114 The death and burial of Alexander

114 The death and burial of Alexander.

thay, ' thou ledd vs in-to Perse, Arraby, and Inde, and vn-to the
werldes ende, and in-to what cuntree that the liste wende; why,
lorde, flees thou now fra vs ? Lede vs wit the whedir so thou gase.'

Than kyng Alexander sent to the templee of Appollo in 4
Athenes many riche iowels, and on the same wyse till all oper
temples. And than he commanded' that when he ware dede, thay
schulde enoynte his body and embawme it wit riche oynementes,
the whilke kepis menes bodys in graues wit-owtten corupcioun. 8
Than he badde Tholomcus that he scholde [take] a c̃ besantes of
golde, & thare-off gere make hym a tombe in Alexander. And
onane * as he had commanded hym thus, one-seeand than all, he
swelt. And than his prynces lifte vp his body, and did apon his 12
clethyng of astate and putt a riche coron on his heued, and
sett hym in the emperours chayer, the whilke twelue prynces
drewe wit thaire brestes fra Babiloyne till Alexander. Tholomeus
went alway bi-fore the chayere wepande & sayande one this 16
wyse : 'Fult waa es me, My lord Alexander, waa es me. For in
all thi lyfe slew thou neuer so many men as thou dose nowe after
thi dede.' All Alexanders knyghtis also weped & made grete
dole & sayde on this wyse : ' Waa es vs wreches ! whatt schall wee 20
now do after the dede of oure lorde Alexander ? Whedir sall we
now gaa or whate party e may we now chese ? Whare schall
we now get any helpe till oure lyfelade ! ' One this wyse thay
went wepand after Alexander, till thay come till the citee of 24
Alexander. And thare thay beryed hym in a toumbe that was
righte hye and wonder curyouslye wroghte. This tombe was all
of fyne golde sett full of precyous stanes, and on that toumbe
ther was sett xxx ymages of golde wonder craftily made. 28

¹ Alexander was a man bot of a comon stature, wit a lange
nekke, Faire eghne & glad, his chekes ruddy, and all the remenant
of his lymmes ware faire & semely & lyke vn-till a lorde.
He ouercome all men & neuer was ouercomen. The lenthe 32
of his lyffe was xxxij yere, twa & thritty yere & seuen monethes.
Fra the twentyd yere of his birthe he gaffe hym to werre, and in
twelue yere he coriquered all the werlde, and made subiect un-till
hym alkyn nacyonns. Seuen monethes he ristede hym. He was 36
borne on the vij kt of January, and dyed on the vij kl of August.

¹ Large red capital A.