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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| Lege per totum vlterius. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Lege per totum vlterius.
Hereþ now of a quynte wyle,
How eche of þo þoughte oþer gyle.
Ar þat day com þat þey set,
Iuno wiþ sire Parys met:
“Paris,” scheo seyþ, “y schal ȝow seye
“A priuete by-twixte vs beye:
“We þre ladies han ordeyned so
“Þat alle þre schulle come þe to,
“& take þe a bal, & preye þe
“To gyue hit þe fairest of vs þre;
“& wham þou gyue hit, ys oure deuis,
“Scheo schal for euere bere þe prys.
“& ȝif y myghte biseke þe so,
“Þou woldest gyue hit me, Iuno;
“I schal þe graunte þorow my power,
“In Troye schold neuere be þy per.”
Parys seide, “dame, graunt mercy!
Right as þou wilt, al so wil y.”
Whan scheo was gon, cam Pallas
ffor þat same þat Iuno was;
Scheo preied Parys, als scheo had seyd,
Þat þe bal were til hure y-leyd:
“Of wysdam y schal gyue þe grace
“Ouer alle oþer in ilk a place.”
Parys seide, þat was curteys,
“Hit may be, lady, ȝyt as þou seys.”
How eche of þo þoughte oþer gyle.
Ar þat day com þat þey set,
Iuno wiþ sire Parys met:
“Paris,” scheo seyþ, “y schal ȝow seye
“A priuete by-twixte vs beye:
“We þre ladies han ordeyned so
“Þat alle þre schulle come þe to,
“& take þe a bal, & preye þe
“To gyue hit þe fairest of vs þre;
“& wham þou gyue hit, ys oure deuis,
“Scheo schal for euere bere þe prys.
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“Þou woldest gyue hit me, Iuno;
“I schal þe graunte þorow my power,
“In Troye schold neuere be þy per.”
Parys seide, “dame, graunt mercy!
Right as þou wilt, al so wil y.”
Whan scheo was gon, cam Pallas
ffor þat same þat Iuno was;
Scheo preied Parys, als scheo had seyd,
Þat þe bal were til hure y-leyd:
“Of wysdam y schal gyue þe grace
“Ouer alle oþer in ilk a place.”
Parys seide, þat was curteys,
“Hit may be, lady, ȝyt as þou seys.”
Whan scheo was gon, cam dame Venus,
& to Parys scheo seide al þus:
“Parys,” scheo seide, “we ladies are
“Þre in gret þought & in care;
“& þou may bate al þat gilt
“Of vs alle ȝif þat þou wylt.
“Y am,” scheo seide, “on of þo
“Þat ys in þought to þe to go.
“A day we set to þe to come,
“ffor to stonde al at þy dome;
“A bal,” scheo seide, “we schul þe brynge,
“& preie þe vpon alle þynge
“Þou gyue hit hure þat fairest semes,
“ffor þy dom vs alle quemes.
“& ȝif þou gyue hit me, Parys,
“I schal þe gyue a loue of pris,
“Þe fairest lady þat now lyues,
“ffor þe bal, ȝif þou hit me gyues.”
& to Parys scheo seide al þus:
“Parys,” scheo seide, “we ladies are
“Þre in gret þought & in care;
“& þou may bate al þat gilt
“Of vs alle ȝif þat þou wylt.
“Y am,” scheo seide, “on of þo
“Þat ys in þought to þe to go.
“A day we set to þe to come,
“ffor to stonde al at þy dome;
“A bal,” scheo seide, “we schul þe brynge,
“& preie þe vpon alle þynge
“Þou gyue hit hure þat fairest semes,
“ffor þy dom vs alle quemes.
“& ȝif þou gyue hit me, Parys,
“I schal þe gyue a loue of pris,
“Þe fairest lady þat now lyues,
“ffor þe bal, ȝif þou hit me gyues.”
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To þat loue turnd al his wille;
He seide, “Iuno hyghte me poer;
“Þerof,” he seid, “ys no mester;
“Kynges sone y am, & lord schal be;
“Poer ynow schal come to me.
“& Pallas highte me gret wysdam;
“In Troye nis wyser þan y am;
“Of þyse gyftes ys no ned;
“To loue þat lady ys al my sped.”
To þat gift his herte gaf al:
“Venus,” he saide, “þou getes þe bal
“ȝyf þou me hold þat þou hast het,
“Þou getest þe bal at ȝoure day set.”
Þey graunted boþe atter pay,
& com alle þre at þer day,
& bytok Parys þe bal;
At his dom þey stoden al.
Parys tok þe bal in his hand:
“So faire ladies ar none lyuand;
“Bot me þynkes of ȝow þre
“Dame Venus semes fairest to be.
“Haue here þe bal, dame Venus;
“ffairest to be, me þynkeþ ryght þus.”
Þys lady Venus was al glad,
Þe oþere were for wrayth al mad;
Venus held wiþ hym certeyn,
Þe oþere boþe were hym ageyn;
Poer & wysdam he forsok;
& womman loue, þer-til he tok.
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“Þou schalt don at myn auys:
“Puruey þe,” scheo seide, “veir & grys,
“ffaire iueles, & pourpre & bys;
“Do dight a schip wiþ sail & ore
“Ryght as þou a marchaund wore;
“Of alle queyntise þat þou may se,
“Haue vn-to þy schip wyþ þe;
“Do make þerinne a fol fair bed,
“Wiþ cloþes of gold hit be al spred;
“Þy schip wiþoute be fol fair dight,
“Lykynge to þat lauedy sight.
“Þerinne to Grece schalt þou wende;
“In an hauene schalt þou lende
“Þer þe kynge ys, & þe Quene;
“& whan scheo haþ þe schip al sene,
“Scheo schal ȝerne on alle wyse
“ffor to se þy marchaundise;
“Bot loke þou schewe non of þo,
“Bot scheo wile in to þy schip go;
“& whan scheo heres þat tydynge,
“Scheo schal praie ful faste þe kynge
“To gyue hire leue to se þy ware,
“To bye þerof þat so riche are.
“Loke þou schewe noman nought
“Til þat sche first be hider brought,
“ffor out of wyt wommen ȝernes
“Þat men forbedes hure, & wernes.
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“By þe hand redy þou hure kyp,
“& curteysly þat scheo be led,
“& set hure faire opon þy bed;
“Do cortine hit al aboute
“Þat scheo se nought wyþynne ne wyþoute,
“& whan scheo ys on þy bed set,
“Loke wel þat þy schip be get;
“Lat non come vnder þy telde
“Mo þan þou may lightly welde;
“Loke þy schip be vnfest,
“& þy folk be al prest;
“And what þynge þat sche wil craue,
“Do hit hure redy for to haue,
“Þat scheo tende to no þynge elles
“Bot til þat ware þat þou hure selles.
“Whan redy ys þyn apparail,
“Lat þy men haue vp þe sayl,
“& loke þou be to myle or þre
“Ar scheo wite wyþynne þe se;
“& do þenne þat lady to wyte
“How þy iueles wyl hure syte.”
Parys dide as Venus kende,
& dighte þe schip,—wel he wende,—
Wyþ alle queintyse þat was gay,
& aryued vp þer þe kinge lay.
Menlaus highte þe kynge;
He sente to wyte what maner þynge
Was in þe schip for to selle.
“Riche iueles,” þey gan him telle,
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“Out of þe schip gete ought to se.”
Þat herde telle þe quene Heleyne.
Nyght & day sche dide hire peyne,
Of þe kynge to haue grauntyse
To se þat ylke marchaundyse.
What wyþ wel oþer wyþ wo,
Leue scheo gat þyder to go.
| The Story of England | |