107 The strange beasts. The death of Bucephalus

bitwex the reed See and Araby, whare grete multitude of Pepir growed; And thare ware many grete nedders wit hornnes on thaire hedes lyke tuppe horned, wit the whilke thay smate Alexanders
4 knyghtis riyt felly. Off thase nedderes slew tye Macedoynes
a grete party.

¹ Theine thay remowed and luged in a place whare many
Rynosephales ware, the whilke hade heuedes & manes lyke
8 horsez. And thay hade grete bodys, and wonder grete teethe
and lange, and oute of thaire mouthes thay schotte flawmez
of fyre. And when thay saw the Oste luge thare thay come
& assaylled tham. And Alexander ran hyder and thedir

12 amangez the oste and comforthed his knyghtes and bad tham
feghte manly wit thase monstres. And so thay didd. Neuer-the-losse
thare ware a grete multitude of his knygbtis slayne of thase
bestez. Bot of the Rynocephales thare was slayne an hugge
16 mutltitude.

² Than thay remowed fra theine and come in-till a champayne
cuntree and luged tham thare, And lay thare a certane days,
Bi-cause of his horse Buktyphalas that fell seke thare ; of the
20 whilke sekenesse he dyed. And when Alexander saw hym dedd
he made grete dole for hym and weped for hym rizt sare. For
he hadd borne hym in many a Batelle, and broghte [hym] oute of
many perells. And thare-fore when he was dede Alexander
24 gart doo aboute hym grete exequyes and gart make hym a full
riche toumbe & a hye and did hym thare-in and made a grete
citee thare, the whilke in mynde of his horse he gart call Buktyphalas.

28 ³ Fra theine thay remowed and come till a ryuere ⁴ that was called
Cytan or Deciracy whare men of the cuntree broghte hym
ṽ Olyphantes and ṽ cartes of werre. And fra theine thay
remowed & come till kynge zerses palace. And in that Palace
32 thay fande beddez of clene golde many a thowsande. Thare
also grete fewles white als doufes, the whilke had knawyng
be-fore of a seke man wheder he schulde lyffe or dye. For
if thay by-helde the seke man in the vesage, he schulde mende &
36 fare wele. And if thay tourned tham awaywarde witowtten

¹ Three lines.
² Three lines.
³ MS. has a small f written in margin, but no space for the large capital to be put.
⁴ The scribe first wrote rever, then altered it to ryver then scratched it all out and wrote ryvere after it.

The strange beasts. The death of Bucephalus. 107

bitwex ye reed See and Araby, whare grete multitude of Pepir growed; And yare ware many grete nedders wit hornnes on yaire hedes lyke tuppe horned, wit ye whilke yay smate Alexanders
4
knyghtis rizt felly. Off yase nedderes slew ye Macedoynes
a grete party.

[right margin]
pepper
trees and
horned
adders.

¹ Yeine yay remowed and luged in a place whare many
Rynosephales ware, ye whilke hade heuedes & manes lyke
8
horsez. And yay hade grete bodys, and wonder grete teethe
and lange, and oute of yaire mouthes yay schotte flawmez

[right margin]
They meet and have to fight Rhinoceri that spit forth fire.

of fyre. And when yay saw ye Oste luge yare yay come
& assaylled pam. And Alexander ran hyder and thedir

[right margin]
They fight
them
fiercely.

12
amangez ye oste and comforthed his knyghtes and bad pam
feghte manly wit yase monstres. And so yay didd. Neuer-ye-
losse yare ware a grete multitude of his knygbtis slayne of yase
bestez. Bot of ye Rynocephales yare was slayne an hugge
16
mutltitude.

² Yan yay remowed fra yeine and come in-till a champayne
cuntree and luged yam yare, And lay yare a certane days,
Bi-cause of his horse Buktyphalas yat fell seke yare ; of ye
20 whilke sekenesse he dyed. And when Alexander saw hym dedd
he made grete dole for hym and weped for hym rizt sare. For
he hadd borne hym in many a Batelle, and broghte [hym] oute of
many perells. And yare-fore when he was dede Alexander
24
gart doo aboute hym grete exequyes and gart make hym a full
riche toumbe & a hye and did hym yare-in and made a grete
citee yare, ye whilke in mynde of his horse he gart call Buktyphalas.

[right margin]
Alexander's steed Bucephalus dies. He makes a rich tomb and builds a city round him.

28
³ Fra yeine yay remowed and come till a ryuere ⁴ yat was
Cytan or Deciracy whare men of ye cuntree broghte hym
v Olyphantes and v cartes of werre. And fra yeine yay
remowed & come till kynge zerses palace. And in yat Palace
32
yay fande beddez of clene golde many a thowsande. Yare
also grete fewles white als doufes, ye whilke had knawyng
be-fore of a seke man wheder he schulde lyffe or dye. For
if yay by-helde ye seke man in yr vesage, he schulde mende &
36
fare wele. And if yay tourned yam awaywarde witowtten

[right margin]
They come to the palace of Xerxes.

The birds that foretell the life or death of a man.

¹ Three lines.
² Three lines.
³ MS. has a small f written in margin, but no space for the large capital to be put.
⁴ The scribe first wrote rever, then altered it to ryver en scratched it all out and wrote ryvere after it.