Merlin, a Middle-English metrical version of a French romance by Herry Lovelich ... (AB. 1450 A.D.), edited from the unique ms. 80 in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, with an introduction, notes, and glossaries by Dr. Ernst A. Kock |
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| XIV. |
 | [Chapter II] Merlin, a Middle-English metrical version of a French romance |  |
And whanne they weren assembled everichon,
merlyne hem thanne aposede anon,
and axede on of the wysest clerkes
why that so fyl adown the kynges werkes.
thanne answerede this clerk him ageyn:
“we ne connen not it tellen, jn certeyn,
but the kyng we tolden jn what degre
wherby his werk Sosteyned scholde be.”
“ȝe,” quod the kyng to the clerkis thanne,
“ȝe boden me don seken aftyr swich a manne
that Neuere erthly Fadyr hadde,
and hym don Slen, thus ȝe me badde.
and Swich a man j Not where to fynde,
For me Wolde thenken Jt Were Al aȝens kynde.”
and thanne bespak there merlyne anon,
and seide to tho clerkis everychon:
“Lordynges, a fool that ȝe wolden maken the kyng,
To don hym to seken so wondirful a thyng:
a man that Neuere erthly Fadyr hadde,
jnto this world be born and forth bradde.
but ȝe non thyng ne dyden Jt for his prow,
but what the cause was, j schal tellen yt ȝow:
For wel ȝe wysten that ȝe scholden deye,
but ȝif that the trowthe ȝe tolden, jn feye.
and for that ȝe cowden non othirwyse do,
therefore ȝe boden hym Swich a man to slo,
and the Blood of hym al forto take,
the wheche his Towr stonden Scholde make.
and thus thowghten ȝe that man to don sle,
ȝoure-self to askapen, ȝif it myhte be.”
and whanne they herden the chyld thus seyn,
Ful sore abasched weren they, certeyn,
and wisten wel thanne forsothe anon
that deyen scholden they everychon.
“behold, Sire kyng,” quod merlyne tho,
“Now sen here ȝe how this doth go,
that these clerkys ne wilen not me don sle,
with my blood ȝowre towr j-mad to be,
but that amonges hem loot is þere cast
that for me they mosten deyen Jn hast.
and now axeth hem ȝif it be not so,
for sekyr, how so the game now go,
Non of hem js here so hardye
jn my precense to maken ony lye.
“Seyth he soth?” quod the kyng anon.
“ȝe, Sykerly,” quod the clerkys everychon,
“But we connen not weten, jn non degre,
how that al this thyng knowen scholde he.
Sire, we ȝow preyen as oure Soverein lord,
alle we ȝoure clerkes, be on acord,
that owre lyves ȝe wolden graunten vs here,
tyl that the Sothe we myhten sen jn Fere,
how that he Scholde this towr don stonde
be ony werk of mannes honde.”
“Now certes, lordynges,” quod merlyne anon,
“and tyl that ȝe sen the same thyng don,
and why that the towr doth so falle,
Erst Schal there non deyen of ȝow alle.”
thanne thankede they merlyne everychon,
alle these clerkis be on and be on.
merlyne hem thanne aposede anon,
and axede on of the wysest clerkes
why that so fyl adown the kynges werkes.
thanne answerede this clerk him ageyn:
“we ne connen not it tellen, jn certeyn,
but the kyng we tolden jn what degre
wherby his werk Sosteyned scholde be.”
“ȝe,” quod the kyng to the clerkis thanne,
“ȝe boden me don seken aftyr swich a manne
that Neuere erthly Fadyr hadde,
and hym don Slen, thus ȝe me badde.
and Swich a man j Not where to fynde,
For me Wolde thenken Jt Were Al aȝens kynde.”
and thanne bespak there merlyne anon,
and seide to tho clerkis everychon:
“Lordynges, a fool that ȝe wolden maken the kyng,
To don hym to seken so wondirful a thyng:
a man that Neuere erthly Fadyr hadde,
jnto this world be born and forth bradde.
but ȝe non thyng ne dyden Jt for his prow,
but what the cause was, j schal tellen yt ȝow:
For wel ȝe wysten that ȝe scholden deye,
but ȝif that the trowthe ȝe tolden, jn feye.
and for that ȝe cowden non othirwyse do,
therefore ȝe boden hym Swich a man to slo,
and the Blood of hym al forto take,
the wheche his Towr stonden Scholde make.
and thus thowghten ȝe that man to don sle,
ȝoure-self to askapen, ȝif it myhte be.”
and whanne they herden the chyld thus seyn,
Ful sore abasched weren they, certeyn,
72
that deyen scholden they everychon.
“behold, Sire kyng,” quod merlyne tho,
“Now sen here ȝe how this doth go,
that these clerkys ne wilen not me don sle,
with my blood ȝowre towr j-mad to be,
but that amonges hem loot is þere cast
that for me they mosten deyen Jn hast.
and now axeth hem ȝif it be not so,
for sekyr, how so the game now go,
Non of hem js here so hardye
jn my precense to maken ony lye.
“Seyth he soth?” quod the kyng anon.
“ȝe, Sykerly,” quod the clerkys everychon,
“But we connen not weten, jn non degre,
how that al this thyng knowen scholde he.
Sire, we ȝow preyen as oure Soverein lord,
alle we ȝoure clerkes, be on acord,
that owre lyves ȝe wolden graunten vs here,
tyl that the Sothe we myhten sen jn Fere,
how that he Scholde this towr don stonde
be ony werk of mannes honde.”
“Now certes, lordynges,” quod merlyne anon,
“and tyl that ȝe sen the same thyng don,
and why that the towr doth so falle,
Erst Schal there non deyen of ȝow alle.”
thanne thankede they merlyne everychon,
alle these clerkis be on and be on.
thanne quod merlyne to kyng Fortager:
“wylt thou now knowen the sothe her
why that thy werk doth so down Falle,
j schal openly it tellen amonges ȝow alle.
Now herkene, Sire kyng, what j schal say:
here vndir this grownd, j dar wel lay,
There goth a water bothe sterne & gret,
vndyr wheche water ben there ȝet
Tweyne wondirful Stowte dragowns,
þe moste oryble that ben Jn ony Regiowns,
of wheche on Js al whit, anothir is Red,
of the dragowns that ben Jn that sted.
Aboven wheche dragowns there ben, certeyn,
tweyne grete stones, that ben ful pleyn,
that over-whelmen bothe dragowns,
whiche that ben so wondirful of faciouns.
and whanne thei Felen the water Sore peyse
vppon hem bothe, & doth hem deseyse,
thanne tornen they hem bothe with gret myht,
and meveth al the erthe evene vpryht,
whiche meveng that maketh thy werk to falle;
this Scholen ȝe knowen bothe gret and smalle.
So that my borwes, aqwyt scholen they be,
And thy clerkis beheveded, ful trewle.
and therfore asaye ȝif that J soth seye,
owther be ony weys that J do lye.
For of this mater thy clerkis knowen non thyng,
Ful Siker thou be, For alle here werkyng.”
“Now certes,” quod Fortager to merlyne thanne,
“and this be soth, thou art a trewe manne,
and therto the wysest that evere was bore
of erthlych men that konnen of lore.”
“wylt thou now knowen the sothe her
why that thy werk doth so down Falle,
j schal openly it tellen amonges ȝow alle.
Now herkene, Sire kyng, what j schal say:
here vndir this grownd, j dar wel lay,
There goth a water bothe sterne & gret,
vndyr wheche water ben there ȝet
Tweyne wondirful Stowte dragowns,
þe moste oryble that ben Jn ony Regiowns,
of wheche on Js al whit, anothir is Red,
of the dragowns that ben Jn that sted.
73
tweyne grete stones, that ben ful pleyn,
that over-whelmen bothe dragowns,
whiche that ben so wondirful of faciouns.
and whanne thei Felen the water Sore peyse
vppon hem bothe, & doth hem deseyse,
thanne tornen they hem bothe with gret myht,
and meveth al the erthe evene vpryht,
whiche meveng that maketh thy werk to falle;
this Scholen ȝe knowen bothe gret and smalle.
So that my borwes, aqwyt scholen they be,
And thy clerkis beheveded, ful trewle.
and therfore asaye ȝif that J soth seye,
owther be ony weys that J do lye.
For of this mater thy clerkis knowen non thyng,
Ful Siker thou be, For alle here werkyng.”
“Now certes,” quod Fortager to merlyne thanne,
“and this be soth, thou art a trewe manne,
and therto the wysest that evere was bore
of erthlych men that konnen of lore.”
“Now, merlyne,” quod kyng Fortagere,
“of on thing that thow wost tellen me here:
how that this erthe myhte be don away;
J preye the, merlyne, the Sothe me Say.”
“with cartes sone may jt be led henne,
& vppon the Bakkes of many menne.”
thanne kyng Fortager let ordeynen anon
bothe cartes and werkmen many on.
and merlyne comaunded there jn haste
that the clerkys Scholden they kepen wel faste.
thus werkmen wrowhten bothe day & nyht,
tyl that to this water they comen ful ryht.
and whanne they hadden this water j-fownde,
anon they tolden it the kyng that stownde.
thanne gan the kyng thedyr to gon
with ful gret joye ryht anon.
and merlyne with hym thedyr he ladde,
For he wrowghte alle thyng as he hym badde.
and whanne thider j-come they weren echon,
this merveillous water they behelden thusson.
thanne to hym clepyd he his cownsaylle,
and seide: “lordinges, with-owten Faylle,
this child is wondir wis with-alle,
that can thus tellen how it schal falle,
and of this water that here now Js;
jt merveylleth me ful mochel, j-wys.
and seith he that vndir this water so clere
ben tweyne dragowns dwellyng jn fere.
and ȝit wot j Neuere what j schal do,
tyl he som cownseyl ȝeve me therto.”
thanne cleped he merlyne to hym anon,
of þat water to weten what scholde be don.
quod merlyne: “grete diches we scholen here make,
wherthorwgh this water schal forth Schake,
thorwh this medewe here anon,
and thus this water schal forth gon.”
“of on thing that thow wost tellen me here:
how that this erthe myhte be don away;
J preye the, merlyne, the Sothe me Say.”
“with cartes sone may jt be led henne,
& vppon the Bakkes of many menne.”
thanne kyng Fortager let ordeynen anon
bothe cartes and werkmen many on.
and merlyne comaunded there jn haste
that the clerkys Scholden they kepen wel faste.
thus werkmen wrowhten bothe day & nyht,
tyl that to this water they comen ful ryht.
and whanne they hadden this water j-fownde,
anon they tolden it the kyng that stownde.
thanne gan the kyng thedyr to gon
with ful gret joye ryht anon.
and merlyne with hym thedyr he ladde,
For he wrowghte alle thyng as he hym badde.
74
this merveillous water they behelden thusson.
thanne to hym clepyd he his cownsaylle,
and seide: “lordinges, with-owten Faylle,
this child is wondir wis with-alle,
that can thus tellen how it schal falle,
and of this water that here now Js;
jt merveylleth me ful mochel, j-wys.
and seith he that vndir this water so clere
ben tweyne dragowns dwellyng jn fere.
and ȝit wot j Neuere what j schal do,
tyl he som cownseyl ȝeve me therto.”
thanne cleped he merlyne to hym anon,
of þat water to weten what scholde be don.
quod merlyne: “grete diches we scholen here make,
wherthorwgh this water schal forth Schake,
thorwh this medewe here anon,
and thus this water schal forth gon.”
| [Chapter II] Merlin, a Middle-English metrical version of a French romance | |