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Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

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THE CHRISTIAN ROMANCE. XLIX<br />

poison at Babylon. These are the chief facts of<br />

the little work.<br />

V. The "Christian Romance" is, perhaps, one of importance<br />

the most curious '''^<br />

works that has ever been written .<br />

"Christian<br />

°J,.<br />

about <strong>Alexander</strong> the Great, and from many points ^''°""- .^^<br />

of view it is of very high interest. Of its author<br />

'''<br />

we know nothing, and the period of Its compo-<br />

sition is also unknown; but we may assume that<br />

it is, relatively, a modern work, and that it is not<br />

a translation from an older work in another language.<br />

Historically it is of no value, for the few facts<br />

which underlie this composition are so garbled as<br />

to be almost unrecognisable. It is quite certain<br />

that the writer has drawn upon sources other than<br />

his own imagination for many details, and though<br />

many of them are evident others are not so clear.<br />

The uppermost idea in his mind seems to have <strong>Alexander</strong>'s<br />

been <strong>Alexander</strong>'s chastity, which is no doubt based<br />

upon an exaggerated view of the famous passage<br />

in Arrian,' where <strong>Alexander</strong>'s conduct towards<br />

the wife of Darius is thus described:— 'And as to<br />

"the wife of Darius, whose charms surpass'd all<br />

"the Asiaticks, he either had no desires towards<br />

"her, or he took care to curb his desires, notwith-<br />

"standing he was in the very heat of youth, and<br />

"at the height of glory, which are commonly great<br />

"debauchers of the mind, and often cause men to<br />

"make a bad use of those advantages which fortune<br />

"has put into their hands. But he, out of a certain<br />

' Bk. iv. 19, 8.

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