Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

GIFTS TO ALEXANDER FROM THE CHINESE. 1 79
he ended his message. And he gave gifts to
Matyaas' the ambassador, and he said unto him,
"Go to Alexander and salute him fervently with
"many salutations, and say unto him, 'Thy servant
"enquireth concerning thee and concerning thy
"well-being. And behold I send unto thee shifts
"for thine acceptance.'" And he sent unto him
the crown which was upon his head, saying, "It
befitteth thee more than me." And he sent unto
him garments of finely woven stuff, one hundred Gifts to
pounds in weight, according to the pound of Con- ^0^ the
stantinople; and, again, he sent him two hundred ^'^F^^
tents, and men-servants and maid-servants; and
two hundred shields of elephant hide; and two
hundred Indian swords mounted in o-old and orna-
mented with gold and precious stones of great
value; and two hundred horses suitable for [the
use of] kings ; and seven thousand pieces of ;
and one thousand loads of the finest gold and
silver, for in this country are situated the mountains
wherefrom they dig gold. Now the wall of that city
is built of gold ore and likewise the habitations
of the people, and from this place [p. 102] Solomon,
the son of David, brought the gold with which
he built the sanctuary, and he made the vessels
the king of China had made to fit Alexander^ and which he
sent to him by the ambassador as representing the size of
the piece of ground which alone would finally be his, al-
though he had been the conqueror of the world; see the Sy-
nac version, p. 112.
' Read ^'^'l'Fy^tl
°'