The story of England

¶ Reuersio Arthury in Angliam, in Mense Aprilis.

When he had feffed his barouns, & mad his priues lordes of touns, Þe nexte April, when somer gan, Til Ingeland wente ilka man. Line 11,000 When men wiste þat þey wer comen, Ageyn Arthur faste þey nomen; Þey made suche ioye, non myghte be more; Hys longe dwellyng þem for-þoughte sore; Ladyes kyste þer lordes swete, Line 11,005 Modres & childre for ioye gon [on childir for Ioy.] grete, Sones welcomed þer fadres home, & made al murthe for þer come; [at þer tocome.] Line 11,008 Lemmans leue ilk oþer kest, [P. leaves out this line.] Of more þey esed hem when þem lest; [P. leaves out this line.] Neueus nyftes, [A.-Sax. nefa, a niece.] sistres broþer, Ilka frend welcomede oþer; Line 11,012 Þey stode in ilka strete & sty, In grete routes men passed for-by, [in gashadles men passed bie.] Þey spirde [to spir.] at hem 'how þey hadde faren, ' & whi þat þey so longe waren, Line 11,016 ' & how þey spedde of þeyr conquest, ' & what þey wonne [whan þei wan.] so fer est, ' & how þey ferde in al þer wo: . " We wole namore ȝe fare vs fro." Line 11,020

Line 11,020 & þen þey teld hem al þer chaunce, How Arthur hadde wonne ffraunce, & of merueilles þat þey had sen, & in what peryl þey had ben. [

The Lambeth MS. has the next two lines twice over; first in this form,—

Alle þe lordes of þis Londeþat Arthur byfore hym fonde.

The Petyt MS. wisely leaves out these lines.

] Line 11,024

Þe lordynges of þys lond [Lambeth folio 48a:1] Þat Arthur bifore hym fond, Riche presentes þey hym sent, . Hys longe dwellyng mykel þey ment; Line 11,028 & he ageyn was ful curteys, Some gaf he hors or oþer harneys; Gladly he gaf, & largely. . ffor to schewe his curtesy, Line 11,032 ffor to schewe his grete prowesse, & do by-knowe his grete richesse, & for to speken of his dedes . Þat alle kynges doutes & dredes, [ll. 11,033-11,036. The Petyt MS. leaves out this line.] Line 11,036 Þey conseilled hym his lond to somoune, At Whitsonday, [Qu'à la Pentecoste, en esté, Wace, ii. 94, l. 10,458.] to do hym coroune. At Kerlyon in Glamorgan, [& Klamorgan.] [Petyt folio 65b:1] Dide somoune þyder [did somond þidir.] ilka man. Line 11,040 Karlyoun was som [þat.] tyme riche, Rome & hit lykned y-liche; Hit standeþ on a water men calleþ Vsk/, To Seuarne hit rennes by bank & busk; Line 11,044 In Vsk men myghte þider wende, Outlandes fer þat þider wol lende; On þat o syde ran þat ryuer, Þat oþer side, [on þe toþer.] fforest, ful of der; Line 11,048

Line 11,048 Venisoun þer was ynow, Plente of fysche in water þey drow; Large medes wyþ gras plente, Lond to tile, non bettere myght be. Line 11,052 Two kyrkes were in þe toun, Þat tyme had þey gret renoun; Of seint Iuly was þat on, Þat oþer was of seint Aaron. Line 11,056 Seint Iuly in martirdam gan deye, Nonnes were at his abbeye; Seint Aaron, þer was þe byschopes se, [at saynt Aaron was þe bisshop see.] Þe heued kyrke of þe cyte; Line 11,060 Þer-of Arthur was [þe] ffoundour, & [did.] set hit in seint Arons honour; Þer were chanons of clergye, & knewe þem wel in [þat knewe wele of.] astronomye; Line 11,064 To knowe þe sternes, þer tente þey [þer wittes.] leyd, & til Arthur often [oft tymes.] seyd, Þat what þyng he was aboute, He schulde spede wyþoute doute: Line 11,068 Wel was þat tyme at Kerlyoun! [Fele was þan a karlioun.] But siþ [sen.] þat tyme haþ hit go doun. ffor þe plente of ffysche & flesche, Of wode & water, hey & gres, Line 11,072 Of housyng, & of oþer aysement By water & londe men broughte & sent. Þen seide Arthur he wolde þer holde ffeste wyþ alle his barons bolde, Line 11,076 & at þat selue samenynge He seyde he wolde be corouned kynge.