The wars of Alexander: an alliterative romance translated chiefly ...

18 ALEXANDER IS BORN. [Ashmole.
For Jje aire nowe & fe elementz^ • er^ evyn in fis tyme
She walks about.
At last she rests,
and Alexander
is born.
The earth
quakes.
There is lightning
and thunder.
The wind arises.
There is great
darkness.
Stones fall frc
the sky.
[Fol. 10 6.]
All the world
is warned.
So trauailid out of temperoure & troubild of pat • sone,
\)at makis pi grippis and pi gridis • a grete dele pe
kenere." 544
]3an faris scho vp & farkis furtli a fute or tway,
And sone sesis aH hire syte • in a sete quyle.
" Now bow pQ doune/' qiiod pe berne
•
& scho his bone
fillis,
And syttand so in^ hire sege • was softly delyuerd. 548
Bot now is me^TiaiH; • to me ^ of pis wondire,
•
Queu J)is man fra his modire wambe on pe mold feH ;
For all pe erd euyn ower • sa egirly schakis,
j)at teldis, templis, & touris • tomble on hepis. 552
pe lijt lemand late • laschis fra Jje heuyn,
Thonere thrastis ware thra • thristid pe welkyn,
Cloudis clenely to-clefe clatird • vn-faire,
All blakenid a-boute & • boris pe son. 556
"Wnd wedirs vp werpe & • fie wynd ryse,
And aH^ flames f>e flode • as it fire were,
Nowe brijt, nowe blaa • nowe on blase efter,
And fan ouer-qwelmys in a qwirre • & qwatis ener
e-like.
5G0
)3an slike a derknes"* par drafe & demyd pe skewys,
•
As blesenand as bale fyre & blake • as pe heU,
\)at it was neuer bot as ny^t • fra pe none tyme
Till it to mydday was meten • oil Jje morne efter. 564
Gife fiis ware mervale to myn * ^et emang* othire
J2en rekils it vnruydly & raynes doune stanys,
•
FeH fra pe fyrmament as a hand lyftyng*,
•
And some as hoge as ))i hede fra pe heuyn • fallis. 568
Sa ferd was Philip of pat fare • pat his flesche
trymblid,
For sere sygnes at he sa3e • as selly ware ellis.
As wyde as aH pe werd was Jjurje • warnyng Jjai hadd,
'
Added in the vmrg'ni. ^ MS. to me to me ;
^
lut corrected.
a, in text; bid aWe in juargin. * MS. dreknes.