[Poems from the Vernon MS]

And þorw þe help of vre ladi,
So witnesseþ Miracle of Mari.
Out of peihtes lond þer came
A kniht þat Rollo was his name;
He gederet wiþ him out of þe north Cost
Of diuerse nacions a wel gret host,
Out of Denemarch and North-wey,
Of feolore folk þen I con sey.
Mony Cuntres he can destruye,
Wel muchel pepule he gan anuye,
In mony a Coost, bi Est and West,
He won him londes bi Conquest.
ffurst he bi-gon in þe North Cuntre,
And aftur he schipet ouer þe Séé.
Sire Rollo wiþ al his host
Ariuede in ffraunce vp in a cost.
Þat Cuntre gon he furst destruiȝe,
Þerfore he called hit Northmondye,
ffor þei dude men to deþe i-lome
Þat out of þe North cost come;
Þerfore he called hit Northmondye,
As writen I fynde in his storye:
Of Bruit þe Cronicle witnesset wel
Þis Conquest of Rollo eueridel.
Hit was þe furste Duik in þat lond,
ffor he furst won hit wiþ his hond.

140

Whon Rollo þat kniht was þider I-comen
And mony a toun þei hedde I-nomen,
Mony a Mon þei dude to deþe,
fful fewe þei saueden, and ȝit vnneþe.
And as he trauayled on his Iorney,
He com to a Citéé, was called Crotey.

Þus sone Sire Rollo wiþ his Route
Bi-sette þat Citéé wiþ sege a-boute.
Wiþ-Inne þe Citéé men hedde gret drede:
Heore Enemys weren so douhti of dede;
Of socour þei seȝen non oþur won
But ȝelden þe Cite, or elles ben slon.

An holi Bisschop þer was þer-Inne,
Þat was called sire Waltelinne,
He was Bisschop of þat Citéé,
A swuyþe noble mon was he.
He tauhte heom ȝerne knele and crie
To crist and to his Modur Marie;
Þorw help of hire þat bar vr lord
He hopede þei schulden han sone cumfort.
Seþen him-self goþ to þe Sextriȝe,
Þat was þe Munstres treserye;
Vr ladi Curtel þer-Inne he found.
Wiþ gret Reuerence he kneled to ground,
Þer to Marie he beed his bone
To sende þat Cite socour sone.
Wiþ peple and gret processioun
He bar þat Relyk þorw al þe toun,
fful deyntely diht vppon a spere,
As lordus Baner displayet in werre.

Þe Bisschop heet cast vp þe ȝate
And bad his folk folewe hym algate,
Him-self bi-foren and þei be-hynde;
He hoped in Marie help to fynde.
A-non as þei were þus out went,
Heore enemys letten hem not but schent:
ffor so a-stoneyd and ferede men
Nere neuer worse þen þei were þen!
Whon on þat relyk þei caste heore siht,
Þei woxe start-blynde anon-riht;

141

Þei mihten no more defenden heom þen
Þen so mony blynde or drounkene Men.
Þe Citeseins token hem at heore wille,
Summe to Raunsum, and summe to spille.
Siþen þei turnen aȝeyn to þe Citéé
Wiþ Murþe and gret solempnite,
And herieden heihly þat Mylde may
Þat socourde and saued hem so þat day.
And do we on þe same wyse
Boþe glade and bliþe wiþ bisy seruise,
Þe same ladi forte qweme,
Þat so in Mischeef to vs takeþ ȝeme
To hire sone crist vre erende to bede,
And socoureþ vs so at eueri nede.
Nou, ladi, preye þi sone on hih
To alle cristene he graunte Merci!

Amen.

University of Virginia Library

I. [hou þe cite off croteye was delyuered of þeir enemys by vre lady coote.]