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 |
 |
|
De obsidione Bruti per Regem Grecorum. |
 | The Story of England |  |
De obsidione Bruti per Regem Grecorum.
Þe sege was hard to þeym wyþynne,
& þey wyþoute myghte nought wynne,
Ne nought ne schold, of ful fer longe,
Ȝyf hit ne were for honger stronge;
Þe faute þey dredde comynge byforn,
Þe host was mykel, & lite had corn;
Þey asked Brutes of conseill,
What þey schold do for more vitail:
“Conseile vs er hit be goon,
“Hit ys to late whan we haue non,
“Whan we haue nough[t] vs to fede,
“Þe castel most we ȝelde nede.”
Þus þey seide, þe men were wyse,
& Brutus byþoughte hym of queintise:
Queyntise bihouede hym nedly þenke,
Þat his enemy schold waite a blenk;
& mykel peril byhoues hym haue,
Þat auntres hym his frend to saue.
Brutus had yn his prison
Antygon & Anacleton;
Brutes tok hym by þe top,
& seide, “Hedles schal þou hop!
“Bot þou do als y þe seye,
“Of myn hand[e] schalt þou deye,
“Boþe þe kynges broþer and þou;
“& boþe myght þou saue now.”
“Sire,” he seide, “do ȝour wille!
“How mygh[t] y vs saue fro ylle,
“Sey me, sire, on what manere;
“& ȝyf y may, y wol ȝow here.”
Brutus seyde, “þou schalt go
“Alone to nyght, wyþouten mo,
“To þeym þat loke þat on entre,
“& sey til hem als y sey þe:
“Sey þou hast stolen þe kynges brother
“Out of prison, & non oþer;
“In to þe wode þou hast hym led,
“Bot ferrer may þou nought, for dred,
“ffor þo men þat þe wode loke,
“Þat hym ne þe þey ouertoke;
“Bot ilkon, bid hem come wiþ þe,
“Þat noman byhinde be;
“& we schul be busched þer biside,
“& ȝyf y may, þey schol abyde
“Þat þey ne go nought vs to wrye,
“Ne [nought] desturble me my weye.”
Anacletus graunted wel,
ȝyf Brutus wold be tryst as stel
Þat his lyf he wolde hym saue.
Brutus dide hym sykernesse haue.
Anacletus, forþ he went,
& dide als Brutus had hym sent.
& þey wyþoute myghte nought wynne,
Ne nought ne schold, of ful fer longe,
38
Þe faute þey dredde comynge byforn,
Þe host was mykel, & lite had corn;
Þey asked Brutes of conseill,
What þey schold do for more vitail:
“Conseile vs er hit be goon,
“Hit ys to late whan we haue non,
“Whan we haue nough[t] vs to fede,
“Þe castel most we ȝelde nede.”
Þus þey seide, þe men were wyse,
& Brutus byþoughte hym of queintise:
Queyntise bihouede hym nedly þenke,
Þat his enemy schold waite a blenk;
& mykel peril byhoues hym haue,
Þat auntres hym his frend to saue.
Brutus had yn his prison
Antygon & Anacleton;
Brutes tok hym by þe top,
& seide, “Hedles schal þou hop!
“Bot þou do als y þe seye,
“Of myn hand[e] schalt þou deye,
“Boþe þe kynges broþer and þou;
“& boþe myght þou saue now.”
“Sire,” he seide, “do ȝour wille!
“How mygh[t] y vs saue fro ylle,
“Sey me, sire, on what manere;
“& ȝyf y may, y wol ȝow here.”
Brutus seyde, “þou schalt go
“Alone to nyght, wyþouten mo,
39
“& sey til hem als y sey þe:
“Sey þou hast stolen þe kynges brother
“Out of prison, & non oþer;
“In to þe wode þou hast hym led,
“Bot ferrer may þou nought, for dred,
“ffor þo men þat þe wode loke,
“Þat hym ne þe þey ouertoke;
“Bot ilkon, bid hem come wiþ þe,
“Þat noman byhinde be;
“& we schul be busched þer biside,
“& ȝyf y may, þey schol abyde
“Þat þey ne go nought vs to wrye,
“Ne [nought] desturble me my weye.”
Anacletus graunted wel,
ȝyf Brutus wold be tryst as stel
Þat his lyf he wolde hym saue.
Brutus dide hym sykernesse haue.
Anacletus, forþ he went,
& dide als Brutus had hym sent.
At bed-tyme, when men were in rest,
Brutus wiþ his folk was prest,
& wel armed wente þer weye
Þer he knew by o valeye.
In þe wode bisides þat entre
He busched hem in parties þre.
When al were busched, man & stede,
Anacletus bygan hym spede,
& com to þem þat kepte þe pas,
& seide, fro Brutus stolen he was.
Alle þey kende hym þat þer were,
& asked hym how he com þere;
Sire Antigon, þe kynges broþer,
Þey askede ȝif he lyuede als oþer.
He seide, “þe kynges brother & y
“Ar skaped out fol queyntely;
“In þe wode y haue hym hid
“ffor sight of men, ȝyf so bityd,
“ȝyf ony had perseyued vs
“& lad vs a-geyn til Brutus;
“Bot alone dar he nought go,
“Þerfore come y after mo;
“Þe gyues aboute his fet þey rynge,
“& alone dar y hym nought brynge;
“Comes wyþ me, y schal ȝow lede
“Þer he ys, & has gret drede.”
Þey trowed hym, þat he soþ seyde,
& schet forthe al in a breyd,
In to þe wode alle on a route,
Þey þoughte of no treson ne doute.
Anacletus forþ þem led
Tyl Brutus folk, þer þey wer spred;
& Brutus perseyued al þer pryde,
& bylapped hem on ylk a side
So þat non ne myghte skape,
Bot al wor flayd at o frape;
Com neuere non of þo a-geyn
Þat myghte þem warne, knyght ne swayn.
Brutus wiþ his folk was prest,
& wel armed wente þer weye
Þer he knew by o valeye.
In þe wode bisides þat entre
He busched hem in parties þre.
When al were busched, man & stede,
Anacletus bygan hym spede,
& com to þem þat kepte þe pas,
& seide, fro Brutus stolen he was.
40
& asked hym how he com þere;
Sire Antigon, þe kynges broþer,
Þey askede ȝif he lyuede als oþer.
He seide, “þe kynges brother & y
“Ar skaped out fol queyntely;
“In þe wode y haue hym hid
“ffor sight of men, ȝyf so bityd,
“ȝyf ony had perseyued vs
“& lad vs a-geyn til Brutus;
“Bot alone dar he nought go,
“Þerfore come y after mo;
“Þe gyues aboute his fet þey rynge,
“& alone dar y hym nought brynge;
“Comes wyþ me, y schal ȝow lede
“Þer he ys, & has gret drede.”
Þey trowed hym, þat he soþ seyde,
& schet forthe al in a breyd,
In to þe wode alle on a route,
Þey þoughte of no treson ne doute.
Anacletus forþ þem led
Tyl Brutus folk, þer þey wer spred;
& Brutus perseyued al þer pryde,
& bylapped hem on ylk a side
So þat non ne myghte skape,
Bot al wor flayd at o frape;
Com neuere non of þo a-geyn
Þat myghte þem warne, knyght ne swayn.
| The Story of England | |