21

Darius's letter to Alexander.

Write a letter and sent it to Alexander. And therewith he sent
him a [handball:] & other certain [lapey] in scorn. And this is the
tenor of the letter that he sent to him.

4 Darius, king of kings, and lord of all earthly lords even
like unto sunshine, with the gods of Persia, until
Alexander our servant we send. We have understand now
on late, whereof we marvel us greatly, that thou art so raised.

8 In pride and vain glory, that thou has assembled together
a company of robbers and thieves out of the west parties, and
[castey] therefore to come into our party, supposing [through]
them for to overset and constrain the great might & the

12 Virtue of the Persians, whose strength thou may never [ sloken ] nor overcome, suppose thou gathered & assembled together all the world.
For [ I do the wele to wiete thou myghte nerehand alsonne nommer] the sternness of heaven, as the folk of the empire of Persia. Our

16 gods also, by whom all this world is governed & sus-
tained praise & commend our name passing all other
nations. 'But not withstanding this; thou as a little [bisne &
a dwerghe], a half man & ortey of all men, desiring to over-

20 pass thy littleness, right as a mouse crept out of her hole, so
thou art creeping out of the land of Sethym, [winning with a few
rebawdey] to conquer & open the land of Persia broad & long,
& to riot & play them in [thaym] as mice do in the house

24 where no cats are. But I that [priualy hase aspied] thy gates,
when thou went most securely for to startle about, I shall start
upon them & take them; & so in wretchedness shall thy days fully
have an end. A great Folly thou did for to take upon the

28 [swylke] a presumption. It were full [faire to them], if thou might
be our [lefe], with our benevolence, occupy all only the [room of
Macedoyne], yielding therefore till [vs yearly a certain tribute, if
all thou coveted [noyte] our empire. Therefore it is good that

32 Thou left thy found purpose, and went home again, and set
thee in thy mother's knee. And lo, I send the here a little ball,
[wit the whilke als a child thou may play the.] For thou art but
a child. It is more seemly that thou use childish games than

36 deeds of arms. 'We know well thy [pouert] and thy need, and