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 |
 |
|
| Dicta Cadoris Cornubye. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Dicta Cadoris Cornubye.
Sire Cador spak firste, & low,
& seyde, “sire kyng, y schal sey ȝow:
“Often in studie haue y ben,
“And in gret drede ay bytwen,
“Þat þorow ildelnesse of pes
“Are Bretons feble & herteles;
“ffor Ildelnesse norischeþ but iuel;
“Temptacion of flesche & of þe deuel;
“Idelnesse makeþ man ful slow,
“& doþ prowesse falle right low;
“Idelnesse norischeþ lecherye,
“& doþ vs tente to such folye;
“Ildelnesse & long rest,
“ȝougþe in wast awey wil kest,
“& doþ men tente to folye fables,
“Tyl hasardrie, des, & tables.
“We haue now al þis fyue ȝer
“Lyued in lechours mester,
“& þorow rest & such soiour
“Haue we lorn gret honour.
“A long while þen haue we slept,
“Þat noman wakynge vs kept;
“But, þanked be God & oure lady,
“Now ar we wakned a party;
“Som grace is ronne in Romayns herte
“Þat þey chalange vs so smerte,
“Vs to bynime oure landes & fees,
“& oure conqueste of oþer contres.
“ȝyf Romayns be so coraious
“Þat þey wil do as þey send vs,
“ȝit schul þe Bretons wynne þem los
“Of Romayns þat in Rome gos;
“ffor longe pes louede y neuere,
“Ne nought ne schal, þey y lyue euere.”
& seyde, “sire kyng, y schal sey ȝow:
“Often in studie haue y ben,
“And in gret drede ay bytwen,
“Þat þorow ildelnesse of pes
“Are Bretons feble & herteles;
405
“Temptacion of flesche & of þe deuel;
“Idelnesse makeþ man ful slow,
“& doþ prowesse falle right low;
“Idelnesse norischeþ lecherye,
“& doþ vs tente to such folye;
“Ildelnesse & long rest,
“ȝougþe in wast awey wil kest,
“& doþ men tente to folye fables,
“Tyl hasardrie, des, & tables.
“We haue now al þis fyue ȝer
“Lyued in lechours mester,
“& þorow rest & such soiour
“Haue we lorn gret honour.
“A long while þen haue we slept,
“Þat noman wakynge vs kept;
“But, þanked be God & oure lady,
“Now ar we wakned a party;
“Som grace is ronne in Romayns herte
“Þat þey chalange vs so smerte,
“Vs to bynime oure landes & fees,
“& oure conqueste of oþer contres.
“ȝyf Romayns be so coraious
“Þat þey wil do as þey send vs,
“ȝit schul þe Bretons wynne þem los
“Of Romayns þat in Rome gos;
“ffor longe pes louede y neuere,
“Ne nought ne schal, þey y lyue euere.”
Þenne spak Wawayn þe curteys:
“Merueillike, Cador, þou seys!
“After werre, god ys pes;
“& after wo, þe wele god ches;
“In pes ys don gret vasselage,
“ffor loue men doþ gret outrage.”
& at þat word þey set hem doun,
Þe kyng & ilka baroun.
When þe kyng saw þem set,
“Merueillike, Cador, þou seys!
406
“& after wo, þe wele god ches;
“In pes ys don gret vasselage,
“ffor loue men doþ gret outrage.”
& at þat word þey set hem doun,
Þe kyng & ilka baroun.
Alle þat were til conseil fet,
Þe kyng þoughte a þrowe, þen lifte his hed,
When þei hadde þer ianglyng leued:
“Barouns,” he seide, “þat ben now here,
“ȝe are my felawes, me ful dere;
“When y lese, ȝe haue part þer-ynne,
“& felawes ȝe are when þat y wynne;
“When wo or werre haþ me comen,
“ȝour part wyþ me haue ȝe nomen,
“As felawes in prosperite
“& felawes in aduersete;
“ffor wheþer y haue wonne or loren,
“ȝour hap wyþ me haue ȝe forþ boren;
“Þorow ȝoure help & god auys
“Hauy wonnen mikel pris;
“By water, by londe, haue y ȝow led,
“Þorow ȝow in nede haue y wel sped;
“Euere y haue founde ȝow trewe,
“& euere ȝour conseil god & newe;
“Alle þe londes þat y haue wonne,
“Wyþoute ȝow was nought bygonne.
“Þe Romayns, as ȝe haue herd
“By þys lettre þat here ys sperd,
“Me & ȝow þey manace fast,
“Wyþ grete wordes þey wene me gast.
407
“Þeir þret schal nought be for þer prow;
“Of vs gete þey neuere nought,
“But ȝif hit be ouer dere abought.
“Þey haue gret power, & ar ful riche,
“Þer nis no power to þeires liche,
“Þer-fore we moste bifore purueye
“What we wil do, what we wil seye,
“& auenauntly & resonable,
“& þat we seye, hold hit stable.
“A þyng for þought þat men wil rede,
“Hit is þe bettere mayntened at nede;
“An arewe þat ys schoten, ȝe se,
“Eyþer bihoues hit men fendit or fle;
“Þat same weys byhoues vs do.
“Þyse Romayns han yschoten vs to;
“Now conseille we, & keuere vs raþe,
“So þat her schetyng do vs no scaþe.
“Trewe þey aske, so haue þey had;
“Þat ys bihinde, send þem þey bad,
“Of þis lond & oþere mo;
“& ffraunce wil þey nought furgo.
| The Story of England | |