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The great battle between Darius and Alexander.

Then Alexander lept upon his horse, that highest Bucephalus, and rode forth before all his army, and housed in the midways between the two armies. And when the Persians saw him, they had great wonder of him, and were right feard for him because he was so ugly. Nevertheless they marched up & went toward Alexander. And soon the battle joined, & fought together fiercely, and many men died on either party; there was so thick shot of arrows, that the air was covered, as it had been with a cloud. Some fought with swords, some with spears, some with axes, & some with arrows. The field lay full of folk, some dead, some half-dead, & some grievously wounded. They began for to fight at the sun's rising, and fought to the sun setting. But there died many more of the persians than there died of Macedonians.

And when Darius saw his men fall so thick in the field, he left the field, and fled, and the persians seeing that, they fled also. But then their [cartes] of war ran among the persians & slew of them folk without number & namely of footmen. For by that time it was darkening night, and they might not see for to escape them. When Darius come to the foresaid water he found it frozen, and over he went. And when he was over, the other lords of persia went upon the ice, so great a multitude that they covered the ice from the one bank to the tother, & that a great breadth, & then anon the ice broke as soon as Darius was passed over, & all that were on the ice were perished, each a mother's son, & drowned in the water. The remnant, when they come to the water, they might not win over. And then the Macedonians come, and [dange] them down. In this battle there was slain of the persians [cccm] without those that were drowned.

King Darius fled to the cite of Susis, & went unto his palace, & fell down to the ground, & sighed & wept with a sore heart, he said these words: 'Alas, full woe is me, unhappy wretch, that ever I was born, for the ire & the indignation of heaven is fallen on me. For I Darius that lifted myself up to the sterness, Now am I brought low to the earth. Now is Darius, that conquered all the East nations, & made them subject & tributaries unto him, fain for to flee from his enemies and submit him unto them. And it were

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