte bryng hym pareoffe. And he went & tuk pare-offe, and onane a wikked spirit smate hym, and be-lyfe he was dede. And pan pay herd a voyce in pe ayer pat said on f is wyse : ' What man so neghes pir treesse he sall dye onane. Pare was also in pat felde fewles wonder meke & tame. Bot what man so layde nande on any of pam, onane pare come fire oute of pam, & brynt hym riz[?]te greuosly.

* ^ Than pay remowed fra peine, And come till a Mountayne, pat was so hye, pat pay ware viij dayes in gangyng ar pay myzte wyne to pe heghte pare-offe. And when pay come to pe heghte of it, pare come agaynes pam a grete multitude of dragones, Serpentes, and lyones pe whilke turmentid Alexander & his men reghte gretely. And at pe laste, pay askaped paire daungere, and went doune of pe mountayne and come in-till a vaylay pat was so myrke pat vnnethes myghte ane of pam See anoper. In pat depe valay ware treesse growand of whilke pe fruyte & pe lefes ware wonder sauory in pe tastynge, and reuells of water faire & clere. Aghte dayes contenuelly pay saw na son. And at pe viij days end pay come to pe fote of a mountayne whare all pe Oste thurgh a wikked thikk ayer ware so gretley disessed pat pay ware in poynte to hafe bene choked pare-offe. And when pay come a-bown on pe mountayne, pay fande pe ayer mare sotell, and pe lighte of pe day mare clere. And pus pay ware wendand vpwarde, on pis Mountayne Elleuen, xj, days wit grete trauaile. And when pay come to pe

* Four lines with red capital F and small f beside.

* Four lines with red capital T and

a dragon within, and the head of a dragon above with sting out.

The mountains that border the skies. The battle with the Basilisk. 91

hegheste of this Mountayne, thay saw on the tother syde faire weder

& bryghte. And than thay went down of this Mountayne, and

come in till a grete playne of whilke the erthe was wonder rede.

4 And in this playne thare thare ware growande treesse withouten

nowmer ; and thay ware passed noghte a cubit in heghte, & thaire fruyte

& thaire lefes ware passandly swete as ]:»ay had benefyges. And redearthgrow-

J3ay fande J:are reuetts ri^te many, of clere water as cristatte. i^gdwarftrees

8 And it was als nureschand? to manes body, as it hadd? bene fully sweet

niylke wzt-outen) eny oj^er mete. Thurgh f»at ilk playne J?ay here they

went fourty .xl. days and ban) bay com titt wonder hesjhe ^^^ crystal

'J J i I J o streams whose

Moimtaynes ; and it semed as ])q toppes had towched J?e firma- waters nourish

12 ment. And ]?ir Mountaynes ware als brant vp-ri^te as f'ay had ^ere milk,

bene walles. So ])ai pare was na clymbyng vpon) J?am. And at ^^ou^h^that

Ipe laste J)ay fande twa passagej be-twix, f ase Mountaynes, of plain forty

whilke, Ipe tane streched" to-warde pe west, and pe toper towarde they 'come to

1 6 be Este. Than Alexander demed" hat that dyuyson) be-twix base »aountams

^ J -J '^ i whose tops

Mountaynes was made thurgh Noye flode. And f)an) ]:>ay went reach the skies

by pat passage pat streched to warde pe Este Seuen) days, ^e^e ^wo

And on) pe heghteii) .viij. day J^ay fande a Basilisc }?at meiD passages, one

2o calle^ a Cocatrys, a grete & ane horrible. And bicause of his west and the

grete elde he was foult stynkand". * Dis ilke Basilisc was so ^ ^^^^ „f,

. '^ Leaf 38 bk.

venymous, J?at no5te alt anely thurgh his stynke, bot also the east which

thurgh his sighte allane, whayin) so he luked" on), he sulde dy Alexander

^ o ' J ' -' thinks were

24 onane ; ]pan) pe Macedoynes and pe persyenes, as ]:?ay passede made by the

thurgh pe stray t way dyed" thikk-falde thurgh j^e sighte of )?at ^ east seven "^ ^*^

Basilisc. And when) Alexander knyghtis saw that pmtt, ]?ay f^^^'

durste passe na forther bot sai J amange^ J?am) : ' pe vertue of eighth day

28 oure goddes,' quoth p?ij, 'es bifore vs, pat schewes vs pat we Ba^gniskthat

schulde ga na forthir.' Bot Alexander went bi hym ane vppon) ^^^y^ through

° J ri look alone,

an heghe cragge, where he myghte see on ferrome fra hym. He kills many.

And ))afD he saw this pestellencitts beste pe Basilisc lygg veysMm from

32 slepande in myddes of j^e passage, pe kynde of hym was J>at, ^^^^ ^^'

als so sone als he felid" a man) or a beste coin) nere hym,

for to open) his eghne & stare appoiD J^aiii), and als many

als he luked oil), solde sudaynly fatte doun) & dye. When

36 Alexander had sene hym, Be lyfe he went dounwe of pe *

cragge, and gart sett a merke pat na man) sulde passe. And

^ J)at inserted above the line by scribe.

2 g first turned into c, then finally erased between ^e and cragge.

92

Theivoiidrous mountain and the palace of the sun.

Alexander approaches him

shielded by a mirror, so that the Basilisk slays himself with his own glances.

The Basilisk being slain they burn him, and praise Alexander.

At last they found their way barred, and must come back to the plain. Then they went westward fifteen days and then to the left.

They come to a mountain of adamant hung

* Leaf 39.

around with chains of gold and with sapphire steps.

Alexander goes up the mountain with twelve princes, and finds a wondrous palace of precious

})an) he gart a pavysse be made seuen) cubites of lenghte & foure ofD brede ; and oiD Ipe vtter syde Jjare-offe he gart sett a grete Mirroure, And a large. And at pe nethir ende of Ipe pavisse he gart nayle a burde pe lenthe of a cubit for to couere 4 wit his legges, and his fete, so pat na party of hym myjte be sene. And )?an Alexander tuk J?is pavisse in his handis, and went towarde this Basilisc, and warned his men) pat nan) of fjam) sulde passe his iermes. And when) he come nere pe 8 basilisc, pe basilisc opynde his eghne. And wit a grete ire he bi-helde pe Mirroure and saw hym-selfe pare-in. And of J^e refleccion) of pe hemes of his sighte strykande appofD hym-selfe Sudanly he was dede. And when) Alexander knewe wele ]?at 12 he was dede, he called? titt his knyghtis ; And bad )?ain) come see hym) J?at slewe f)aire felawes. Ajid when) J>ay come titt hym), psij saw pe Basilisc dede. And ]:)an) )?ay comended* & prayssed? gretly.his hardynesse and his hye witt, And went & 16 brynede pe Basilisc at pe commandement of Alexander.

^ Fra J>eine pay went titt pej come to pe ferreste of pat waye ; and ferrere my5te pSij no5te wynn). For J^are ware so hye Mountaynes agaynes f»ain) and cragges like walles J>at fay 20 my^te passe no forj^er. And Jpan) f>ay turned? agayne, and come to pe forsaide playne ; and went by J?at way pat streched" towarde pe weste fyvftene .xv. days. And j^an) f>ay lefte J>at way. And turnede on) pe lefte hande. And so )?ay went foure score 24

XX

iiij days, and at pe laste Jjay come titt a Mountayne of adamande; and at pe fute pare-offe pare hange chynes of golde. pis Mountayne hadd" made * of saphyres twa thowsande 28 greej & a halfe, by pe whilke mefD ascendid" to pe summit of pe Mountayne. And J?are Mexander & his Oste luged J^ain).

" And on J^e morne Alexander Offerd' sacrafice titt his goddes. And J^an) he tuk with hym xij twelue prynce^ of pe wyrchip- 32 fulleste ]5at he hade, and went vp bi pe forsaid? gree^ till he come aboun) on) pe Mountayne. And J?are he fande a palace wonder faire and curiously wroghte ; and it hade twelve 5ates and thre score & ten) wyndows. And pe lyntatts bathe of pe 36 durs and of pe wyndows ware of fyn) golde, wele burnescht, and )?at Palace was called" pe howse of pe son), pare was also

I

1 Four lines with red capital F and small/ beside.

^ Four lines with red capital A .