Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

404
THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
his reign were seven years. And he was killed
in fighting, but the cause of his murder was one
of his noblemen' called Fures/ who lusted after
his wife/ the mother of Alexander, and who had
sent a message to her persuading her to lie with
him,* and for this reason he desired to slay Philip
and to take her to wife. Now when he was not
able to attain unto this thing he lay in wait for
a favourable occasion to kill him. And it fell
out that the enemy rose up against Philip, and
Fures at- tj^gy plundered his country, and he sent a g-eneral
' ^ ^ ^
.
tacks Philip. _
with an army to fight agamst the enemy, and he
also sent his son Alexander with a large army
against them by another road. And when Fures
saw that Philip's army had gone forth to battle
in great numbers, and that he himself [p. 238]
was left behind with very few men, he gathered
together his friends, and they attacked Philip and
wounded him with many blows until he was half
dead; 5 and all the people that were in the city
were in an uproar. And it came to pass that at
that hour Alexander returned from battle,* and
when he drew nigh unto the city he heard the
> The MS. has Ufl. ' or IXL = = Od.^ •
^ In the Hebrew D''iE'1K. 3 In the Hebrew tyiK^^i.
4 Heb. DmiDD'PN D« HD'^Dn ti'lK^Di n« nnph- see Bk. ii.
chap. xiv. (p. III).
5 In the Hebrew Philip falls out of his chariot half dead
through a blow which Osanis struck him on the head, ^M
^ In the Hebrew, "from Armenia.''