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 |
 |
|
Exe iam falcitas ffortygerny. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Exe iam falcitas ffortygerny.
Fortyger þenne turned his bak;Fals he was, & feyntyse spak;
And þo þat hadden dronke wel,
Trowed his sawes ylkadel;
His word to truþe al þey hit turned,
Þat he to falsnesse had perforned;
Þey seide til oþer, “what haue ȝe mynt?
254
“Þys folted king, he gyueþ vs lytel,
“ffor a monk can nought bot his chapitel.
“To slo þat folt, wel were to done;
“A bettere myghte we haue ful sone;
“Go we now, & sle þat vnþrift,
“& ffortyger to kyng we lyft,
“ffor he ys worþy to haue empyre,
“& bettere hym semed lord & syre
“Þan þis monk þat nought ne can;
“Go we & sle þis folted man!
“He haþ no kynde þat vs þarf drede,
“Þat myghte may[n]tene host ne lede;
“Ne hym self schal neuere be nought;
“Go we & do þat we haue þought!”
Þe whyles þer wylle was þus hot,
Þey stirte tys chaumbre; his hed of smot.
Wyþ þe heued als swyþe þey went,
To ffortyger þey made a present,
Þey gon to crie, “here may þow se
“Þat we wyl auaunce þe!
“Þis monk ys ded! now do þy wylle!
“Tak þe coroune, & hold vs stylle!”
ffortyger, þat saw þe kynges heued,
Glad he was þey haddyt hym reued;
Naþeles he couerede hym queyntely;
Semblaunt he made he was sory,
& for þat dide þo Peytes deye,
And at Londone he dide crye,
‘Þat al þe Peyghtes þat men myght wyte,
‘Þer heuedes scholde al of be smyte.’
255
Þat ‘non of þeym hadde handes leyd
‘On þe kyng wyþ yuel manere
‘Wyþoute þe conseyl of ffortygere;’
& þe Peyghtes seyde þe same,
Þat þey dide hit for his frame.
Þo þat þe children had in kepyng,
Aurelius & Vter, boþe ȝyng,
Dredde þat þorow þe conseil of þo
Þat slowen þe kyng, þem wolde þey slo;
Þer-fore þis conseil þey tok,
To Bretayne þey sentem, hem to lok,
To þe kyng Budice of þer kynde,
Þat ful nobly dide hem fynde,
And honured hem þorow al the lond;
When tyme was, armes hem fond.
| The Story of England | |