The chronicle of Iohn Hardyng. Containing an account of public transactions from the earliest period of English history to the beginning of the reign of King Edward the Fourth. Together with the continuation by Richard Grafton, to the thirty fourth year of King Henry the Eighth. The former part collated with two manuscripts of the author's own time; the last, with Grafton's duplicate edition. To which are added a biographical and literary preface, and an index, by Henry Ellis.

The. lxxiii. Chapiter.

¶ Arthure, kyng of Britayne, reygned. xxvi. yere. Howe the kynge bare syxe banners in his warre; and howe he renewed and increased the table rounde, and helde vp royally the rule of it: and howe he conquer∣ed Irelande and Denmarke, with all the ysles of theim.

ARthure, his sōne vp growen, then peerlesse, [Kynge Arthure.] Throughout y^e world approued of his age, Of wyt and strength, beawte and [and also.] largesse; Of persone hye, aboue his baronage, And other all of Brytons vasselage, By his shoulders exceded in longitude, Of all membres full fayre in latytude.

¶ At Circestre, then of. xv. yere of age, When Dubryk [Dubrice.] , archbishoppe of Carilyon, With all estates within his herytage, Assembled there, duke, earle, [lorde] and baron, And commentye of all the regyon,

Vpon his hedde did sett the [his.] dyademe, In royall wyse, as wele hym [it.] dyd beseme.

¶ The yere of Christe[s byrth.] v. C. and syxtene, Was whan he was crowned all with golde, Where than he made a vowe for to sustene The Chrysten fayth, the churche also [to] vpholde, The peace and lawes, mawgre who [so] other wold; The Saxons also [als.] to warre [werre on.] and destroye, That of longe tyme [had done vs] [hath doone this lande.] greate anoy.

¶ King Arthure sought y^e Saxons in Scotland: His chiefe baner of goules was to see, An ymage of our Lady of golde enthronde, Crowned of golde, as freshe as it myght be; His other banner was of the Trynite; Of golde and goulis of saynt George was y^e third [thrid.] ; The. iiii. was Brutus armes knowen [and kyd.] [vnhid.]

¶ The fyfte baner of goulis. iii. crownes of gold; The syxte of goulis, a dragon of golde fyne: With hoost full great of Britons y^t were bolde, On Douglas water the Saxons he did vntwine, Colgrim, [y^t was] their capitayne, fled fro thyne To Yorke anon, and it with people helde, His men then slayne, the kyng had so the felde.

¶ Cheldrik & Baldoffe [Baldulfe.] , two dukes of Germanie, With hostes great then landed in Britayne, To Colgrym came, and brent that [the.] lande [in hye;] [ther by.] But to Arthure kyng Howell [Hoele.] came full fayne, [Fol. lxiii.] With hoost great [full grete.] , his systers sonne certayne, Of lesse Britayne, that with his vncle went Against Colgrym to fyght in his entent.

¶ Cador the duke that tyme of Cornewayle, The kynges brother of his mothers syde, Came to the kyng with people y^t might auayle, So dyd all other of all Britayne full [so.] wyde: With their enemies then met [of mikell] [with full grete.] pryde,

And vaynqueshed theim at Lyncolne then seging, For whiche they fled full faste y^t syege leauing.

¶ To Calidon wood, nere [vnto the sea,] [nygh to the cite.] Where the kynges two theim seged sore about, That for [famishment & fought] [famyshte and faynte.] they swore to be The kynges men, and their lande throughoute, [For to voide their people of all the land out & out;] Colgrym, Baldolffe [Baldulph.] , and also duke Cheldryk, [That chieftayns] [Whiche capetayns.] were w^t dughty duke Cordrik:

¶ And leyde hym hostage all this to spede. And when they were vpon the sea agayne, They landed eft at Totnesse so in dede, And seged Bathe, where Arthure was full faine, Their hostage[s] honged in their syght ful plaine, And with them fought, Colgrym & Baldof [Baldulph.] slewe, To Cordryk [Cerdike.] gaue Westsex to [be] his man trewe.

¶ Duke Cador then folowed vpon the chace, And slewe Cheldryk and his [of Saxonie,] [Saxonry.] And to the kyng agayne came for this case, That kyng beseged [Hoell seged.] was in Albanye; Wherfore they went with hoste full manly To Alclud, where Scottes & Peightes [Pictes.] laye about, Theim discomfyted [discomfite.] and hym delyuered oute.

The Scottes & Peightes [Pictes.] he droue into oute [the out.] ysles Of Scotland then, & there became his men To lyue in peace, that euer were full of wyles; [But Gwillomare, the kyng of Irelande then, Ouer kyng Arthure full harde warre beganne, With hoste full greate of Iryshe and Saxonye,] [

And of disceite they sent by their fals giles, To Gillomaure the kyng of Irlonde then, Whiche with grete hooste of Irysh and Saxony.

MS. Harl. The Selden MS. except in the word Saxonry agrees with Grafton's Text.

] In Scotlande brent, and also [als.] in Albanye.

¶ But then y^e kyng hym met, & with hym faught, Discomfyted [discomfite.] hym, and put hym to the flygt, Vnto [Into.] Irelande, with batayle sore vnsaught;

Of Scotlande, then [of Lowthyan] [Loth of Lothian.] by ryght, The kyng was then, that [loth of Lowthian hight,] [was of full grete myght.] The fyrste knyghte was so of the table rounde, To Arthure true & also [als.] his lyegeman founde;

¶ His syster Anne vnto his wyfe had wed, On whome he gate the curteous knyght Gawen [Gawayne.] , In Dunbar castell his lyfe [there] he ledde; And Aguzell [Agnysell.] was kyng that tyme certayne, Of Albanye, and Vryan, of Murref [Murefe.] playne: The kyng was then [that,] to kyng Arthure full trewe, His lyegeman aye, [and chaunged not of] [that were of olde and] newe.

¶ The [This.] kyng Arthure then wedded to his wyfe Gwaynore, faiereste of any creature, That tyme accompte[d] for passyng [birth natyfe,] [any life.] So iuly [ynly.] fayre she was of her fygure, More aungelyk then womannyshe [of] nature; In so ferfurth mē thought them selues wel eased, [Fol. lxiiii.] Her to beholde, so well al folke she pleased.

¶ The table rounde of knightes honourable, That tyme were [nygh.] voyde by great defycience, For many were, through actes marcyable, Dispended then by warres violence; Wherfore the kyng then of his sapience, The worthyest of euery realme aboute In the table rounde then sent [serte edit. alt. MS.] without doute.

¶ The thre kynges foresayde [aforesayde.] of Scotlande, Two kynges also of Walys, full chyualrous, Howell [Hoell.] , the kyng of lesse Briteyne lande, And duke Cador of Cornewayle corageous, [And worthy Gawen, gentyll and amarous,] [Knyghtes of the rounde table were made aunterouse.] And other fel [suany.] ; theyr rule was wronges to oppresse [represse.] With their bodyes, where lawe myght not redresse [expresse.] ,

The fayth, y^e church, maydens, & widowes clene, Chyldren also that were in tender age,

The cōmon profyte euer more to sustene; Agayne enchauntmentes his body for to wage, [Agayne whiche crafte of the deuelles rage, Theim to destroye, and all kinde of sorcerye, Of whiche were many that tyme in Brytayne.] [

Theym to destroy and sorcery outrage, Of which was that tyme in Britayne, Grete wonte and custume, if I shuld be playne.

]

¶ On Whitsonday alwaye euery yere, They shoulde eche one at the feaste be [been.] w^t the king, In anye place where euer so that he were; But yf he were in prysone, or harde [hade.] lettyng, By dede of armes, death, or elles sycke lyeng, In whiche cases one of the table rounde Shulde seke hym [all y^t yere, tyll here] [aboute all to that he. MS. He edit. alt.] were found.

¶ Also their rule was eche [euerech.] one should tell, His owne actes of warrys auenture, Afore the kyng at meate, howe hym [he.] byfell In his trauayle, or of his misauenture, The Secretorye should put it in scrypture: For none auaunt it should [not] then betake, But for his rule to holde, y^e king [then] dyd [it] make.

¶ Also to steare & moue yonge knightes corage, To seche armes and warrys of [for.] worthynesse, And [of] dyuerse landes to learne the [so the.] language, That elles wolde lyue at home in ydylnesse, For honoure & ease abideth not together doutlesse; Also it moueth these poore & yonge knighthode To be [been.] auaunced by theyr ladies lyuelode:

¶ For doute it not ladies ne gentlywemen No cowardes loue, in maner [man.] that is abusyon, And shamefull also [als.] repreuable amonges men, His cowardyse doth him greate confusyon, [A man to withdrawe him by feynt collusyon,] [And in knyghthode it is the grettest poison.] For better is with honour for to dye, Then with [lyfe ay] [the life.] ashamed for to be.

¶ The somer nexte Arthure went to Ireland, With batayle sore forfoughten yt conquered, [And of the kyng had homage of that lande, To holde of hym, so was he of hym feared, And also gate, as chronycles haue vs lered,] [

And of the kynge homage for that londe He toke glade forto suere be the crosse of his swerde, To holde of hym, so was he of hym ferde.

With the exception of the last line of the three in Grafton's Text, the Selden MS. and the old printed copies here agree.

] Denmarke, Friselande, Gotelande, & Norway, Iselande, Greneland, Thisle of Man, & Orkynay.

¶ He conquered these to hold of hym euermore; [Fol. lxv.] He made kyng Loth, that was of Lowthian, Of Norway kyng, wher he had fought full sore; And Lowthyan [Of Lothiane.] he made his soonne Gawayne The kyng, to hold of hym by homage then [in certayne.] : For Norway was his veray heritage, Discent of bloodde of kyng Sechelynes [Sichelmes.] lynage.

¶ Kyng Arthure then through Christētie moost famed, And [As.] conquerour aboue all kynges royall, Was [the] moost doubted of [māhode &] [all manhode.] best named; But [That.] kynges and princes of Septentrionall, [His to present] [To his presence.] most high emperiall Eche daye came newe, that then more like it semid, An heuenly life, then erthely, as menne demid.

¶ He held his houshold and the rounde table, Some time at Edenburgh, some tyme at Striueline [Etryuelyne.] , Of [kynges renomed] [knyghtes famouse.] and moost honourable [Here the MS. adds, Thorough oute the worlde named moste notable.] , At Carleile sumwhile, at Alclud his citee fyne, [Emōg all his knightes and ladies full femenine]; At Bamburgh also [als.] , and Ebrank citee, At London, at [and.] Wynchester, with greate royalte.

¶ At Carlion, Cardif, and Aualyne [Avallon.] ; In Cornwaile also, Douer, and Cairelegion [Caerlegion clere.] ; And in Scotlande, at Perthe [Perch.] , and Dunbrytain, [At Dunbar, Dumfrise, and sainct Iohns towne, All of worthy knightes moo then a legion,

At Donydoure also, in Murith region, And in many other places bothe citee and towne.] [

At Douydour, in Murrefe region infere, And in many other citese ferre and nere, As the cause requyred for nyghyng of the feste Of Witsontide, whiche that he loued best.

The Selden MS. has only the two last of the four lines of Grafton's text.

]

¶ But euer as next the valey is the hill, After long rest commeth [so comyth.] sharpe labour, Kyng Arthure [then] had so firmely sette his will To conquer Fraunce, as his progenitour Maximian did, with full greate honour, Wherfore he sent to all his homagers, That to hym came with all their powers [hole powers.] .