AND THE CROWNING OF ALEXANDER.
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 daïs 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.”
[Illustration: The Heralds of the Emperor Darius.]
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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