The Story of England by Robert Manning of Brunne, A.D. 1338. Edited from mss. at Lambeth Palace and the Inner Temple, by Frederick J. Furnivall |
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 | The Story of England |  |
Noe þat God saued fro deþ.
His sone was cald sire Saphet.
Iauan, his sone þat cam of hym,
He hadde a sone þat hight Setym;
Setymes sone, Ciprius hight,
A man of ffame & of myght;
So mikel þat tyme was his fame,
þe lande of Cipre of hym had name.
Of þys noble sire Cyprius,
Was a sone þat hight Cretus;
þis Cretus an ilde he augte,
þe name of hym Cret hit laughte.
Cretus sone hyghte Cellius,
And Cellius sone was Saturnus;
Saturnus sone highte Iubiter,
In astronomie he lerede fer.
Þis ilk Iubiter had twey wyues,
Kynges doughtres, faire lyues;
Þat on hight Maye, þat oþer Electra,
Þe ffader hight Aclas of þem twa;
ffor Aclas alle hise men calde,
Mons Aclatis ȝif hit now halde;
Þe hil was so hey, as men hit leet,
Þat heuen (men seye) hit vnder-feet.
Þys noble kynge sire Aclas,
In his orchard a tre þer was,
þat gilden apples hit bar ere-more
Al þe tyme þat apples wore;
& alwey on dragon hem kepte;
Syn were þey stolen þe while he slepte.
þys Iubiter lay dame Maye by,
& gat on hure sire Mercury;
Of Electra he gat an oþer,
Dardanum, Mercurius brother.
Iubiter loued wel more Maye
And Mercury þan þe oþer twaye,
Wel more Maye & Mercurium
Þan Electra or Dardanum.
ffor loue of Maye he dide calle
Þe monthe of May þat we knowe alle;
ffor in that month made þey feste,
Þat time þey helden most honeste.
Þys Darda[n]um gaf hym to chiualrie;
Mercury gaf him al to clergie.
His sone was cald sire Saphet.
Iauan, his sone þat cam of hym,
He hadde a sone þat hight Setym;
10
A man of ffame & of myght;
So mikel þat tyme was his fame,
þe lande of Cipre of hym had name.
Of þys noble sire Cyprius,
Was a sone þat hight Cretus;
þis Cretus an ilde he augte,
þe name of hym Cret hit laughte.
Cretus sone hyghte Cellius,
And Cellius sone was Saturnus;
Saturnus sone highte Iubiter,
In astronomie he lerede fer.
Þis ilk Iubiter had twey wyues,
Kynges doughtres, faire lyues;
Þat on hight Maye, þat oþer Electra,
Þe ffader hight Aclas of þem twa;
ffor Aclas alle hise men calde,
Mons Aclatis ȝif hit now halde;
Þe hil was so hey, as men hit leet,
Þat heuen (men seye) hit vnder-feet.
Þys noble kynge sire Aclas,
In his orchard a tre þer was,
þat gilden apples hit bar ere-more
Al þe tyme þat apples wore;
& alwey on dragon hem kepte;
Syn were þey stolen þe while he slepte.
11
& gat on hure sire Mercury;
Of Electra he gat an oþer,
Dardanum, Mercurius brother.
Iubiter loued wel more Maye
And Mercury þan þe oþer twaye,
Wel more Maye & Mercurium
Þan Electra or Dardanum.
ffor loue of Maye he dide calle
Þe monthe of May þat we knowe alle;
ffor in that month made þey feste,
Þat time þey helden most honeste.
Þys Darda[n]um gaf hym to chiualrie;
Mercury gaf him al to clergie.
þys Dardanus was a noble kynge,
Hys Godes schewed hym mykel þynge,
& bed him gon til Ytalye,
Toward Samo, þorough Tracye;
(Tracie for-sothe ys a lond,
Samo a contre, y vnderstond;)
Þe whilk Dardan þorow maistrie
Mad hem boþ on, Samo-Tracye;
Samo-Tracie haþ his deuise.
Syþen he wente in-til ffrise,
& gaf hit name when he þer cam,
After him self Dardaniam;
Þe name of ffryse calde Dardanye,
Als he calde Tracye Samotracye.
Of þys Dardan com a sone
Erectorius, þat þer gan wone.
þys Erectorius a sone he gat,
Troius; a noble man was þat
Of rightfulnesse & pitee;
Ouer alle oþer praised was he
ffor a rightful man & hende,
Of hym ys mynsyng wiþ-outen ende,
ffor he made a cite of ioye
After his name, & calde hit Troye;
Of þys Troye, þys stori mones,
Com of hym to noble sones,
Þat on hight Ile, þat oþer Asserak,
Þys wer þer names, þe stori spak;
Ile was after his ffader kynge,
He made a cite of fair byggynge,
And after him selue made hit ryght,
Ilye after Ile hit hight.
Of þis Ile a sone was on,
& his name was Laomedon;
Þys Laomedon a bataille chees;
He was slayn wyþ Ercules.
Of Troye was mad destructione
Þorow Iason, kynge Pelles sone.
Of þys nys nought to tellen her,
ffor hit ys nought of oure mater.
Of Laomedon com Priamus,
Volcontus, and Ysypilus;
& a doughter of him cam,
Hure name was Esionam.
Hys Godes schewed hym mykel þynge,
& bed him gon til Ytalye,
Toward Samo, þorough Tracye;
(Tracie for-sothe ys a lond,
Samo a contre, y vnderstond;)
Þe whilk Dardan þorow maistrie
Mad hem boþ on, Samo-Tracye;
Samo-Tracie haþ his deuise.
Syþen he wente in-til ffrise,
& gaf hit name when he þer cam,
After him self Dardaniam;
Þe name of ffryse calde Dardanye,
Als he calde Tracye Samotracye.
Of þys Dardan com a sone
Erectorius, þat þer gan wone.
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Troius; a noble man was þat
Of rightfulnesse & pitee;
Ouer alle oþer praised was he
ffor a rightful man & hende,
Of hym ys mynsyng wiþ-outen ende,
ffor he made a cite of ioye
After his name, & calde hit Troye;
Of þys Troye, þys stori mones,
Com of hym to noble sones,
Þat on hight Ile, þat oþer Asserak,
Þys wer þer names, þe stori spak;
Ile was after his ffader kynge,
He made a cite of fair byggynge,
And after him selue made hit ryght,
Ilye after Ile hit hight.
Of þis Ile a sone was on,
& his name was Laomedon;
Þys Laomedon a bataille chees;
He was slayn wyþ Ercules.
Of Troye was mad destructione
Þorow Iason, kynge Pelles sone.
Of þys nys nought to tellen her,
ffor hit ys nought of oure mater.
Of Laomedon com Priamus,
Volcontus, and Ysypilus;
& a doughter of him cam,
Hure name was Esionam.
Of Pryamus, eldest & mor,
He had a sone men cald Ector,
& oþer syxe, & doughtres two,
Þe names may ȝe here of þo;
Alysaundre, Parys, Deyphebum,
Elenim, Troyl, Amphimacum;
& two doughtres þat of him cam,
Cassandram & Pollixenam.
Of Troies bifore an oþer sone,
Asserak, ȝe herde me mone.
of þys Asserak now geten es
A sone men callede Kapes;
& of Kapes Enches was,
An[d] of Enches cam Eneas:
Þys ys þe kynde, fro gre til gre,
Bytwyxten Eneas & Noe.
He had a sone men cald Ector,
& oþer syxe, & doughtres two,
Þe names may ȝe here of þo;
13
Elenim, Troyl, Amphimacum;
& two doughtres þat of him cam,
Cassandram & Pollixenam.
Of Troies bifore an oþer sone,
Asserak, ȝe herde me mone.
of þys Asserak now geten es
A sone men callede Kapes;
& of Kapes Enches was,
An[d] of Enches cam Eneas:
Þys ys þe kynde, fro gre til gre,
Bytwyxten Eneas & Noe.
Bot now donward hit ys þus,
ffro Eneas vntil sire Brutus:
Sire Eneas hadde sones twa,
Askaneus was by dame Creusa;
I þe bataille of Troye y-monge þe pres,
Hys wyf Creusa þere he les.
ffro Eneas vntil sire Brutus:
Sire Eneas hadde sones twa,
Askaneus was by dame Creusa;
I þe bataille of Troye y-monge þe pres,
Hys wyf Creusa þere he les.
Whan þe Duk sire Eneas
ffro þe bataille a-scaped was,
He cam in-to þe lond of Latyne,
& þer wedded dame Lauyne.
Latin highte þenne þe landes
þat men sayn þat Rome in standes.
By dame Lauyne þat leuedy
He gat a sone þat highte Syluy;
Hys eldeste sone Ascaneus,
He gat a child Cycillius;
Þylke Cycylli gat þat man
Brutus, þat al þys land first wan.
Of Brutus cam sire Lokeryn,
Kamber, Albanak, Euen, Iulyn:
How þey departed þys land in þrynne,
Þat may ȝe heren wel wyþynne.
Now haue y s[eyd] al þe kynde
Vntil Lokerynes, as we ffynde;
Now ageynward vntil Noe,
Schortly to seye, wilt þou se
Þe kynde of alle þat y er of spak,
And of Troies sones, Ile & Asserak.
ffro þe bataille a-scaped was,
He cam in-to þe lond of Latyne,
& þer wedded dame Lauyne.
Latin highte þenne þe landes
þat men sayn þat Rome in standes.
By dame Lauyne þat leuedy
He gat a sone þat highte Syluy;
Hys eldeste sone Ascaneus,
He gat a child Cycillius;
Þylke Cycylli gat þat man
14
Of Brutus cam sire Lokeryn,
Kamber, Albanak, Euen, Iulyn:
How þey departed þys land in þrynne,
Þat may ȝe heren wel wyþynne.
Now haue y s[eyd] al þe kynde
Vntil Lokerynes, as we ffynde;
Now ageynward vntil Noe,
Schortly to seye, wilt þou se
Þe kynde of alle þat y er of spak,
And of Troies sones, Ile & Asserak.
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