The Minor Poems of John Lydgate edited from all available mss. with an attempt to establish The Lydgate Canon: By Henry Noble MacCracken |
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| 51. | 51. THE KINGS OF ENGLAND SITHEN WILLIAM CONQUEROR.
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 | The Minor Poems of John Lydgate |  |
51. THE KINGS OF ENGLAND SITHEN WILLIAM CONQUEROR.
(A REVISED VERSION, WITH STANZAS ALSO FOR EARLIER KINGS.)
1
Froom tyme of Brute, auctours do specefye,Two hundrid & fowr & twenty be succession
Kynges regned, til tyme þe monarchie
Deuouht Alffrede took pocession,
To Hooly Chirche which had gret deuocion
In .vj. parties his goodes dide deuyde,
Regned .xxixte. yeer is beried at Hyde.
2
Next in ordre bi successionEdward seniour, his sone, crownyd kyng,
Which toward God had gret deuocion,
Repared chirches of newe and old byldyng,
Large in exspence, Argus in iustifying,
Four & twenty yer he bar his crown in deede,
Beried at Seynt Swythynes, þe cronycle ye may reede.
711
3
Aftyr this Edward, be trewe enheritaunceHis sone Athelstan was crownyd, as I fynde,
Whoos noble fame put in remembraunce
Of Mydilton and Mechelneye the abbeys byldyng,
Gaf greet pocessions to chirches as maad is mynde,
Ful .xvje. yeer reygnd, & had good rest,
At Malmysbury list buried in his chest.
4
His brothre Edmond, whan Ethelstan was ded,Meke and prudent, louyng good consayl,
Be riht title þe crowne took on hed,
Contynwed vj. yeer in sorouh & gret trauayl,
Lyncoln, Notyngham, Leycetyr to his avail
Gat bi conquest, mawgre the Danys myhtily;
Cronycle[s] witnesse, is buried at Glastonbury.
5
Aftyr Edmond, as seith myn auctour,His brothir Edreed to make allyaunce,
Regned .ix. yeer, bar gret fauour,
& for gracious gostly gouernaunce
In his deying, as maad is remembraunce,
Heryng Seynt Dunstan aungelis song on hih,
Edreed restith in pesable memory.
6
Next to Edreed regned Kyng EdwyneStraunge of condicions, as bookys speceffye,
Sone to Edmond descendyng doun be lyne,
Exiled Seyn Dunstan of furyous tyrannye,
The .vijte. kyng sith gan the monarchye;
Bar the Crown fully .iiij. yeer
Buried at Wynchestr, þus seith the Cronycleer.
7
Brothir to Edwyne was Edgar, as I reede,At whoos birth aungellys with melodious song
Song on hih, as auctours write in deede,
“Bi the birthe of Edgar pees be you among,”
In tyme of Dunstan, bore to Yngelond,
Regned .xvje. yeer, riht enherytour,
Buried at Glastonbury as seith myn auctour.
712
8
Next peaseable Edgar regned his son Edward,Be trewe title get in mariage,
His stepmodyr, to hym ful froward,
Wolde haue prefferrid hir sone of tendre age,
Did hir cure in werk & eek language,
Regned .iiij. yeer as cronycles determyne,
At Shafftysbury lith buried in his shryne.
9
Aftyr kyng & martir Edward did succedeEgelredus breeffly to expresse,
xxviijte yeer bar his crown in deede,
Lik as cronycles clerly ber witnesse,
Lith at Westmenstyr, lyued ay in gret distresse,
Affter the prophecye of Seyn Dunstan, as I reed,
Deth for moordre fynally was his meed.
10
Aftyr þe deth, as maad is mynde,Of Egelredus fil greet dyvision,
Lordis purposid to destroye þat kynde;
The Londonerys, hauy[ng] contrary disposicion
With summe estatis which of discrecion
Took his sone Edmond with therynside
Excludyng Knute to regne did hym prouyde.
11
Aftyr Edmond Knute took þe monarchyeRegned .xix. yeer, bar gret fauour,
A Dane of byrthe, exiled al the lye
Of his predecessours þat noon enheritour,
In this region shulde be successour:
The lond consentyng to hym be flaterye,
Lithe at Wynchestre in þe old monasterye.
12
Harald Harfoot, afftyr Knute was ded,V. yeer regnyd bi succession;
With besy trauaille the crown bar on his hed,
In greet contraversye took pocession
Of his reem, as maad is mencion;
His brothre spyryng þe crowne to possede,
Buried at Westmynster, þe cronycle ye may reed.
713
13
Hardekanut, wondyrful vengable,Of his regne deyde þe second yeer,
Ageyn nature as tirant vntretable
Reysed þe body, as seith the Cronycleer,
Of his brothre thoruh extort poweer,
Throwh it in Tempse; at Westmenster buryed was,
Afftyr in þe chyrch-yeerd of Danys so stood þe cas.
14
Of Egelredus retournyth ageyn þe lyneBlissed Edward entrith trewe enherytour
xxiiijte yeer as mayde & pure virgyne,
Bar þe crowne, regned & had grete labour,
To his suggettis releef and cheef socour,
Lith at Westmenster in his noble shryne,
Werkyng myracles thoruh grace þat is dyuyne.
15
Duk Harald afftyr this was kyng,Regned a while in gret glorye,
Boold and hardy, wyly in werkyng,
Had greet fortune, tyl out of Normandye
Cam William Conquerour with a fair meynye,
Mette in þe feeld & to-gidre ranne,
Woundid to þe deth, buried at Waltham.
16
This myghti William Duk of Normandie,As bookis olde make mencion,
Bi iust title and bi his chyualrie
Maad kyng bi conquest of Brutis Albion,
Put out Haralde, took possession,
Bar his crown ful xxj yeer,
Buried at Cane, thus seith þe cronycleer.
17
Nexte in ordre bi successionWilliam Rufus his son, crownyd kyng,
Which to Godward had no deuocion,
Destroied cherchis of newe & olde beeldyng
To make a forest plesant for huntyng,
714
Buried at Wynchestir, þe cronycle ye may reede.
18
His brothir next, callid þe first Herry,Was at London crownyd, as I fynde,
Whos brodir Roberd, Duk of Normandy,
Gan hym werreye, the cronycle makith mynde,
Reconciled, al rancour set behynde,
Ful xxxi[ij], bi recorde of writyng,
[Yeres] he regned; buried at Redyng.
19
His cosyn Stephan, whan first Herry was ded,Toward Ynglond gan to crosse his sail.
Therchebisshopp sett vpon his hed
A rich crown, beyng of his conseil;
xix yeer with soruh and gret trauail,
He bar his crown, hadde neuer rest,
At Feuersham lith buried in a chest.
20
Herry the Second, son of themperesse,Was crowned next a ful manly knyht
As bookes olde pleynly do expresse,
This forseide Herre bi froward force & myht
Slouh Seyn Thomas, for Hooly Cherchis right,
Yeeres .xxxv. regned, as it is made mynde,
At Fount Euerard lith buried as I fynde.
21
Richard his son, next bi succession,First of that name, strong, hardy, & notable,
Was crownyd kyng, callid Cuer de Leon,
With Sarsyn hedys seruyd at his table,
Slayn at Chalus bi deth lamentable,
The space regned fully of .ix. yeer,
His hert buried at Rone at hih auter.
22
Next Kyng Richard regned his brothir Iohn,Aftir sone entrid in-to Fraunce,
Lost al Ange and Normandye a-noon,
715
And as it is put in remembraunce
xviij yeer kyng of this region,
Lith at Wircester deied of poyson.
23
Herry the iijde his sone, of ix yeer age,Was at Gloucester crowned, as I reed;
Long werr he hadde with his baronage,
Gretly delited in almesse-deed,
lxj yeer he regned heer in deede
Buried at Westmynster, bi record of writyng,
Day of Seynt Edmond, marter, maid, & kyng.
24
Edward the First, with the shankes long,Was aftir crowned that was so good a knyht,
Wan Scotlond, maugre the Scottis strong,
And all Walys despyt of al ther myht;
Duryng his lyff meyntened trouth & riht,
xxxv yeer he was heer kyng,
Lith at Westmynster this trouth and no lesyng.
25
Edward his sone, callid Carnarvan,Succedyng aftir to make his alliaunce,
As the cronycle weel reherse can
Weddid the douhtir of the kyng of Fraunce,
On Thomas Lancaster bi deth he took vengaunce;
xix yeer heelde heer his regalye,
Buried at Gloucestr, bookis specifye.
26
The iijde Edward, born at Wyndesor,Which in knyhthode had so gret a pris,
Enheritour of Fraunce withoute mor
Bar on his armys quartle iij flour delis,
And he gat Caleis bi his prudent devis,
Regned in Ynglond lj yeer,
Lith at Westmynstre, thus seith the cronycler.
716
27
Sone of Prynce Edward, Richard the Secound,In whos tyme was pes and gret plente,
Weddid Queen Anne of Bewme, as it is found,
Isabell aftir of Fraunce, who list see,
xxij yeer he regned heer, parde;
At Langley buried first, so stood the cas,
Aftir to Westmynster his body caried was.
28
Herry the iiijte next crowned, in certeyn,A famous knyht and of greet seemlynesse,
From his exil whan he cam hoom ageyn,
Trauailed aftir with werr & gret siknesse;
xiiij yeer he regned, in sothnesse,
Lith at Cantirbury in that hooly place.
God of His mercy, do his soule grace.
29
The Fifte Herry, of knyhthod lood[e]sterr,Wis and riht manly, pleynly to termyne,
Riht fortunat preevid in pes & werr,
Gretly expert in marcial disciplyne,
Able to stonde among the Worthi Nyne!
Regned x yeer, who so list han rewarde,
Lith at Westmynster nat ferr fro Seynt Edwarde.
30
The Sext Herry, brouht foorth in al vertu,Bi iust title, born bi enheritaunce.
Afforn provided, bi grace of Crist Ihesu,
To wer too crownys in Yngland & in Fraunce,
To whom God hath yovyn souereyn suffisaunce
Of vertuous liff, and chose hym for his knyht,
Long to reioissh and regne heer in his riht.
Explicit.
| The Minor Poems of John Lydgate | |