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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| L. | CHAPTER L. |
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 | CHAPTER L. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun |  |
CHAPTER L.
How Syrus can King Cressus sla,
And how his dochter tald him sa.
And how his dochter tald him sa.
Qwhen thus wes wonyng Babilone,
Cerus with his oste onone
In Lydis past with plane batall
The king Cressus þare till assaill.
This Cressus, þat I now reherss,
Held Lydis of the king of Perss,
Bot ay till him he wes rebell
In weire, and in to counsall fell;
Bot for he were in dedis stout
Cyrus of him ay had gret dout,
For riche and mychti ay wes he,
And in all dedis avysee.
He prayit till his god Appolyne
To grant him wittering quhat kin fyne
Suld fall of þat weire and discord
That wes betuix him and his our lord.
[Than] writtin wes till him this werss
In Latyne, that I sall reherss:
Crescens perdit [Alin] transgressus maxima regna.
The cressandis sall gret landis tyne,
The watter oure passand of Alyne.
This wes the sentens of this werss þare,
For the king of Lydis baire
Off goullis in to siluer brycht
The cressantis in his armes dicht.
Cerus with his oste onone
In Lydis past with plane batall
The king Cressus þare till assaill.
This Cressus, þat I now reherss,
Held Lydis of the king of Perss,
Bot ay till him he wes rebell
In weire, and in to counsall fell;
Bot for he were in dedis stout
Cyrus of him ay had gret dout,
For riche and mychti ay wes he,
And in all dedis avysee.
He prayit till his god Appolyne
To grant him wittering quhat kin fyne
Suld fall of þat weire and discord
That wes betuix him and his our lord.
[Than] writtin wes till him this werss
30
Crescens perdit [Alin] transgressus maxima regna.
The cressandis sall gret landis tyne,
The watter oure passand of Alyne.
This wes the sentens of this werss þare,
For the king of Lydis baire
Off goullis in to siluer brycht
The cressantis in his armes dicht.
This ansuere Cressus thocht rycht gud,
For vther wayes he vnderstude;
Than efterwart the gammyn ȝede,
Or werd or weris proffit in deid,
And said: “The landis gif I sall tyne
Ar Cyrus landis, and nocht myne,
That I sall with my oste oure ryde,
To fell his ogart and his pryde.”
His ost than sone and hastely
He semblit, and syne in gret hy
Our that watter he passit onone
For to suppowell Babelone;
Thare Cyrus lay, as ȝe herd eire,
Assegiand it with his powere,
And thare he schewit him on a hycht
His oste arrayand to the fecht,
Bot quhen he saw on quhat kin wiss
That vincust wes þe Babelonyss,
And þe cete wonyng neire,
He changeit purpose and manere,
And turnyt bak and tuke the flycht.
The Persantis lyngit on at rycht,
Followand fast and egerly,
Chasand him dispitously,
Slaand his men doune heire and þare,
Quhare euer at thai ourtakin were;
Himself has eschapit narrowly,
And sawf wan fra that iuperty.
For vther wayes he vnderstude;
Than efterwart the gammyn ȝede,
Or werd or weris proffit in deid,
And said: “The landis gif I sall tyne
Ar Cyrus landis, and nocht myne,
That I sall with my oste oure ryde,
To fell his ogart and his pryde.”
His ost than sone and hastely
He semblit, and syne in gret hy
Our that watter he passit onone
For to suppowell Babelone;
Thare Cyrus lay, as ȝe herd eire,
Assegiand it with his powere,
And thare he schewit him on a hycht
His oste arrayand to the fecht,
Bot quhen he saw on quhat kin wiss
That vincust wes þe Babelonyss,
And þe cete wonyng neire,
He changeit purpose and manere,
And turnyt bak and tuke the flycht.
The Persantis lyngit on at rycht,
Followand fast and egerly,
32
Slaand his men doune heire and þare,
Quhare euer at thai ourtakin were;
Himself has eschapit narrowly,
And sawf wan fra that iuperty.
This Cressus efter this affray,
As he a nycht in till his bed lay,
And dremyt in his sleip that he
Wes in a crop set of a tre,
Quhare Iupiter with rane him wet
And Phebus quhill wiþ sone him het.
Him thocht in till his dremys swa
That he wes stad betuix þaim twa,
All þe tyme þat he thare lay,
Quhill on the morne that it wes day;
Than Phanua, his dochter ȝing,
He callit and tald his dremyng,
For scho be sciens vsit to tell
Off seire thingis befor thai fell,
As wychis dois or nygramanceris,
Devydand thingis on thare maneris,
And throu the deuill dissauit ar þai
That neuer the seker suth will say.
Bot throu þaim quhen at he is sa
Travalit at he mon ansuere ma,
The ansuere at he to þaim mayis
Oft dowbill vnderstanding in it has;
And sa it hapnit at men are
Dissauit oft on þat manere;
For thingis þat are for to be
To wit is Goddis prevate;
And forthy thareof þe certane
Is nane can tell bot he allane.
Ȝit neuerþeless þis damycell
Tald hir fader þat efter fell,
That Cyrus suld him tak in yre,
And swak him in a birnand fyre,
And thare he suld be brynt, but dout,
Bot gif the rayne the fyre put out.
As he a nycht in till his bed lay,
And dremyt in his sleip that he
Wes in a crop set of a tre,
Quhare Iupiter with rane him wet
And Phebus quhill wiþ sone him het.
Him thocht in till his dremys swa
That he wes stad betuix þaim twa,
All þe tyme þat he thare lay,
Quhill on the morne that it wes day;
Than Phanua, his dochter ȝing,
He callit and tald his dremyng,
For scho be sciens vsit to tell
Off seire thingis befor thai fell,
As wychis dois or nygramanceris,
Devydand thingis on thare maneris,
And throu the deuill dissauit ar þai
That neuer the seker suth will say.
Bot throu þaim quhen at he is sa
Travalit at he mon ansuere ma,
The ansuere at he to þaim mayis
Oft dowbill vnderstanding in it has;
And sa it hapnit at men are
Dissauit oft on þat manere;
For thingis þat are for to be
To wit is Goddis prevate;
34
Is nane can tell bot he allane.
Ȝit neuerþeless þis damycell
Tald hir fader þat efter fell,
That Cyrus suld him tak in yre,
And swak him in a birnand fyre,
And thare he suld be brynt, but dout,
Bot gif the rayne the fyre put out.
Sa Cyrus with his oste onone
Fra he had wonyng Babelone
Passit in Lydis till assaill
The king Cressus haill batall;
Quhare, efter mony iuperdyis,
And diuerss changeit victoryis,
The king of Lydus, þis Cressus,
Wes tane and brocht qwik to Cyrus,
And he gert cast him in a fyre
Off fagottis birnand brycht and schyre.
There brynt he nocht bot tholit payne,
For it laid on sa fast of rayne
That he vpon na wiss mycht bryne
All the tyme he lay tharein.
And quhen of Perss the king Cyrus
Saw how it hapnit with him þus,
Out of þat fyre in hy gert he
Him till his stait restorit be;
And syne throu tretiss and throu chans
Thai wer accordit of that distans;
And quhen on this wiss king Cressus
Wes fre deliuerit fra Cyrus,
He tald the cass and the manere
Till Phanua, his dochter deire.
Thare in hert he tuke sic pryde,
For he eschapit sa that tyde,
That he trowit na mischans mycht fall
Fra thin furþ þat him fordo sall;
Bot scho at saw his hawtane chere
Vpone þis wiss maid him ansuere;
Scho said, þocht he with slycht þus slyde,
“Ȝour lattyr day ȝit mon ȝe byde,
And forouth þat on na wiss
Ȝe suld your fortoune happy pryse,
For at þe evin of the faire day
Men prysis it, the suth to say,
And quhen þe lif of man tais end
Than is it tyme him to commend.”
And quhen at scho had said him thus,
Scho bad him be ware at Cyrus
At him suld nocht sa greiffit be,
That he suld hing him on a tre,
Quhare noþer rayne for mekle weit
Suld saif him na ȝit sone for heit;
And as scho tald him sa it fell,
That were oure prolixt now to tell.
Fra he had wonyng Babelone
Passit in Lydis till assaill
The king Cressus haill batall;
Quhare, efter mony iuperdyis,
And diuerss changeit victoryis,
The king of Lydus, þis Cressus,
Wes tane and brocht qwik to Cyrus,
And he gert cast him in a fyre
Off fagottis birnand brycht and schyre.
There brynt he nocht bot tholit payne,
For it laid on sa fast of rayne
That he vpon na wiss mycht bryne
All the tyme he lay tharein.
And quhen of Perss the king Cyrus
Saw how it hapnit with him þus,
Out of þat fyre in hy gert he
Him till his stait restorit be;
And syne throu tretiss and throu chans
Thai wer accordit of that distans;
And quhen on this wiss king Cressus
Wes fre deliuerit fra Cyrus,
He tald the cass and the manere
Till Phanua, his dochter deire.
Thare in hert he tuke sic pryde,
For he eschapit sa that tyde,
36
Fra thin furþ þat him fordo sall;
Bot scho at saw his hawtane chere
Vpone þis wiss maid him ansuere;
Scho said, þocht he with slycht þus slyde,
“Ȝour lattyr day ȝit mon ȝe byde,
And forouth þat on na wiss
Ȝe suld your fortoune happy pryse,
For at þe evin of the faire day
Men prysis it, the suth to say,
And quhen þe lif of man tais end
Than is it tyme him to commend.”
And quhen at scho had said him thus,
Scho bad him be ware at Cyrus
At him suld nocht sa greiffit be,
That he suld hing him on a tre,
Quhare noþer rayne for mekle weit
Suld saif him na ȝit sone for heit;
And as scho tald him sa it fell,
That were oure prolixt now to tell.
| CHAPTER L. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun | |