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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Dicta siue Responcio Arthury ad Romanos. |
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Dicta siue Responcio Arthury ad Romanos.
“For Bretaigne wil y first answere,
“Writen in lettre þat þey schul bere,
“Answeryng for ȝow & me,
“Þat lettre wil y þat hit so be.
“Þus wil y seye, þus wol y write
“My skile; leste me a lite:
“Cesar of Rome þis land first wan,
“A[l] þorow fight & force of man;
“Þe Bretouns mighte nought defende;
“Trewe byhoued þem to sende;
“& force, ȝe wite wel, ys no god right,
“But pruyde out of mesure myght;
“Hit is no skile, ne lawe non makes,
“Þyng þat þou þorow force takes;
“& swylk giftes men schal furdo,
“Þat wyþ wrong was taken so.
“Þey repreue vs of our auncessours,
“Þat þey ouer-cam þem wyþ harde stours;
“Of pouerte þey make vmbreyd,
“& of trewage byfore seyd;
“& of þis þey make auauntement,
“Þat here-byforn our fadres schent.
“So mykel oughte we greue þem þe more.
“& þey ar halden vs to restore;
“Wel oughte we hat hem þat hem han hated,
“& bere hem doun þat hem abated.
“Þey wolde don vs þe same outrage,
“& seye hit ys þer heritage
“To haue oure godes, & vs to reuille!
“Þey schul nought bide eft þat while;
“Writen in lettre þat þey schul bere,
“Answeryng for ȝow & me,
“Þat lettre wil y þat hit so be.
408
“My skile; leste me a lite:
“Cesar of Rome þis land first wan,
“A[l] þorow fight & force of man;
“Þe Bretouns mighte nought defende;
“Trewe byhoued þem to sende;
“& force, ȝe wite wel, ys no god right,
“But pruyde out of mesure myght;
“Hit is no skile, ne lawe non makes,
“Þyng þat þou þorow force takes;
“& swylk giftes men schal furdo,
“Þat wyþ wrong was taken so.
“Þey repreue vs of our auncessours,
“Þat þey ouer-cam þem wyþ harde stours;
“Of pouerte þey make vmbreyd,
“& of trewage byfore seyd;
“& of þis þey make auauntement,
“Þat here-byforn our fadres schent.
“So mykel oughte we greue þem þe more.
“& þey ar halden vs to restore;
“Wel oughte we hat hem þat hem han hated,
“& bere hem doun þat hem abated.
“Þey wolde don vs þe same outrage,
“& seye hit ys þer heritage
“To haue oure godes, & vs to reuille!
“Þey schul nought bide eft þat while;
“But by þer resoun & þer dome,
“Wyþ skile y may chalange Rome;
“So wyþ skile & reson y may wel
“Þe lond of Rome aske euery del.
“Belyn was kyng of Bretouns,
“And Brenne duk of Burgoilouns;
“Þyse breþere, of Bretaygne born,
“Conquered Rome here byforn,
“& of Rome tok truages,
“& henge þer twenty of þeir hostages
“Byfore þer eyen, þat þey myght se,
“& siþen conquered al þe cite.
“When Belyn turnde to Bretayne,
“Of Rome he made Brenne cheftayne,
“& bad hym gouerne al þe honour,
“& he so regned as Emperour.
“Now wil y late of Belyn,
“& speke y wil of Constantyn,
“Constances sone & Eleynes,
“Þat held Rome als his demeynes.
“Constance, of Rome had seynurye fair,
“& Constantyn þen was his heyr,
“& y am heir of Constantyn;
“Þorow þat desent Rome schal be myn.
“Maximyan, Leons sone,
“Kyng of Bretayne, at Rome gan wone;
“He wan Neustrie, þe Lesse Bretayne,
“& al ffraunce & Alemayne,
“& al Mongow & Lombardye,
“And of Rome hadde þe seignurye;
“Þyse were myn ancessours of scheld,
“Þat only þe honour of Rome held.
“Now þorow skil haue ȝe knowen
“Þat Rome by reson schold be myn owen
“Al so wel as Bretayne þeyres,
“Þorow eld auncetrie til heyres.
“Rome had trewage, & hit fur-sok;
“& trewe of Rome myn auncestres tok;
“Þey cleyme Bretayne, & y cleyme Rome;
“Þat we boþe cleyme, ȝut ys to come;
“Let þem wynne hit ȝif þat þey may,
“ȝit haue y kept hit al my day.
“ffraunce y wan of ffrolle þer knyght;
“To kepe hit lengere he hadde no myght;
“Þorow force þey wonne hit, als y hit wan;
“Wyþ force so mighte anoþer man.
“Wherto chalange þey so bolde
“Þat þey ne myghte no lenger holde?
“Þorow right skil haue þey no seruise,
“But al þorow force & couetyse,
“Þat ys to anoþer al so fre
“Als hit was to þeym or me.
“Þe Emperour makeþ vs gret manace,
“Out of þis lond me for to chace,
“& in bondes to Rome lede.
“Nolde God he scholde so spede!
“Y preyse hym litel, & drede hym lesse!
“ȝyf he on me wil seke prowesse,
“Encountre he getes er þat he go,
“Þat eft ne schal he me manace ne slo,
“Ne to none of myne do ylle;
“So schul we don hym chaunge his wille.
“But when þey come to chalangyng,
“Bryng Rome, & y schal Bretayne bryng!
“& whilk of vs þat most may,
“Bere Rome & Bretayne boþ a-way.”
“Wyþ skile y may chalange Rome;
“So wyþ skile & reson y may wel
“Þe lond of Rome aske euery del.
409
“And Brenne duk of Burgoilouns;
“Þyse breþere, of Bretaygne born,
“Conquered Rome here byforn,
“& of Rome tok truages,
“& henge þer twenty of þeir hostages
“Byfore þer eyen, þat þey myght se,
“& siþen conquered al þe cite.
“When Belyn turnde to Bretayne,
“Of Rome he made Brenne cheftayne,
“& bad hym gouerne al þe honour,
“& he so regned as Emperour.
“Now wil y late of Belyn,
“& speke y wil of Constantyn,
“Constances sone & Eleynes,
“Þat held Rome als his demeynes.
“Constance, of Rome had seynurye fair,
“& Constantyn þen was his heyr,
“& y am heir of Constantyn;
“Þorow þat desent Rome schal be myn.
“Maximyan, Leons sone,
“Kyng of Bretayne, at Rome gan wone;
“He wan Neustrie, þe Lesse Bretayne,
“& al ffraunce & Alemayne,
“& al Mongow & Lombardye,
“And of Rome hadde þe seignurye;
“Þyse were myn ancessours of scheld,
“Þat only þe honour of Rome held.
“Now þorow skil haue ȝe knowen
“Þat Rome by reson schold be myn owen
“Al so wel as Bretayne þeyres,
“Þorow eld auncetrie til heyres.
410
“& trewe of Rome myn auncestres tok;
“Þey cleyme Bretayne, & y cleyme Rome;
“Þat we boþe cleyme, ȝut ys to come;
“Let þem wynne hit ȝif þat þey may,
“ȝit haue y kept hit al my day.
“ffraunce y wan of ffrolle þer knyght;
“To kepe hit lengere he hadde no myght;
“Þorow force þey wonne hit, als y hit wan;
“Wyþ force so mighte anoþer man.
“Wherto chalange þey so bolde
“Þat þey ne myghte no lenger holde?
“Þorow right skil haue þey no seruise,
“But al þorow force & couetyse,
“Þat ys to anoþer al so fre
“Als hit was to þeym or me.
“Þe Emperour makeþ vs gret manace,
“Out of þis lond me for to chace,
“& in bondes to Rome lede.
“Nolde God he scholde so spede!
“Y preyse hym litel, & drede hym lesse!
“ȝyf he on me wil seke prowesse,
“Encountre he getes er þat he go,
“Þat eft ne schal he me manace ne slo,
“Ne to none of myne do ylle;
“So schul we don hym chaunge his wille.
“But when þey come to chalangyng,
“Bryng Rome, & y schal Bretayne bryng!
“& whilk of vs þat most may,
“Bere Rome & Bretayne boþ a-way.”
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