109 The crown of Alexander. The Philospher.

& the sydes pare off ware of Topaghes & in ilkan of the grees ware
sett dyuerse maneres of precyouse stanes. In the summyt of this
trone thare was sett a ruby that schane on the nyghte as it hade
4 bene the Mone. In this trone also was thare sett on ilke a syde
dyuerse ymages; on the whilke ware wretyn bathe in latyne & in
grew* verses that contened all the nammes of the rewmes & cuntrees
that Alexandere had conquered and ware sugetes un-till hym.
8 ¹ After this ⁴ Alexander gert make a coron of golde sett full
of all maner of precyouse stanes, and gert wryte apon it a tytle
in grew & in latyn : ' Ortus & occasus, Aquilo michi seruit
& Auster.' That es at saye : ' Est & weste, Northe & southe dose
12 seruyce un-to me.' In the mene tyme whils Alexander was in
babyloyne, a woman was delyuer of a knaue childe the whilke fra
the heuede to the nauyll hadd schappe of man, & was borne dedd.
And fra the nauyll downwardes it had lyknesse of dyuerse
16 bestes and was qwykke. This Monstre was taken & broghte till
Alexander; and als son als he saw it he meruaylled gretly
thare-off, and gart come bi-fore hym a philosopher that couthe of
wiche-crafte, & aschede hym what it sygnyfyed. And when the
20 philosopher saw it, he syghede, & saye wepand sayde un-to
hym : ' Sothely wirchipfull emperour,' quoth he, ' the tyme commes
nere that thou sall passe oute of this werlde.' ' Telle me,' quoth
Alexander, ' whareby thou knawes that.' And the philosophre
24 ansuerde & sayde : ' My lorde,' quoth he, ' the halfe of this Monstre
that base the schappe of man & es dedd, betakens that thou sall
passe out of this werlde in haste. And the tother party that hase
the lyknes of dyuerse bestes & es on lyfe, betakynges the kynges
28 that sall come after the. Bot thare sall nane of tham be lyke
un-to the, na mare than a beste es lyke un-till a man.' When
Alexander herde this he was wonder heuy, and sare wepand
he sayde on this wyse : ' OAllmyghty Iubiter,' quoth he, ' what
32 menes it that my dayes sall be so schortte ? Me thynke that it
had bene semely that I had leffed langere for till haf endid
thynges that are in my thoghte. Bot for als mekill als it es
noghte plesande un-to the, I beseke the that thou resayffe me when
36 I sall passe hethen als thyn awen seruante.'

² In this mene tyme pare was in Macedoyne a lorde that highte

¹ Three lines with red capital A and small a in the margin beside.

² Four lines with red capital I and small i in margin beside.

& the sydes pare off ware of Topaghes & in ilkan of the grees ware
sett dyuerse maneres of precyouse stanes. In the summyt of this
trone thare was sett a ruby that schane on the nyghte as it hade
4 bene the Mone. In this trone also was thare sett on ilke a syde
dyuerse ymages; on the whilke ware wretyn bathe in latyne & in
grew* verses that contened all the nammes of the rewmes & cuntrees
that Alexandere had conquered and ware sugetes un-till hym.
8 ¹ After this ⁴ Alexander gert make a coron of golde sett full
of all maner of precyouse stanes, and gert wryte apon it a tytle
in grew & in latyn : ' Ortus & occasus, Aquilo michi seruit
& Auster.' That es at saye : ' Est & weste, Northe & southe dose
12 seruyce un-to me.' In the mene tyme whils Alexander was in
babyloyne, a woman was delyuer of a knaue childe the whilke fra
the heuede to the nauyll hadd schappe of man, & was borne dedd.
And fra the nauyll downwardes it had lyknesse of dyuerse
16 bestes and was qwykke. This Monstre was taken & broghte till
Alexander; and als son als he saw it he meruaylled gretly
thare-off, and gart come bi-fore hym a philosopher that couthe of
wiche-crafte, & aschede hym what it sygnyfyed. And when the
20 philosopher saw it, he syghede, & saye wepand sayde un-to
hym : ' Sothely wirchipfull emperour,' quoth he, ' the tyme commes
nere that thou sall passe oute of this werlde.' ' Telle me,' quoth
Alexander, ' whareby thou knawes that.' And the philosophre
24 ansuerde & sayde : ' My lorde,' quoth he, ' the halfe of this Monstre
that base the schappe of man & es dedd, betakens that thou sall
passe out of this werlde in haste. And the tother party that hase
the lyknes of dyuerse bestes & es on lyfe, betakynges the kynges
28 that sall come after the. Bot thare sall nane of tham be lyke
un-to the, na mare than a beste es lyke un-till a man.' When
Alexander herde this he was wonder heuy, and sare wepand
he sayde on this wyse : ' OAllmyghty Iubiter,' quoth he, ' what
32 menes it that my dayes sall be so schortte ? Me thynke that it
had bene semely that I had leffed langere for till haf endid
thynges that are in my thoghte. Bot for als mekill als it es
noghte plesande un-to the, I beseke the that thou resayffe me when
36 I sall passe hethen als thyn awen seruante.'

² In this mene tyme pare was in Macedoyne a lorde that highte

¹ Three lines with red capital A and small a in the margin beside.

² Four lines with red capital I and small i in margin beside.