Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known British Poets Part 2

The castle, that the earl in was, the king besieged fast, For he might not his gins for shame to the other cast.

Then he was there seen not, and he spedde nought, Ygerne, the countesse, so much was in his thought, That he nuste none other wit, ne he ne might for shame Tell it but a privy knight, Ulfyn was his name, That he truste most to. And when the knight heard thia, 'Sir,' he said, 'I ne can wit, what rede hereof is, For the castle is so strong, that the lady is in, For I ween all the land ne should it myd strengthe win.

For the sea goeth all about, but entry one there n'is, And that is up on harde rocks, and so narrow way it is, That there may go but one and one, that three men within Might slay all the laud, ere they come therein.

And nought for then, if Merlin at the counsel were, If any might, he couthe the best rede thee lere.'[7]

Merlin was soon of sent, pled it was him soon, That he should the best rede say, what were to don.

Merlin was sorry enow for the kinge's folly, And natheless, 'Sir king,' he said, 'there may to mast'ry, The earl hath two men him near, Brithoel and Jordan.

I will make thyself, if thou wilt, through art that I can, Have all the forme of the earl, as thou were right he, And Olfyn as Jordan, and as Brithoel me.'

This art was all clean ydo, that all changed they were, They three in the others' form, the solve as it were.

Against even he went forth, nuste[8] no man that cas; To the castle they come right as it even was.

The porter ysaw his lord come, and his most privy twei, With good heart he let his lord in, and his men bey.

The countess was glad enow, when her lord to her come And either other in their arms myd great joy nome.

When they to bedde come, that so long a-two were, With them was so great delight, that between them there Begot was the best body, that ever was in this land, King Arthur the n.o.ble man, that ever worthy understand.

When the king's men nuste amorrow, where he was become, They fared as wodemen, and wend[9] he were ynome.[10]

They a.s.saileden the castle, as it should adown anon, They that within were, garked them each one, And smote out in a full will, and fought myd there fone: So that the earl was yslaw, and of his men many one, And the castle was ynome, and the folk to-sprad there, Yet, though they hadde all ydo, they ne found not the king there.

The tiding to the countess soon was ycome, That her lord was yslaw, and the castle ynome.

And when the messenger him saw the earl, as him thought, That he had so foul plow, full sore him of thought, The countess made somedeal deol,[11] for no sothness they nuste.

The king, for to glad her, beclipt her and cust.

'Dame,' he said,' no sixt thou well, that les it is all this: Ne wo'st thou well I am alive. I will thee say how it is.

Out of the castle stillelich I went all in privity, That none of mine men it nuste, for to speak with thee.

And when they mist me to-day, and nuste where I was, They fareden right as giddy men, myd whom no rede n'as, And foughte with the folk without, and have in this mannere Ylore the castle and themselve, and well thou wo'st I am here.

And for my castle, that is ylore, sorry I am enow, And for my men, that the king and his power slew.

And my power is to lute, therefore I dreade sore, Leste the king us nyme[12] here, and sorrow that we were more.

Therefore I will, how so it be, wend against the king, And make my peace with him, ere he us to shame bring.'

Forth he went, and het[13] his men if the king come, That they shoulde him the castle yield, ere he with strength it nome.

So he come toward his men, his own form he nome, And leaved the earl's form, and the king Uther become.

Sore him of thought the earle's death, and in other half he found Joy in his heart, for the countess of spousehed was unbound, When he had that he would, and paysed[14] with his son, To the countess he went again, me let him in anon.

"What halt[15] it to tale longe? but they were set at one, In great love long enow, when it n'olde other gon; And had together this n.o.ble son, that in the world his pere n'as, The king Arthur, and a daughter, Anne her name was.

[1] 'Sond' message.

[2] 'Nome:' took.

[3] 'Ypayed:' satisfied.

[4] 'Myd:' with.

[5] 'Byleve:' stay.

[6] 'Cas:' chance.

[7] 'Lere:' teach.

[8] 'Nuste:' knew.

[9] 'Wend:' thought.

[10] 'Ynome:' taken.

[11] 'Deol:' grief.

[12] 'Nyme:' take.

[13] 'Het:' bade.

[14] 'Paysed:' made peace.

[15] 'Halt:' holdeth.

The next name of note is Robert, commonly called De Brunne. His real name was Robert Manning. He was born at Malton in Yorks.h.i.+re; for some time belonged to the house of Sixhill, a Gilbertine monastery in Yorks.h.i.+re; and afterwards became a member of Brunne or Browne, a priory of black canons in the same county. When monastical writers became famous, they were usually designated from the religious houses to which they belonged.

Thus it was with Matthew of Westminster, William of Malmesbury, and John of Glas...o...b..ry--all received their appellations from their respective monasteries. De Brunne's princ.i.p.al work is a Chronicle of the History of England, in rhyme. It can in no way be considered an original production, but is partly translated, and partly compiled from the writings of Maistre Wace and Peter de Langtoft, which latter was a canon of Bridlington in Yorks.h.i.+re, of Norman origin, but born in England, and the author of an entire History of his country in French verse, down to the end of the reign of Edward I. Brunne's Chronicle seems to have been written about the year 1303. We extract the Prologue, and two other pa.s.sages:--

THE PROLOGUE.

'Lordlinges that be now here, If ye wille listen and lere, All the story of England, As Robert Mannyng written it fand, And in English has it shewed, Not for the leared but for the lewed;[1]

For those that on this land wonn That the Latin ne Frankys conn,[2]

For to have solace and gamen In fellows.h.i.+p when they sit samen, And it is wisdom for to witten The state of the land, and have it written, "What manner of folk first it wan, And of what kind it first began.

And good it is for many things, For to hear the deeds of kings, Whilk were fools, and whilk were wise, And whilk of them couth[3] most quaintise; And whilk did wrong, and whilk right, And whilk maintained peace and fight.

Of their deedes shall be my saw, In what time, and of what law, I shall you from gre to gre,[4]

Since the time of Sir Noe: From Noe unto Eneas, And what betwixt them was, And from Eneas till Brutus' time, That kind he tells in this rhyme.

For Brutus to Cadwallader's, The last Briton that this land lees.

All that kind and all the fruit That come of Brutus that is the Brute; And the right Brute is told no more Than the Britons' time wore.

After the Britons the English camen, The lords.h.i.+p of this land they nameu; South and north, west and east, That call men now the English gest.

When they first among the Britons, That now are English then were Saxons, Saxons English hight all oliche.

They arrived up at Sandwiche, In the kings since Vortogerne That the land would them not werne, &c.

One Master Wace the Frankes tells The Brute all that the Latin spells, From Eneas to Cadwallader, &c.

And right as Master Wace says, I tell mine English the same ways,' &c.

[1] 'Lowed:' ignorant.

[2] 'Conn:' know.

[3] 'Couth:' knew.

[4] 'Gre:' step.

KING VORTIGERN'S MEETING WITH PRINCESS KODWEN.

Hengist that day did his might, That all were glad, king and knight, And as they were best in glading, And wele cop schotin[1] knight and king, Of chamber Rouewen so gent, Before the king in hall she went.

A cup with wine she had in hand, And her attire was well-farand.[2]

Before the king on knee set, And in her language she him gret.

'Lauerid[3] king, Wa.s.sail,' said she.

The king asked, what should be.

In that language the king ne couth.[4]

A knight the language lered[5] in youth.

Breg hight that knight, born Bretoun, That lered the language of Sessoun.[6]

This Breg was the latimer,[7]

What she said told Vortager.

'Sir,' Breg said, 'Rowen you greets, And king calls and lord you leets.[8]

This is their custom and their gest, When they are at the ale or feast.

Ilk man that louis quare him think, Shall say Wosseil, and to him drink.

He that bidis shall say, Wa.s.sail, The other shall say again, Drinkhail.

That says Wosseil drinks of the cup, Kissing his fellow he gives it up.

Drinkheil, he says, and drinks thereof, Kissing him in bourd and skof.'[9]

The king said, as the knight 'gan ken,[10]

Drinkheil, smiling on Rouewen.

Rouwen drank as her list, And gave the king, sine[11] him kist.

There was the first wa.s.sail in deed, And that first of fame gede.[12]

Of that wa.s.sail men told great tale, And wa.s.sail when they were at ale, And drinkheil to them that drank, Thus was wa.s.sail tane[13] to thank.

Fele sithes[14] that maiden ying,[15]

Wa.s.sailed and kist the king.

Of body she was right avenant,[16]

Of fair colour, with sweet semblant.[17]

Her attire full well it seemed, Mervelik[18] the king she quemid.[19]

Out of measure was he glad, For of that maiden he were all mad.

Drunkenness the fiend wrought, Of that paen[20] was all his thought.