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 |
 |
|
| Dixit Androcheus Cesary pro pace Cassibolani. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Dixit Androcheus Cesary pro pace Cassibolani.
Androcheus, wys knyght & war,
Anon he ȝede vntil Cesar,
And on knes byfore hym sette.
Iulyus Cesar ful faire he grette:
“Sire Iulius, þou art a myghti man,
“Conquered þou hast Cassibolan!
“Vnto þy mercy wol he now come,
“& ȝelde his truage vntil Rome;
“Tak of hym now þat truage,
“Of þe to holde his heritage;
“Wiþ loue let hym now come to þe.
“Þou askes nought elles of al his fe,
“Bot onlike of þe to holde;
“He hit graunteþ, & y hit wolde.
“Iulius, haue of hym mercy!
“Þy wille to do we ar redy.”
Bot Iulius Cesar wold hym nought here;
fful deflike herde he his preyere,
& passed forþ as he nought herde;
Til Androche nought he answerde.
Androcheus had þer-of disdeyn,
Þat Cesar tok his preyer in veyn;
He stirt vp wiþ yuel wylle,
& bad Cesar stonde a whyle stille:
“Þis londe ys ȝolden to þy baillye;
“Þorow me hastow þe seignurie;
“Þat y þe hight, y holde couenaunt,
“& more getes þou nought of graunt.
“Þe seignurye of al þenpyre,
“Þat may þou haue, as lorde & sire;
“Þat þow hast; what wiltow more?
“Nolde God þat oþer weys wore,
“Þat þou myn eem schost prisone or slo!
“Nay, Cesar, so schal hit nought go,
“Þat he schol be so lyghtly slayn,
“While þat y haue þat myght & mayn
“Þat hym for deþ y may rescuwe!
“He is myn eem, & y his neuewe;
“He noriced me, he ys me dere!
“ȝif þou ne wilt my biddyng here,
“Y parte fro þe, & haue god day:
“Do now til hym al þat þou may!”
Þen cam Cesar forþ, & stod,
Þoughte he was of kynde blod,
& þat he seide, hit was skyl,
& he dide his wit þer-til.
Whan he hadde al cast & þought,
He graunted al þat he had sought;
Hostages asked þe partys,
& þey wer graunted at here auis,
And truage þey graunted so,
As þe lond was taxed to:
Þre þousand pound ylka ȝer,
At termes so to paye plener;
Of alle þe lond gadered & tan.
Þen brought þey forþ Cassibolan,
& diden Cesar & hym kysse:
ffor þat acord was mykel blisse.
Byfore þis tyme, neuere y ne fond
Þat any man conquered þis lond.
Anon he ȝede vntil Cesar,
And on knes byfore hym sette.
Iulyus Cesar ful faire he grette:
“Sire Iulius, þou art a myghti man,
“Conquered þou hast Cassibolan!
“Vnto þy mercy wol he now come,
“& ȝelde his truage vntil Rome;
184
“Of þe to holde his heritage;
“Wiþ loue let hym now come to þe.
“Þou askes nought elles of al his fe,
“Bot onlike of þe to holde;
“He hit graunteþ, & y hit wolde.
“Iulius, haue of hym mercy!
“Þy wille to do we ar redy.”
Bot Iulius Cesar wold hym nought here;
fful deflike herde he his preyere,
& passed forþ as he nought herde;
Til Androche nought he answerde.
Androcheus had þer-of disdeyn,
Þat Cesar tok his preyer in veyn;
He stirt vp wiþ yuel wylle,
& bad Cesar stonde a whyle stille:
“Þis londe ys ȝolden to þy baillye;
“Þorow me hastow þe seignurie;
“Þat y þe hight, y holde couenaunt,
“& more getes þou nought of graunt.
“Þe seignurye of al þenpyre,
“Þat may þou haue, as lorde & sire;
“Þat þow hast; what wiltow more?
“Nolde God þat oþer weys wore,
“Þat þou myn eem schost prisone or slo!
“Nay, Cesar, so schal hit nought go,
“Þat he schol be so lyghtly slayn,
“While þat y haue þat myght & mayn
“Þat hym for deþ y may rescuwe!
“He is myn eem, & y his neuewe;
“He noriced me, he ys me dere!
“ȝif þou ne wilt my biddyng here,
“Y parte fro þe, & haue god day:
185
Þen cam Cesar forþ, & stod,
Þoughte he was of kynde blod,
& þat he seide, hit was skyl,
& he dide his wit þer-til.
Whan he hadde al cast & þought,
He graunted al þat he had sought;
Hostages asked þe partys,
& þey wer graunted at here auis,
And truage þey graunted so,
As þe lond was taxed to:
Þre þousand pound ylka ȝer,
At termes so to paye plener;
Of alle þe lond gadered & tan.
Þen brought þey forþ Cassibolan,
& diden Cesar & hym kysse:
ffor þat acord was mykel blisse.
Byfore þis tyme, neuere y ne fond
Þat any man conquered þis lond.
Þenne returned Cesar wiþ hye
To Romeward after his victorie.
Bot ȝe schul here a wonder þyng
Þat fel in Rome after his wendynge:
He had þer mad chef of þe cite
Sire Crassus & sire Pompee;
When þey had so al þe maistry þer,
& he nought returned þe fyfte ȝer,
Þey racoillede þe Romayns til her wylle,
Ageyn Cesar. þat fel hem ylle;
ffor Iulius destruyde Rome þan,
& slow þer lord & gentilman;
& Crassus he slow in a tour hey,
Bot Pompeus skaped, & faste fley.
fforþ in to Poylle he chased hym wel;
Þer he byseged hym in a castel,—
Braundys hit highte, as men tolde;—
Bot þat myghte he nought longe holde,
Bot in-to Egipte þen schiped he,
ffor wel wend he þer siker haue be.
Bot Cesar hym suwed yn-to þat contre,
& spak to þe kyng, sire Tholome.
Wiþ him was sire Pompe y-take;
Bot for drede of Iulius sake
He nolde meyntene hym namore,
Bot his hed dide smyte of þore,
& sentyt Iulius til present;
& þer-wyþ he to Romward went
In al his moste nobleye. in Rome
Right yuele þey schope for hym ful sone:
His barons wiþ treson dide hym deye,
Bot Greffes hym mordred for enuye.
Twey neuews he hadde, bot sone non,
Þe eldest was cald Octouyon;
Þe Romayns corouned hym saunz faille;
Þen sesed he Braundys & Itaill,
Of Poylle & Grece he tok þauow,
& of alle þe reomes by-ȝonde Moungow.
And al þe Oryent, þat oþer sesed,
& tok tys part þat þe oþer leued;
Of þritty reomes euery kynge
Were enclinaunt til his coronyng.
Such wraþe bytwixte þe neuews ros sone,
Þat wiþ batailles to feld þey come.
Octouion þat oþer slow anon,
& his men desconfyted echon.
Þen hadde Rome suche renoun
Þat al þyng was in here baundon;
Þen gaf þey til þe enperrour
A newe name for gret honour,
‘Augustus Cesar’ þe calde hym þere,
ffor þei ouer alle oþere were;
& after þat he þat name had,
Þe Romayns were þe more y-drad,
ffor þemperour had þen vnder hand
Al þe werld, boþe se & land.
To Romeward after his victorie.
Bot ȝe schul here a wonder þyng
186
He had þer mad chef of þe cite
Sire Crassus & sire Pompee;
When þey had so al þe maistry þer,
& he nought returned þe fyfte ȝer,
Þey racoillede þe Romayns til her wylle,
Ageyn Cesar. þat fel hem ylle;
ffor Iulius destruyde Rome þan,
& slow þer lord & gentilman;
& Crassus he slow in a tour hey,
Bot Pompeus skaped, & faste fley.
fforþ in to Poylle he chased hym wel;
Þer he byseged hym in a castel,—
Braundys hit highte, as men tolde;—
Bot þat myghte he nought longe holde,
Bot in-to Egipte þen schiped he,
ffor wel wend he þer siker haue be.
Bot Cesar hym suwed yn-to þat contre,
& spak to þe kyng, sire Tholome.
Wiþ him was sire Pompe y-take;
Bot for drede of Iulius sake
He nolde meyntene hym namore,
Bot his hed dide smyte of þore,
& sentyt Iulius til present;
& þer-wyþ he to Romward went
In al his moste nobleye. in Rome
Right yuele þey schope for hym ful sone:
His barons wiþ treson dide hym deye,
Bot Greffes hym mordred for enuye.
Twey neuews he hadde, bot sone non,
Þe eldest was cald Octouyon;
Þe Romayns corouned hym saunz faille;
Þen sesed he Braundys & Itaill,
Of Poylle & Grece he tok þauow,
187
And al þe Oryent, þat oþer sesed,
& tok tys part þat þe oþer leued;
Of þritty reomes euery kynge
Were enclinaunt til his coronyng.
Such wraþe bytwixte þe neuews ros sone,
Þat wiþ batailles to feld þey come.
Octouion þat oþer slow anon,
& his men desconfyted echon.
Þen hadde Rome suche renoun
Þat al þyng was in here baundon;
Þen gaf þey til þe enperrour
A newe name for gret honour,
‘Augustus Cesar’ þe calde hym þere,
ffor þei ouer alle oþere were;
& after þat he þat name had,
Þe Romayns were þe more y-drad,
ffor þemperour had þen vnder hand
Al þe werld, boþe se & land.
188
Þat þis werre was ended þus.
ffyftene [ȝer] after he regned in pes,
Bot no child ne lefte at his deses;
Þerfore þe corounede sire Tenmace;
To gouerne þe reome he hadde grace.
Cassibolan was ded, as was pite,
& buryed at ȝork, þe gode cite.
Wiþ Iulyus went forþ sire Androche,
& his broþer reioisede þe regalte.
After cam Kymbely, Tenmace sone,
Þat had ful gret grace of Rome;
Of alle his truage þey relesed hym þer,
While he scholde regne & lyuen her,
So þat he neuere ne payed non
To Rome ne to Octouyon.
He meyntend euere his lond in pes,
& leftyt his sones after his deces.
| The Story of England | |