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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| CXIII. | CHAPTER CXIII. |
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 | CHAPTER CXIII. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun |  |
CHAPTER CXIII.
How till Corrod þe emperour
A child throu chance [wes successour].
A child throu chance [wes successour].
All this meynetyme þe [empire] had
Henry þe first and syne Conraid;
Till Henry Conraid wes successive;
He maid gret lawis in his live.
Quhat euer he war at brak his pess,
Of quhat estait þat euer he wes,
He suld thole the payne of dede,
But ony mercy or remeid.
Henry þe first and syne Conraid;
Till Henry Conraid wes successive;
He maid gret lawis in his live.
Quhat euer he war at brak his pess,
Of quhat estait þat euer he wes,
He suld thole the payne of dede,
But ony mercy or remeid.
Sa fell it at ane erll him by
Gert sla a man in his foly,
And for that deid, as him behuffit,
All prevely he him remuffit
Till a forest neire þar by,
For to lif þare quyetly,
With his wif on his tresore,
That he had gaderit lang befor;
A manere place þar biggit he,
Baith for him and his menȝe.
Gert sla a man in his foly,
And for that deid, as him behuffit,
All prevely he him remuffit
Till a forest neire þar by,
For to lif þare quyetly,
With his wif on his tresore,
That he had gaderit lang befor;
A manere place þar biggit he,
Baith for him and his menȝe.
226
This emperour Conraid on a day
Past in hunting him to play,
And raid sa fere in þat forest
In gamyn till þe day wes past,
Sa þat þe myrk nycht sodanely
Partit him fra his cumpany.
And sa þat myrk nycht wauerand will,
Off cass it happinnit him to cum till
The erllis new biggit place,
Thare he and his induelland was.
And quhen he saw þe emperour,
He was abasit for radour,
Bot quhen he saw him anerly,
He wes glaid, and welcomyt blithly,
And herbryit him rycht weill þat nycht
Till on þe morne þe day wes lycht.
And þat ilk nycht it happinnit þare
The erllis wif to be lichtare
Off a faire sone befor day;
And þis emperour, rycht quhare he lay,
Herd a voce say twiss or thriss
All opinly apon þis wise:
“This barne now borne, Schir Emperour,
Salbe to þe nixt successour,
And efter þe baith lord and syre
Off all þe landis of þi empyre.”
And fra þe emperour þis had herd,
In till his mynd he wes rycht merd;
And on the morne sum deill airly
With his men he met sodanely,
And bad twa men in prevate
Ga wait þar oportunyte,
And steill þat barne, and wiþ it ga
To þe wod, and þare it sla;
And þe hert of it till him bring,
Sa þat he mycht wit be þat thing
That þe barne were dede but dreid,
And sa were destany brokin in deid.
Thir twa men stall the barne but hone,
The emperouris bidding till haue done;
Bot pete sa supprisit þar thocht,
That his bidding did thai nocht;
Bot with þar hundis slew a haire,
The hert of þat best with þaim baire,
And gaif þe emperour Coraid,
And said þai did as he þaim bad,
For þai had slane, þai said, þe child,
And left þe body to bestis wild.
Past in hunting him to play,
And raid sa fere in þat forest
In gamyn till þe day wes past,
Sa þat þe myrk nycht sodanely
Partit him fra his cumpany.
And sa þat myrk nycht wauerand will,
Off cass it happinnit him to cum till
The erllis new biggit place,
Thare he and his induelland was.
And quhen he saw þe emperour,
He was abasit for radour,
Bot quhen he saw him anerly,
He wes glaid, and welcomyt blithly,
And herbryit him rycht weill þat nycht
Till on þe morne þe day wes lycht.
And þat ilk nycht it happinnit þare
The erllis wif to be lichtare
Off a faire sone befor day;
And þis emperour, rycht quhare he lay,
Herd a voce say twiss or thriss
All opinly apon þis wise:
“This barne now borne, Schir Emperour,
Salbe to þe nixt successour,
And efter þe baith lord and syre
Off all þe landis of þi empyre.”
And fra þe emperour þis had herd,
In till his mynd he wes rycht merd;
And on the morne sum deill airly
With his men he met sodanely,
228
Ga wait þar oportunyte,
And steill þat barne, and wiþ it ga
To þe wod, and þare it sla;
And þe hert of it till him bring,
Sa þat he mycht wit be þat thing
That þe barne were dede but dreid,
And sa were destany brokin in deid.
Thir twa men stall the barne but hone,
The emperouris bidding till haue done;
Bot pete sa supprisit þar thocht,
That his bidding did thai nocht;
Bot with þar hundis slew a haire,
The hert of þat best with þaim baire,
And gaif þe emperour Coraid,
And said þai did as he þaim bad,
For þai had slane, þai said, þe child,
And left þe body to bestis wild.
Sa hapnit a duke to cum rydand,
Quhilk saw þis barne wes qwik lyand,
And sa [OMITTED]
In hert [OMITTED]
That child [OMITTED]
In till his [OMITTED]
Bring [OMITTED]
For he [OMITTED]
Sen we ar like na barne to haif,
Nouþer madin child nor knaif.”
The child þan tuke scho wilfully,
And gert foster him tenderly.
Quhilk saw þis barne wes qwik lyand,
And sa [OMITTED]
In hert [OMITTED]
That child [OMITTED]
In till his [OMITTED]
Bring [OMITTED]
For he [OMITTED]
Sen we ar like na barne to haif,
Nouþer madin child nor knaif.”
The child þan tuke scho wilfully,
And gert foster him tenderly.
230
Lang efter þat in pilgrymage
The emperour past, and in his viage
Him happinnit to soiorne a day
With þis duke, and rycht as thai
Togidder set at þe mete ware,
This child befor þe duke þan schare;
For he wes ȝoung and avenand,
Gentill, curtass and full plesand.
The emperour saw him, and persauit
That he of þaim wes haill dissauit,
That he had chargeit þaim to say;
And richt as he wes musand sa,
Than to the duke in prevate
He said a gret erand had he
Forȝet as to the emprice;
Forþi þat child apon his wiss
Behuffit his letter till her beire.
The duke it grantit but dangere;
Sa did þe child, for he wes keynd,
And said with glaid will he wald wend.
The emperour þan vpon̄ þis wiss
Wrait a letter to þe emprice,
And bad scho suld gert put to deid
The berare of it but remeid,
Fra scho had gert the letter reide.
Thus bad þe letter þare, but dreide:
Visa litera lator illius morte moriatur.
The emperour past, and in his viage
Him happinnit to soiorne a day
With þis duke, and rycht as thai
Togidder set at þe mete ware,
This child befor þe duke þan schare;
For he wes ȝoung and avenand,
Gentill, curtass and full plesand.
The emperour saw him, and persauit
That he of þaim wes haill dissauit,
That he had chargeit þaim to say;
And richt as he wes musand sa,
Than to the duke in prevate
He said a gret erand had he
Forȝet as to the emprice;
Forþi þat child apon his wiss
Behuffit his letter till her beire.
The duke it grantit but dangere;
Sa did þe child, for he wes keynd,
And said with glaid will he wald wend.
The emperour þan vpon̄ þis wiss
Wrait a letter to þe emprice,
And bad scho suld gert put to deid
The berare of it but remeid,
Fra scho had gert the letter reide.
Thus bad þe letter þare, but dreide:
Visa litera lator illius morte moriatur.
The child tuke leif and on can pass
To þe emprice quhare scho was,
And wist na thing of þis perile.
Sa happinnit it in þat quhile
That with a persoune in his way
He baid, and eit with him a day,
That of him had befor knawlege,
And ferlyit fast quhat kyn message
That he suld beire to þe emprice,
For he couth tell þar of na wiss.
Sa efter meit the child couth sleip,
And this persone þar to tuke keip [OMITTED]
And sone ane oþer can he write,
As send were fra þe emperour
To þe emprice of honour;
And þus þe effect wes of þe dyte
That þis wiss persone couþ write
In Latyne: Visa littera
Latori reddatur mea filia.
That is to say: “My dochter deire,
This letter red, to þe berere
Thou gif, and gere þaim spousit be.”
Thus spak this letter in prevate.
He closit it full curiusly,
And [in] þe purss rycht prevely
He put it quhare þe toþer wes.
The child fra sleip sone efter raiss,
And till his erandis on he gais;
Bot of þis deid wist he rycht nocht,
Apone his travale wes his thocht.
His leif he tuke and furþ on past,
And to þe emprice at þe last
He come, and present with honour
That letter, fra þe emperour,
He said, wes send; and honestly
Scho him resauit; hastely
That lettere gere scho till here reid.
And, fra scho herd it, sone in deid
Scho gaif þe child her dochter faire
To be his wif, þat wes þare aire,
And did in all as þe tennour
Off þe letter bad fra þe emperour.
And quhen scho had on þis wise done,
The emperour þarefter sone
Happinnit to cum hame hastely.
The child remuffit him prevely,
That ferlyit fast how all thing fell,
And quhy þe emperour wald nocht him tell
Off þe mariage; forthy thocht he
To byde quhill he mycht sicker be.
The emperour þar efter sone
Sperit how þat scho had done
Off þe letter þat he send.
And scho him tald fra end to end,
And said scho had fulfillit weill
All his bidding euer ilk deill.
Than fra he herd at þis wes done,
He trowit he wes þe dukis sone;
And held him payit of þe spousall,
And gaif þis child þe gouernall
Off his land with his dochter faire;
And þus gatis destany maid his aire
To þis Corraid þe emperour,
And till him wes next successour.
To þe emprice quhare scho was,
And wist na thing of þis perile.
Sa happinnit it in þat quhile
232
He baid, and eit with him a day,
That of him had befor knawlege,
And ferlyit fast quhat kyn message
That he suld beire to þe emprice,
For he couth tell þar of na wiss.
Sa efter meit the child couth sleip,
And this persone þar to tuke keip [OMITTED]
And sone ane oþer can he write,
As send were fra þe emperour
To þe emprice of honour;
And þus þe effect wes of þe dyte
That þis wiss persone couþ write
In Latyne: Visa littera
Latori reddatur mea filia.
That is to say: “My dochter deire,
This letter red, to þe berere
Thou gif, and gere þaim spousit be.”
Thus spak this letter in prevate.
He closit it full curiusly,
And [in] þe purss rycht prevely
He put it quhare þe toþer wes.
The child fra sleip sone efter raiss,
And till his erandis on he gais;
Bot of þis deid wist he rycht nocht,
Apone his travale wes his thocht.
His leif he tuke and furþ on past,
And to þe emprice at þe last
He come, and present with honour
That letter, fra þe emperour,
234
Scho him resauit; hastely
That lettere gere scho till here reid.
And, fra scho herd it, sone in deid
Scho gaif þe child her dochter faire
To be his wif, þat wes þare aire,
And did in all as þe tennour
Off þe letter bad fra þe emperour.
And quhen scho had on þis wise done,
The emperour þarefter sone
Happinnit to cum hame hastely.
The child remuffit him prevely,
That ferlyit fast how all thing fell,
And quhy þe emperour wald nocht him tell
Off þe mariage; forthy thocht he
To byde quhill he mycht sicker be.
The emperour þar efter sone
Sperit how þat scho had done
Off þe letter þat he send.
And scho him tald fra end to end,
And said scho had fulfillit weill
All his bidding euer ilk deill.
Than fra he herd at þis wes done,
He trowit he wes þe dukis sone;
And held him payit of þe spousall,
And gaif þis child þe gouernall
Off his land with his dochter faire;
And þus gatis destany maid his aire
To þis Corraid þe emperour,
And till him wes next successour.
236
Gif destany be neidfull thing,
That I commend to þare iugeing
That clerkis are, for nane am I;
That me forthinkis increly.
And quhen this Schir Corraid wes deid,
This child succedit in his steid,
That callit wes þe secund Henry,
And gouernyt the empyre vertuously.
That I commend to þare iugeing
That clerkis are, for nane am I;
That me forthinkis increly.
And quhen this Schir Corraid wes deid,
This child succedit in his steid,
That callit wes þe secund Henry,
And gouernyt the empyre vertuously.
| CHAPTER CXIII. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun | |