The story of England

Lucius primus Rex Christianus.

After þis gode kyng Coylus, Regned his sone sire Lucius; He was large & curteys, And firste Cristen kynge, men seis. Line 5728 Al þis land so fair and fre, [re Lucius Bretannie.] Þorow hym was brought to Cristiente.

Whan he herde þe lawe of Crist, How in his name [men] [in his men.] were baptist, Line 5732 Of his miracles men spake ryf, & of þapostles holy lyf, & als how God for þeym wrought Þat to Cristendam wer brought, Line 5736 He sent þe Pope Eluthere, [Papa Euleutherius. (In a later hand.)] Bysoughte hym as his fader dere To sende hym a man myght hym baptyze, Of Cristes lawe lere hym þe wyse. Line 5740 When þe Pope herde þat tydynge, He þanked Iesu, heuene kynge, Þat in his tyme he wolde so wyrche, Brytaigne to brynge to holy chirche. Line 5744 Two clerkes he sente hider to preche— Bisschopes þe were, þe lawe to teche,— Þat o [þe to.] clerk highte sire Duman, Þat oþer men calde Bisschop ffagan, [Matan, MS. du Roi 27; Fagan, MS. du Roi 7515^3.3. Colb.; Wace, i. 248. l. 5349. Faganus, Geoffrey.] Line 5748 Þyse to bisschopes baptized þe kynge & alle his men [meigne.] at her comynge. Þorow þe kyng & his [kyng had.] grauntise Þey ordeyned þe lawe in [as þe lawe is &.] right assise; Line 5752 Þei ordeigned ilka [MS. illa.] bischop þer se, [Ordeyned þei Archbisshop see. (Lamb. MS. follows Wace.)] [Petyt folio 34b:2] & Erchebischopes abouen hem to be. [& bisshopes vndere þam to be.] In hys tyme [þis lond.] were temples olde, [The eight and twenty flamens are in Geoffrey (chap. xix.) but not the next line.] Eyght & twenty flamins [grete.] men tolde,— Line 5756 Þe Latyn calleþ [sais þe.] temple 'flamins,'— Somme of Mahoun, & somme of Appoll[i]ns,

Somme of Dyane, somme & of Berit.— Two [Geoffrey makes three: the third at the City of Legions, chap. xix.] arche flaminus were þey [þer.] ȝit; Line 5760 At Londone was þer chef flamee, [þe archeflame.] & at ȝork þat oþer se; Þe oþere flamins in londe ware Als þe bischopes sees now are. Line 5764 Þyse temples of Maumetries Þey turned alle fro þer eresyes, & halewode þem [halowed þam.] to Cristes werk, & ordeyned kirkes, prest, [with preste.] & clerk, Line 5768 Landes, rentes, lyght & catel, Þat to þo temples langed or [longed &.] fel, & al oþer aportynaunce, He gaf hit to þer sustenaunce: Line 5772 To a dyocise langed a cite, & ordened paroschens [parisches. (parosces, Wace, l. 5365.)] for to be. To parsones & to vicaries Was graunted grete seignuryes. Line 5776 When Bretayne was Cristen al, [Lambeth folio 25b:1] & þe newe lawe was brought to stal, Ioyful was sire Lucyus, Þat sey þe folk al turne [sawe þe folk turned.] þus. Line 5780 In Cristene lawe, als he hym ches, Þer-inne he ended in god [godes.] pes; At Gloucestre he deide, & þer [he] lys, [London he died & þer he lies.] & his soule wente to Paradis. Line 5784 Þe date of Crist, men seid þo [told so.] her, Was an hundred & fyue [sex. (sis, Wace, l. 5387.)] & fifty ȝer. Wyþouten heyr Lucyus ys ded. Þen couþe þe Bretons þer-of no red: Line 5788

Line 5788 Wo was hem he hadde non heyr! To haue a lord þey were in speyr; [to be þer lord had þei no speire.] [þe were bigan omang þam alle, to whom þe seignorie suld falle.] [From the Petyt MS.] Line 5792 ffro lond to. la[n]d, fro man to man, ¶ Of þat to Rome tydynge ran, Þat ded was sire Lucyus, & þat we werreyed amonge vs. [MS. he werreyed ageyns. P. reads, we wered amang.] [Petyt folio 35a:1] Line 5796 Þey chose Sauer, a senatour,:emperour: & made hym maister & gouernour; [Sauerus Inperator.] He broughte hider two Legions. Þe Bretons to þeym were felons; Line 5800 Sauer werreyed on þem faste, Manye he conquered & caste, & ffele oþere hadde disdeyn ffor to halde of any Romayn; Line 5804 Vmwhile þey faught, vmwhile fleand; Sauer þey[m] [Seuere þam.] chaced to Scotland. Þen chose þe Bretons þeym a kynge: [ffulgencius Rex.] ¶ ffulgence he highte, a gret lordyng; He felawed hym [& folowed þam.] wyþ þe Peytes, [

As Pis se sont acompagnié,Si se sunt ensamble aloié.

Wace, i. 251, l. 5412-13.] Line 5809 Þat euere were ful of deseites; [lefe to fehtes.] Outlandeis þat were ffledde, Alle swilk wyþ þeym þey ledde; Line 5812 In a conrtre þey dide [cuntre men did.] gret schame; Dene [Deire.] was þenne þer-of þe name. ffro Scotland in to Þurlewal, [vnt Thrilwall.] Peytes landes þey telde hit al. [Peihtlond þei told it all.] Line 5816 ffulgence southewarde hym hasted, Þe lond al aboute was wasted;

Sauer fledde southeward ageyn; Þe Peites robbed & made al pleyn. Line 5820 ffulgence wyþ Peytes on hem þey [whan Seuere had folk on þam eft.] ran, Bot þe Peyte fledde ilk a man;— Som tyme wolde þey bataille abide, & som tyme fledde on ilka syde; Line 5824 Bot ofte dide þey Sauer tene, ffulgence wiþ þe Peytes kene. Longe dured þat reuery, [robberie.] Þat Sauer mought neuere come þem by, Line 5828 Til he dide make an ouerthwert dik, Bitwyxte to sees a ful gret strik; & þer-on a pale wel y-poynt, [palis with poynt (palis, Wace).] Þykke & hey, ful wel y-ioynt, Line 5832 & closed þat side of þe lond; Ouerthwert, Est & West hit bond. Syn þat tyme hit was in-clos, Neuere non of alle his foos Line 5836 Durste non of þeym ferþer fele, [Lambeth folio 25b:2] Ne by þat side robbe ne stele. ffulgence tok conseil at wyse, & of Peytes [at þe Peihtes.] [Petyt folio 35a:2] & oþere of hyse, Line 5840 To werre ȝit more vpon Sauer, & hym to chace fer & ner. [& robbe & reue hym full nere.] Til Peytes he gaf gyftes grete, & preied hem þey scholde nought [þam þei wild not.] lete Line 5844 To gadere [bot gadred.] a god compaygnie Toward [on.] þe se in his nauie. When þey hadde gadered þer host, & schipes by þe se [in his schippes bi þe sees] cost, Line 5848 Þe host was schiped, & went to se, [in stedes þer þei sawe ese.] & aryued vp y þe beste contre,

& byseged ȝork al aboute. Al þe contre til hym gan loute; Line 5852 He sente to grete lordynges, & het & gaf hem riche þynges. ffor fair hot, & giftes þat þey tok, Þemperour Sauer þey forsok. Line 5856 Sauer tok hise oþer Bretons, & asembled [gadred togidere.] his legions; Toward ȝork faste þem dight, To remue [remoue; and omits the next two lines.] hem he hadde tyght. Line 5860 When þey were comen wyþynne a lyte, Þe batailles gonne to-gedere smyte; ffellyk þey foughte, for þer was slayn On eyþer syde þeir cheftayn; Line 5864 ffulgence was first feld to grounde, & Sauer was slayn on a stounde. Þe Romayns for Sauer bysought, So þat his body to ȝork was brought, Line 5868 & biried þer solempnely, & his oþer frendes hym by. [Not in Geoffrey either.] Þis ilke enperour Sauer Regned her seuentene ȝer: Line 5872 Syn Crist cam [was born.] of þe vyrgyne, Nyne score ȝer euene, & nyne,

Of þys Sauer þat deide þere, Tweye knaue childre were; Line 5876 Þat on men calde Bassian, Þat oþer had to name Cetan. [Gelan.] Cetan [Gelan.] moder was a Romayn, Comen [of men; and after l. 5881 re|peats lines 5878-9 on] [Petyt folio 35b:1] of gode knyght & swayn. Line 5880 Bassan was born of a Brette; Þe Bretons of hym þe bettere lette.

Þe Romayns toke þis ilke Cetan, [Gettan.] & corouned hym, & bycome [com.] hys man. Line 5884 Þe Bretons wiþ Bassan helde, & of þe roeme highte hym þe schelde. Þen ilkon in þer party Held wyþ his kynde doughtyly: Line 5888 Al þus wyþ megge [þus gate with mengyng. (ensi ot por l'eslection, Wace, i. 255, l. 5486.)] & wiþ monge Bytwixt hem wax þer werre stronge; Ilkon ouer oþer so lange þey [algate ilk oþer so long ouer.] ran, Þat atte laste slayn was Cetan. [Getan.] Line 5892 ¶ Þe Bretons, eft sones þey ches Bassan kyng, & hadde þer pes. [Bassan Rex.] ¶ A ladde was y þys londe, of fame, [Lambeth folio 26a:1] Karaucyus [Charais, Wace. Cp. 'Karas,' below.] þen was his name; [Karaucius] Hardy he was, & ful connynge, [& conand.] [Maledictus.] Stalworthe of body, & wel fightynge; [fightand.] Line 5898 In many nedes assayed he was; Of prowesse men preised þys Karas; Line 5900 Born he was of pouere [pure.] lynage, & litel he hadde of heritage. Gretter & fairer [fairer & better.] stat he held, Þan wolde his rentes, [þan he rent had.] or land in feld; Line 5904 Grete emprises he durst vndertake; More louede he þe werre þan þes to make. I þe se to wende, þenne was doute, Maryners robbed þe ildes aboute; Line 5908 Mighte atte hauenes reste ne [duelle no.] be, ffor outlandesmen þat come by se. Karaucius þenne hym by-þought,

Þe senaturs of Rome he [MS. þey, but þ altered to h. he, P.] sought, Line 5912 & tolde hem þat outlandes flet Bretaygne alle aboute biset, & seide "ȝif ȝe wil gyue me leue " Þe robbours o þe se to greue, Line 5916 " & gyue chartre of a-vowerye, [chartire & auourie.] " Þe se to loke wyþ myn nauie, " I scholde ȝow warante ȝoure [I sall þam warant þorgh.] truage, " Þat non outlandeys scholde make passage." Þey graunted hym þen leue to haue, Line 5921 So þat he schulde þer truage saue; Chartre þey gaf hym wiþ her sel, So þat he scholde to þeym beo leel. [þat he suld to þam be leale.] [Petyt folio 35b:2] Line 5924 Karres his leue atte Romayns [MS. Romayms.] nam, & schewed [þe] [þe.] chartre þer he cam; Sone [quicly.] gat he hym mariners, Wiþ schipes, barges, & balyngers. [schippes gode busses coggers.] Line 5928 He desired [disherited.] men þat were fledde, Þeues & robbours, swylk he ledde, Yuel dedy [ill dedy.] men þat were wight, Of Outlandes al [þo.] þat he myght; Line 5932 Of swylk he gadered compaignies, Born & norysched in felonyes. Whan þis Karraus had gadered him [geten him.] ost, Of manye a land he serched þe cost; Line 5936 ffro on ilde til oþer he ȝede, Of no þynge ne hadde þey [was it non þat þei ne had.] drede; Men he robbed, & landes wasted, ffrom o stede til oþer [fro a stede till anoþer.] he hasted; Line 5940 To ney neygheburs, & ferþer [neihburs nere & fer.] fro, Til alle he dide skaþe & w[o];

Al he tok þat he myght take, He nolde mesure to [mesure wild he.] no man make; Line 5944 Þat Outlandeys byforn had left, [De fide ffracta.] He spared non, bot alle he reft. To saue þe folk, Carrays was sworn, Bot he was worse þan oþer byforn; Line 5948 fful mykel he wan, ȝit ȝernde he more, ffor his folk woxe & spredde ay whore; Casteles & tounes doun he þrew; ffor lord, he wolde þat alle hym knew. Line 5952 So fer he sayled [farde.] to wynne hym wayne, [Lambeth folio 26a:2] Atte laste he aryued in [in þis.] Bretaigne; Pryuely wiþ þe Bretons he spak, & seide, "ȝe se nought ȝoure lak! Line 5956 " ȝour kyng can nought hym seluen were! " Bot ȝyf ȝe wyl me god feiþ bere, " Y scholde deliuere ȝow out of peynes, [I. suld delyuere ȝow of þe Romeyns.] " And al ȝour land of ȝour Romaynes. [all þis lond of þar dimeyns.] " Line 5960 He ȝede to þe Peytes, & seide hem þe same; ȝif þey wolde alle wyþ o name Make hym kynge of þempyres, He wolde þem make lordes & syres. Line 5964 þo were þe Peytes wyþ þe kyng pryue, & in þys lond gret plente; And Karays wyste þat þey were fykel, Þerfore he glosed hem, & gaf hem mykel, Line 5968 & þey hight [hette.] [Petyt folio 36a:1] hym wyþouten faille, ȝyf he wyþ þe kynge tok bataille, Tyl Kareys party schold þey go, And þe kyng desconfite & slo. Line 5972