The story of England

¶ De Constantino, filio Constanty & sancte Elene.

At Rome was þenne an Emperour Þat dide þe Romayns gret desonour; His name was Maxencius, Proud, & fers, [proude. stoute.] & malicious; Line 6212 He wasted þe honur of þe toun, Þe noble men he brought þem doun, Þe ordre of þer sene abated he, & reft hem þeir dignite. Line 6216 Somme þat hated hym of þo, Left þer fes, [feez.] [Petyt folio 37b:1] dide hem to go Hider to Bretaygne, til Constantyn. ffor he was born of þeyr lyn, Line 6220 Þey preied hym he wolde make defens, & abate þe pruyde of Maxens, Bysoughte as he was, worþy knyght, Of þer sene to holde vp þe ryght. Line 6224 Þe Bretons alle preied hym so, Wyþ hym þey wolde concente þer to.

Longe þey preied, bot at þe [bisouht & he at.] ende He graunted þeym þider to wende; Line 6228 He tok wyþ hym [he dight his folk.] knyghtes & squiers, Men wiþ bowes & arblasters, [with alblastes & oþer archers.] & his moder ful wys [his moder eames wys men.] of dome; Wyþ hym wente þey alle vntil Rome. Line 6232 ffor þey were men of honurs, He dide hem y þe ordre of senaturs; Þat on highte sire Huwelyn, [Leonyn. (Lohélius, Wace.)] Þat oþer Iohern, ['þat oþer' is dotted under, as if for omission, in the Lambeth MS. The Petyt reads þe toþer Trahern (L'altre Trahens, Wace). (See Tra|herne here, lines 6259-64,&c., below.) Geoffrey (v. 8) gives only Leolin, Trahern, and Marius, three uncles of Helena.] Eroert, & [þe þrid.] Maryn; Line 6236 Wardeyns he ordeined gode & [left gode.] certeyn, Þis lond to kepe til he com ageyn,

When Constantyn to Rome cam, [Lambeth folio 27b:1] Þe maistrie fro Maxcence he nam, Line 6240 And was hym selue emperour, & Maxcence doun wiþ deshonur. [R. Brunne leaves out Wace's seven lines (i. 270) on the finding of the Cross by Helena.] Til sire Huelyn [Leonyn.] he gaf a wyf, Of noble kynde was sche ryf: Line 6244 Of þat wyf, sire Huelyn [Leonyn.] wan A child men calde Ma[x]imian. [Maximian.]