Adam Davy's 5 dreams about Edward II. The Life of St. Alexius. Solomon's book of wisdom. St. Jeremie's [Jerome's] 15 tokens before doomsday. The Lamentacion of souls. Ed. from the Laud ms. 622 in the Bodleian library by F.J. Furnivall

ADAM DAVY'S FIVE DREAMS ABOUT EDWARD II. [Laud MS. 622 (end of the 14th cent.), leaf 26, back.]

TO oure lorde Iesu crist in heuene, Ich to-day shewe myne sweuene, þat ich mette in one niȝth, Of a kniȝth of mychel miȝth: Line 4 His name is ihote sir Edward þe kyng, Prince of Wales [Compare

"Nou is Edward of CarnarvonKing of Engelond al aplyht",

in "The Elegy on the Death of Edw. I", from Harl. 2253, leaf 73, in Mr Thos. Wright's Political Songs, for the Camden Society, 1839, p. 249. Edw. III was never created Prince of Wales. The Black Prince was, but was never king.] , Engelonde þe faire þing. Me mette þat he was armed wel, Boþe wiþ yrne & wiþ stel; Line 8 And on his helme þat was of stel, A Coroune of gold bicom hym wel. Bifore the shryne of seint Edward he stood, Myd glad chere, & mylde of mood, Line 12 Mid two kniȝttes armed on eiþer side, þat he ne miȝth þennes goo ne ride. hetilich [A.S. hetelice, hatefully, hotly.] hij leiden hym vpon, Als hij miȝtten myd swerd don. Line 16 He stood þere wel swiþe stille, And þoled al-to-gedres her wille;

No strook ne ȝaf he aȝeinward To þilk þat hym weren wiþerward [A.S. wiðer, against; wiðerweard, contrary, adverse.] . Line 20 Wounde ne was þere blody non, Of al þat hym þere was don. ¶ After þat me þouȝth, onon, As þe tweie kniȝttes weren gon, Line 24 In eiþer ere of oure kyng þere spronge out a wel fare þing: Hij wexen out so briȝth so glem þat shyneþ of þe sonne-bem; Line 28 Of diuers coloures hij weren, þat comen out of boþe his eren ffoure bendes alle by rewe on eiþer ere, Of diuers colours, red & white als hij were; Line 32 Als fer as me þou[ȝth] ich miȝth see, [folio 27a] hij spredden fer & wyde in þe cuntre. fforsoþe me mette þis ilk sweuene— Ich take to witnesse god of heuene— Line 36 þe wedenysday bifore þe decollacioun of seint Ion [Decollation of John the Baptist, Aug. 29.—Nicolas.] , It is more þan twelue moneþ gon. God me graunte so heuene blis, As me mette þis sweuene as it is. Line 40 Now god þat is heuene kyng, To mychel ioye tourne þis metyng!

A Noþer sweuene me mette, on a tiwes-niȝth Line 43 Bifore the fest of alle halewen [All Hallows, or All Saints' Day, Nov. 1.—Nicolas.] , of þat ilk kniȝth; His name is nempned here-bifore; Blissed be þe tyme þat he was bore! ffor we shullen þe day see, Emperour ychosen he worþe of cristiente. Line 48 God vs graunte þat ilk bone, þat þilk tydyng here we sone Of sir Edward oure derworþ kyng

Ich mette of hym anoþere fair metyng: Line 52 To oure lorde of heuene ich telle þis, þat my sweuene tourne to mychel blis. Me þouȝth he rood vpon an Asse— And þat ich take god to witnesse!— Line 56 ywonden he was in a Mantel gray; Toward Rome he nom his way; Vpon his heuede sat an gray hure; It semed hym wel a mesure; Line 60 he rood wiþouten hose & sho,— his wone was nouȝth so forto do;— his shankes semeden al blood rede; Myne herte wop for grete drede; Line 64 Als a pilgryme he rood to Rome, And þider he com wel swiþe sone.

ÞE þrid sweuene me mette a niȝth, Riȝth of þat derworþe kniȝth; Line 68 þe wedenysday a niȝth it was, Next þe day of seint lucie ['Lucy. Virgin and Martyr, Dec. 13.'—Nicolas.] bifore cristenmesse. Ich shewe þis, god of heuene: To mychel ioye he tourne my sweuene! Line 72 Me þouȝth þat ich was at Rome, And þider ich com swiþe sone: þe Pope ['pope' crosst through.] , & sir Edward oure kyng, Boþe hij hadden a newe dubbyng; Line 76 Hure gray was her cloþing; Of oþere cloþes seiȝ ich noþing. þe pope ['pope' crosst through.] ȝede bifore, mytred wel faire I-wys; þe kyng Edward com corouned myd gret blis; Line 80 þat bitokneþ he shal be Emperour in cristianete: Iesus crist ful of grace, Graunte oure kyng, in euery place, Line 84 Maistrie of his wiþerwynes [A.S. wiðerwynna, adversary, enemy.] ,

And of alle wicked sarasynes! Me met a sweuene, on worþing-niȝth [I can't find what or when this is.] . Of þat ilche derworþe kniȝth; Line 88 God ich it shewe, & to witnesse take, And so shilde me fro synne & sake! In-to an chapel ich com of oure lefdy; Iesus crist, hire leue son, stood by; Line 92 On rode he was, an louelich Man, Als þilk þat on rode was don. He vnneiled his honden two, And seide, 'wiþ þe kniȝth he wolde go': Line 96 "Maiden, & moder, & mylde quene, Ich mote my kniȝth to-day sene. Leue moder, ȝiue me leue, ffor ich ne may no lenger bileue; Line 100 Ich mote conueye þat ilk kniȝth, þat vs haþ serued day and niȝth: In pilerinage he wil gon, To bien awreke of oure fon." Line 104 "Leue son, ȝoure wille, so mote it be, for þe kniȝth boþe day & niȝth haþ serued me, Boþe at oure wille wel faire I-wys, þerfore he haþ serued heuene-riche blis." Line 108 God þat is in heuene so briȝth, Be wiþ oure kyng boþe day & niȝth! Amen, Amen, so mote it be! þerto biddeþ a pater noster & an Aue. Line 112 ¶ Adam, þe marchal, of stretford-atte-bowe— Wel swiþe wide his name is yknowe,— He hym-self mette þis metyng— To witnesse he takeþ Iesu heuene kyng,— Line 116 On Wedenysday in clene leinte A voice me bede I ne shulde nouȝth feinte; Of þe sweuenes þat her ben write, I shulde swiþe don my lorde kyng to wite. Line 120

Line 120 Ich ansuerde, 'þat I ne miȝth for derk gon.' þe vois me bad goo, for liȝth ne shuld ich faile non, And þat I ne shulde lette for noþing, þat ich shulde shewe þe kyng my metyng. Line 124 fforþ ich went swiþe onon, Estward as me þouȝth ich miȝth gon: þe liȝth of heuene me com to, As ich in my waye shulde go. Line 128 "Lorde, my body ich ȝelde þee to, What ȝoure wille is wiþ me to do. Ich take to witnesse god of heuene, þat soþlich ich mette þis ilche sweuene ["The Lady protests too much, methinks."—Hamlet, III. ii. 240.] ! Line 132 I ne reiche what ȝee myd my body do, Als wisselich Iesus of heuene my soule vndergo."

ÞE þursday next þe beryng of oure lefdy [Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Sept. 8.—Nicolas.] , Me þouȝth an Aungel com sir Edward by: Line 136 þe Aungel bitook sir Edward on honde; Al bledyng þe foure forþer clawes so were of þe lombe. At Caunterbiry, bifore þe heiȝe autere, þe kyng stood, ycloþed al in rede: murre he was of þat blee red as blood. God, þat was on gode-friday don on þe rode, Line 141 So turne my sweuene niȝth & day to mychel gode! Tweye poyntȝ þere ben þat ben vnshewed, [folio 27b] ffor me ne worþe to clerk ne lewed; Line 144 Bot to sir Edward oure kyng, hym wil ich shewe þilk metyng. ¶ Ich telle ȝou forsoþe wiþouten les, Als god of heuene maide marie to moder ches, Line 148 þe Aungel com to me, Adam Dauy, & sede, "Bot þou, Adam, shewe þis, þee worþe wel yuel mede!" þerfore, my lorde sir Edward þe kyng, I shewe ȝou þis ilk metyng, Line 152 As þe Aungel it shewed me in a visioun.

Bot þis tokenyng bifalle, so dooþ me in-to prisoun! Lorde, my body is to ȝoure wille [MS. willelle.] ; þeiȝ ȝee willeþ me þerfore spille, Line 156 Ich it wil take in þolemodenesse, Als god graunte vs heuene blisse; And lete vs neuere þerof mysse, þat we ne moten þider wende in clennesse! Line 160 Amen, amen, so mote it be, And lete vs neuere to oþere waye tee! Who so wil speke myd me, Adam þe marchal, In stretforþe-bowe he is yknowe, & ouere al. Line 164 Ich ne shewe nouȝth þis forto haue mede, Bot for god almiȝtties drede;

¶ ffor it is sooþ. [[Follows, The Jest of Alisaunder, printed in Weber's Romances, vol. i.

"DIuers is þis myddelleredeTo lewed Men & to lerede;Bysynesse / care & sorouȝIs myd Man vche morowȝe." (&c.)]

]