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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Quare vocatur Cernel. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Quare vocatur Cernel.
Seint Austyn gladed his felawes
Of Godes sight & of his sawes;
& for [he] hadde sen right þer
Þe sight þat he saw neuere er,
‘Cernel’ he calde þat ilke stede,
ffor he saw God, & herde his bede.
‘Cerno’ ys on Englische, ‘y se;’
‘El’ ys Ebrew, ‘God’ schuld hit be;
Do to-gyder Cerno & El,
Þat ys called Cernoel.
When Englische men & Saxons—
ffirst þe kynge, þen þe barons,—
Hadde receiued þe bapteme,
& children also crystned in creme,
Mykel ioye seint Austyn mad,
& þanked God wyþ herte glade.
Of Godes sight & of his sawes;
& for [he] hadde sen right þer
Þe sight þat he saw neuere er,
‘Cernel’ he calde þat ilke stede,
ffor he saw God, & herde his bede.
‘Cerno’ ys on Englische, ‘y se;’
‘El’ ys Ebrew, ‘God’ schuld hit be;
Do to-gyder Cerno & El,
530
When Englische men & Saxons—
ffirst þe kynge, þen þe barons,—
Hadde receiued þe bapteme,
& children also crystned in creme,
Mykel ioye seint Austyn mad,
& þanked God wyþ herte glade.
Toward Walys, Bretons he fond,
Ageyn þe Englishe defended þer lond,
Ageyn al þe Englische poer,
Monke, abbote, & seculer.
Þorow Gormound þe Englische had hit wonne,
& ouer þe Bretons riden & ronne,
& in to Walys dide þem chace,
Þer þey wonede, biggand a place.
Þo religious whilom wer her,
Þen woned þey þor in stedes ser.
Of þo ilke religiouses
ffond seint Austyn many houses,
Abbote, monkes, wyþoute vitaille,
Þat lyuede alle on þer trauaille.
Seuen bischopes sey he þere,
Þat in Walys wonynge were;
An erchebischop of gret degre,
At Kerlion was þenne þe se;
At Bangor al-so was an abbeye
Of blake monkes, but none greye;
Two þousand, þat was þer lot,
Þeyr abbot highte sire Dynot.
Þyse two þousand, at here deuis,
Were departed in seuen partis;
Þre hundred were euere in o couent
Vntil labour set & sent;
But on to lyue, had þey nought
But by þer trauail þat þey wrought.
Ageyn þe Englishe defended þer lond,
Ageyn al þe Englische poer,
Monke, abbote, & seculer.
Þorow Gormound þe Englische had hit wonne,
& ouer þe Bretons riden & ronne,
& in to Walys dide þem chace,
Þer þey wonede, biggand a place.
Þo religious whilom wer her,
Þen woned þey þor in stedes ser.
Of þo ilke religiouses
ffond seint Austyn many houses,
Abbote, monkes, wyþoute vitaille,
Þat lyuede alle on þer trauaille.
Seuen bischopes sey he þere,
Þat in Walys wonynge were;
An erchebischop of gret degre,
At Kerlion was þenne þe se;
At Bangor al-so was an abbeye
Of blake monkes, but none greye;
Two þousand, þat was þer lot,
Þeyr abbot highte sire Dynot.
Þyse two þousand, at here deuis,
Were departed in seuen partis;
531
Vntil labour set & sent;
But on to lyue, had þey nought
But by þer trauail þat þey wrought.
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