The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun printed on parallel pages from the Cottonian and Wemyss mss., with the variants of the other texts: Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary by F. J. Amours |
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 | CHAPTER XC. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun |  |
In Rome þat tyme wes a tyrand
Cruell and felloune þan regnand,
That had to name Maxentius.
He had all tyme a commone vse
To disheriss þe noble men
That in to Rome were wonnand þen,
And demanyt all þe empyre
With tyrandry, fellony and fyre.
He put to dede Sanct Katharene,
That glorius and þat sueitt virgine,
Bot þis he gert hir thole in Grece
That is fra Rome a weill gud pece;
And þai þat were chasit of þat land
Come to Constantyne to warand,
And tald him of his tyrandriss,
And maid him prayere on all wiss
To pass with þaim and wynn þar land,
And it suld be to him obeyand.
He went wiþ ane oste, gret and stout,
And maid it to Rome vnderlout,
And syne he had þe monarchy
Off all þe braid warld halely.
Cruell and felloune þan regnand,
That had to name Maxentius.
He had all tyme a commone vse
To disheriss þe noble men
That in to Rome were wonnand þen,
And demanyt all þe empyre
With tyrandry, fellony and fyre.
He put to dede Sanct Katharene,
That glorius and þat sueitt virgine,
Bot þis he gert hir thole in Grece
That is fra Rome a weill gud pece;
And þai þat were chasit of þat land
Come to Constantyne to warand,
And tald him of his tyrandriss,
And maid him prayere on all wiss
To pass with þaim and wynn þar land,
And it suld be to him obeyand.
428
And maid it to Rome vnderlout,
And syne he had þe monarchy
Off all þe braid warld halely.
Constantyne apone þis wiss
Come first to Rome, as I deviss,
And þare in to lepare fell,
And helit wes, as ȝe herd tell.
His modere and his emys thre
To Rome þat tyme with him had he,
And deputis behind him he left
To keip Brettane till him eft.
Come first to Rome, as I deviss,
And þare in to lepare fell,
And helit wes, as ȝe herd tell.
His modere and his emys thre
To Rome þat tyme with him had he,
And deputis behind him he left
To keip Brettane till him eft.
Bot Octovyus, a gret man syne,
That cummyn wes of kingis lyne,
Raiss and þai deputis has slane,
And held þe kinrik sa wiþ mayne,
And maid him self king of þat land,
And chasit his fais throu stalwart hand.
That cummyn wes of kingis lyne,
Raiss and þai deputis has slane,
And held þe kinrik sa wiþ mayne,
And maid him self king of þat land,
And chasit his fais throu stalwart hand.
Quhen þis to Constantyne wes tald,
Thre legionis of knychtis bald
With his moder eme, Trahen,
In to Brettane send he then.
A legioun is vi. thousand
Sex hundreth sexty and sex beand,
Off angellis, of feyndis or of men;
And, as I said, þis Trahen
Aryvit þan with mekle macht,
And with Octouyus sone he facht,
And vencust him for all his mycht;
Bot he eschapit fra þe ficht,
And fled to monethis neire þarby
To sauf his self, bot specialy
He prayit his men þai suld þaim ma
With him slycht Trahen to sla.
And ane erll of his cumpany
Waitit Trahen sa prevely
That with a buschement he [has] slane
Trahen. Octouyus þan agane
Raiss, and tuke till him þe land
Haill agane in till his hand,
And put the Romanis all away,
And wes king sa till his [end] day.
Thre legionis of knychtis bald
With his moder eme, Trahen,
In to Brettane send he then.
A legioun is vi. thousand
Sex hundreth sexty and sex beand,
Off angellis, of feyndis or of men;
And, as I said, þis Trahen
Aryvit þan with mekle macht,
And with Octouyus sone he facht,
And vencust him for all his mycht;
Bot he eschapit fra þe ficht,
430
To sauf his self, bot specialy
He prayit his men þai suld þaim ma
With him slycht Trahen to sla.
And ane erll of his cumpany
Waitit Trahen sa prevely
That with a buschement he [has] slane
Trahen. Octouyus þan agane
Raiss, and tuke till him þe land
Haill agane in till his hand,
And put the Romanis all away,
And wes king sa till his [end] day.
And all þis tyme of þe empyre
Constantyne wes lord and syre,
And Siluester wes pape of Rome,
And kepare of all Cristindome.
He maid first with deuotioun
Solemply dedicatioun
Off haly kirk in till his dais;
And be þat sampill ȝit alwayis
It is vsit ilk ȝere,
All þe tymes fallis seire.
He gert ordane altaris of stane,
In haly kirk befor wes nane;
Bot in Sanct Saluiouris kirk he
Gert keip ane altare maid of tre
Be þis ressoune, for Petyre ay
His mess vsit on it to say;
And all vthire, and in þare live
Papis efter him successive,
Quhill þis Siluester rysing wes,
Vsit on it to say þar mess.
Becauss of persecutioun
That ay wes dreidfull and felloune,
Thare wes na steid of steidfastnes
Quhare in preistis mycht say thare mess,
Bot in till honest houssis seire,
Quhare gud Cristin folkis wonnand were,
Or vnder erd in coiffis deip,
That mony vsit ay clene to keip,
Or betuix houssis as petyss
That ordanit were on seire quayntiss,
Preistis foure vsit to beire
With thai foure regnys þat altere.
Constantyne wes lord and syre,
And Siluester wes pape of Rome,
And kepare of all Cristindome.
He maid first with deuotioun
Solemply dedicatioun
Off haly kirk in till his dais;
And be þat sampill ȝit alwayis
It is vsit ilk ȝere,
All þe tymes fallis seire.
He gert ordane altaris of stane,
In haly kirk befor wes nane;
Bot in Sanct Saluiouris kirk he
Gert keip ane altare maid of tre
Be þis ressoune, for Petyre ay
His mess vsit on it to say;
432
Papis efter him successive,
Quhill þis Siluester rysing wes,
Vsit on it to say þar mess.
Becauss of persecutioun
That ay wes dreidfull and felloune,
Thare wes na steid of steidfastnes
Quhare in preistis mycht say thare mess,
Bot in till honest houssis seire,
Quhare gud Cristin folkis wonnand were,
Or vnder erd in coiffis deip,
That mony vsit ay clene to keip,
Or betuix houssis as petyss
That ordanit were on seire quayntiss,
Preistis foure vsit to beire
With thai foure regnys þat altere.
The comet, as þe story sais,
Apperit first in to þai dais;
That [is] a sterne wiþ bemys schyre,
Rycht as þe low of fyre,
And betakinnis pestilens
Quhen it makis apperens,
Deid of lordis or hungyr saire,
And ay it strekis þe beme mare
Quhen þat mysfortoune mon ryss;
That þe comate signyfyis.
Apperit first in to þai dais;
That [is] a sterne wiþ bemys schyre,
Rycht as þe low of fyre,
And betakinnis pestilens
Quhen it makis apperens,
Deid of lordis or hungyr saire,
And ay it strekis þe beme mare
Quhen þat mysfortoune mon ryss;
That þe comate signyfyis.
434
Constantyne þe emperour
His lif þan endit with honour.
In Rome þan raiss discensioun
About þe richt successioun
To þe empyre; Maximiane
And þe fell Dioclesiane,
Off quham befor ȝe haif herd tell,
Fra þare estait of þe empyre fell;
Off þare counsall and assent,
And vndeliuerit avisment,
Thare estait þai renunsit haill;
For þai sustene wald na travale,
Bot thocht to lif on þare tresore,
That þai had gaderit lang befor,
In vse and quyet but travale,
[And] lat þaim tak þe gouernall
That aucht to succeid be lynnage
To the empyre be heretage.
This consent wes done in deid,
And leit þe airis be law succeid.
His lif þan endit with honour.
In Rome þan raiss discensioun
About þe richt successioun
To þe empyre; Maximiane
And þe fell Dioclesiane,
Off quham befor ȝe haif herd tell,
Fra þare estait of þe empyre fell;
Off þare counsall and assent,
And vndeliuerit avisment,
Thare estait þai renunsit haill;
For þai sustene wald na travale,
Bot thocht to lif on þare tresore,
That þai had gaderit lang befor,
In vse and quyet but travale,
[And] lat þaim tak þe gouernall
That aucht to succeid be lynnage
To the empyre be heretage.
This consent wes done in deid,
And leit þe airis be law succeid.
Bot efter þat Maximiane
Agane þe empyre wald haif tane;
And for þat causs ay in till strif
He wes þe maist forss of his lif
With Constantynis sonnys thre,
That followit to þe ryalte.
Agane þe empyre wald haif tane;
And for þat causs ay in till strif
He wes þe maist forss of his lif
With Constantynis sonnys thre,
That followit to þe ryalte.
Octovyus in to þai dais,
As of þe [Brute] the story sais,
Off Brettane haill wes lord and king,
And had it all in gouernyng.
He had a dochter ȝoung and faire,
That of law wes þan his aire;
His counsall mast part thocht þat he
Suld ger his dochter maryit be
With sum gret man of gret riches,
And Conan-Merranduk, þat wes
His nevo, neist him suld be king,
For he wes neist of þare ofspring.
Bot Barradok, Duke of Cornwall,
Thocht it suld fere mare availl
To bring fra Rome Maximiane,
That of þe emperouris wes ane;
And throu þis cass it fell þat he
Come in Brettane with gret menȝe,
And that lady to wif has tane.
Sa wraith at þat wes þan Conane
That he assemblit all his mycht,
And mellit with him in to fycht,
And ourcome quhile, and sumquhile he,
Till at þe last þe haill barne
Off Brettane knyt þaim in sauchtnyng,
Bot Maximiane be left king.
As of þe [Brute] the story sais,
Off Brettane haill wes lord and king,
And had it all in gouernyng.
436
That of law wes þan his aire;
His counsall mast part thocht þat he
Suld ger his dochter maryit be
With sum gret man of gret riches,
And Conan-Merranduk, þat wes
His nevo, neist him suld be king,
For he wes neist of þare ofspring.
Bot Barradok, Duke of Cornwall,
Thocht it suld fere mare availl
To bring fra Rome Maximiane,
That of þe emperouris wes ane;
And throu þis cass it fell þat he
Come in Brettane with gret menȝe,
And that lady to wif has tane.
Sa wraith at þat wes þan Conane
That he assemblit all his mycht,
And mellit with him in to fycht,
And ourcome quhile, and sumquhile he,
Till at þe last þe haill barne
Off Brettane knyt þaim in sauchtnyng,
Bot Maximiane be left king.
| CHAPTER XC. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun | |