Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

ALEXANDERS LETTER TO OLYMPIAS. 303
"heavenly beings for his great soul, to my ex-
"cellent and well-beloved friend, who hath wrought
"good unto me in the times that are past, and
"who hath been about my path continually. O
"my wise friend, I entreat thee, both by my God
"and by thine own birth, O my mother, to incline
"thine ear unto my speech with the loving mind
"which thou hast. O thou who art a bride among
"women by reason of thy love, and humility, and
"lowly bearing, and softness, and graciousness, as
"thou art thus even so hath thy son not been
"pleased to make himself like unto [other] young
"men in any of the works which they do. And
"thou, hast thou not been pleased with me, be-
"cause of it, O my mother? And hast thou not
"seen that I have always waxed in strength from
"the time when I came into being?
"When' the branches of a tree are shaken hither
"and thither by the wind the leaves are stripped
"off it, and its root drieth up in the ground, and
"[if] it hath blossomed and put forth fruit, its fruit
"is destroyed, and its leaves are stripped off, and
"afterwards'' the tree itself falleth. Hast thou
"never observed how darkness cometh suddenly
'over a bright day? Hast thou never observed
"how the light of the moon departeth when but
"half of it is shrouded, and how when darkness
"envelopeth it its light [p. 176] diminisheth? Hast
"thou never looked at the stars of light and seen
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