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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Lamentacio Regis Leyr. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Lamentacio Regis Leyr.
Þenne bygan Leyr to sorewe,
& ment his mone euen & morwe;
Þe grete richesse he hadde byforn,
Al was a-weye & y-lorn:
“To longe a lyue haue y be,
“Þat euere scholdy þys day se!
“Ensample of me men may take,
“& warnyng of sibbe, for my sake!
“Y hadde richesse; now haue y non!
“My wyt & al myn help ys gon!
“Lady ffortune, þou art chaungable;
“O day art þou neuere stable;
“No man may of þe affye,
“Þou turnes hym doun þat er was heye;
“Þat now ys doun, vpward þou turnes;
“Wyþ þe, nys non þat he ne mournes;
“Bot þere þou gyuest þy loue lokyng,
“He ys worschiped als a kyng;
“& whom þou turnest þy lokyng fro,
“Sone ys he doune yn sorewe & wo;
“Þe vnkynde þou wilt vp reyse,
“Þe kynde þou puttest to meseysey;
“Wyþ kyng & erl, when þe myslikes,
“Þer welþe a-wey to wo þou strykes.
“When y had god & welþe ynow,
“Þen fondy frende þat to me drow;
“Now pouerte ys put me byforn,
“Þat al þer sight fro me ys lorn;
“Þer loue schold lange to me þorow ryght,
“Þat schewe me of loue semblaunt ne syght.
“Dame fortune, þy louely lok
“& þy gode wille fro me þou tok,
“When y blamed my doughter ȝyng,
“& gaf no kepe til hure kennyng,
“Þat seyde me soþ apertely:
“‘Als y had, so was y worthy,
“‘And also mykel scheo loued me:’
“Scheo seide bettere þan y couþ se;
“Hure word noþyng y ne vndestod,
“But mad me wroþ: y couþe no god,
“Y parceyued nought what was hure tent,
“Bot now fele y wel what scheo ment;
“Y fele hit we[l] þe soþe hit endes;
“Whyder may y now to seke my frendes?
“Ȝyf y seke hure for any frame,
“Þey sche me weyue, scheo nys to blame,
“ffor y defended hure my lond,
“Ne nought hure gaf, ne hure ne fond:
“Naþeles, hure wol y seke,
“Y fond hure euere god and meke;
“Wisdam sche has me ytaught,
“Wysdam schal make hure wiþ me saught;
“Ȝyf y may nought bryng hure þerto,
“Wors þan þe oþere may sche nought do;
“Scheo seyde a þyng y scha[l] now proue,
“‘Als hure ffader scheo wolde me loue;’
“& als scheo seyde, proue schal y
“Hire kyndenesse & hure curtesy.”
& ment his mone euen & morwe;
Þe grete richesse he hadde byforn,
Al was a-weye & y-lorn:
“To longe a lyue haue y be,
“Þat euere scholdy þys day se!
“Ensample of me men may take,
“& warnyng of sibbe, for my sake!
88
“My wyt & al myn help ys gon!
“Lady ffortune, þou art chaungable;
“O day art þou neuere stable;
“No man may of þe affye,
“Þou turnes hym doun þat er was heye;
“Þat now ys doun, vpward þou turnes;
“Wyþ þe, nys non þat he ne mournes;
“Bot þere þou gyuest þy loue lokyng,
“He ys worschiped als a kyng;
“& whom þou turnest þy lokyng fro,
“Sone ys he doune yn sorewe & wo;
“Þe vnkynde þou wilt vp reyse,
“Þe kynde þou puttest to meseysey;
“Wyþ kyng & erl, when þe myslikes,
“Þer welþe a-wey to wo þou strykes.
“When y had god & welþe ynow,
“Þen fondy frende þat to me drow;
“Now pouerte ys put me byforn,
“Þat al þer sight fro me ys lorn;
“Þer loue schold lange to me þorow ryght,
“Þat schewe me of loue semblaunt ne syght.
“Dame fortune, þy louely lok
“& þy gode wille fro me þou tok,
“When y blamed my doughter ȝyng,
“& gaf no kepe til hure kennyng,
“Þat seyde me soþ apertely:
“‘Als y had, so was y worthy,
“‘And also mykel scheo loued me:’
“Scheo seide bettere þan y couþ se;
“Hure word noþyng y ne vndestod,
“But mad me wroþ: y couþe no god,
89
“Bot now fele y wel what scheo ment;
“Y fele hit we[l] þe soþe hit endes;
“Whyder may y now to seke my frendes?
“Ȝyf y seke hure for any frame,
“Þey sche me weyue, scheo nys to blame,
“ffor y defended hure my lond,
“Ne nought hure gaf, ne hure ne fond:
“Naþeles, hure wol y seke,
“Y fond hure euere god and meke;
“Wisdam sche has me ytaught,
“Wysdam schal make hure wiþ me saught;
“Ȝyf y may nought bryng hure þerto,
“Wors þan þe oþere may sche nought do;
“Scheo seyde a þyng y scha[l] now proue,
“‘Als hure ffader scheo wolde me loue;’
“& als scheo seyde, proue schal y
“Hire kyndenesse & hure curtesy.”
When Leyr had longe sore syked,
Hys mone ment, & myslyked;
He dighte hym, als of chaunce,
Right ouer þe se forþ into ffraunce.
Vp at Calays he hauene hent,
To þe quene priuely he sent;
At a cite he abod,
Whyle a man his message rod,
& telde þe quene al hys cas,
And how he vp aryued was;
How hys doughtres had wyþ hym wrought,
Al his meschef, furgat [he] nought.
Hys mone ment, & myslyked;
He dighte hym, als of chaunce,
Right ouer þe se forþ into ffraunce.
Vp at Calays he hauene hent,
To þe quene priuely he sent;
At a cite he abod,
Whyle a man his message rod,
& telde þe quene al hys cas,
And how he vp aryued was;
How hys doughtres had wyþ hym wrought,
Al his meschef, furgat [he] nought.
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