The story of England

¶ De Dynoto, Custode siue Rege, & de Vrsula, filia eiusdem, & .xj. Ml virginum, tam per tempesta|tem quam apud Coloniam, occisis per Sarasenos.

When Maximian ferde fro Bretaigne, Of Dynotis mad he cheftayne, [ceiftayn.] To kepe [& kept.] [Petyt folio 39a:2] þe lond til his bihoue; ffor trewe & feyþful he dide [for a lele man did.] hym proue. Line 6516 Sire Karaduk, þat y spak of [Karaduk broþer .I. spak.] byforn, Was Dynotis broþer, & ȝonge [was Dinotus & ȝongere.] born; Bot ded þat tyme was Karaduk; & his sone, þat highte sire Mauryk,— Line 6520 Þat ȝede to Rome in Octauus message— Wyþ Dyanot he kepte [with Dianoth had.] his heritage. A doughter had Dianot, & no ma; [Lambeth folio 28b:2] Hure name was cald dame [þat maiden hight.] Vrsula. Line 6524 Þo þat were dryuen fro Armoriche, Þe Frensche & þey felawed o-liche, [frankis & þei fleand olike.] & rysen [ros.] ageyn Conan to fight; Bot Conan meyntende wel his right; Line 6528 ffor þeym ne loste he [þem he les.] neuere nought Whan þey on hym bataille sought. Þen was Conan meued of skyle [to do his folk be more þorgh skill.] Hys lond to edefie & to tyle; [& þe lond herberw & till.] Line 6532 & þat þey moughte þe sikerere lyue, Wyues he þoughte hem for to gyue. ffrensche wymen wolde [frankis women wild.] þey non take, Þat þer blod no monge scholde [monge suld.] make, Line 6536

Line 6536 To haue cleym þorow heritage, Ne dowarye þorow mariage. Vntil no blod wolde þey hem bynde, Bot only to þer owene kynde; Line 6540 Þerfore Conan sente his sonde To Dianot, þat kepte þis londe, " To sende hym his doughter Vrsele— " Wiþ non oþer wolde he dele,— Line 6544 " And gentil damysels vngyuen, [Ientill douhtres vngyuen.] " Þat able to mennes companye were [þat were of waxdam & wele.] þryuen,— " Squyers [sergeanz.] doughtres, & frankelayns, " To gyue hem to knyghtes & to swayns, Line 6548 " Oþer maidens comen of þralles, " To be maried as þem falles; " Alle þat he myghte, he schold [suld.] him sende, " Wiþ waryson he schold [suld.] þem mende." Line 6552 Dynot graunted to sende hym hyre, & richely þen dide hure atyre; Alle þo þat he gete myght, Lordynges [lordes.] doughtres wel adight: Line 6556 ¶ Enleuen þousand [elleuen.] [Petyt folio 39b:1] þey were by tale, Of gentil blod, [women.] grete & smale; Oþer þat were of lower kynde, Þe auenauntest þey myghte [auenant þat þei mot.] fynde, Line 6560 Sexty þousand, [quarante mil, Wace, i. 285, l. 6169.] so many þer ware, Redy to schipen ouer [schip ouer se.] to fare, Wel dight ilkon for þe nones. At Londone þey schiped at ones, [

P. inserts,—

whan þei had all þat þam fell nede.& were bitaght þo þam suld lede.

] Line 6564 & drowe þer sail heye vpon mast; Bytaughte þem God, & seyled fast.

¶ When þey were [com.] in deppest flod, & wenden han had passage [wende haf sauf passage &.] god, Line 6568 Ros a tempest, rorande loude, [One stroke too many for the u in the MS.] & reyned al doun wyþ a blak [myrk was þe skie grete was þe.] cloude. Derk was þe skye, gret was þe reyn, Þe wynd was wod [&] þem [& þam.] ageyn; Line 6572 Þe sky ferd as hit scholde doun falle; Wonder wawes agaste þem alle, So þey arysen on [so grete risand one.] ouer anoþer, Þat þeym nauaillede [auailed nouht.] mast ne roþer; Line 6576 Þe wynd, þe water, so faste þey faught, Þem to saue was non þat þought. [nouht to saue nouht ne douht.] Þrytty schipes [scippes.] þer were nomo, Þo sexti þousand to deþe ȝede þo, Line 6580 Þe oþere enleuene ful [þe elleuen fer.] fer were dryuen, In Barbarie þey vp aryuen: Two Sarasyns were kynges of pris, [Lambeth folio 29a:1] Þat on highte Melga, þat oþer Gwanis. Line 6584 Gwanis [Ivains, Wace, i. 287, l. 6218.] was kyng of Huneys; Melga, of Peyghtes was kynge, hit seis. Þyse Sarasynes wolde han leyn hem by, Bot þey nolde of no vileny, Line 6588 Leuere þem were deye wyþ drede, Þan to lecherye þer bodies bede. Wiþ martirdom þey dide hem deye; At Coloyne now, men sais, þei lye. Line 6592

Þenne herde þise to Sarsyns seye Þat þe force of Bretaigne was aweye, How gret host wyþ Maximian went, & to Conan þritty þousand sent; Line 6596

Line 6596 What wyþ þat on, what wyþ þat oþer, Þer lefte no force agayns non oþer. What dide Melga & Guaneis, Bot gadred ost of Outlandeys. Line 6600 Wiþ gret nauye o þe se þey [with a grete flete on flode to.] [Petyt folio 39b:2] ryde, & comen in alle by Scotlande syde; Wyþ werre & wo þey dide gret noye, ffor Westmorland al gon þey struye; Line 6604 Al þe northe contre þey wasted. Þey passed Humber, & southe hem hasted; Non encountre [in no countre.] þey ne fond, Bot husbonde-men þat tyled lond, Line 6608 & werkmen, & oþer pedaille Þat couþe nought werre ne of bataille; ȝif any swyche stod ought [ony of swik stode.] agayn, Wyþ armed men sone were þey slayn. Line 6612 Ilk man fro his owen gan fle, & þo þat ne myghte, slayn was he: How scholde þat londe kepe hym fro harmes, [How suld a lond be dredede.] Þat naked ys of men of armes? [þat of knigthes es al nakyd.] Line 6616 A lond hedles [heuedles.] in tyme of nede, Ouer al þanne ys sorewe & drede; & so was þenne bot cry & kare, Of socour & help þey were al bare; Line 6620 Bot [to.] while þey hadde þer bolde barons, Sauelike [Sauely.] held þey þer castels & touns; Ouer alle landes þey schewed þer [þei mustird.] myghtes, Þe whyles [to whyle.] þey hadde þer noble knyghtes. Line 6624 Þen chose þey of most bolde [þei ches þat were baldest.] & fers, & sent hem to Rome as messegers ffor help vnto Maximian;

And he þem sende sire Gracian; Line 6628 Wyþ hym come two legyons Þat wel socoured þe Bretouns; Þise Sarsynes [þis Saxins. (les hulagues, Wace, i. 289, l. 6253.)] þeues þey drof awey, In til Irland ilkon fled þey. Line 6632 ¶ In þys tyme at Rome ros Valentyn Wyþ al hys kynde, em & cosyn; Wyþ hym com kynges [a kyng.] of þe Est, Mo þan twenty, as seyþ [Theodosius, so sais. (O Théo|sien d'Orient, Wace, i. 289, l. 6258.)] þe Gest; Line 6636 Bot þorow treson, y ne wot how, Algate Maximian þey slow. Þe Bretons þat Maximian ledde, Summe þey slowe, somme were fledde; Line 6640 Þan sesed Valentyn Rome [Valentyn seised all eft.] [Petyt folio 40a:1] al efte, Al þat Maximian hym refte.