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BY THE REV. WALTER W. SKEAT, LITT.D., LL.D., ELRINGTON AND BOSWORTH PROFESSOR OF ANGLO-SAXON, AND FELLOW OF CHRIST'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
LONDON: PUBLISHED FOR THE EARLY ENGLISH TEXT SOCIETY, BY N. TRÜBNER & CO., 57 & 59, LUDGATE HILL. MDCCCLXXXVI.
R. CLAY AND SONS, CHAUCER PRESS, BUNGAY.
The remainder of the story may be briefly paraphrased as follows from the Historia de Preliis:—
Alexander next causes a golden crown to be made, adorned with precious stones, with an inscription.
A certain woman in Babylon is delivered of a monstrous child,
At that time there was a man in Macedon named Antipater, who conspired with others to kill Alexander. He designed to do so by poison.
Antipater procures very strong poison, and sends it to his son Cassander. Cassander instructs his brother Roboas (whom Alex|ander loved, but had chidden for a slight fault) how to convey the poison to Alexander.
Alexander makes a great feast in Babylon. Roboas puts the poison in a cup, and hands it to Alexander, who drinks it, and cries out, "Help, help!" In falling, his sword pierces his liver; yet he rises again, and bids his guests continue the feast.
Alexander asks Cassander for a feather, to cause vomiting, and Cassander hands it to him, dipped in poison, which only increases the malady. Alexander passes a sleepless night, during which his lamp goes out. He crawls along on hands and knees to drown him|self in the Euphrates. Roxana stops him, and replaces him in his bed, lamenting. Alexander sends for a notary to make his will.
The will instructs Aristotle to give a thousand talents of gold to the priests of Egypt. If Roxana gives birth to a boy, he is to be emperor; if to a girl, she is to be empress, married to some princely Macedonian, who is to be made emperor. Let Ptolemy have Egypt and marry Cleopatra; let Cleother have Ethiopia, Antiochus Syria, Arrideus Peloponnesus, Aristus India, Nicanor Seleucia, Ysmachas Hungary, Haulus Armenia, Lyochus Dalmatia and Sicily, Simon the notary Cappadocia and Pelagonia; lastly, let Cassander and Roboas have all as far as the river named Sol, and let their father Antipater have Cilicia.
When the will was made, there followed thunders and lightnings and great earthquakes, and all the world knew that his death was near. The Macedonians crowd round the palace, demanding to see him, and to know who is to be his successor. He names Perdiccas, to whom he commends Roxana and all his soldiers.
Then the Macedonians all begin to kiss him and to weep bitterly. Their lamentations are as low thunder, and even the sun is eclipsed.
A certain Macedonian, named Solentius, asks what they shall do when Alexander is gone. They all deplore the great calamity, and think that the great empire will fall to ruins. Alexander directs his crown to be sent to the temple of Apollo, gives instructions for the embalming of his body, directs Ptolemy to erect to his memory a golden sepulchre in Alexandria, and dies.
After his death, his princes dress the body in imperial state. He is conveyed to Alexandria, and buried in a costly tomb.
Alexander was of middle height, with a long neck, bright eyes, and ruddy cheeks. The days of his life were thirty-two years and seven months. He began to war at eighteen, and in seven years subdued all the barbarian nations. He was born on the eighth of the kalends of January, and died on the fourth of the kalends of April. He built twelve cities (which are enumerated).
Alexander's tomb was of gold. It was visited by philosophers, of whom the first said: "Alexander has made his treasure of gold." The second said: "Yesterday all the world was not enough for him; to-day four ells of it suffice him." The third: "Yesterday he ruled the people, to-day the people rule him." The fourth: "Yesterday he could deliver many from death, to-day he could not deliver him|self." The fifth: "Yesterday he led an army out of the city, to-day he is led by it to his burial." The sixth: "Yesterday he pressed the ground, to-day the ground presses on him." The seventh: "Yesterday all nations feared him, to-day they despise him." The last: "Yesterday he had both friends and enemies, to-day all men are alike to him."
[THE following epitome of the life of Alexander, in English prose, is copied from the Dublin MS., beginning on fol. 45, back.]
Alexander the grete, þe sone of philip kyng of macedon, which philip regned vij ȝere, and þe said alexander began to regne in the xviij ȝere of hys age. And he said to hys peple in þis wise: "Fair lordez, I will in no wise be contrarye to your willes, ne to your dedes. But I schewe to you þat I hate frawdez & maleces, & as I haue loued you duryng my faders lyff, so will I do in tyme Commyng. And I bothe councell & pray you that ȝe drede god, obeye hym as souerayn of all, And chese hym for kyng; & be most obeyssiant to hym þat shall best purvay for þe gude astate of hys people, & þat shall be most debonar & mercifull to pure folkez þat besteA correct form.
And whan hys people had herd hys reasons aboue|said, & knowen his grete discrecion, witte, & vnder|stondyng, thei wer gretly amerveld, and answered to hym þus: "We haue herd & vnderstand thy grete reasons, And haue resseyued & resseyue thy good Councell, and theirfor we will & beseche the that þou regne vppon vs & haue þe lordship vppon vs. Duryng þi lyf we hope þer is none that hase so wele deseruyd to be our kyng." And þus þai chese hym to be þair king, and Coroned hym, & yaff hym þair blessyngez, And prayd to god that he wold blesse & maynt[en]e
And sone after he send letters to all hys princez & good townez of all hys Royaume. And when [he] hed sent hys letters, one Dary, king of perce & of medy, sent to alexandre for tribute like as he hed of hys fadre. And he sent hym word at þe henne þat layde þe gret egge was deyde. And after þis alexandre made grette conquestes, And conquerd Inde, he went to a cuntree called Bragman; the which when þai wist of hys Comyng, þai sent mony wise men to hym, whiche salute hym & sayd: "Sir alexander, þou hast no cause to werre vppon us, ne to euill willyng; For we beb) And to gedyr all.
And some tyme Alexander wente disgysed visityng hys lordez & enquiryng of þair dedes. And on a tyme he Come in-to a towne of hys awne, And sawe two men of þe same towne bifore a iuge pletyng, of the which on said to þe Iuge: "Sir, I haue boght on house of thys man; And, long after, I haue founde in it a tresour vnder þe erthe, which is nott myne. And I haue offerd to deliuer it to hym: And he hath refusyd it; wherfore, Sir, I beseche the he be compellyd to take it, for alse moche as he knoweth it is not myne; for I haue no right þerto." Thenne the Iuge com|maund hys aduersarie parte to answere to þe same. And þen he sayd: "sir Iuge, that same tresour was neuer myne; but he hath edyfyed in þat place that was byfore comyn to all þoo that wold haue edyfyed ther-in. And þerfore I haue no right to take it."
ment) is written in the middle of the lower margin of the leaf. Fol. 47 begins with he hed.
And as alexander went owt of þat land, he passyd thurgh a cite in þe which all þe housez of þat Cyte were of one hight, & byfore þe dure of euery hous was a grete pitte or graue; in whiche cite þer was no Iuge, wherof he had gret mervayll; and asked of þe inhabit|antis
So in MS.; read outrageouz.
And afore hys deth, he wrote a letter vnto hys moder, desering hir to make no sorow for hym. And sone aftir Alexander died & was putt in a coffre of gold, & buried in alexandria with grete reuerence by princez & oþer grete lordez that kepedThe rest of the story is lost.]