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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Deprecamus te, Domine, in omni misericordia tua,
. vt auferatur furor tuus & ira tua a ciuitate
. ista, & de domo tua sancta, qua pauimus.
. Alleuya! |
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Deprecamus te, Domine, in omni misericordia tua, . vt auferatur furor tuus & ira tua a ciuitate . ista, & de domo tua sancta, qua pauimus. . Alleuya!
“Of merci, Lord, we preye to þe,
“Do þy wrathþe from þys cite,
“And fro þy holy hous al-swa!
“ffor our synnes we singe Alleluya!”
Alleluya ys forto seye,
‘Make me saf, God, er y deye!’
“Do þy wrathþe from þys cite,
“And fro þy holy hous al-swa!
“ffor our synnes we singe Alleluya!”
Alleluya ys forto seye,
‘Make me saf, God, er y deye!’
In þat tyme þat y now rede—
Þe date was, as seyþ seint Bede,
ffyf hundred & four score,
& foure ȝeres mo byfore,—
In þys date was an Emperour,—
Maurice he highte,—þat bar þe flour.
Þre & fifti ȝer Emperour had he ben
Syn Augustus was Emperour sen.
Þys Maurice þat y of telle her,
He rengned on and twenti ȝer;—
I telle ȝow now of hym story,
ffor in his tyme was seint Gregori:
Y þe tenþe ȝer als rengned he,
Seint Gregore tok þe dignete,
& was pope þrytty ȝer,
Syx monthes, & ten dayes ser.
In his tyme com seint Austyn;
Byforn had Saxons woned her-in
An hundred & fifti ȝer,
And were heþene, al plener,
Syn ffortiger [tyme] þat Hengist cam,
Til þat seint Austyn broughte Cristendam.—
Seint Austyn hadde þere wonynge
Good while er he cristned þe kynge,
& ȝede & preched oueral aboute.
Til his prechyng manion gan loute;
Þey sey his lyf honeste & clene,
& euere milde, wyþouten tene;
Many miracle þey seye hym wirke.
But þat tyme was þer no kirke,
But a chapel wyþoute þe toun,
Syn þe tyme of þe Bretoun.—
Syn þe Romains hadde þys lond,
Was þe chapel þat þey þer fond.—
Þe chapel was of seint Martyn:
Of-ten þe folk wyþ seint Austyn
Wente þyder wiþ hym þe feyþ to lere,
Matines & messe for to here.
Tyl þe kyng wel vnderstod
Þat his lawe was trewe & god,
He dide hym cristne, & alle hyse,
& was god sithen til Godes seruise.
A kyrke he ordeyned y þat cite
I þe name of þe Trynite;
Right als seint Austyn wylde,
Al his wille þe kyng fulfilde.
Þe date was, as seyþ seint Bede,
ffyf hundred & four score,
& foure ȝeres mo byfore,—
In þys date was an Emperour,—
Maurice he highte,—þat bar þe flour.
Þre & fifti ȝer Emperour had he ben
Syn Augustus was Emperour sen.
Þys Maurice þat y of telle her,
He rengned on and twenti ȝer;—
I telle ȝow now of hym story,
ffor in his tyme was seint Gregori:
Y þe tenþe ȝer als rengned he,
Seint Gregore tok þe dignete,
& was pope þrytty ȝer,
Syx monthes, & ten dayes ser.
In his tyme com seint Austyn;
Byforn had Saxons woned her-in
An hundred & fifti ȝer,
And were heþene, al plener,
525
Til þat seint Austyn broughte Cristendam.—
Seint Austyn hadde þere wonynge
Good while er he cristned þe kynge,
& ȝede & preched oueral aboute.
Til his prechyng manion gan loute;
Þey sey his lyf honeste & clene,
& euere milde, wyþouten tene;
Many miracle þey seye hym wirke.
But þat tyme was þer no kirke,
But a chapel wyþoute þe toun,
Syn þe tyme of þe Bretoun.—
Syn þe Romains hadde þys lond,
Was þe chapel þat þey þer fond.—
Þe chapel was of seint Martyn:
Of-ten þe folk wyþ seint Austyn
Wente þyder wiþ hym þe feyþ to lere,
Matines & messe for to here.
Tyl þe kyng wel vnderstod
Þat his lawe was trewe & god,
He dide hym cristne, & alle hyse,
& was god sithen til Godes seruise.
A kyrke he ordeyned y þat cite
I þe name of þe Trynite;
Right als seint Austyn wylde,
Al his wille þe kyng fulfilde.
Þe kynedam of sire Ethelbright,
Vntil Humber was his right.
At Londone anoþer kyng gan wone,
Ethelbrightes sister sone;
Saberk þen was his name,
Dame Rytula highte his dame;
O þys half Temyse was his enpire,
Of Est Essex he was al sire;
But al þe kyngdam þat Saberk held,
A-cheued vntil Ethelbrightes scheld.
Vntil Humber was his right.
At Londone anoþer kyng gan wone,
Ethelbrightes sister sone;
526
Dame Rytula highte his dame;
O þys half Temyse was his enpire,
Of Est Essex he was al sire;
But al þe kyngdam þat Saberk held,
A-cheued vntil Ethelbrightes scheld.
Þre holy men of religioun,
Wyþ seint Austyn had gret renoun,
& for godnesse wel ys to wyten
Þer names of þo þat ar writen;
Sire Mellite highte þat on,
Sire Iust was loued of many on,
Sire Laurence highte þe þrydde;
Alle were þey bischopes, als bytydde;
Mellite was bischop of Londone,
Þer was þe se of Bretone.
Þe Est Saxons wyþynne a lite
Were cristned þorow Mellite;
Sire Ethelbright dide hym wyrke
Seynt Poules mynstre to ben his kyrke.
Wyþ seint Austyn had gret renoun,
& for godnesse wel ys to wyten
Þer names of þo þat ar writen;
Sire Mellite highte þat on,
Sire Iust was loued of many on,
Sire Laurence highte þe þrydde;
Alle were þey bischopes, als bytydde;
Mellite was bischop of Londone,
Þer was þe se of Bretone.
Þe Est Saxons wyþynne a lite
Were cristned þorow Mellite;
Sire Ethelbright dide hym wyrke
Seynt Poules mynstre to ben his kyrke.
Syre Iust was bischop y þat estre
Þat we on Englische calle Roucestre;
Byforn hit hadde a name selly
In Breton, Dorciberni;
But þenglische, when þey first came,
Roffa þey caldyt, after a name;
And syþen for Rof, Rofchestre teld;
Sire Iust þe byschop-riche held.
Sire Ethelbright, þorow grace hym grew,
Wrought hym a kyrke of seint Andrew.
Þat we on Englische calle Roucestre;
Byforn hit hadde a name selly
In Breton, Dorciberni;
But þenglische, when þey first came,
Roffa þey caldyt, after a name;
And syþen for Rof, Rofchestre teld;
Sire Iust þe byschop-riche held.
Sire Ethelbright, þorow grace hym grew,
Wrought hym a kyrke of seint Andrew.
527
Laurence was byschop after Austyn;
He dide hym doun, & Laurence in.
Seint Austyn, to preche he ȝede,
In Ihesu Cristes werk to spede;
Clerkes ordeyned, kirkes dide make,
Þat þe Paens dide doun schake.
When he hadde al þat cost
Brought to Cristendam al-most,
Toward Rouchestre he tok his weye,
Godes worde for to seye.
Byside Rouchestre y þe londe,
South est þethen, a folk he fond
Þat to Godes werk gaf no tent,
Ne no grace in þem non hent;
But þere he stod þem to preche,
& þer sauacion for to teche,
Byhynd hym on his cloþes þey henge,
Righe tailles on a strenge.
He dide hym doun, & Laurence in.
Seint Austyn, to preche he ȝede,
In Ihesu Cristes werk to spede;
Clerkes ordeyned, kirkes dide make,
Þat þe Paens dide doun schake.
When he hadde al þat cost
Brought to Cristendam al-most,
Toward Rouchestre he tok his weye,
Godes worde for to seye.
Byside Rouchestre y þe londe,
South est þethen, a folk he fond
Þat to Godes werk gaf no tent,
Ne no grace in þem non hent;
But þere he stod þem to preche,
& þer sauacion for to teche,
Byhynd hym on his cloþes þey henge,
Righe tailles on a strenge.
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