The Story of England :: :: University of Virginia Library

Þey conseilled sire Lokeryn:
He ȝede & wedded Gwyndolyn.
Bot he forgat in none manere
ffaire Estrilde þat was hym dere:
In Londone he dide hure kepe
Vnder erthe in a seler depe;
Estrylde was longe þare,
Seuen ȝer & somwhat mare.
When Lokeryn schold til hire go,
To dwelle wiþ hure a day or to,
Vntil his wyf þen tolde he
“þat he schold go in priuete,
“& stille make his sacrifise
“Til his Godes þer wyþ his seruise;
“ffor openly ne fel hit nought
“To do þat seruise þat he had wrought.”
So longe he pleyed wiþ Estrilde
Þat scheo hadde a mayden childe:
Sabren hit highte, as whit as glas,
& fairere þan þe moder was.
Gwyndolene a child had þan,
A sone þat highte Madan:
Coryneus hadde hit to loke;
When tyme was, set hit to boke.

Whan þat Corineus was ded,
Dame Gwyndolene he misbed;

ffor hure fader dide him tene,
He drof awey dame Gwyndolene,
& tok Estrild[e] til his quene
As dame Gwyndolene had bene.
Scheo sey no bettere myghte auaille,
Scho gadered an ost in Cornewaylle;
Tyl hure frendes scheo pleyned hyre;
Ageyn Lokeryn þey gon hem atyre
Wyþ gret host out of mesure.
Vpon a water men calde Esture,
In Dorsete-schire, þey mette,
& to bataille swyþe þey sette.
þe kyng was slayn þer wiþ a schote,
þe host destruyed ilk a crote;
þe quen had þer þe heyer hand,
Scheo dide seise al þe land,
Scheo did þen take faire Estrilde,
& Sabrin þat was hure child,
& dide þem yn a water cast;
ffor þeym þe name ys roted fast;
Seuerne hit hight, for þe child Sabren,
ffor þat child þat name we ken:
Þat tyme þat þis chaunce fel,
Lyuede þe prophete Samuel.

Gwyndolene was þen stout,
Scheo dide þe folk vntil hire lout:
Ten ȝer wiþ Lokeryn had scheo ben,
& siþen fiftene wynter, quen.
When Madan couthe kepe his þyng,
In hure lyue was he mad kyng.
To Cornewaille sche turnede eft,
To kepe þat hure fader left.
Madan gat vpon his wyf

Two sones þat ay lyued in strif;
Malyn highte þe eldest broþer,
Membrice men calde þat oþer.
Madan regned fourty ȝer,
& left his sones þat lond in wer.
Þyse brethere were euere wrothe,
ffor þe lond þey striuen boþe.
Membrice for trewes to Malyn sent,
In pes to holde a Parlement;
Bot Membrice to treson drow,
His broþer Malyn priuely he slow;
Þorow slaughter & þorow treson
Membrice hadde þe region.
Þys Membrice wax vnkynde,
ffordede god men þat he myght fynde,
Reften oþer land or lyf,
Or forsok his wedded wyf,
& haunted synne of Sodome:
Vnkyndely to bestes he com.
Twenty ȝer þen had he space,
& als he went in wode to chace,
Many wolues alone he mette;
Also þeues abouten hym þey set,
Lym fro lym hym al to-rent;
& so Membrice to deþe went.
Þen Saul regned in Iudea,
And Eristeus in Lacudemonia.

Ebrauk his sone was of age,
Had þis lond in heritage.

He was a ful noble knyght,
A gret nauye he dide hym dight;
He was þe first man of þys lond
þat robbed by se oþer by sond.
Wiþ Cornewaleys he stod to chaunce,
Þey & he robbed al ffraunce;
Þey robbed tresor & vitaille;
Hom in to Bretaigne þen gan þey saille.
When he hadde y-now tresour & fe,
In þe North he made a cite;
Kaer Ebrak he calde þat toun;
Anoþer, Aclud, vpon Brutoun.
Kaer Ebrak first men spak,
Syþen men caldyt Eborak;
ffor frankysche speche ys nought so lyk,
ffor Eborak þey caldit Euerwyk.
Aclud he calde Maidenes toun,
Carlauerok es now þe renoun;
Maydeneskastel by þat day,
Wiþ maydenes had he þer his play.
Sexti wynter he regned lyues,
& twenty sones had by twenti wyues,
& þrytty doughtres by þe same.
Of þyse children, lystneþ þer name: