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Alexander s trouble with his men; the Battle with Darius.

the bridges, & all his princes followed him, and [sythen] all the Oste. Two great rivers run through Medea, Mesopotamia and Babylon, that is to say Tigris & Euphrates, and so runs into the river of Niles. When Alexander & all his Oste were past over Euphrates, he [gert smyte sonder] the bridge that he had [gert] make before, and [dissolue] each a piece thereof from other. And when his knights saw that, they were right [heuy] and mourned greatly therefore, and said amongst themselves, 'What shall we now do,' quoth they, 'when we are hard [be-stadde] with our enemies & would flee. For over this river may we not win.' And when Alexander perceived that murmur of his folke, he said unto them. 'What es that,' quoth he, 'tht thee say [amangez] thoug, 'If it fall that we flee out of the battle.' [Sothely], I let thou well [wite], that this is the cause why I [garte] fordo this bridge, that I [gert] make; [For-thi], that other we should fight manly or else if [we] would flee, we should all perish at once and all drink of a cup. [For-whi] the victory es not [arretted] to them that flees, But to them that abides, or follows on the chase. Therefore comforts thou well, & be bold of heart, and think it but a play stalwartly to fight. For I say thou [secretly?]; we shall never see Macedonia, before we have overcome all our enemies, And then with the victory we shall turn home again.

In this meantime, king Darius gathered a great multitude of men against Alexander, and ordained over them five-hundred chieftains of great lords and [deluged?] him with his men upon the river of Tigris. And on a day their two. kings with their [bather] Ostes met together upon a fair field and fought together eagerly. But soon Darius men had the [war?] & [zode] to ground thick-fold, slain in the field. And when the remnant saw that, they took them to the flight. In Darius oste was a man of Persia, a doubty, & a bold; to whom Darius [highte] for to give his daughter to wife, if so were, that he might, by any way, slay king Alexander. This man got him clothing and Armour like unto the macedonians, and went amongst them, as they fought, ay till he come behind king Alexander. And also as he come near him, he lift his

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