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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Dicta Aguselly, Regis Scocie. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Dicta Aguselly, Regis Scocie.
After þe speche of sire Ohel,
Seyde þe kyng sire Agusel,
Sire Lothes broþer, & sire Vrien,—
Alle þre were doughti men,—
& seide, “ȝyf þou wilt werre bygynne,
“Spek now to þo þat ar here-ynne,
“Þe beste of alle þy baronage,
“Þat wyte & herden þe message,
“And wite þer wille, what þey wil do,
“& what þat þey may helpe þer-to.
“Now ys tyme to purueye
“Of help, & god conseil to seye,
“Alle þo þat of þe holde,
“Riche lordes, & barouns bolde,
“Þat oughte to helpe þe þorow skile,
“& wel y trowe þat so þey wyle.
“No tydynge neuere y ne vnderstod
“Þat gladed me so mikel in mod,
“As wyþ þe Romayns for to werre,
“Þat alle men in þer daunger sperre.
“Y ne may þem nought loue ne preise,
“ffor þey ar proude & vncurteyse,
“Gode men so mykel to despise,
“Þat schul nought liue but in þer seruise;
“& þey ar men of non honour,
“But couetous to gedere tresour,
“Gode men wyþ-al to noye,
“& þer londes to robbe & struye.
“Y trowe þei schul ȝit mis-bytide
“ffor þer couetise & þer pryde;
“Of þys þat þey haue y-sent,
“Þey schul be wrothe er hit be ent;
“Wonder were elles, or art me failles,
“But þey pleye wyþ repentailles.
“& þaw þey neuere had hit by-gonne,
“We scholde þorow right on þem haue ronne
“ffor to venge our auncessours,
“& bate þer pride as þey wolde ours.
“Þey seide þey had of þeym trewage,
“& chalange hit for here heritage:
“I trowe þat þey nere þem non gaf,
“But þorow force þem ouer haf,
“As þeues robbed þem, & reft:
“Þat wil we chalange of þem now eft;
“Wyþ force þey gaf hit to þe Romayns,
“Wyþ force we wil haue hit agayns.
“So harde oure force may to þem byte,
“Þat alle oure scaþes schul þey quyte;
“We haue wonnen many a stour,
“& ouer al born a-wey þe fflour,
“So schul we ȝit þer pride abate,
“ffor þer couetise & þeir hate.
“Þat we haue wonne, y sette at nought,
“But ȝif þe Romayns to ryng be brought;
“Noþyng now desire y more
“Þan þider-ward we redy wore,
“& þat we were at þe bataille,
“To se who scholde best assaille;
“Þer schuld we wynne prowesse & prow,
“Hors, harneys, tresor ynow;
“Ȝif God vs graunte our lyf to saue,
“Þat we þem aske, we schul wel haue,
“Rome & al þat þer-to langes;
“Þen schul we ryghte, þat now vs wranges.
“Ȝyf God wil graunte vs wel to venge,
“Toward hym we schal wynne Lorrenge
“& Alemayne, ȝyf þat we may;
“Algate, ȝut schul we make assay!
“Als y seye, so wol y rede,
“& þat ilke wil do in dede.
“Ȝif God me graunte wel to spede,
“Two þousand schal y wyþ me lede,
“& fot folk ynowe, gode at nede:
“Ȝif God wyle, noman schul we drede!”
Seyde þe kyng sire Agusel,
Sire Lothes broþer, & sire Vrien,—
Alle þre were doughti men,—
& seide, “ȝyf þou wilt werre bygynne,
“Spek now to þo þat ar here-ynne,
“Þe beste of alle þy baronage,
“Þat wyte & herden þe message,
“And wite þer wille, what þey wil do,
“& what þat þey may helpe þer-to.
“Now ys tyme to purueye
“Of help, & god conseil to seye,
“Alle þo þat of þe holde,
“Riche lordes, & barouns bolde,
“Þat oughte to helpe þe þorow skile,
“& wel y trowe þat so þey wyle.
“No tydynge neuere y ne vnderstod
“Þat gladed me so mikel in mod,
“As wyþ þe Romayns for to werre,
“Þat alle men in þer daunger sperre.
“Y ne may þem nought loue ne preise,
“ffor þey ar proude & vncurteyse,
“Gode men so mykel to despise,
“Þat schul nought liue but in þer seruise;
“& þey ar men of non honour,
“But couetous to gedere tresour,
414
“& þer londes to robbe & struye.
“Y trowe þei schul ȝit mis-bytide
“ffor þer couetise & þer pryde;
“Of þys þat þey haue y-sent,
“Þey schul be wrothe er hit be ent;
“Wonder were elles, or art me failles,
“But þey pleye wyþ repentailles.
“& þaw þey neuere had hit by-gonne,
“We scholde þorow right on þem haue ronne
“ffor to venge our auncessours,
“& bate þer pride as þey wolde ours.
“Þey seide þey had of þeym trewage,
“& chalange hit for here heritage:
“I trowe þat þey nere þem non gaf,
“But þorow force þem ouer haf,
“As þeues robbed þem, & reft:
“Þat wil we chalange of þem now eft;
“Wyþ force þey gaf hit to þe Romayns,
“Wyþ force we wil haue hit agayns.
“So harde oure force may to þem byte,
“Þat alle oure scaþes schul þey quyte;
“We haue wonnen many a stour,
“& ouer al born a-wey þe fflour,
“So schul we ȝit þer pride abate,
“ffor þer couetise & þeir hate.
“Þat we haue wonne, y sette at nought,
“But ȝif þe Romayns to ryng be brought;
“Noþyng now desire y more
“Þan þider-ward we redy wore,
415
“To se who scholde best assaille;
“Þer schuld we wynne prowesse & prow,
“Hors, harneys, tresor ynow;
“Ȝif God vs graunte our lyf to saue,
“Þat we þem aske, we schul wel haue,
“Rome & al þat þer-to langes;
“Þen schul we ryghte, þat now vs wranges.
“Ȝyf God wil graunte vs wel to venge,
“Toward hym we schal wynne Lorrenge
“& Alemayne, ȝyf þat we may;
“Algate, ȝut schul we make assay!
“Als y seye, so wol y rede,
“& þat ilke wil do in dede.
“Ȝif God me graunte wel to spede,
“Two þousand schal y wyþ me lede,
“& fot folk ynowe, gode at nede:
“Ȝif God wyle, noman schul we drede!”
When þen Scottysche kyng had his tale told,
Alle þey seide wyþ tonge o fold,
‘Þat schent he schold be of hem alle,
‘On wham þat þe wendyng schulde nought falle.’
When ilkon had seid his wylle,
Arthur listned, & sat ful stille,
Let calle a clerk wyþ inke & penne,
& bad hym write he scholde hym kenne.
Als he had seyd in alle maners,
& bitaught hit þe messegers
ffaire folden, & wel enseled,
& to þer maister was hit deled,
& dide þem alle gret honour,
Y-now he gaf hem of tresour,
& bad hem seye to þe Emperour,
Þat “Arthur of ffraunce [is] gouernour,
“& of Bretaigne chef & flour,
“& schal defendit, castel & tour,
“& be þer warant & socour
“Ageyns Romayns to stonde in stour.”
“Seis ȝour lord, y wil nought let
“To come þat day þat he haþ set;
“No trewage to ȝelde, but trewage to fet;
“Loke he be redy, do þat he het!”
Alle þey seide wyþ tonge o fold,
‘Þat schent he schold be of hem alle,
‘On wham þat þe wendyng schulde nought falle.’
When ilkon had seid his wylle,
Arthur listned, & sat ful stille,
Let calle a clerk wyþ inke & penne,
& bad hym write he scholde hym kenne.
Als he had seyd in alle maners,
& bitaught hit þe messegers
416
& to þer maister was hit deled,
& dide þem alle gret honour,
Y-now he gaf hem of tresour,
& bad hem seye to þe Emperour,
Þat “Arthur of ffraunce [is] gouernour,
“& of Bretaigne chef & flour,
“& schal defendit, castel & tour,
“& be þer warant & socour
“Ageyns Romayns to stonde in stour.”
“Seis ȝour lord, y wil nought let
“To come þat day þat he haþ set;
“No trewage to ȝelde, but trewage to fet;
“Loke he be redy, do þat he het!”
Þe messegers þer leue þey tok,
Toward Rome þer wey þey schok,
& telde þe Emperour, when þey come,
Þe grete nobleye of Arthures home,
How mykel folk þey wyþ hym fond,—
So doughti þer nar in no lond,—
& in what stede his court he held,
Al þe stat þer-of, þey teld,
How curteisly to þem he spak,
“Nought but wysdom of his mouþ brak;
“Nys non on lyue, cayser ne kynge,
“Þat semeþ so wel his beryng,
“Ne so curteys þer-wyþ-al;
“His giftes ar large, & stonde in stal;
“Þer ys no kyng doþ suche costages
“Of mete ne drynke, ne giftes of wages;
“Ne swilk seruise ys þer non
“In no court, as in his allon.
“To aske hym trewe, hit is for nought;
“He þenkes to aske ȝe þennes brought.”
Þe chartre þey schewed þer barouns,
& seide, “swich ys Arthures respouns.”
Toward Rome þer wey þey schok,
& telde þe Emperour, when þey come,
Þe grete nobleye of Arthures home,
How mykel folk þey wyþ hym fond,—
So doughti þer nar in no lond,—
& in what stede his court he held,
Al þe stat þer-of, þey teld,
How curteisly to þem he spak,
“Nought but wysdom of his mouþ brak;
“Nys non on lyue, cayser ne kynge,
“Þat semeþ so wel his beryng,
“Ne so curteys þer-wyþ-al;
“His giftes ar large, & stonde in stal;
“Þer ys no kyng doþ suche costages
“Of mete ne drynke, ne giftes of wages;
417
“In no court, as in his allon.
“To aske hym trewe, hit is for nought;
“He þenkes to aske ȝe þennes brought.”
Þe chartre þey schewed þer barouns,
& seide, “swich ys Arthures respouns.”
When þe Romayns had wel herd
How þe messegers answerd,
& þeir lettre acorded wel
Vntil þer sawe ilka del,
Þat Arthur wolde no seruise do,
But haue trewage,—þe lettre wild so,—
Þey seide to the Emperour alle aboute,
“Wyþ force ȝe schul don hym loute.
“Passeþ Moungu wiþ host right stoute;
“& ȝif he come, we schal hym route,
“& reue hym his regne, maugre his snoute,
“& wyþ righte force hold hym wyþoute.”
How þe messegers answerd,
& þeir lettre acorded wel
Vntil þer sawe ilka del,
Þat Arthur wolde no seruise do,
But haue trewage,—þe lettre wild so,—
Þey seide to the Emperour alle aboute,
“Wyþ force ȝe schul don hym loute.
“Passeþ Moungu wiþ host right stoute;
“& ȝif he come, we schal hym route,
“& reue hym his regne, maugre his snoute,
“& wyþ righte force hold hym wyþoute.”
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