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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| Respice verba detractorys. |
 | The Story of England |  |
Respice verba detractorys.
“We haue merueille in oure þought—“Bot non to þe dar sey ryght nought—
“Þat of so gret an heritage,
“Þat long & brod ys in passage,
“Þat þy fader hadde in his baillye,
“& hast þerof so litel partie!
“And ȝit, als litel as þow has,
“Þou schalt hym serue at alle cas!
“Wiltow holde longe þat wyse,
“To serue þy broþer in alle seruise?
“Artow þral or bastard,
“Or more vyl or more coward,
“Þat þou schalt do hym þer-fore homage,
“& art of þe same parage?
“Þe ffader hym gat, he gat þe,
“& of o moder born ar ȝe.
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“& of o ffader & moder ware,
“Wherfore has Belyn, & why,
“Of þe & þyne swych seygnury?
“Brest a two þat ilke bond,
“Do hym no seruise for þy lond!
“ffor no lord holdeþ þe, Belyn,
“Namore schaltow holde hym for þyn.
“Trowe til vs & oure consayl!
“To þy worschipe hit wole auayl!
“To non of þy vasselage
“Ne seye we neuere do suche outrage!
“Þorow whas queyntyse, & þorow whas art,
“Ches Belyn hym þe beste part?
“Þer falles non oþer chesyng to;
“Bot most schal haue, þat most may do.
“More artow worth, & more hardy!
“Þat haue we sen fol certeynly
“When þou slowe þe Duk Cenflo
“Þat al Morine langede to,
“Þat al Scotland wolde haue wasted;
“Þy doughtinesse to deþe hym hasted.
“I trowe of þys þou þoughte byforn,
“Bot priuely þou hast hit boren,
“Þat we ne scholde mynge for drede.
“Now [we] rede, þow do hit in dede,
“And forto wynne hit ilkadel.
“Doute þe nought, þou may ful wel,
“ffor we ne schulle þe neuere faille,
“Þe while we lyue & mowe trauaylle,
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“Do þe ouer vntil Norweye,
“And þe kynges doughter þou take;
“Þy party may þou þe bettere make.
“Haue þou Norweye & Scotland,
“& vs alle vnto þyn hand;
“Agaynes no land schuldestow wende,
“Þat þou ne gete þe fairere ende;
“Ne Belyn durste þe nought abide
“Ȝyf þou ageyn hym woldest ride.
“Ȝyf þou haue y-þought make þy bone,
“Go by tyme, & come right sone,
“Al by þe syde of Myrreyue,
“Þat Belyn no þyng aparseyue.
“Perauenture he wolde hym greue
“Ȝyf þou wyf toke wyþoute leue,
“Or oþer wyse men wold hym seye
“Þat þou haddest of hym non eye.”
On þis wyse conseilled þey hym so,
& Brenne tristed þer conceille to:
He passed in Norweye, he gan aryue,
& asked þe kynges doughter to wyue.
Þe kynges name was Alfynges,
He graunted Brenne al his askynges,
Holyk Bretaygne for to wynne,
When he wolde his werre bygynne.
Often tydyng to Belyn was brought,
Whider Brenne ȝede, & what he sought;
Belyn had þanne suspecion
Þat for felonye was hit don,
& þoughte he scholde wyþynne a whyle
His owen deseite hym self bygile:
He seyde, “on stelþe he sekes hym pray;
“Hit schal nought helpe, ȝyf þat y may;
“Ne schal nought Brenne bede me trypet
“Þat y ne schal turne hym wiþ a forset.”
Belyn seysede Northhumberland,
Boþe castel & toun tok in-to his hand;
Alle þat were Brennes byforn,
ffor werre he storede þem wyþ corn,
& folk ynow to þeym dide sende,
Agaynes Brenne þem forto defende.
Hym seluen ȝede wiþ an ost,
& rengede by þe se cost;
Hauen to aryue þey hym wyþsette,
Bot þorow bataille oþer barette.
Whider Brenne ȝede, & what he sought;
Belyn had þanne suspecion
Þat for felonye was hit don,
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His owen deseite hym self bygile:
He seyde, “on stelþe he sekes hym pray;
“Hit schal nought helpe, ȝyf þat y may;
“Ne schal nought Brenne bede me trypet
“Þat y ne schal turne hym wiþ a forset.”
Belyn seysede Northhumberland,
Boþe castel & toun tok in-to his hand;
Alle þat were Brennes byforn,
ffor werre he storede þem wyþ corn,
& folk ynow to þeym dide sende,
Agaynes Brenne þem forto defende.
Hym seluen ȝede wiþ an ost,
& rengede by þe se cost;
Hauen to aryue þey hym wyþsette,
Bot þorow bataille oþer barette.
Tyl Brenne men broughte brod tydyng
Þat Belyn had sesed his þyng.
He hadde his wyf, & was al ȝare
Wyþ fair folk in flod to fare.
Lyþerly lyked þat lady gent;
Sche wepede weddyng, & mykel hit ment,
ffor scheo had loued longe byfore
Þe kyng of Denmark, er Bren com þore;
& þe kyng had loued hyre,
Longe scheo was of his desire.
Þe kyng of Denmark highte Goodlak,
Scheo sent hym a lettre þat þus spak:
“Longe haue y loued þe kyng of Denmark;
“Þat loue is loken & leyd in ark;
“An vncouþ on of fer schal fonge
“Þy loue þat þou hast loued so longe;
“& bot þou come, rescours to make,
“Neuere in armes schalt þou me take.”
Whan Goodlak wyste, his herte gan drede
Þat Brenne a-wey his lef schold lede.
He dide samne al his flet,
& Brenne & he in se þey met.
When boþe fflutes come at a frosche,
Þe fyrste hortlyng gaf a gret crusche;
Ende til ende, syde by side;
Þe heyest of bord, best fel his tyde.
ffaste þey foughte boþe fflutes,
Persed schipes wiþ arblast schutes;
Wyþ ax & swerd ilk oþer on hew,
In to þe water ouer bord þey þrew;
On boþe parties were þey goode,
Bote þe Daneys best þey stode,
Speres & darts þykke þay schote,
& persed þorow-out Brennes fflote.
Brenne fledde, als desconfit,
& Goodlak seysede a schip fol tyt.
As auenture fel, þat schip he wan
Þat scheo was inne, Brennes lemman.
Whan he hadde wonnen þat he sought,
Of al þat oþer gaf he nought;
& Brenne fledde wiþ sayl & ore;
His wyf he les, þat playned he sore.
When Goodlak hadde þat may in hande,
Þat Belyn had sesed his þyng.
He hadde his wyf, & was al ȝare
Wyþ fair folk in flod to fare.
Lyþerly lyked þat lady gent;
Sche wepede weddyng, & mykel hit ment,
ffor scheo had loued longe byfore
Þe kyng of Denmark, er Bren com þore;
& þe kyng had loued hyre,
Longe scheo was of his desire.
Þe kyng of Denmark highte Goodlak,
Scheo sent hym a lettre þat þus spak:
“Longe haue y loued þe kyng of Denmark;
“Þat loue is loken & leyd in ark;
“An vncouþ on of fer schal fonge
“Þy loue þat þou hast loued so longe;
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“Neuere in armes schalt þou me take.”
Whan Goodlak wyste, his herte gan drede
Þat Brenne a-wey his lef schold lede.
He dide samne al his flet,
& Brenne & he in se þey met.
When boþe fflutes come at a frosche,
Þe fyrste hortlyng gaf a gret crusche;
Ende til ende, syde by side;
Þe heyest of bord, best fel his tyde.
ffaste þey foughte boþe fflutes,
Persed schipes wiþ arblast schutes;
Wyþ ax & swerd ilk oþer on hew,
In to þe water ouer bord þey þrew;
On boþe parties were þey goode,
Bote þe Daneys best þey stode,
Speres & darts þykke þay schote,
& persed þorow-out Brennes fflote.
Brenne fledde, als desconfit,
& Goodlak seysede a schip fol tyt.
As auenture fel, þat schip he wan
Þat scheo was inne, Brennes lemman.
Whan he hadde wonnen þat he sought,
Of al þat oþer gaf he nought;
& Brenne fledde wiþ sayl & ore;
His wyf he les, þat playned he sore.
He ȝerned faste to þe lande.
Als he seyled his lond toward,
List of a chaunce þat hym fel hard:
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Þe water rored, þe wynd vp blew,
Þundred, reyned, lemed lyght,
Þe sky wax blak as hit were nyght;
Þe se gan fighte, þe wawes ros,
Þe streme woxe, & þem agros;
Þeir schipes alle in peril were,
Ropes, borde, broste ay where;
Mast & sayl, doun hit lusched,
Cordes, kables, casteles, tofrusched:—
To knowe þer names y am al wyl,
Al þat þer was was in peryl.—
Þer fflute sone was al to-spred,
& into diuerse londes fled;
ffyue daye atte þe leste
Lasted thenne þat tempeste.
Gutlak had þre schipes, & mo,
Wiþ hem he skaped in peyne & wo,
& aryued vp in þys londe,
& fayn he was þat hap he fonde,
Bot for þe loue of his lemman
Þat in þe tempest wax al wan;
He ne wyste what lond ne port
He was aryued, for mys-confort;
Bot þo þat kepte þe se side,
& seye þe schipes til haue[n] glyde,
Godlak þey toke, wyþ þat may gent;
Tyl Belyn of hem þey made present;
& alle hyse men wyþ hym þey tok,
& Belyn dede þem alle to lok,
Ȝyf he wayted, what tyme or whenne,
Þat he myght here tydyng of Brenne.
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Vnto Belyn þe soþe sayden,
Ilka del how Brenne had wrought,
& þe kyng of Norwey sought,
& how þat Godlak had hym met
Vpon þe se wyþ strong baret.
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