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 |
De bello inter Cesarem & Brutones in Tamysia. |
The Story of England | ||
De bello inter Cesarem & Brutones in Tamysia.
Right atte fulle se of flodCom alle six hundred schipes god;
Sykerly þey wend haue nomen,
& into Londone at ones comen.
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Or on þe pyles gon þey smyte.
Þer myght men se þat stod on brynke,
Schipes in-to þe water synke;
Þat on vn-to þe toþer hurte,
Þe mastes faste to-gidere burte,
& somme ouer-terned, & lay on syde;
Bordes ryuen out holes wyde,
Ropes ryuereled, & swerued in lyne,
Ilkon dered oþer, & dide pyne;
Lond ne hauene myght þey non taken,
So faste on pyles gan þey staken:
In yuel tyme out þey nomen,
Yuel þey ryued þat þider comen!
Cesar saw þat grete vnhap,
Þat in þe water was swylk a trap;
Iren-schod was ilka peel,
& þoughte þat so was ilka del;
Many of þem turned a-geyn,
& seyde þat wendyng was in veyn.
He dide þem alle gon vp to londe,
Man & hors, þer þey best fonde;
By bankes vp aboute þey wente,
& pyght þeym pauylons & tente.
Right als þey picched þer pauylons,
Cam Cassibolan wyþ þe Bretons,
Erles, barons, knyghte, squiers,
Asperly folle on þe Romayners:—
His neuew & oþere of his kynde,
Wyþ alle þe oþere þat he myghte fynde,
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ffor wiþ þe Bretons was no feyntise:—
& at þer logges þer þey hem set,
Þe Bretons wyþ hem þer þey met.
Þeyr egre comyng þe Romayns a-boden,
A-geyn þe Brutons stifly þey stoden;
Als a wal þe scheltrom held,
& ruysed þe Brutons abak in feld.
ffirst þe Romayns ful wel stoden,
Agayn þe Bretons in bataille ȝoden,
& fer bakward dide hem go,
& manyon slowe, & wroughte wo.
Þenne was wroþ Cassibolan;
ffor tene byfore þem alle he nam,
& bar þe breste on þem by-fore,
& after hym þe Bretons gaf bore,
& euere was fresche folk comande,
And dide þe Romayns ageyn stande.
So wyþynne a litel þrowe
Men amed þem, & wel hit sowe,
Two so many Bretons þare
As hadde þer Iulius Cesare,
& dide þe Romayns a-geyn to fle,
& slowe þem, schame was hit to se!
The Story of England | ||