36

Darius takes counsel.

upon life, then they saw this great mischief come out of the city unto Alexander, & fell down at his feet, & besought him of mercy & of grace. And Alexander answered, "I come to thou,' wuoth he, 'meek & mild, but in that [degre] thee would not [ressayffe] me, therefore now are your ships burned, and your city destroyed, & your folks slain. Warned I not before that thee should not [heue] your hands [over-hye] to the [sternes] to the which none earthly man may win. For whosoever climbs higher, then his feet may [wynn to sum halde], he shall fall on down to the ground. And therefore is there a common proverbe: That '[wha sa hewes to hie,] the ships will fall in his [age?]' Thee [wende] have done till us as your elders did sometime to king Xerxes, but your [wenyng dessayued] thou. When he had said on these ways, he gave them leave to go where they would. And then he removed [thethyn] & went toward [Cicill]. And when the emperor Darius heard tell of the comingof Alexander, he was greatly abased and sent after all his princes, Dukes & Earls, & other great lords, & went to a counsel. And he said unto them, 'I see well,' whoth he, 'that be, this Alexander, that goes thus about warring, waxes greatly in worship, and anywhere he comes he has the victory. I [wende] he had been a thief & a robber, that had went to countries that were weak & feeble, and darest not withstand him, & robbed them & spoiled them. But now, I see well, he is a doubty man of Arms, & a noble warrior. And ay the more that I have [deprived?] him and despised him; the more rises his name, & his worship. I sent him a ball, a top, & a scourge, for to [lere barne-laykes]; but him that I called a disciple, he seems a master & wheresoever he goes, Fortune goes with him. Therefore us [byhouez] to treat of our hale, & of our peopls, and put away all pride & all folly: & no more despise Alexander, saying that he is naught, because we are emperor of Persia. For his littleness waxes and our greatness decreases. I have great doubt, that gods foresight helps him, so that whilst we are about, & [wenez] to put him out of Ellada, we be spoiled, by him, of the room of Persia.'

When Darius had said these words, his brother Coriather