The Brut, or The chronicles of England. Edited from Ms. Raw. B171, Bodleian Library, &c., by Friedrich W. D. Brie, with introduction, notes, and glossary ...

[THE PROLOG.]

[How King Dioclisian wedded his 33 Daughters to 33 Kings whom they afterwards murderd; and how these Widows came to England, & had children by the Giants of the land.]

[MS Douce 323 1a] IN the noble lande of Surrye ther was a noble kyng and myghty, & a man of grete renoun, þat me called Dyoclician, þat wel and worthily hym gouernede, & rewlede thurgh his noble chiualrye, so þat he conquered alle þe landes abowte hym, so that almoste all þe kynges of þe world to hym were entendaunt. ¶ Hyt befell thus, þat this Dioclician spousede a gentyl damysele þat was wondyr fayr, þat was hys Eemys doughter, Labana; & sche loued hym as reson wolde, so þat he gate vpon here xxxiij doughtres, of þe which þe eldest me called Albyne. And þese Damysels, whan þey comyn in-to Age, bycomen so fayre þat it was wondyr. ¶ Wherfore this Dioclician anon lete make A sompnyng, & comaundid by his lettres þat Alle þe kyngys þat heldyn of hym schulde come at A certayn day, as in his lettres was conteyned, to make A ryal feste. At which day, þedir þey comyn, & brought with hem Amyralles, Prynces & Dukes, & noble Chiualrye. þe feste was ryally Arayd; & þere þey lyved in ioy and merthe y-now, that it was wonder to wete.

¶ And hit befelle þus, þat þis Dioclician þoughte maryen his Doughtres among all þo knyghtys þat tho were at that solempnite;

and so they speken & dede, that Albyne, his eldest doughter, & alle here sustres, richely were maryed vnto xxxiij kynges that wer lordes of gret honour, & Also power, at þis solempnite. And whanne þe solempnite was done, euery kyng nome his wyf, & lad hem into here owne cuntre, and there maad hem quene. ¶ And hit byfelle þus aftyrward, þat þis dame Albyne bycome so stoute & so sterne, þat sche told litel prys of her lord, And of hym hadde scorne and dyspite, and wolde not done his wylle, but wolde haue here owne wyll in diuerses maners. And all her other sustres, eche on bere hem so euel a-yens here lordes, þat it was wonder to wete. ¶ And for-as-mych as hem thought þat here housebondes were not of so hye parage comen as here fadyr. ¶ But tho kynges þat were her lordes, wolde haue chastysed with fayr speche & byhestes, & also for ȝiftes, and warnyd hem in fayr maner vpon all loue and frenschipe þat þei scholde Amende hir lithir condicions; but al it was for nouȝt, for they deden her owne wil in all þyng þat hem lykede & hadde of power. wherfore þo xxxiij kynges, vpon A tyme, and oftyn-tymes, beten here wyfes, for þey wende that þei wolde haue Amended here tacches and here wykkyd thewes; but of such condicions þei were þat, for fayr speche & warnyng, þei deden the [MS Douce 323 1b] wors, & for betynges eft-sone mych wors. Wherfore þe kyng þat hadde wedded Albyne, wrote þe tacches & þe condicions of his wyf Albyne, & þe lettre sent to Dioclician, her fader. ¶ And whenne þe other kynges herde that Albynes lord had sent lettre to Dioclician, anon þey sente lettres enseled with here seeles [of] þe condicions and þe tacches of here wyfes. ¶ Whanne þe Kyng Dioclician saw & herde so many pleyntes of his doughters, he was sore a-schamed, & bycome wonder Angry & wroth to-ward his doughters, & þought boþe nyght & day how he þo myghte amende hit þat þey so mysdede. ¶ And anon sente his lettres vnto þo xxxiij kynges, þat þey schulde come to hym, & brynge with hem here wyfes, euerychon at a certayn day, for he wolde þere chastise hem of here wikkydnes, if he myghte in eny maner wyse. So þat þe kynges comen All at þe day & tyme þat

þo was sette bytwen hem; & þe Kyng Dioclician hem vndir-fenge with mychel honour, & made A solempne feste to all þat were vndir his lordschipe. And þe thrid day of þat solempnyte, þe kyng Dioclician sente for his xxxiij doughtres, þat þei schulde come & speke with hym in his chambre. & whenne þey were comen, he spak vn-to hem of here wikkydnes & of here cruelte, & dispitously hem reproued And vndirnam, & to hem he sayde þat, ȝif þei wolde not be chastised, þei schulde his loue lese for euermore. ¶ And whanne þe ladyes herd al this, þei becomen abasshed & gretly a-schamed; & to here fadir þey seyd þat þei wolde make al amendes; & so þey departed out from here fadres chambre. and Dame Albyne, þat was þe eldest suster, lad hem all into her chambre, & þo made voide al þat were þerin, so þat no lyf was among hem but sche & here sustres y-fere. þo saide þis Albyne ¶ "My fair sustres, ful weel ȝe knowiþ þat þe kyng oure fadir, vs hath reprouyd, schamed & dispised, for encheson to make vs obedient vn-to oure housbandes; but certes þat schal y neuere, whiles þat I lyve, seth þat I am come of a more hyere kynges blod þan my housband is." & whan sche had so seyd, all here sustres seyd þe same. ¶ And þo seyd Albyne: "ful wel y wot, fayr sustres, þat oure housbandes haue playned vnto owre fadir vpon vs, wherfore he hath þus vs foul reproued & dispised. wherfore, sustres, my counseil is þat, þis nyght, when owre housbandes ben abed, all we with on assent cutten here throtes, & þan we mow be in pees of hem, & better we mowe do þis þing vndir our fadres power þan elles-where." & anon All þe ladyes [MS Douce 323 2a] consentid and graunted vnto þis counceil. ¶ And whan nyght was comyn, þe lordes & ladies wente to bedde, & anon as here lordes were in slepe, þei cutte all here housbandes throtes, & so they slowen hem all.

¶ whan þat Dioclician her fader herd of þis þing, he by-come hugely wroth A-ȝens his Doughtres, & anon wolde hem all haue brent; but Alle þe barouns & lordes of Sirrye conceilyd hym not so for-to don suche sternys to his owne doughtres, but onlych schulde voide þe land of hem for euermore, so þat þei neuere schulde come aȝen; & so he dede. ¶ And anon Dioclician, þat

was here fadir, commaundid hem to gon in-to schipe, & deliueryd to hem vitailles for half a ȝeer. and when þis was don, all þe sustryn went in-to Shipe, & saylled forth in þe See, & be-toke alle her frendes to Appolyn, þat was her god. And so long þey sailled in þe See, til at þe laste þei come & aryued in an yle þat was all wyldernes. ¶ And when dame Albyne was come to þat land, & all her sustres, þis Albyne went ferst owt of þe shipe, & sayde to here oþer sustres: "for-as-mich," quod sche, "as I am þe eldest suster of all þis cumpanye, & ferst þis land haue takyn, & for-as-meche as myn name is Albyne, y wil þat þis land be called Albyon, after myn owne name;" & anon all here Sustren her graunted with a good wylle.

¶ Tho wenten owt all þe Sustres of þe Shippe, & tokyn þe lond Alybyon, as here Suster called hit; & þere þei wente vp and doun, and founde neiþer man ne woman ne child, but wylde bestes of diuers kyndes. ¶ And whan here vitaill were dispendid, & hem faylled, þei fedde hem with erbes & frutes in seson of þe ȝeer, & so þey lyued as þei beste myght. And after þat, þei tokyn flessh of diuers beestys, and bycomen wondir fatte, and so þei desirid mannes cumpanye and mannys kynde þat hem faylled; and for hete they woxen wondir coraious of kynde þat hem faylled, so þat þey desirid more mannys cumpanye þan eny other solas or merthe.

¶ Whanne þe Deuyll that perceyued and wente by diuers contres, & nome bodyes of þe eyre & likyng natures shad of men, & come in-to þe land of Albyon and lay by þe wymmen, and schad tho natures vpon hem, & they conceiued, and after þei broughten forth Geauntes, of þe which on me called Gogmagog, and anoþer Laugherigan, & so þei were nompned by diuers names; & in þis manere they comen forth, and weren boren horrible Geauntes in Albion; & þey dwellyd in Cauys & in hulles at here will, & had þe lond of Albyon as hem liked, vn-to þe tyme þat Brut Arryved & come to Tottenesse, þat was in þe Ile of Albyon. and þere þis Brut conqueryd & scomfyted these [MS Douce 323 2b] geaunteȝ aboueseyd.