The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun printed on parallel pages from the Cottonian and Wemyss mss., with the variants of the other texts: Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary by F. J. Amours |
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| LXXIX. | CHAPTER LXXIX. |
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 | CHAPTER LXXIX. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun |  |
284
CHAPTER LXXIX.
Off þe wedow þat maid hir mayneTo the rychtuise emperour Trayiane.
A hundreth ȝeris and twa gane
Fra God of Mary flesche had tane,
A Greke borne of the regioun
And of Athenis the gud tovne,
Alexander callit be name,
A noble clerk and of gud fame,
In Rome fully nyne ȝere
Twa monethis and foure dais cleire
Wes paip maid and held þat se,
And of Sanct Petyre first maid he
A memor and of other ma,
Off bischopis [in] his tyme alsua,
And placis faire of gret honoure
He ordanit for thare sepulture.
Till all Cristin he prechit,
And thraly with his lettres techit
That befor all vthere thai
Suld honour preistis be alway,
For, he said, sen thai specialy
Vsit to God to sacrify,
For þat causs thai suld with þaim tak
Maire deuotly for Goddis saik.
286
To schaif thare berd and mak tonsure.
And eftir him, quhen he wes deid,
Ȝachary sat in his steid
Ten ȝeris and monethis sevin,
And twa dais to rekin evin.
To thire twa papis Schir Traiane
Wes emperour contemporane,
And nyntene ȝeris of þe empyre
Lestit lord, emperour and syre.
All Asy, Babulone and Perse,
And Inde als, as I herd reherse,
He oure raid and wan of weire,
And maid to Rome tributere.
He gert als within þe Reid Se
A gret navyne gaderit be,
Of Inde the merchis to distroy,
The folkis of þat land to noye.
Of þe empyre the boundis braid
Swa in till his tyme he maid
Till all the Orient maid homage
To Rome and payit thare trewage.
Men vsit for his worschip ay
In commone proverb for to say,
Quha happyare þan Octoviane,
Or quha euer better þan Traiane?
He wes als sa liberall,
Sa luffand and sa speciall,
That about fer or neire,
Quhether sa haill or seik thai ware,
That in proper persone he
Wes passand, there necessite
He wald visit and amend,
Apone thaim his gud dispend.
Wes emperour contemporane,
And nyntene ȝeris of þe empyre
Lestit lord, emperour and syre.
All Asy, Babulone and Perse,
And Inde als, as I herd reherse,
He oure raid and wan of weire,
And maid to Rome tributere.
He gert als within þe Reid Se
A gret navyne gaderit be,
Of Inde the merchis to distroy,
The folkis of þat land to noye.
Of þe empyre the boundis braid
Swa in till his tyme he maid
Till all the Orient maid homage
To Rome and payit thare trewage.
Men vsit for his worschip ay
In commone proverb for to say,
Quha happyare þan Octoviane,
Or quha euer better þan Traiane?
He wes als sa liberall,
Sa luffand and sa speciall,
288
Quhether sa haill or seik thai ware,
That in proper persone he
Wes passand, there necessite
He wald visit and amend,
Apone thaim his gud dispend.
Be thra counsall and felloune
He maid gret persecutioune
Off Cristin men, bot ȝit he wes
Commendit of gret rychtuisnes.
The story sayis that in þat tyde
That he wes bovne in weire to ryde,
His fut he had in sterap set,
One steid he lap, but langere let;
Rycht by the fut a wif him gat,
And kenely carpit efter þat:
“Now,” scho said, “schir emperour,
Thow liffis in riches and honour,
Weldand warldis welth at will,
And I anoyit in angris ill,
And ledis my lif but help of the,
That dettit is to succour me.
The comfort of my caire, my sone,
Agane the law to dede is done;
Now, for the beild of thi honour,
Thow do me law, schir emperour,
Off thame þat that innocent
Has done to deid but iugisment.”
Till hir he ansuerd and said: “Dame,
Als sone efter as I cum hame,
For thi sone I sall ger do
That at law wald were done thareto.”
“Schere emperour,” þan said this wif,
“Off thi ganecome with thi lif
Art þov sicker, or quhilk is he
That borgh tharefor will to me be?”
“Dame,” þan said the emperour,
“Seik þan to my successour,
And for þi sone I trow he will
Of his det the law fulfill.”
This wif ansuerd him agane
And said: “Schir emperour, I bid nocht layne,
Of thi successour þe deid
May nouther the mend na thi meid,
And tharefor,” said scho, “schir emperour,
Thow art of law to me dettour,
And gif that thi successour will
His awne det in his tyme fulfill,
Ȝit seker thare of may þov nocht be;
Quhy suld þov set him þan to me?
And his awne dettis for to qwite
May nocht mend thi meid a myte.”
Out of his sterap he with that
Drew his fut and doune he sat,
And did full law and iugisment
Off þaim þat slew þat innocent.
It fell alsua ane other tyme
His sone and aire did a fell cryme,
Quharfor of law he suld haif bene
Deprivit thare of baith his ene;
Than fra his sone he gert be tane
Out of his hede of his ene ane,
And of his awne heid þan gert he
Rycht thare be tane ane vther e,
And, for to fulfill the law sua,
Tynt and haldin wer eyne twa.
He maid gret persecutioune
Off Cristin men, bot ȝit he wes
Commendit of gret rychtuisnes.
The story sayis that in þat tyde
That he wes bovne in weire to ryde,
His fut he had in sterap set,
One steid he lap, but langere let;
Rycht by the fut a wif him gat,
And kenely carpit efter þat:
“Now,” scho said, “schir emperour,
Thow liffis in riches and honour,
Weldand warldis welth at will,
And I anoyit in angris ill,
And ledis my lif but help of the,
That dettit is to succour me.
The comfort of my caire, my sone,
Agane the law to dede is done;
Now, for the beild of thi honour,
Thow do me law, schir emperour,
Off thame þat that innocent
Has done to deid but iugisment.”
Till hir he ansuerd and said: “Dame,
Als sone efter as I cum hame,
290
That at law wald were done thareto.”
“Schere emperour,” þan said this wif,
“Off thi ganecome with thi lif
Art þov sicker, or quhilk is he
That borgh tharefor will to me be?”
“Dame,” þan said the emperour,
“Seik þan to my successour,
And for þi sone I trow he will
Of his det the law fulfill.”
This wif ansuerd him agane
And said: “Schir emperour, I bid nocht layne,
Of thi successour þe deid
May nouther the mend na thi meid,
And tharefor,” said scho, “schir emperour,
Thow art of law to me dettour,
And gif that thi successour will
His awne det in his tyme fulfill,
Ȝit seker thare of may þov nocht be;
Quhy suld þov set him þan to me?
And his awne dettis for to qwite
May nocht mend thi meid a myte.”
Out of his sterap he with that
Drew his fut and doune he sat,
And did full law and iugisment
Off þaim þat slew þat innocent.
It fell alsua ane other tyme
His sone and aire did a fell cryme,
Quharfor of law he suld haif bene
Deprivit thare of baith his ene;
Than fra his sone he gert be tane
Out of his hede of his ene ane,
292
Rycht thare be tane ane vther e,
And, for to fulfill the law sua,
Tynt and haldin wer eyne twa.
In till his tyme Schir Placidas,
That callit wes efter Schir Eustas,
For worschip prince wes, ane chiftane
Oure his knichtis euerilkane.
The clerk Planyus in his dayis
Wrait till him, þe story sais,
That Cristin men on nakyne wise
Suld he dishess nor suppriss,
For in þaim, said he, wes nane ill,
Na he couþ neuer fynd thare will
For to mak ony sacrifice,
Na [do] honour on ony wiss
To mawmentis; bot þare vse is ay
To ryss vp oft befor þe day
And to thare Crist full deuotly,
He said, thai maid þare sacrify,
And haldis him God, and in him trowis,
Na for na panys fra him bowis.
Fra þin he sessit for to weide
Aganis Cristin men in deid,
Bot throu his persecutioun
Mony sufferit the passioun
Off dede, and tholit mertery,
Throu fell counsall and tyrandry,
Befor þat Planyus till him wrait,
And commandit the Cristin stait.
That callit wes efter Schir Eustas,
For worschip prince wes, ane chiftane
Oure his knichtis euerilkane.
The clerk Planyus in his dayis
Wrait till him, þe story sais,
That Cristin men on nakyne wise
Suld he dishess nor suppriss,
For in þaim, said he, wes nane ill,
Na he couþ neuer fynd thare will
For to mak ony sacrifice,
Na [do] honour on ony wiss
To mawmentis; bot þare vse is ay
To ryss vp oft befor þe day
And to thare Crist full deuotly,
He said, thai maid þare sacrify,
And haldis him God, and in him trowis,
Na for na panys fra him bowis.
Fra þin he sessit for to weide
Aganis Cristin men in deid,
Bot throu his persecutioun
Mony sufferit the passioun
Off dede, and tholit mertery,
Throu fell counsall and tyrandry,
294
And commandit the Cristin stait.
This ilk emperour Schir Traiane
Tuke þe trewage of Brettane,
And in his dayis Duchill raiss,
And king attour þe Pightis was
Within þe kinrik of Scotland,
And xx. winter wes regnand.
Tuke þe trewage of Brettane,
And in his dayis Duchill raiss,
And king attour þe Pightis was
Within þe kinrik of Scotland,
And xx. winter wes regnand.
And quhen that Schir Traiane wes deid
Schire Adriane raiss in his steid,
And wes to Cristin men felloune,
And on þaim maid persecutioun.
Befor Traiane sa douchty wes
That be way of his rychttuisnes
Sanct Gregoure with gret deuotioun
Maid for him speciall orisoune
To God to ger his saull to be
Out of hell deliuerit fre;
And efter thra prayeris he gat
Full wittering of the angell of that,
That God had herd his orisoune,
And at his supplicatioun
Traianyis saull wes out of hell,
Quhare it wes ordanit for to duell.
Bot ȝit fra thi Sanct Gregour ay
Had a gret seiknes mony day
For his vnskilfull asking,
And lestit ay till his ending.
For quhy þe angell bad him chese
Outhire Traianys saull to leise,
Or ellis to tak him a seiknes,
Sen his asking vnskilfull wes;
And þe feueris till him tuke he,
And sa he brocht þe saull to gle;
And this efter v. hundreth ȝere
That Schir Traiane wes brocht on beire;
And the causs of þis pete was
For he herd of his rychttuisnes,
And of his lif, and of his deid,
For he thret wes, as we reid,
Be cruell counsall and felloune,
To mak sic persecutioun
Off Cristin men, and nocht of will.
This gert Sanct Gregour tak him till
That seiknes, and brocht his saull to bliss,
Quhare now he and he baith is.
Schire Adriane raiss in his steid,
And wes to Cristin men felloune,
And on þaim maid persecutioun.
Befor Traiane sa douchty wes
That be way of his rychttuisnes
Sanct Gregoure with gret deuotioun
Maid for him speciall orisoune
To God to ger his saull to be
Out of hell deliuerit fre;
And efter thra prayeris he gat
Full wittering of the angell of that,
That God had herd his orisoune,
And at his supplicatioun
Traianyis saull wes out of hell,
Quhare it wes ordanit for to duell.
Bot ȝit fra thi Sanct Gregour ay
Had a gret seiknes mony day
For his vnskilfull asking,
And lestit ay till his ending.
296
Outhire Traianys saull to leise,
Or ellis to tak him a seiknes,
Sen his asking vnskilfull wes;
And þe feueris till him tuke he,
And sa he brocht þe saull to gle;
And this efter v. hundreth ȝere
That Schir Traiane wes brocht on beire;
And the causs of þis pete was
For he herd of his rychttuisnes,
And of his lif, and of his deid,
For he thret wes, as we reid,
Be cruell counsall and felloune,
To mak sic persecutioun
Off Cristin men, and nocht of will.
This gert Sanct Gregour tak him till
That seiknes, and brocht his saull to bliss,
Quhare now he and he baith is.
| CHAPTER LXXIX. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun | |