The story of England

¶ Bellum inter Goffar & Troianos.

Goffar swor he schold [suore he suld.] hym venge: Of mikel folk he made a renge Line 1532 ffor to falle [com.] on Brutes ost; & Brutus aspied on [spied be.] what cost, & sente vntil his fflute on flod, þat raskayl [þat þare rescaile. (ringaille, Wace, l. 846.)] to þe schip al ȝod, Line 1536

Line 1536 And þer vitaille wyþ hem lede [Lambeth folio 7a:1] Tyl þey wyste how þey schold [he suld.] spede: " Ne comes nought [com not.] out, y ȝow forbede, " Tyl þat y come, for doute & drede." Line 1540 Hys men of armes þat wiþ hym war, [was.] Þey went a-geyn þe [ageyn to.] [Petyt folio 10a:2] kyng Goffar. Þer hostes sone to-gydere mette, Wyþ spere & swerd [with dynt of launce.] to-gedere sette; Line 1544 Þe Peyteuynes wel on þeym sought, Þe Trogens stode, þey [&.] failled nought, Þey stoden wel a gret party, Non wyste ho schold haue þe [who suld haf.] maystri. Line 1548

Coryneus for tene wax al wod [wex] þat þe Peyteuyns so wel stod. Out of þe renge he ȝede biside, & ches him folk þat dirste abyde, [durst wele bide.] Line 1552 & trauersed þe Peyteuynes bataille. Þenne bygan þey mykel [for.] to faille; Þorow þe [þorgh þer.] host he made hem weye, On ilk a side he dide þem deye. Line 1556 Corineus þer his swerd he lees; [suerde les.] An ax he wan sone yn [wan in all.] þat pres, (As auenture fel, hit cam til [was it com to.] hande,) Agaynes þat mought þer [ageyn þat mot.] noman stande, Line 1560 Neyþer [noiþer.] byhynde ne byforn; þat he ouer-rought, [ouertok.] þe lif was lorn. þe Peyteuines stode & byhelde How Coryneus faught in þe felde; Line 1564

Line 1564 þey saye [saw.] his grete hardinesse, & his strokes þat were ay fresche; [strokes were euer fresse.] Byfore hym, euerylkon þey fleyghe, [fleih.] ffor drede of his hand to deye. [ageyn hym nouht non ne deih.] Line 1468 Whan he sey þat þey turned [sawe þat þei gaf.] bak, He folewed fast, [þam.] & to þem spak: " ffalse folk! why fle ȝe? " ffle ȝe alle for drede of [all only for.] me? Line 1572 " I am al one, Coryneus, " & for me one ȝe fle [on ȝe fle all.] þus! " Turn a-geyn! what haue ȝe þought? [souht.] " ffende ȝour lond, & fles [fle; and omits the next two lines.] nought! Line 1576 " Turn a-gayn, & comes blyue, " By two, by þre, by foure or fyue, " & fend ȝour land as men hardy; " þer folewes non bot onelyk y!" [ȝow folowes non bot only I.] Line 1580 ¶ Swerd, [Suard.] a knyght of þe kynges host, Herde his pride & his bost; Wiþ two hundred knyghtes & swayn On Coryneus [Corrine.] turned ageyn; Line 1584 On alle halue abouten [half about.] hym þey ȝede, Bot he ne fled hem [he fled þam nouht.] [Petyt folio 10b:1] for no drede; Wyþ þat ax he hym bywent, Sire Swerd [sir Suhard.] a strok he lent, Line 1588 Wiþ þat strok his body clef, In-to þe erthe his ax dref. Þe oþer alle had no foysoun [foson. (desfension, Wace, l. 913.)] Þan had [þan.] þe lomb ageyn þe lyoun. Line 1592

Line 1592 Þenne cam Brutes y [Brutus com in.] þat stounde, [Lambeth folio 7a:2] Many on he slow & leide [slouh & leid.] to grounde; Wiþ þe Trogens was no feyntise, Bot Swerd [Suhard.] was slayn, & alle hyse; Line 1596 Vneþes ascaped þe kyng wiþ [scaped þe kynge o.] chaunce, He ȝed to seke [ȝede & souht.] hym help in ffraunce;— Hit highte nought Fraunce, þe name was Galle, Galle hit was cald þat tyme of alle; [was it called þat tyme all.] — Line 1600 þe twelue dosze-peres of pris departed þe lond in twelf partys; Ilkon of þes, Goffare þey hight, [A vengier de ses anemis, Wace, l. 928.] 'Wyþ þe Troiens for hym to fight, Line 1604 & do þem alle to fle þe lond, Or do þem deye wiþ dint of hond.' [A vengier de ses anemis, Wace, l. 928.] Goffar þanked þem alle twelue, & ilkon gadered an ost [gedred oste.] hym selue. Line 1608

Brutus & hys men of Troye, ffor þeyr wynnynge þey mad [wynnyng made.] gret ioye, & desconfyted [discomfite had.] þeyr enemys; A castel þey dide make [did mak.] of pris Line 1612 In þe contre als þey nam; On a fair hil þey rested þam, [& cam.] A castel þey maden to haue rescet, [mad to haf rescette. (Fr. recet, lieu de defense et de retraite. Lat. receptus.)] Byfor hand was þer non set, [ore was þer non sette.] Line 1616 Toun ne castel þat non may wyten; [no man witten.] Bot als yn olde story ys wryten, Þorow þat makyng þat þey dide same, Tours hadde þey gyuen hit þe [had gynnyng þerof &.] name; Line 1620

Line 1620 Tours was cald, [Toures called.] þat wyde ys kyd, Þorow a knyght a ded [þat dede.] bytyd. When þe castel was mad & set, [made & sette.] & þer godes þerto yfet, [fette.] Line 1624 Bot two dayes [Douse jors. Wace, l. 947.] sithen [sen.] hit was dight, Com Goffar wiþ alle his myghte, On þe Troiens to gyue bataille, & þer castel þey gonne [gan.] assaille, Line 1628 Bot whan þe kyng saw þat hil, Tyl [To.] [Petyt folio 10b:2] his men he seide his skyl: " Lo! þey haue y-mad [haf mad.] a Tour " ffor to abesen our [abate myn.] honour. Line 1632 " Sorewe in herte wil me slo " Bot y be venget or þey go! " Þerfore, lordes, y preye [lordes pray.] ȝow alle, " Helpes now þat hit may falle. Line 1636 " Arme vs swyþe al redy, " Assaille we þem doughtyly!" Þey armed þeym alle, baron & knyght, [P. transposes this line and the next.] In twelue [deus, MS. du Roi, 27; douse, MS. du Roi, 7515^3.3, Colb. Wace, p. 47.] batailles redy to fyght; Line 1640 To gyue assaut, al wer þey bone. [þei were alle boune.] Þey of þe castel com on ful [com out.] sone, & smyten [þei smyte.] to-gyder al so smert Wyþ ful egre wyl of hert. Line 1644 Þat bataille was nought a lyte, [þer was bataile of no lite.] So felonly þey gon [þai gan.] to smyte; At þassemble, in [In þer strokes at.] þe fi[r]ste tyde Þe Troiens had þe bettere side; Line 1648

Line 1648 ffor vnto twey [in tuo. L. has an old w and a modern el (wel) after ffor.] þousand or mo Þe Troiiens slowen [slouh.] sone of þo. Þo twelue batailles þe Troiens brak, & dide þe ffrensche arere hem [did þe frankes go.] bak. Line 1652 Þe ffrankysch þenne cast [frankes þan kest.] a cry, [Lambeth folio 7b:1] Þerfore men drowe to þeym ney, [foreyn men drouh þam nehi.] & stode ageyn, & smyten [MS. snyten.] sore, & þeir folk wax [wex.] ay more, Line 1656 Þey come ay fresche, & stoden wel, & drof [drofe.] þe Troiens to þer castel. Þen had þe ffrankysche [frankes.] þe fairer ende, Þat ded hem wyþ force a-geyn [MS. ageym.] to wende; [with force agayn did þam wend.] Alle a [þat.] day þey held hem fight Line 1661 Tyl hem failled dayes [day.] lyght; Þey wyþ-drowen, to [withdrouh till.] logges þey ȝede, Þe nyght was come, þey moste [com nere þei most.] nede. Line 1664 Þe Troiens þat had ben yn turpel, [tirpell. [trépel, (trepidatio,) Wace, l. 981, p. 48.]] At midnight tok þey [þer.] conseil, Þat Coryneus out scholde [suld.] go Wiþ his owen ost, & no [oþer.] mo, Line 1668 & busche hym in [busse in.] a wode byside: " Þe frankisch ost ȝe schul [frankes ost ȝe sall.] here bide, " & whan þer ost ys al [be alle.] [Petyt folio 11a:1] comen, " & ȝe haue [be.] a-geyn þem nomen, Line 1672 " Þan [MS. þ^t an. þen, P.] schol [sall.] þey se þat ȝe ar fo, " Þey schol [sall.] nought drede on ȝow to go.

" & take non auisement, " ffor ȝe ar fewe, [ȝe ere.] þey schol [sall.] nought tent, Line 1676 " & ȝe schal [sall.] abate ȝow hardely, " ffor atte here [at þer.] bak y come redy; " Þe maistrie schal [sall.] oures be, " ffor coward elles hald þou [hold ȝe.] me." Line 1680 Coryneus he dighte hem ȝerne, & went out at þe day[e] sterne, [al coc cantant. Wace, l. 995.] & busched þem on a rowe þat þe Frensche moughte þem [frankisse kouth þam.] nought knowe. þe Peyteuyns comen atte morwen [com at þe morn.] tyde, Line 1685 þe Troiens a-geyn þem gon ride Turynus a knyght, Brutus [brutus is written above Coryneus dotted out. ("un niès Bruti," Wace, l. 1004.) brutus, P.] cosyn, He parted þe host of [þe] Peyteuyn, Line 1688 & rod þer host al þorow out, Might noman [mot non.] bere his strokes stout; Merueyloslike [Meruelly.] was he hardy, His hardinesse was foly; Line 1692 In al þe host ne hadde he pere, Of no strengthe þat men myght [mot.] here, (Bot þe geaunt, sire Coryne, [Corrine. (Fors Corinéus sole|ment, Wace, l. 1010.)] ȝit was he al so [als.] strong as he:) Line 1696 He triste to [trost hym.] mykel on his myght; Ouer fer he ȝede on hem [þam.] to fight: He had slayn, þe story seys, Six hundred Peyteuyns & Fraunceys; Line 1700 Siþen com alle þe frankische route, & closed hym yn al aboute.