Read Ebook: The Story of Alexander by Steele Robert Mason Fred Illustrator

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Once upon a time a king reigned over the land of Egypt, whose name was Anectanabus. In his time that land was the richest in the world, and its people were wise and happy; but Anectanabus was the wisest and the noblest of them, and under his rule all men, both great and small, prospered. The field-workers ploughed and reaped, the merchants travelled and chaffered, the wise men studied and wrote and taught, and the great lords watched over the land, helped the poor, and guarded all men. Shortly to say, the land of Egypt was in those days the home of plenty and of peace, of mirth and of game.

Now Anectanabus was, above all men, skilled in the arts of magic, for he had learned the secrets of Egypt that were not written down in books, but cut in the stone on the sides of the great temples, and on the Pillars of the Sun: and when he was a young man he had been taken into the secret chambers of the Pyramids, and had been laid in the stone coffin of the gods, and there the secrets had been whispered to him which the kings and priests of Egypt had discovered for a thousand years. And chief of all his crafts, he had the power of making images of men to do what he would, and whatever the images did, that the men they were like to, did: and he used this art to save his land from war. For if a fleet of ships came to attack his land he would make images of them in wax to float on water, and images of his own ships, and then he would cause the ships of the enemy to turn and flee before his ships or ever a blow was struck, and as he did, so it happened in the war. Or if an army came against him, he caused it to flee in the same way, so that no king of the countries about dared to come out and make war on Egypt. And many other arts he used, but all for the good of his land, so that men loved him and served him with joy.

It fell upon a day that Anectanabus was sitting in his palace hall on his da?s, and round him were his dukes and princes, and the great hall of the palace was filled with men in rich array. In that land, the king showed himself to men but rarely, and when he did so he was clothed in his noblest and fairest dress, with his crown on his head, and his nobles and all men were dressed in their best, so that the hall shone with gold, and sparkled and dazzled with gems and stones, and the blue and scarlet and purple and green of the nobles filled the place with a flood of colour. The chief men of a certain city had petitioned the king about a certain matter, and a great duke had just risen from his seat to speak about it, when a cry was heard outside, and through the open doors, past the great screen, a man in half armour covered with dust and foam rushed into the presence of the king. Then the heralds hurried up to him, and crossing their wands before him, asked of him his errand, and why he entered the hall of the king in such unseemly dress. But he, heeding their words never a whit, pressed forward, called out with a loud voice, "O King, the Persians are on us," and straightway staggered, and fell down lifeless, for he had ridden hard without rest and sleep with the message of the lord warden of the sea.

A great silence fell on the hall, men looked on each other's faces but none spoke or moved; then the silence was broken by the shuffle of the heralds bearing away the body of the messenger, and the dukes drew up nearer to one another, but still no man spoke; for the king's face was dark and troubled, and he had asked none for counsel. Now Anectanabus was troubled, not because he feared the enemy, but because he had never before been taken by surprise, for ever he knew by his magic art the words of the message before they were uttered. So he sat silent for a while, but at last he bethought himself, and rose and left the hall, going to a little room behind the da?s, where he could be alone, for he sought to know by his magic art who, and how many, and where were his foes. But the great lords sat on in silence in the king's hall, waiting till some of them should be sent against the foe, and silently and noiselessly the people passed out of the hall.

As soon as Anectanabus was alone in his room, he went to a coffer of oak covered with broad bands of steel, and opened it with a golden key which he drew from his breast. Then he drew out a robe of fair white linen, and putting off his rich attire he clothed himself in it, keeping on his golden crown. Taking some spices, he threw them on a brazier of burning embers, and opened the casements of the room, and round and round the brazier he went till a heavy smoke filled the room, and hung over a great copper bowl of water on the table in the middle of it. This done, Anectanabus took a short wand of polished steel in his hand and pointing it across the bowl to the four quarters of the earth--North, East, South, West--he began to utter spells. And now it seemed as if the smoke from the room gathered over the water, and disappeared, leaving the room full of light, and the outside day darkened, and looking on the surface of the water the king saw a fleet of ships coming in full sail towards him. But what an endless number of them there seemed to be,--ships large and small, beating the waves with their oars, over their sides hanging the shields of dukes and earls and knights, the sun shining from their weapons, the masts and pennons rising like a forest, and high over all the banner of Persia flying, the rising sun conquering the night. Then Anectanabus touched the water with his wand, and all the ships vanished, and the air of the room was clear and bright.

With a grave face and a heavy heart Anectanabus returned to his lords, and ordered them to meet in arms on the sea-coast in seven days, there to keep the land from Persians or any other foes, and he dismissed them each to his place, after he had spoken brave words to them, and reminded them of the victories they had won, "and," he said, "though the enemy be many, one lion puts many deer to flight, and we may well destroy our foes as we have done before." But ever in his heart he feared, for that the foe had come upon him by surprise, and his magic art had told him nothing of it.

In the night, when all men slept, he rose and went to the room in which he wrought all his magic, and clothed himself in the white robes, and brought forth his instruments from the oaken box, and cast a yellow powder on the brazier. Then he filled the great copper bowl with water, looking black in the dim light of the room, and taking wax he moulded ships, some white, some black, and set them to float on the water in the vessel. Next he drew from the box a rod of palm-wood and touched them one by one, and as he did so they separated and gathered into two fleets at either side of the bowl. Then throwing some incense on the brazier, Anectanabus began to mutter his magic words, and round and round the bowl he walked, and the first time he threw in some gold, and the second time a stone, and the third time some dust. Soon the two fleets began to move towards one another, and Anectanabus began to invoke destruction on the enemy as he was wont to do; but when the battle was joined, he saw that the ships of Egypt were one by one destroyed or taken, nor could any of his mightiest spells turn the battle. So he saw that the gods had forsaken him, and that there was no hope for him; and he deemed it better to go away and let his kingdom fall into the hands of the Persians, than to resist them without hope of victory, and to be made a slave at the end; and his heart was great, and he had no son or daughter for whom to fight.

The next day he rose and went about with a light heart and a merry cheer, and did the things that were to be done, and when night fell he laid off the royal robes and the crown of Egypt, and dressed him as one of the wise clerks of the land, and went to the barber and caused him to shave off his beard, and cut his hair, so that no man should know him, and he gathered store of gold and jewels, such as he could carry, and his instruments of magic and of star-reading, and called to him three of his servants who had served him all his life, and when they were loaded with his gear, he slipped out at a postern gate of the palace, and set off on foot into the world, not knowing where he should go. Long would it be to tell what lands he passed through, how he went from Egypt into Ethiopia, and from thence he passed through many countries till at the last he came to Macedon, where it fell that he settled and ended his days. But no one ever thought him to be anything but some diviner or soothsayer, nor wist the folk that he had been a mighty king of men.

The tale tells of the care he left behind him in his palace when men found that he had gone. The princes sought their lord in his private chambers, and when he was not to be seen there, knights and barons ran about with tears on their cheeks, their ladies swooned, and all men cursed the day. At the last, when they could get no news, they joined in procession to the temple of Serapis, the greatest of their gods, to ask his aid and counsel in their sore strait, and there they burned rich incense, and offered many noble gifts and sacrifices. Then the god gave them this answer: "Fear not, O folk, for your king is safe. Ye shall be subject to the Persians, nor may ye any way escape. But cease your sorrow; the son of his works shall return, he shall avenge your defeat, he shall destroy Persia, he shall be the noblest Emperor of the world."

So this people made an image of Anectanabus in black marble, dressed in his royal robes, sceptre in hand, and crown on head, and beneath the statue was graved in golden letters the prophecy of their god Serapis, that men might have it in mind in the evil days that were on them. For the Persians conquered them, and year by year they treated them more hardly, and life was bitter to them, and the Egyptians looked back year after year to the happy days of Anectanabus, the last king of Egypt, and waited in hope till he should come back again.

It fell on a day that as Anectanabus was travelling through the land of Macedon, he came to the chief city of the land, and there his yeomen took lodging for him, and he thought to dwell there some days, for the city was fair and well placed on a fertile plain, and it was in the month of May. And when he talked to the men of the town he heard say that Philip, the king of the land, had gone out to war, but that he had left there his queen Olympias to govern the folk, and that the next day was, as it happened, the feast of her birthday. Now this queen had custom on feast days to ride out into the country near, and there sports and tournaments were held, and all folk rejoiced before her. So Anectanabus thought in his mind that he would go out and look upon her, for he had heard that Olympias was the fairest woman in Greece,--nay, in all the world.

Early next day after meat, the queen mounted a white mule and rode through the city to the plain, with her wise men and her maids about her, and much she joyed to see the fair show that the city made, for everywhere that she came the town was hung with rich hangings and embroidery, and every man was eager to see the queen, and at all corners were bands of maidens singing and beating drums and timbrels. So the queen rode through the city, and when she came to the plain, each man did his best in the sports, if by any means he could gain a prize from her hands. Among the crowd of men on the plain was Anectanabus, and he looked not at one thing or another but only at the queen, so that at the last she turned and saw him, and because he was unlike all other there in clothing and in bearing she took notice of him and saw at once that he was a stranger: and since he looked ever at her face nor looked away when she turned to him, at the end she sent men to him to know who he was. So he came and did her reverence, and she asked him who he was and what he would, and he told her that he was a clerk, and that he went from place to place, doing the will of the great gods: and Olympias bade him come to her at the palace.

Now every day the queen sat on the royal seat in the great hall of the palace, and men came to her and spoke before her of good and bad, and among the rest next day came Anectanabus. And as the queen looked upon him, he bowed him down, and said, "Hail, fair Queen of Macedon;" and the queen noted his speech, for he spoke as one that was a king and not as a clerk, though he were clothed in weeds of drab and went with shaven crown. So she made him to sit down before her on a silk-covered seat, and she began to question him full fairly, whether he were of Egypt, and what manner of folk were in that land, and what was the learning of its wise men--for she knew by his tongue that he was an outlander, and be like an Egyptian. And Anectanabus answered her and told her of the land of Egypt, and of its wonders, and of its wisdom, how some men told the meaning of dreams, and whether they were true or false, and when they should come to pass; some men understood the song of the birds and the voice of beasts; some could tell of the birth of children, and of the length of life; some could declare the secret counsels of men, which never were spoken to any one; and some could read the course of the stars and the signs of heaven, and say what shall come to pass in few years' time--"and, fair Queen," continued he, "I have so clear a knowledge of all these arts, that I can prove myself a master in each of them." So saying, he leaned forward from his seat, and stared in a study, still as a stone, at her face. Then said the queen, "What art thou musing on, Master; why dost thou sit so still?" "I am thinking, O Queen," said he, "on the words of my god, who long ago told me that I should sit in a strange land an exile, and see the fairest queen on earth." Then the queen prayed him to show her how he sought out these things, and he drew out of his bosom a little box with seven pieces of ivory in it, and he showed her how by casting these he could tell what should happen to men, and answer questions about their deeds. And he showed her seven precious stones, on each of which a wondrous figure was carved, which preserved men who wore them from all harm. And then he drew out his table of ivory with three rings upon it, by which he read the stars: the first ring was of brass, and on it were marked the twelve houses of fate; the second was of bright silver, and on it were marked wondrous beasts, the twelve signs of the heavens; and the third was of red gold, and on it were marked the sun and the moon; and as he showed them he told her the course of the stars, and how they governed the life of men.

And Olympias said to him, "O Master, tell me the day on which my lord that I love was born, and then I shall know thy skill." "Small skill were that," said Anectanabus, "to tell the past; is there naught of the future you would learn?" "Yea," said the Queen, "tell me what shall part Philip and me, for it is told me by my wise women that if he returns from battle he shall take another wife, and send me away for ever." "Nay, not for ever," said the Egyptian, "not for ever, nor for long shall he put thee away, for will he nill he, he must have thee for his queen." Then Olympias wondered greatly, and she asked Anectanabus how this should be, and the wise man answered and told her, how that the great god of her country, Ammon, should give her a fair son who should help her all his life, and how that the god would protect her till her son was grown. Then was the queen right glad, and she promised Anectanabus that when these things should happen she would honour him all her life. Then the wise man rose from his seat, and after looking on the queen for a while, went from the hall to make his enchantments as at other times.

Now that night the moon was at full, when all herbs have their strongest might, so Anectanabus got him forth from the city into a wild place, where no man might see him, and there he drew up herbs for his enchantments, marking the fairest and best, and when the hour of the moon was come he plucked them out by the roots, and washed the earth from them in running water. Then he ground them together in a mortar, and wrung out the juice, and he made an image of the queen in white wax, and anointed it with the juice of the plants he had gathered, and calling on the powers of the air with is conjurations, he made a dream for the queen. So she, lying in her palace alone, saw a huge dragon enter and circle the room three times--then it came and stood before her, and, lo! it was a man, but a man in shape like to her god; and the man told her that she should have a son who should defend her in all her cares, and override all her foes. Then the queen woke from her dream, and stretched out her hands to the god she had seen, but the room was dark, so, springing from her bed, she ran to the door, but that was safely fast, and groping round she found naught in the room; and sad that her dream was false, she fell asleep again thinking of the wise Egyptian, who, mayhap, should tell her what it meant.

Early on the morrow the queen rose from her sleep, and sent her housecarles for Anectanabus in haste; then when he came she took him apart and told him all her dream. Then said he to the queen: "If thou art willing, and not afraid, I can show thee this god face to face, and thou waking; but thine eyes must be opened to see him."

So was the queen glad, and she assigned him a room in her palace; and the next night did Anectanabus, by his art magic, change himself into a dragon such as the queen had seen in her dream, and flying through the air with his heavy wings he came into the place of the queen. Then she rose up to meet him, but the sight was so terrible to her that she covered her face with her hands; but soon she heard a voice bidding her look up, and lo! before her was the figure of her god Ammon--a strong, fair man, bearing on his head two horns. Then was she glad of her life, that she alone of all living women had seen this thing; and he spoke to her of all the things that Anectanabus had told her, and of how her son should ride through the world.

So fell she to sleep, and when she woke in the morning light there was none there, and the doors of the palace were fast, and great thanks she gave to Anectanabus for his magic, for she wist not that her god was but a show of the wise Egyptian.

But in that same night that the queen had dreamed, the Egyptian had so wrought his enchantments that in the hour of Philip's star he too had fallen asleep, and he dreamed that a dragon had taken him up through the air, and had borne him off to his own palace, and to the room in which Olympias, his queen, lay sleeping. Then tried he to draw near her, but she felt not his touch nor heard his voice; and suddenly he was ware of a god in the room in the shape of Ammon, and the god came to the queen and laid his hand on her, and waked her, and sealed her with a gold seal. So Philip drew near, and saw that on this seal were three things graved--the head of a mighty lion, the burst of the morning sun rising over the world, and a sharp, keen blade of a sword; and he heard the god say: "Woman, thy son that I give thee shall be thy defender." Now Philip when he woke, was so sore troubled by his dream that he called on his diviners to say to him what it should mean. Then said the chief of the magicians: "O King, this thy dream means that thy wife shall give thee a son fair and mighty. And because on the seal thou sawest a lion's head, as the lion is the chief of all beasts, this son shall be a chief and a master among all chieftains. And since on the seal was the burst of the sunrise, so shall this son ride through the world, and everywhere shall he be exalted till he comes to the Land of the East; and the biting brand showeth that by his sword shall nations out of number be conquered and bow to him. But for the dragon that bore thee from hence to thy own land, he shall be to thee for an aid, and that right soon." And then was the king glad in his heart.

But Anectanabus knew by his box of stones how that Philip should be sore beset on a certain day, and so, going out into a desert place, he called up to him by art magic a great bird from the sea, with broad wings, great beak, and strong claws like iron. And as it drew near him it circled him seven times, and then sunk down at his feet. Then the Egyptian took and rubbed him with the juice of the plants he had gathered, from wingtip to wingtip, and from head to tail, and then with his mightiest spells he sent him forth over land and sea. And lo! he seemed no more a sea bird, but a mighty dragon flying through the air. But far away Philip was in deadly battle, for he had been all day fighting, and now was he wearied, and a great stone had struck him, so that he reeled to the ground, and his men were at point to fly, and his foes were clamouring with joy, and their eyes were burning to slay, when the great dragon flew towards them, and men paused to see what should happen, and lo! it fell on the foemen, and first on him who had struck down Philip, and men's swords fell on it and were shivered, and none dared to see its face, and the men of Macedon took fresh heart, and Philip sprang up shouting, "The God, the Gods for us!" and the foe were routed and their king slain, and far away the great dragon rose in the air and disappeared, no man knowing whither.

So Philip came home with much joy, honoured of men, and when he met his queen he kissed her fair, and they spoke of their dreams, and of what the god had promised them. And it fell that two wonders happened to them. For one day as they sat at meat in the hall, and folk around them great and small, a great dragon came into the palace, and men fled, save some that drew sword and turned pale, but the king cried out: "Faith, but this is the noble dragon that turned the fight for us that other even." Then the king was glad, but the great worm came slowly up the hall till it reached the queen, and there it raised its head on her knees, and she knew it for the dragon that had come to her, and lifted its head and kissed it, and all men looked for some change; but the dragon turned and went its way out as it came in, and those outside saw nought save the Egyptian diviner standing at the gate.

And one other day, as Philip sat in his great hall, with all his nobles and chief men round him, there came a singing-bird into the hall and sang a sweet song, and circled his head, and came and sat on his knee, and there dropped an egg and flew away. Then as the king sat and looked, the egg rolled from his knee and fell to the ground, and there it broke, and a little worm came out and crawled about, but soon it died. Then a great clerk near him said: "This signifieth, O king, that thy blithe lady's son shall walk the world and win it, and die a bitter death before he may return." These were the wonders that happened ere the birth of Alexander.

Now drew on the time when this noble child was to be born, and as he came to earth temples and towers tumbled on heaps, thunder rang through the welkin, darkness fell over the earth, the wind rose and blew, the lightning flashed over the land, and great stones fell from the sky. Then Philip feared, and said: "Surely this son that is born shall do great things, and men will call me the father of this child"; and with that he went to Olympias and comforted her. But the child grew, nor was he like to father nor mother. His hair was yellow-tawny, like a lion's, his eyes were bright and glistening, piercing like blazing stars; grim and fierce was his look, one of his eyes black as a coal, the other yellow like gold; his voice was loud, even from his first cry, nor could any hear it without inward fear. Alexander was his name, and the wisest man of all the world, Aristotle, was his tutor, nor would he learn of other. Clever and wise was he, nor did he sit with the crowd of boys, but on a bench beside his master, for it became not a king's son to sit down undistinguished from other boys. In four or five years he learnt more than many scholars learn in seventy winters. And when he was eleven years old he set him to learn the art and craft of battle, to wield a spear and a lance, to ride a noble steed in armour, so that in a few years was none equal to him, and in adventures of arms he surpassed all men.

It fell on a day that Philip the king was with him, and greatly did he praise him for his deeds, and much was his heart moved towards him; but he said: "Sorely my mind is troubled that nought of me hast thou in look, nor height, nor colour, whereby men may know that thou art my son": for Philip was tall and black and dark-eyed. Then was the noble queen Olympias grieved when she heard tell of the king's saying, and she sent for Anectanabus, the Egyptian, and he came, but with little speed, for he was now old and grey. And when he was before her, she asked him what should fall of the king's speech, for ever she had feared the doom that was to come; but he comforted her, and bade her fear not, for he read day and night the stars for her, and none of the king's thoughts were against her.

So he went out, and Alexander with him, and as they went, ever the Egyptian looked at the stars, and down at the ground, and sighed. So Alexander asked him at what planet was he looking, and Anectanabus showed it him. Then he asked him why he sighed, and the Egyptian said: "My hour draws near, the son of my works shall slay me! Look over our heads and see that red star shine--the star of Hercules, how bitterly it moves, but noble Mercury shines ever, and great Jove, how jollily he shines--the doom of my destiny is on me." And as he said the word, Alexander stumbled forward, and pushing the unhappy Egyptian, he fell from the wall of the town where they were walking into the ditch which surrounded it, and with a cry sank. The youth plunged in after him, but when he found his body the old man was dead, and with what grief we cannot tell, Alexander carried home the body of Anectanabus to the palace of his mother. Let others tell the story of her grief, of her tears, and of the splendid tomb of the exiled king--I cannot.

So it was that there was at this time a certain prince in the land of Cappadocia, and in the night as he lay sleeping a vision came to him, and it seemed that his room was filled with a shimmering blaze of light, and while he looked a great dragon came into the room, and he shut his eyes for fear. Then there came a voice, saying, "Fear not, O king, but look up, and hearken to my words," and when he raised his head he saw an exceeding fair man standing in the room, and he had two horns on his head, and a golden crown like one of the gods. Then the vision bade him convey the horse Bucephalus to the land of Macedonia to king Philip; and tell him that he who should tame this horse should rule the land after him. The prince answered, "Where is this horse Bucephalus that I may take him?" and the vision said that on the morrow the horse should be brought him. And suddenly the room was dark, but the prince lay turning this matter in his mind till the grey of the first dawn, and he slept.

On the morrow as he sat on his seat under the oak of judgment, there came to him some of the country folk bringing with them a fair white colt, and his mouth was bound with iron chains. As they came near the king asked them whose was the foal and why they brought him in chains; and the men answered that this colt was so wild that no man dare go near him to mount him, and that he would take no food since he had left his mother but the flesh of men. Then they consulted the priest of the temple, and he bade them carry the young horse to the king, for he would never be tamed but by a great king's son, nor could any other man mount him. So the king gave them a great reward and they went their way. Now the horse had on his forehead two bones like small horns, and the men called him for that Bucephalus.

Now when the horse was brought to Philip the king of Macedonia he was fain of him, for he was of noble form, and it seemed as if he would be the best horse in the world, so he thanked the prince greatly, and made men build a stable for the horse of iron bars, strong and good. Therein was he put, and men doomed to death were brought to that place and thrown to him, and he tore them to pieces, and fed on them. And no man willingly went near the stable in which he was.

It fell on a day when Alexander was come to youth, that he chanced to stand at a window of the palace while this wild horse was being led by in iron chains, and the prince wondered at the sight, for it seemed to him that this was the noblest of horses, and he could not tell why he was kept in chains. But when he had come down to the courtyard the grooms had gone, so he followed them searching for the horse's stable, and at the last he came upon the iron house, and looking into it he wondered at the horrible things he saw there. Then one of the grooms came up to him and told him how the horse fed on man's flesh, and how that should be till he was tamed and ridden by a great king's son. Hearing this Alexander went up to the bars and called the horse, and the wild animal came up to them, and laid out his neck. Then the prince put his hand through the bars and Bucephalus licked it, and folded his feet and fell to the ground, looking up into Alexander's face.

Thus was the horse tamed, and Alexander lifted up the gate-bolts and entered the stable boldly, and stroked Bucephalus on his back with his hand, while the horse turned his head round and watched him fondly. Then he got a bridle and saddle, and girt him round and loosed his chains, and leaping on his back rode him off, while the good white horse obeyed the rein as if he had been ridden ten years. Now, while Alexander was riding him round the courtyard, men had run to king Philip and had told him how the prince had gone into the cage of the fierce man-eating horse, and the king came down to see what should hap, and found Alexander master of the horse. Then Philip the fierce remembered the saying of the gods, and he greeted him with words of praise, and said, "Son, of a truth thou shalt reign in my stead when I am gone, and the land shall wax great. Ask now a gift of me, and I will give it." "Then," said Alexander, "make me a knight, and a chief with men-at-arms to follow me."

Great was the joy of Philip that his son's first wish was to be a leader of men in war, and that he had done this great thing, so he granted it with good will. "I give thee, O son," said he, "one hundred of my best horses, and sixty thousand gold pieces from my coffers, and the best of my chieftains and proved princes to be thy men, and free of my house shalt thou be, to abide there in peace, or to go from it to seek adventure in war. Thou hast done a man's deed, and man shalt thou be called." Then the prince gave him lowly thanks, and sped off to gather together a little band of twelve chieftains, picked and proved leaders of men, whom he had chosen to lead his men, and when this was done each got together tried men to follow them till the number of the band was made up.

Now when Alexander had got together his band, he made ready to go out in search of his first adventure, and in few days he rode out into the world in knightly array into a land unknown, nor did he stay until he came into the land of Peloponnesus. Now the king of this land was called Nicholas, and when tidings were brought him that a band of strange knights had come into his land, he ordered that a host should be gathered together, and he with a few knights rode out far before his following, and came to the men of Alexander and began to question them in his wrath and anger, "Oh, ye knights, who is your leader, and why come you here in my land?" Then the courteous knight Alexander came to the front: "Sir knight," said he, "Philip the fierce, king of Macedon, is my father, and I am his heir Alexander." And the king stood up in his stirrups, and sternly looking at him, said, "Whom think you that I am?" "Sir," said Alexander, "you are as now king of this folk, nor do I grudge your honour, but beware of pride, for wise men tell that the highest thing falls soonest, and that which is least of all is ofttimes brought to the stars."

"True is thy word," said the king, "and soon shalt thou prove its truth it may be; look well to thyself lest thy speech come home to thee."

Then Alexander burst into rage, and with bitter words ordered him to return to his following if he wished safety, and Nicholas the king, flaming with bitter wasp-like anger, took up a handful of mud and threw it in the face of Alexander, and swore by the heart of his father that he would put him to death with his own hands if he fled not. But the noble Alexander controlled his rage at the foul insult, and keeping his face by a mighty effort, though his hands were gripping each other through, said, "As thou hast wronged me causelessly, Nicholas, I swear by my father and by my god that thou shalt see me ere long for this cause, and that I shall take thy land from thee, or thou my life from me." So a day was set for them to meet in fight, and they parted on either side.

Now were men on both parts getting them ready for the fight. Alexander hurried home into Macedon and assembled a mighty host of knights and archers, men proved and skilled in arms. And when the host was assembled, with his princes and captains, he sought the presence of Philip and took his leave, and mounting Bucephalus his brave white horse, he led, first of all, his army out of the broad gates of the town. So on the appointed day the field is covered with the array of either host, and now men lift up the banners and shake them out to the wind, and the clarions sound out till the whole field rings with the music, and the woods and the hills answer them again. Then each noble prepares for battle, his helm on his head he strides to his horse, and jumps on his steel-clad saddle, he hangs round his throat his bright shimmering shield, and handles his lance. Then is the stamping of steeds, the stripping of banners, the clouds of dust rise in the air, and suddenly the crowds meet with a shock in the middle of the plain. Now the steeds rear up against each other, and the spears break through the blazoned shields and through the helmet bars, while the cypress lance shafts splinter into fragments, and down fall knights and dukes from their steeds.

Well and nobly did the young Alexander fight his first battle. Sir Nicholas took him a spear, and rushed on the young knight to get him a name, and to keep his oath that he had sworn. Then Alexander took another lance from his squire, for the first one was strained in the fight by this time and might betray him, and they met one another in the field, and men stayed to see this fight. So sore were their strokes that the long lances split, even from point to handgrip, so that there was not an ell long piece in either man's hand. Then each threw the fragment away, and out flashed their swords from the sheaths, and they hacked and hewed at each other through mail-coat and helmet. But mail and helm were good and gave not way, till Alexander grew mad with rage, and with one full stroke he struck off the head of King Nicholas clear through the neck and helm, and he fell down to the earth. So it was that Alexander got him great worship by this victory, for all the men of that country and their lords came to him, and falling on their knees put them in his mercy, and acknowledged him as ruler of the land. Thus he defeated his enemy, and revenged the insult of King Nicholas, and returned home with fame and good to his father.

The tale tells that as he entered Macedon he found the town at feast, and his father at his high table; but another woman sat in the seat of the queen, for Philip had put away Olympias, as the seers had told her years before. So Alexander bowed him down meekly in seeming, and said, "Father, I pray thee receive the fruits of my first victory ere I go hence to the wedding." "And whose wedding dost thou go to?" said the king. "To my mother's," said he, "for I will marry her to some noble king, and I will make him the greatest king on earth, for it likes me not to stay here while she is in disgrace, and I know not for what." Then Philip grew white with wrath, but one Lysias, a knight at the table, said, "O king, heed not his talk, for this fair queen shall bring thee a son greater than him." Turning to him, Alexander with his truncheon struck him a blow so that he fell dead to the ground, and men said that in truth he had deserved it; but Philip started up at the deed, and snatching a blade rushed on Alexander, aiming a fierce blow at him, for the gods had blinded his eyes so that he knew not wisdom from folly, or right-doing from wrong. But as he came on, his feet failed him, and ere he reached Alexander the king staggered, stumbled, and fell to the ground, though no man saw cause for it. Then Alexander laughed out loud, and said, "Does the Governor of Greece fear one youth? What ails thee to fall?" and he struck over the tables of the feast, and dragging the bride out of the hall by her hair he brought her to his mother, for his heart was full of wrath at the wrong done to her, while Philip was carried away stricken with sore sickness. Thus was his mother avenged, and the marriage feast disturbed.

But when Alexander's wrath cooled it came into his heart to make peace between Philip and his mother, and rising up he went to the bed of Philip, and there he spoke words as a friend might speak, and the gods put in the king's heart to forgive the death of Lysias, and to reconcile him to his wife; and so the king rose up, and leaning on Alexander's shoulder, went with him to Olympias, and there he took her in his arms and kissed her, and forgave all her faults, and she was made queen again, and reigned in Macedon to her life's end.

The tale tells that on a day men told in Macedon that an embassy from the Emperor of the World, Darius of Persia, was drawing near; and the whole city came out, men, women, and children, to see them enter. But there was doubt and fear in the court of Philip, for they were coming to demand from him the tribute which he had not paid for the last three years, and the king had made up his mind to be no more subject to the Persians, and Alexander had sworn to conquer them in war if his father would raise an army against them, but Philip would not, for he knew that no man could count the armies of Darius, spent he his whole life to that end.

And so the heralds came riding up to the gate of the town mounted on their high steeds, and there were three of them, and each of them was a king, and wore armour of proof. On each man's head was a golden crown, and their pages bore before them their helmets. The herald who was on the right wore bright silver armour; his surcoat was dark green, and on it was worked a fierce tiger rushing on his prey, and he was the herald of Media. The herald riding on the left wore black armour from head to foot, and his surcoat was of scarlet, and on it was a wild boar turning to face his foe, and this was the herald of Persia. But the herald in the middle was clad from head to foot in bright gold, and his surcoat was of a deep clear blue, and on it shone the sun high over all the world, and all men shouted when they saw him, for he was a head taller than common men, and he was the herald of the Emperor of the World.

When they reached the gate the trumpeters blew three long calls on their trumpets with a silence between each, and the drawbridge, which had been raised, slowly fell, and the great gate of the city opened, and the herald of the King of Macedon came forth and greeted them fair, and offered them rest and hostage till such time as they should see the king. But they said, "O dear brother and friend, it is not fitting that we eat or drink in this town till we have done the errand of our lord, or till we know whether we harbour with friends and servants, or with foes and traitors of the Master of the World. Wherefore we pray you, dear brother, that you will lead us to the hall of your prince that we may do our errand, not doubting that after it we shall be beholden to your love for rest and comfort." So the heralds dismounted, and their men remained without with their horses, while they went into the town and through the streets up to the palace hall of Philip.

Now the king was sitting on his throne under the da?s at the upper end of the hall, and on his right hand sat the noble Alexander, and round the king on his right and his left were the nobles of the land, greybeards and youth. And when the coming of the heralds was told them the king rose from his seat, and as they stepped forward so did he, and he came to the middle of the hall and three steps further, for all men did reverence in those days to the herald. And he greeted them, and on the neck of each man he threw a chain of gold, and much he praised them for their fame. But the heralds spoke and said, "O king, we have a message for thee, nor may we delay." And he said, "Speak on."

So the Wild Boar of Persia spake: "O Philip, for three years thou hast not sent thy accustomed tribute to Persia, nor a part of it. Now, therefore, pay it at once, or fear the wrath of Persia." Then the Tiger of Darius the Mede, spake: "O king, forasmuch as in past years thou hast served the king, and as perchance thy land has suffered from famine and war, thy king and friend, Darius, forgives thee freely thy past tribute by my mouth." But the herald of the Empire of the World added: "On this condition only, that thou payest over to me three sacks full of Grecian earth in token of thy obedience to the great Emperor, and to show that hereafter thy tribute shall not fail."

For a short time there was silence in the great hall, and then Alexander spake out: "Fair father and lord, suffer me to answer for thee." Then turning to the heralds, "Return," said he, "return to your people and to your master, and bid him to send no more messages here of this matter, for know that Philip hath a son grown that yields to no man, and obeys no lord. Tell him that the land of Macedon which in times past yielded him wealth so freely is now barren, and will give him henceforth no tribute, come what may." These words and more he said, yet he departed not from the courtesy that beseemeth great lords, and the heralds wondered at his speech, and greatly they praised him to his father. But Alexander sought out the herald of the Sun and gave him a fair jewel, and said to him that it was to retain him against the day when he should be emperor in his turn.

It must be said that these heralds had gone through all the lands subject to the Emperor of Persia, for they had a secret errand from Darius. Now Darius had no son, and but one fair daughter, Roxana by name, and he was minded to marry her to one of the king's sons of the lands, so the heralds were straitly charged to get the portraits of the princes and kings, and in their train was a skilled painter. Thus it fell that during the three days of guesting the painter drew a likeness of the prince exactly his height and size, and it was taken back to Darius with the other portraits, that the Emperor might choose the prince who should marry his daughter, and succeed him in the empire. And after the three days of hostage the heralds took their leave of King Philip, and went their way, and in due time they arrived at the court of Darius, the proud king of Persia, and there they told him how his tribute was lost, and how Philip's son had spoken.

In Macedon meanwhile many things had happened, for it was told Philip that all the land of Armenia had revolted against him, and that the earls and princes were in arms, so Alexander gathered a host and marched against them, and, shortly to tell, he laid waste all the land of the rebels. But while he had marched away a worse thing fell to Philip, for a prince of the land, Pausanius, son of Cerastes, who dwelt in the marches of Macedon, and was one of his noblest knights, rose against him. And this was the reason of his rebellion:--For many years this lord had loved the queen Olympias, and when Philip put her away he had come to the feast of the king's new marriage to defy him and to take her away, but when Alexander restored her to her place he departed sorrowful, and the love in his heart burned up, till at the last he summoned all his friends to make war on Philip, if by any means he might kill him, and carry off the fair queen to be his wife.

Now Philip gathered together all his men and went out to war with Pausanius, but the folk that were with him were few, and when they met in the field fear fell on him, and he turned and fled to his castle. Then all men shouted when they saw that the great Philip had shewn his back, and Pausanius sprung out of the ranks on his proud steed, and speeding after the king struck him through the back to the breast and bore him to the earth, and there he lay on the highway half dead. Then Pausanius rode on, and all Philip's men fell back, for they were sore troubled when they saw their king wounded to death. So the prince came to the castle, and joy was in his heart, for he thought to bring out the fair queen and to lead her away. But in the heat of his joy Alexander returned victorious from Armenia with the nobles of Macedon, and when he heard the noise of the weapons he spurred into the town. Now the queen had shut the door of the castle-keep, and when the noise of the host was heard she flew to the window at the top, and by the arms and spoil she knew it was her son returned victorious. Then the queen called to her son with a loud voice, "O son, who shall never be conquered, avenge and help thy mother in her need," and Alexander heard her, and wrath rose in his heart. But when Pausanius heard that Alexander had come, he came armed out of the palace, and with him a host of mighty men, and the hosts met in mid-field; yet short was the fight, for Alexander swung out his sharp sword and with one blow struck him dead, and all his men gave up their weapons to the noble conqueror. Then came one and told him that his father lay wounded on the highway, and Alexander rushed forth and found him as one near death, and he fell down by his side and wept bitterly. But the old king said, "Ah, son Alexander, now am I near my end, but yet am I glad to have lived long enough to see my slayer so soon killed. Well be thou that thou hast avenged me." Then he raised up his head and looked at his son, but the effort was too much for him, and with one groan he died.

The tale tells of how Alexander grieved for the death of Philip as one grieves for the loss of his father, and of the burial of the old king: how he was borne on men's shoulders to bale, how his barons and knights followed him as he was laid to rest in his own land, and how all men of the land, rich and poor, noble and simple, grieved for the loss of the great king. The next day Alexander sat on his throne, a bright gold crown studded with gems on his head, and in his hand the sceptre of his father. Then the heralds proclaimed that all the court should draw near, and that all men should do their liege homage to him, and they came at his call, and all men acknowledged him as lord on their bended knees, and Alexander put off his crown from him and laid it on the throne, and rose up and spoke to his people in this wise: "Fair lords, I will in no wise be contrary to your wills, nor to your deeds. But I show to you that I hate frauds and malice, and as I have loved you during my father's life, so will I do in time to come. And I both counsel and pray you that ye dread the gods, and obey them; and that ye choose for king him that shall best provide for the good estate of his people, and that shall be most courteous and merciful to poor folk, him that will best keep justice and the right of the feeble against the mighty, and him that most boldly shall put him in array to destroy your enemies; for such ought to be chosen king and none other."

Now when the lords of the land had heard his reasons abovesaid, and considered his great discretion, wit, and understanding, they marvelled greatly, and answered him thus: "We have heard and understand thy great reasons, and have received thy good counsels, and therefore we will and beseech thee that thou reign over us, and have the lordship upon us. During thy life may there be none who shall deserve to be our king rather than thou." And thus they chose him to be their king, and crowned him, and gave him their troth, and prayed the gods to bless and maintain him.

That night as Alexander lay on his bed he dreamed, and in his dream he saw Anectanabus, the wise Egyptian, come to him; on his head were two ram's horns, and his coat was brown. It seemed that he came to him as he lay, and put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Stay thou not in this land of Macedon, but go forth into all lands, for thou shalt conquer them, and they shall be subject to thee, and thou shalt not die, except on a soil of iron, beneath a sky of gold." Then came to him one dressed in robes of blue and purple and gold, covered with all manner of embroidered figures, and on his head was a strange crown of gold and pearls and precious stones, and he said, "The God whom I serve shall teach thee to destroy the empire of the Persians." And last there came to him a very fair lady, tall and graceful, and she looked on him with love, and said, "O Alexander, my heart's lord, when thou hast overcome the Persians, indeed thou shalt reign over them, and I shall be thy queen and lady-love. Let this be the sign between thee and me, that we meet first at the feast of the Lord of Persia."

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