with the din of the great _Kurkahs_ and
Drums, and the Earth shook at the clangour of the Trumpets and Clarions.
The shafts began to fall like the rain-drops of spring, and blood flowed
till the field looked like the Oxus." (_J. A. S._ ser. IV. tom. xix. 256)

Next from an Occidental Romance:--

"Now rist grete tabour betyng,
Blaweyng of pypes, and ek trumpyng,
Stedes lepyng, and ek arnyng,
Of sharp speres, and avalyng
Of stronge knighttes, and wyghth meetyng;
Launces breche and increpyng;
Knighttes fallyng, stedes lesyng;
Herte and hevedes thorough kervyng;
Swerdes draweyng, lymes lesyng
Hard assaylyng, strong defendyng,
Stiff withstondyng and wighth fleigheyng.
Sharp of takyng armes spoylyng;
So gret bray, so gret crieyng,
Ifor the folk there was dyeyng;
_So muche dent, noise of sweord,
The thondur blast no myghte beo hirde_,
No the sunne hadde beo seye,
For the dust of the poudre!
_No the weolkyn seon be myght,
So was arewes and quarels flyght_."
--_King Alisaunder, in Weber_, I. 93-94.

And again:--

"The eorthe quaked heom undur,
_No scholde mon have herd the thondur_."
--Ibid. 142.

Also in a contemporary account of the fall of Acre (1291): "Renovatur ergo
bellum terribile inter alterutros ... clamoribus interjectis hine et inde
ad terrorem; _ita ut nec Deus tonans in sublime coaudiri potuisset_."
(_De Excidio Acconis_, in _Martene et Durand_, V. 780.)

NOTE 5.--"_Car il estoit_ homme _au Grant Kaan_." (See note 2, ch. xiv.,
in Prologue.)

NOTE 6.--In continuation of note 4, chap. ii., we give Gaubil's conclusion
of the story of Nayan: "The Emperor had gone ahead with a small force,
when Nayan's General came forward with 100,000 men to make a
reconnaissance. The Sovereign, however, put on a bold front, and though in
great danger of being carried off, showed no trepidation. It was night,
and an urgent summons went to call troops to the Emperor's aid. They
marched at once, the horsemen taking the foot soldiers on the crupper
behind them. Nayan all this while was taking it quietly in his camp, and
his generals did not venture to attack the Emperor, suspecting an
ambuscade. Liting then took ten resolute men, and on approaching the
General's camp, caused a Fire-_Pao_ to be discharged; the report caused a
great panic among Nayan's troops, who were very ill disciplined at the
best. Meanwhile the Chinese and Tartar troops had all come up, and Nayan