Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

BY AL-MAkIn. 361
"thou take with thee into battle, for then shall
"the swords and spears of thine enemies [p. 211]
"have no power to pierce thee, nor any man
"among you, nor any one of thy soldiers. And
"if it happen that thy foe would smite any one
"whatsoever of thy soldiers with the sword or
"with the spear, or would pierce him with an
"arrow, his sword shall be blunted,' and the blow
"shall be turned out of its course, and his stroke
"shall neither wound thee nor cause thee pain.
"And the fourth amulet shall prevent thy soldiers
"from committing fornication, and it shall make to
"cease from them the striving after women, so
"that none of thy soldiers may commit fornication.
"Now fornication in an army is an evil thing. The Greeks
"and it bringeth upon those who commit the act^^Xst for-
"an evil worse than the hand of the enemy, and"""^"""-
"they are speedily overcome, and there cometh
"upon them a plague which cannot be healed, and
"because they have committed this great sin
"they are defeated and overcome."
And, moreover, Aristotle made for Alexander Aristotle
a box that is to say [a chest'], and he placed therein AielLd^er
figures which were made in the similitude of his 7/'"|;|5"^'
'^'^ f°"-
enemies. Now some of those that were therein
had in their hands leaden swords which were
curved backwards over their hands; and some of
them had spears in their hands which they held
' Read fflJ&fl.'PA '
' Some word has dropped out of the text here.
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