10

10

Alexander s fird encounter, and victory.

* Leaf. 2

The king

challenges

Alexander.

Alexander

accepts,

and they

both go

home to

gather

forces.

Alexander
gathers his
army,

meets King
Nicholas
and slays
him after
the fight.

On his
home-com-
ing, he
finds his
father at
bridal with
a new wife,
and begs
him to take
Olympia
back again,

lest Alex-
ander, giv-
ing her to
another
king, be
his foe.
One Lesias
jeeringly
foretelling
that Cleo-
patra shall
bear Philip
an heir,

' Luke on me ' * quo]) he ' Ipat spekes to the : Fore I swere the
be my Fader hele, & I anes spitte in thi face, ])ou schale dye/
And wit fat he spitte at Alexander, & said": * Take ])e j^are,
])o\i biche whelpe, J)at J>e seme5 titt hafe.' And Alexander 4
stepped' furthe, & said' vn-titt hyin). * For Ipou ' quolp he * base
dispised me, by-cause I ame littitt ; I swere pe, bi Ipe pete of my
Fader, & by my moders wambe, in "pe whilke I was consayued
of godd Amon), J^at poii schalt see mee, are oughte lange, in 8
J)i rewme, redi to feghte wit pe ; and owj^er I schatt wyn)
thi rewme wzt dynte of swerd', & brynge it vnder my swbieccionn),
or ])on schatt make me subiecte vn-to pe.' And J^are ]?ay
assignede day of Batette ; and ayther of J)am) went hame fra 1 2
olper,

*And agaynes J>e day of Batette, Alexander, bi ascent &
ordynance of kynge Philippe, gadird a grete Oste, & went to
the place pare pe Batette was assigned, and fand att redy l^are, 16
kyng Nicott and his oste. And j^ay trumpped" vp appofD bathe
pe parties, and bigan) to feghte, & many men) ware slaen) on)
bathe pe syde^. Bot at pe laste, Alexander hade pe felde,
& tuke kyng Nichott, & gart smytte of his heued', & went iyi-titt 20
his land, and conquered it ; and his knyghtes went and coround?
hym kynge pare-o&. And sythen) he went hame titt his fader,
kyng Philippe, and fand' hym sittand' at the mete at a bridale :
For he had put awaye fra hym his wyfe Olympias, Alexander 24
moder, and taken) hym &,n-oper J^at highte Cleopatra ; And
Alexander went in-to pe hautte, and said vn-to pe kynge
Philipp) : * Fader,' quop he, ' I pray 50W, Jjat for a rewarde of
my firste iowrnee pat I hafe now made, 3ee graunte me to take 28
my Moder Olympias agayne vn-to 50W, & do to hir as awe
to be done to a qwenne ^, rathere J^an) I gyffe hir to 3i.noper
kynge ; so pat I be no5te ^oure enemy for euer. For this
weddyng, ]:>at 56 hafe now made here, es vnlefutt ! ' When) 32
he hadd' said" thir wordes, ane of pe pat satt at pe kynges burde,
whase name was Lesias, ansuerd' & said? to pe kyng : ' lord''
quop he ' pan schall hafe a sofD of Cleopatra, and he schatt
regne after pe ! ' Alexander, than), was gretly greuede at his 36
wordes, and wit a wardrere pat he hade in his hande, he went

^ Place for miniature blank, twelve
half-lines.

MS. qwnne with e inserted above text.