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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| Post decessum Bruty, regnauit Lokerynus filius eius. |
 | The Story of England |  |
70
Post decessum Bruty, regnauit Lokerynus filius eius.
Brutus had wyþ Ignogyn
þre childre: þe eldest hight Lokeryn,
Þat oþer, Kamber & Albanak;
þise lyuede byhynde Brutus bak,
& buryed hym, his sones þre.
When he was ded in his cite,
Þyse þre brethere in loue & pes
Parted þe lond, & ilkon ches,
& held þem payed on þer partys,
Als þe þre royames lys.
Lokeryn ches first, he was eldest;
þys lond of Logres hit fel hym best.
Logeres hit ys after his name;
ffor Lokeryn, Logers had hit þe name.
Kamber til his part gan ȝerne
North west þe water of Seuerne,
In length, in brede, als hit [gan] lye,
& for his name kald hit Kambrie:
Kambrie hit highte, by þo tales,
Þat lond þat now ys cleped Wales;
& for þe quen dame Galaes,
ffor loue of hure, þat name þey ches.
Somme now seye for oþer reson
Galeys was cald, for duk Galon:
Whylom þys duk was of power,
& gret renoun hadde fer & ner.
Albanak was ȝongest of alle,
þe moste wodeland gan hym falle.
Albanak kalde his partie
After his name, Albanie:
Albanie highte þat now ys Scotland,
As y schal ȝow telle how y fand:
þe name of Scotlon, þe firste rote
Hit was gyuen a mayden Scote;
Scote was ffaraones doughter þe kynge,
Tyl Scotland was scho wedded ȝynge,
And was til hire gyuen, & scheo hit aughte;
Of hire þe name Scotland laughte.
þre childre: þe eldest hight Lokeryn,
Þat oþer, Kamber & Albanak;
þise lyuede byhynde Brutus bak,
& buryed hym, his sones þre.
When he was ded in his cite,
Þyse þre brethere in loue & pes
Parted þe lond, & ilkon ches,
& held þem payed on þer partys,
Als þe þre royames lys.
Lokeryn ches first, he was eldest;
þys lond of Logres hit fel hym best.
Logeres hit ys after his name;
ffor Lokeryn, Logers had hit þe name.
Kamber til his part gan ȝerne
North west þe water of Seuerne,
In length, in brede, als hit [gan] lye,
& for his name kald hit Kambrie:
Kambrie hit highte, by þo tales,
Þat lond þat now ys cleped Wales;
& for þe quen dame Galaes,
ffor loue of hure, þat name þey ches.
Somme now seye for oþer reson
Galeys was cald, for duk Galon:
Whylom þys duk was of power,
& gret renoun hadde fer & ner.
Albanak was ȝongest of alle,
þe moste wodeland gan hym falle.
Albanak kalde his partie
After his name, Albanie:
71
As y schal ȝow telle how y fand:
þe name of Scotlon, þe firste rote
Hit was gyuen a mayden Scote;
Scote was ffaraones doughter þe kynge,
Tyl Scotland was scho wedded ȝynge,
And was til hire gyuen, & scheo hit aughte;
Of hire þe name Scotland laughte.
Numbert, a kyng o Huneys,
A robbour he was al, hit seys;
He robbed þe ildes alle a-boute;
Of lyþer men he hadde gret route.
Of Albanye men til hym spak,
Þat was a childes Albanak:
Wiþ Albanak fayn wold he fyght,
& Albanak faste ageyn hym dight;
Bot Albanak sone þer he slow;
His folk fledde, & southeward drow,
& pleyned þem to sire Lokeryn
How þey ascaped wiþ mykel pyn.
Lokeryn vntil Kamber sent;
Þey gadered host, & þyder went.
A-gayn þeim com sire Numbert;
Of þeym boþe was he nought ferd.
In an arme of þe se
Met þey to-gidere alle þre.
þe Bretons were wel mo þan he;
In-to þat water þey dide hem fle;
þey ne ascaped for no thyng
& so þer drenkled Humbert þe kyng.
ffor Humbert gan þer mys-falle,
Sire Lokeryn dide þe water calle
Humber, after sire Humbert,
ffor he dreynte þerin in apert.
ffro Alemaigne sire Humbert cam,
Þe ildes he robbed al so he nam.
Sire Lokeryn tok þat he had reft,
Þre faire maydenes in his schip were left:
þe kynges doughter of Germyne
Was þe fairest of alle þre.
Sire Lokery[n] byheld faste þat may,
Scheo was þe fairest til his pay;
Tendrely he dide hure ȝeme,
Of alle scheo was most til his queme;
Estrilde þat maiden hight,
Was non so fair in Lokerynes sight.
Corineus, ȝit lyued he þo,
A robbour he was al, hit seys;
He robbed þe ildes alle a-boute;
Of lyþer men he hadde gret route.
Of Albanye men til hym spak,
Þat was a childes Albanak:
Wiþ Albanak fayn wold he fyght,
& Albanak faste ageyn hym dight;
Bot Albanak sone þer he slow;
His folk fledde, & southeward drow,
& pleyned þem to sire Lokeryn
How þey ascaped wiþ mykel pyn.
Lokeryn vntil Kamber sent;
Þey gadered host, & þyder went.
A-gayn þeim com sire Numbert;
Of þeym boþe was he nought ferd.
In an arme of þe se
Met þey to-gidere alle þre.
þe Bretons were wel mo þan he;
In-to þat water þey dide hem fle;
þey ne ascaped for no thyng
& so þer drenkled Humbert þe kyng.
72
Sire Lokeryn dide þe water calle
Humber, after sire Humbert,
ffor he dreynte þerin in apert.
ffro Alemaigne sire Humbert cam,
Þe ildes he robbed al so he nam.
Sire Lokeryn tok þat he had reft,
Þre faire maydenes in his schip were left:
þe kynges doughter of Germyne
Was þe fairest of alle þre.
Sire Lokery[n] byheld faste þat may,
Scheo was þe fairest til his pay;
Tendrely he dide hure ȝeme,
Of alle scheo was most til his queme;
Estrilde þat maiden hight,
Was non so fair in Lokerynes sight.
He hadde a doughter, & no mo;
He had spoken wiþ Lokeryn
To wedde his doughter Gwyndolyn;
Lokeryn & he were in couenaunt,
& þey boþe had mad þe graunt,
Þat, for þe loue of fair Estrilde,
Lokeryn haf brokene hit, fayn he wylde.
Corineus herde hit sone seye:
þer Lokeryn was, he tok þe weye;
An ax in his hand he tok,
On Lokeryn loþliche gan he lok,
& angrily til hym he spak,—
Nought bot wrathe his mouþ brak,—
73
“þy selue dightest þe to dol:
“þy ded of me þen schalt þou haue;
“Þer-fro noman schal þe saue.
“Why hast þou my doughter forsaken
“þat in trouþe þow haddest taken?
“Þat ys þe þank þat þou me cones!
“I hope to wynne þat þou inne wones.
“Y serued þy fader in many nede,
“& yuel ȝeldest þou me my mede.
“I auntred me in many chaunce
“þy fader Brutus forto auaunce;
“Many strok gaf in many stour
“To brynge þy fader til his honur;
“& ȝit þy self auaunce y wylde.
“Bot for on þey calle Estrylde,
“fforsake[st] my doughter Gwyndolene,
“& dost me despit & tene!
“Whil (þou wost) y am on lyue,
“Schalt þou haue non oþer wyue!
“þou bryngest þe in foul fame,
“& dost me gret onoy & schame,
“& my doughter Gwendolyn!”
& leyde hand on Lokeryn,
& wolde han venged þer his tene,
Nadde lordes schoten hem bytwene
& departed hem o twynne,
And preied Cornyus forto blynne.
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