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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De multiplicacione Saxonum, & edificacione eorum
per loca. |
 | The Story of England |  |
574
De multiplicacione Saxonum, & edificacione eorum per loca.
When þys tempest sessed was,
& fele ȝeres passed hard pas,
Þe Saxons vntil Saxoyne sent,
& þey were fayn, & þyder went.
Þey aryuede in Northumber-land,
Þe moste of þer kynde þere þey land.
ffro Scotland vntil Cornewaille,
Al þe lond gan þey taille;—
Logres hit highte a wel god þrowe,
ffor Loqeryn þat we in Ingeland knowe;
But Bretayne was, by elde tales,
Engelond, Scotland, & Wales;
Al o land, al was o name;
Of þys matere y telde þe same.—
Was þer non here þat letted þer weye,
Ne þer takynge wolde wyþ-seye;
ffor of þe Bretons were left but fo,
Or any þat were yborn of þo,
& þo skulked to wodes & fennes,
To Cornewaille þey fledden hennes;
In to Walys þey fledden also;
Of Bretons kynde were left namo.
At þys tyme þat y here mene,
Þe Bretons passed out quit & clene,
& Englische made her þeyr byggynge,
& ches þeym of þeyr kynde a kyng.
Þyse Saxons þat hyder camen,
Loue & pees þey held ay samen;
Þe lond to tyle, oueral þey sought,
Cites, casteles, tounes, wrought,
& made houses, & tilede þe feld,
Þer vsages & þer lawes held;
Þat þey in Saxoyne helde byfore,
Þe same wolde þey haue þore.
Þe tounes names on þeir langage
Held þey after þeir lynage;
Þe erldames & þe baronyes,
On þeir vsage made partyes;
& somme þey helde on Bretons manere;
Longe had þey seyn hit byforn here.
Of pes þey made good sykernesse,
Þe lond to tyle wyþ more & lesse.
& fele ȝeres passed hard pas,
Þe Saxons vntil Saxoyne sent,
& þey were fayn, & þyder went.
Þey aryuede in Northumber-land,
Þe moste of þer kynde þere þey land.
ffro Scotland vntil Cornewaille,
Al þe lond gan þey taille;—
Logres hit highte a wel god þrowe,
ffor Loqeryn þat we in Ingeland knowe;
But Bretayne was, by elde tales,
Engelond, Scotland, & Wales;
Al o land, al was o name;
Of þys matere y telde þe same.—
Was þer non here þat letted þer weye,
Ne þer takynge wolde wyþ-seye;
ffor of þe Bretons were left but fo,
Or any þat were yborn of þo,
& þo skulked to wodes & fennes,
To Cornewaille þey fledden hennes;
In to Walys þey fledden also;
Of Bretons kynde were left namo.
At þys tyme þat y here mene,
Þe Bretons passed out quit & clene,
& Englische made her þeyr byggynge,
& ches þeym of þeyr kynde a kyng.
Þyse Saxons þat hyder camen,
Loue & pees þey held ay samen;
575
Cites, casteles, tounes, wrought,
& made houses, & tilede þe feld,
Þer vsages & þer lawes held;
Þat þey in Saxoyne helde byfore,
Þe same wolde þey haue þore.
Þe tounes names on þeir langage
Held þey after þeir lynage;
Þe erldames & þe baronyes,
On þeir vsage made partyes;
& somme þey helde on Bretons manere;
Longe had þey seyn hit byforn here.
Of pes þey made good sykernesse,
Þe lond to tyle wyþ more & lesse.
Whenne þyse Englische were oueral spred,
In fele stedes stored & fed,
& þe folk was wel y-mored,
And þe land bettere a-stored,
Hit was er a wel good þrowe,
As mannes in-wyt may þat wel knowe.
Cadwaladrus hym by-þought,
Þat in to Bretaigne for hunger sought;
By passagers wel herde he seye
Þe venimouse eyr was al a-weye;
Gretynge he preied þe kyng Aleyn
His kyndam to geten hym a-geyn;
& als he hadde bysought hym so,
On þe night a voys cam hym to,
And seide, “lef now at my biddynge,
“Til hit be schewed wyþ toknyng.
“Of Bretayne God haþ ordeyned þys,
“& gyuen hit haþ to þe Englische.
“Þe Bretons kynde schal namore
“In þat lond make wonynge þore,
“Til þat tyme come þat ys auysed,
“Þat Merlyn til Arthur prophetysed:
“He seyde, ‘þat þe folk of Breton,
“‘Er domesday schulde hit be don,
“‘Þat þey schul haue þys lond ageyn,
“‘When fulfild ys þe terme certeyn.’”
He bad hym, “he schulde go to Rome,
“To þe Pope, & take his dome,
“Þe forte assoille, penaunce to drye;
“Among þe seyntes þer schaltow lye—
“Þe prophesie schal nought falle—
“Til þe Bretons brynge þy bones alle
“Out of Rome to þys Bretayne,
“Þen schul þey haue þys lond agayne.”
Hit schal bytide swilk a weys,
Right as seint Methodye seys,
Þat many an holy bon of pris
Þat y þys tyme in ffertre lys,
Schal men take, & a-wey lede
Out of þe ffertres, for Paen drede;
& so schul his bones be brought;
What tyme hit schal be, wyte we nought.
In fele stedes stored & fed,
& þe folk was wel y-mored,
And þe land bettere a-stored,
Hit was er a wel good þrowe,
As mannes in-wyt may þat wel knowe.
Cadwaladrus hym by-þought,
Þat in to Bretaigne for hunger sought;
By passagers wel herde he seye
Þe venimouse eyr was al a-weye;
Gretynge he preied þe kyng Aleyn
His kyndam to geten hym a-geyn;
& als he hadde bysought hym so,
On þe night a voys cam hym to,
And seide, “lef now at my biddynge,
“Til hit be schewed wyþ toknyng.
576
“& gyuen hit haþ to þe Englische.
“Þe Bretons kynde schal namore
“In þat lond make wonynge þore,
“Til þat tyme come þat ys auysed,
“Þat Merlyn til Arthur prophetysed:
“He seyde, ‘þat þe folk of Breton,
“‘Er domesday schulde hit be don,
“‘Þat þey schul haue þys lond ageyn,
“‘When fulfild ys þe terme certeyn.’”
He bad hym, “he schulde go to Rome,
“To þe Pope, & take his dome,
“Þe forte assoille, penaunce to drye;
“Among þe seyntes þer schaltow lye—
“Þe prophesie schal nought falle—
“Til þe Bretons brynge þy bones alle
“Out of Rome to þys Bretayne,
“Þen schul þey haue þys lond agayne.”
Hit schal bytide swilk a weys,
Right as seint Methodye seys,
Þat many an holy bon of pris
Þat y þys tyme in ffertre lys,
Schal men take, & a-wey lede
Out of þe ffertres, for Paen drede;
& so schul his bones be brought;
What tyme hit schal be, wyte we nought.
Cadwaladres, when he þys herde,
Als a man in dwale he ferde;
Stoneyed he was a wel god þrowe,
Er þan he couþe hym self y-knowe.
At þe laste, þer-of he brak,
& til þe kyng Alayn he spak,
And teld hym what þe vois had seyd,
& what toknyng for hym was leyd.
Gret wonder hadde þe kyng Aleyn,
& wilned faste to wyte þe certeyn;
His wyse clerkes he dide forþ calle,
& dide þem seke þer bokes alle
‘To wyte what þe prophesie[s]
‘Mente & seide in sere partyes,
‘ȝif þey acorded til þat selcouþ
‘Þat Cadwaladres seide wiþ mouþ.’
Als a man in dwale he ferde;
Stoneyed he was a wel god þrowe,
Er þan he couþe hym self y-knowe.
577
& til þe kyng Alayn he spak,
And teld hym what þe vois had seyd,
& what toknyng for hym was leyd.
Gret wonder hadde þe kyng Aleyn,
& wilned faste to wyte þe certeyn;
His wyse clerkes he dide forþ calle,
& dide þem seke þer bokes alle
‘To wyte what þe prophesie[s]
‘Mente & seide in sere partyes,
‘ȝif þey acorded til þat selcouþ
‘Þat Cadwaladres seide wiþ mouþ.’
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