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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Exe Ronewenna, pulcra puella, quam Rex ffortygerus
desponsauit secundum legem Paganorum. |
 | The Story of England |  |
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Exe Ronewenna, pulcra puella, quam Rex ffortygerus desponsauit secundum legem Paganorum.
ffro chaumbre cam Ronewenne so gent,Byfore þe kyng in halle scheo went;
A coupe wyþ wyn sche hadde in hande,
And hure atyr was wel farande;
Byfore þe kyng o knes sche hir sette,
In hure langage ful faire him grette:
“Wassayl, my lord! wassail!” seyd sche.
Þen asked þe kyng what þat myght be:
On þat langage þe kyng ne couþe,
Bot a knygh[t] þat speche had lered in ȝouþe—
Breyþ highte þat knyght, y-born Bretoun,
Þat wel spak langage of Saxoun.
Þys Breþ was þe kynges latynier;—
& what scheo seyde, teldyt ffortyger:
“Sire,” Breþ seyde, “Ronewenne ȝow gretes,
“And kyng calles, & lord ȝow letes;
“Þys ys þer custume & þer gest,
“Whan they arn at þer [ale or] fest,
“Ilk man þat loues, þer hym best þynk
“Schal sey ‘wassail,’ & to hym drynk;
“He þat haldes schal sey ‘wassayl,’
“Þat oþer schal seye ageyn ‘drynk hayl’;
“Þat seys [wassayl] drynkes of þe coppe;
“Kissing his felawe, he gyueþ hit vppe;
“‘Drynk hail,’ he seyþ, & drynkeþ þer-of,
“Kyssyng hym in bourde & scof.”
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“Drynk hayl,” smylynge on Ronewenne.
Ronewenne drank right as hure lyst,
& gaf þe kyng, & syn hym kist.—
Þat was þe firste wassail in dede,
Þat now & euere þe fame ȝede.
Of þat wassail men tolde gret tale,
& vsed ‘wassail’ when þey were at þale,
& ‘drynkhail’ to þem þat drank;
Þus was wassail take to þank.—
fful often þus þys mayden ȝyng
Wassailed & kyste þer þe kyng;
Of body sche was ful auenaunt,
Of fair colour, wyþ swet semblaunt.
Hure atir, ful wel hit bysemed;
Merueillyke þe kyng scheo quemed;
Out of mesure was he glad,
Opon þat mayden he wax al mad.
Þe ffend & dronkenesse hit wrought;
On þat þayen was al his þought.
As meschaunce þat tyme hym spedde,
He asked þat Payen for to wedde;
& Hengist wernde hym bot lyte,
Bot graunted hure hym al so tyt;
& Hors his broþer consented sone;
Hire frendes seyd alle, hit was to done;
Þey askede þe kyng to gyue hure Kent,
In dowarye, to take of rent.
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What-so þey asked, þe kyng mad fast.
I wene þe kyng tok hure þat day,
& wedded hure on Payens lay.
Of prest was þer no benisoun,
Ne messe songen, ne orysoun;
In sesyn þe kyng had hure þat nyght;
Of Kent he gaf Hengist þe ryght.
Þe Erl þat tyme þat Kent held,
Sire Gorogon, þat bar þe scheld,
Of þat gyft no þyng he ne wyste
Til he was dryuen out wyþ Hengist.
Þe Payens conseil þe kyng vnderstod,
& despised þe Cristene blod;
& alle þe Cristene hym forsok,
ffor he hym to þe Payens tok;
His owen kynde hated hym mest,
His children loued hym alder lest.
Byfore tyme he hadde a wyf,
But deþ hadde departed þer lyf;
Wyþ þat wyf he had þre sones
Þat helde ageyn hym for þe Bretons;
Þe eldest highte sire Vortymer,
Þat oþer, Patens, and Catyger.
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