The story of England

¶ De Gormundo de Aufrico.

Gurmound was a noble knyght, Of noble lynage, of mykel [mykell of.] myght, Line 14,440 Stalworþe of body, hardy of wille, [P. leaves out this line.] He dredde noman for god ne ille; [P. leaves out this line.] Kynges sone he was of Aufryk, Þat is in heþenesse a ful fer stryk; Line 14,444 Of al Aufrike was he heyr, But þer-of ne tok he ward ne [bot he was in anoþer.] [Petyt folio 83b:1] speir; ffor, Aufrik he gaf til his broþer, & seide he wolde purchace hym oþer, Line 14,448 He seide he wolde toward þe west, By þe se syde, to make conquest, & croune wolde he neuere bere But he hit wan wyþ force & [of.] were. Line 14,452 Merlyn þe clerk longe byforn Of Gormound spak, er he was born, ⁵& seide, 'þe wolf vpon þe se ' Schuld do alle þe Bretons fle:'⁵ [^5-5 Que ce seroit uns lus marins, Wace, ii. 237, l. 13,814.] Line 14,456 Þus seyde Merlyn wyþ herte ful sor, Þe Bretons tyme for euere mor, Til Cadwal & til [Cadwaldre &.] Conan . Þeir bones broughte [wer brouht.] ageyn wyþ man. Line 14,460 ¶ fful wel he cald hym 'wolf of drede;' He robbed oueral as he ȝede. He purchased hym, þorow robberye, Men ynowe, & fair nauye,— Line 14,464 An hundred & sexti [Cant et cinquante, Wace, ii. 237, l. 13,817.] þousand bolde Of men of armes knowe & [armes & bowmen.] tolde,

Wyþouten gelde & maryners, & sergauntz, & gode [serganz gode &.] archers;— Line 14,468 Schipes he hadde, y ne wot how fele; Alle he tok, & non wold spele. Water & lond, long & brod, He ouer sailed, & al þorow rode; Line 14,472 Ildes þorow ȝede, kynges ouer-cam, [P. leaves out this line.] [Lambeth folio 61b:2] Þeyr landes sesed, þer godes nam. [P. leaves out this line.] So longe he ferde [farde.] o þe se sailand, & kynges slow by se & sand, Line 14,476 Al holy his flute gan dryue, Vpon Irland he gan aryue; [Irelend wild he ryue.] Þe lond sone til hym gan falle; Irische kyng he dide hym calle; Line 14,480 Þen seide he 'he wolde to Bretaigne, 'Wiþ Bretons to make a newe bargayne.' [mak bargayn.] Saxons were manie ȝyt in þys lond, . Þorow trewage þat men þem in bond, Line 14,484 & when þey felde hem ought [felt þam out.] of might, In Hengistes landes [hengist lond.] þey claymed right, Thwancastre, Lyndesye & Kent, Of þyse Hengist furst hadde rent/, Line 14,488 & þat he gaf Octa his sone,— By Scotland þer gan he wone;— Þey chalangede hit of auncestrie, . Al þat was Hengistes partie; Line 14,492 Ofte þey wan hit þorow dynt, & often hit a-geyn þey tynt; Often þer-fore þey gaf hostages, [P. leaves out this line.] [Petyt folio 83b:2] & also ofte made þey homages; [P. leaves out this line.] Line 14,496 To þe Bretons oþ þey swor, [P. leaves out this line.] & often ageyn þer oþ þey for;

Neuere held þey lenger feyþ ne ryght Þan þey sey tyme & terme of [till þei sauh tyme þat þei.] myght,— Line 14,500 Þat a kyng was ded or doune, Or ȝyf a feble on hadde þe croune;— Þenne þey ryse, on Bretons ronne, . Vmwhile þey les, vmwhile þei wonne; Line 14,504 ȝyf a discord were bitwixt þe Bretons, [P. leaves out this line.] Euere medlande were þe Saxons; [P. leaves out this line.] On wham-so ros contek or wo, [P. leaves out this line.] . Þe Saxons were redy þeym to slo. [P. leaves out this line.] Line 14,508 ¶ Northumberland was al þeyr home, [P. leaves out this line.] Þere þey wonede, þennes þey come; [P. leaves out this line.] Hit was gyuen þem first to bigge, [P. leaves out this line.] . Al wast was hit wone to ligge; [P. leaves out this line.] Line 14,512 But þer dwellynge mended þat contre [P. leaves out this line.] Wel bettere þan hit was wone to be. [P. leaves out this line.]

Of Gurmound ȝede þe word ful wyde, Þat alle landes he wolde þorow ryde; Line 14,516 Payen he was, þey herde wel telle, Cristen men to struye & [þe cristendom forto.] quelle. When þey herde of hym þus speke, . Þey hoped þan he scholde þem wreke; Line 14,520 Wyþ þe Bretons þei made al pes, Þe whiles [to whils.] messegers þey ches, & sente til Gurmound ouer þe se, & hette 'to holde of hym þer fe Line 14,524 ' Wyþ þy he wolde come to Bretaigne, ' & gyue hit þem, & be cheftaigne, ' & be hym self lord & kynge, ' Wyþy þey helde of hym þeir [þat.] þynge, Line 14,528 ' Þat leuede on his owen lawe, ' & brynge þe Cristene alle of dawe:

" ffor ȝe ar Payen, & so ar we; " O lawe we wolde þat al schuld [wild all on.] be, Line 14,532 " & swylk a kyng wolde we haue " Þat þe Payen lay might [lawe mot.] saue." ffaste hym bisoughte, & þus þey hym het, [him þei souht & þus þei hette.] [Lambeth folio 62a:1] So þat Gurmound mad [& Gurmund had.] redy his flet, Line 14,536 & seide 'he wolde auenture his chaunce, 'Hys Payen lay for to auaunce.' To schipe he wente at a tyde, O Northumberland he gan ryde. Line 14,540 Gurmound acorded wiþ þe Saxons, ' To voide þe lond of alle þe Bretons, ' & gyue hit þe Saxons in fe ageyn.' Of þys made þey foreward certeyn, Line 14,544 & þat þey schulde gyue hym truwage, & þer-til swore, & gaf hostage.

Oueral þenne was sorewe & drede Whenne þe Payens gonne [bigan.] [Petyt folio 84a:1] to sprede! Line 14,548 ffor þey of noman hadde mercy, But alle deide delfully; Þe Cristen blod [þat] er was gentil, [P. leaves out this line.] Was turned to Payen so vyl. [P. leaves out this line.] Line 14,552 Þe Saxons ledde þe Aufrykans, & destruyed þe Cristen wans; [wanes.] Knyghtes, clerkes, to deþ were don, & namely alle religion; Line 14,556 Was non spared of Cristen [cristens.] tonge, Neyþer womman ne childre [noure women no childir ȝong.] ȝonge. Byschopes, abbotes, þat reliqes had, When þey fledde, a-wey þeym lad, Line 14,560

Line 14,560 & manye in þe erthe þey dalf, Þat now men fynde on many half;— Crosses, belles, men haue founden, [P. leaves out this line.] . In welles, in watres, vp haue wounden, [P. leaves out this line.] Line 14,564 Þat tyme were casten, so to saue, [P. leaves out this line.] ffor þey myghte nought alle wyþ hem haue;— [P. leaves out this line.] Cors seyntes bones wyþ hem bare; . & hidde in erþe manion ȝut are. Line 14,568 Alle fledde þat fle might; Þe hardiest was ful sore afright. [all ofright.] . Theof, þe [Theon. Geoffrey of Monmouth says, bk. xi. § 10, that the Arch|bishop of Caerlion, with those of London and York, Theonus and Thadioceus, fled into Wales with their relics. Langtoft makes only Thon and Tadyke go, i. 230. He has the bishop eating herbs, l. 14,575, above.] erchebischop of London, Line 14,571 To wode he fledde, & was nought fonden; Sire Thadok, þe erchebischop of ȝork, He liuede in kerres, as doþ þe stork/; Þey liuede wyþ herbes of þe ryuers, . In wast, wyþ bestes, at stedes sers; Line 14,576 Non þeym tok to castel ne tour, ffor þey wyste of no socour; Halles, chaumbres, alle þey let, To Walys fele fledde [wale many fled.] on fet. Line 14,580 & somme þat mighte hauen hent, In schip to litel Bretaigne went/; Þe mene folk & þe poraille ffledde in to Walys & Cornewaille. Line 14,584 ¶ Þe kyng fledde fro cost to cost, ffor he myght gete to-gedere non host Þat durste stande Gurmound agayn, [The second a is an e altered.] Erl, baron, knyght, ne swayn; Line 14,588 Ne þe kyng durst hym nought se, [P. transposes these lines.] ffor non wilde stande, but alle wold fle. [P. transposes these lines.]

Seint Bede telles in his gestes [I cannot find anything like this in Bede. See note², p. 510 below.] . How þe Bretons brak Godes heste[s]: [hestis.] Line 14,592 Why þat meschaunce gan on þem [mischefe on þam gon.] [Petyt folio 84a:2] falle, In his bokes he writes hit alle. Of eighte [

The MS. has also .viij. over the word, and a later red note at the side in Latin—

" ¶ Nota: ¶ consilium Iuuenum," ¶ Latens odium, ¶ Singulare co|" modum destruunt regnum."

] þat [Auht (for of eighte þat).] he wrytes, y telle þe þre, [Lambeth folio 62a:2] . In stede of an autorite: Line 14,596 [Nota.] . Propre profit, & pryue hate, ȝonge mennes conseil þey toke algate; ffor by [befor.] alle þyse þre þey ches, . And mest þorow þyse, Bretayne þey les. Line 14,600