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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Rescripcio Cassibolany ad Inperatorem. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Rescripcio Cassibolany ad Inperatorem.
“Cesar,” he saide, “we haue meruaille“& gret desdeyn, wyþouten faille,
“Þat of ȝow Romayns rennes silk los,—
“& to longe hit lastes after hit gos,—
“Þat ar of so gret couetyse
“Þat non bot ȝe may haue fraunchise;
“And al þe syluer & al þe gold,
“& alle lynage þat lyuen on mold,
“Til ȝoure dom wil ȝe þem drawe;
“Wy[þ]oute reson, wyþoute lawe,
“Al þe tresor ȝe drawe ȝow to:
“What wil ȝe þer-wyþ al do?
“& we þat are atte wor[l]des ende,
“& in an ylde lyue & lende,
“Ȝyt ȝe ne wil passe vs forby
“Wyþoute truage askyng greuously!
“& we þat schal & ben ȝour peres,
“Ȝit wolde ȝe make vs truagers!
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“& of þy comynge sette vs a day,
“Y trowe þou schalt fol euele spede.
“Com on, & proue hit in dede!
“ffor euere ȝit haue we lyued fre
“Y þis lond, bot now for þe,
“& schul we lyue als frely
“As ȝe Romayns; & reson whi:
“Syn we ar comen alle of o kynde,
“& of o rote & of o rynde,
“Þat ys to seyn, of Eneas,
“As frely born as euere þou was.
“Þerfore, ȝyf þou þe byþoughtest
“In skil & reson as þou oughtest,
“Þou scholde nought put vs to seruage,
“Syn we ben of þyn owen lynage;
“We schul be peres to ȝow of Rome,
“In alle fredam haue euenly dome.
“Vs wondreþ at ȝowre nurture of pris,
“Þat swylke vilenie in þe now lys,
“In seruage to put vs to!
“& we wot nought how we scholde do,
“We neuere lered, ne nought wil lere,
“ȝyf þat we may, in none manere.
“Of alle oure kynde, y ne wyste no man
“Þat couþe of seruage, ne ȝut ne can;
“Ne we knowe nought on what wyse
“We scholde serue seruage seruise.
“ffre we ar, so schol we be;
“& ȝyf God wyl, we schul for þe!
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“While we may oure seluen were,
“& fende oure lond & oure fraunchise,
“Of vs getestow neuere seruise!
“Ne neuere truage schol we þe gyue;
“Þat ys to seye, whiles þat we lyue,
“We wol be fre, & holde honurs,
“As dide byforn our auncessours.”
To Iulius swylk a lettere þey sent;
& when Iulius wiste þat entent,
Þat ȝif he wold haue any truage,
Nede byhoued hym make passage,
Þenne dide he make schipes & barges,
ffoure score wyþ grete charges,—
So grete byfore were neuere for were,
Ne non þat so gret charge myght bere,—
Wyþouten oþer schipes smale,
Þat we nought telde byforn in tale.
| The Story of England | |