Lyf of the noble and Crysten prynce, Charles the Grete / translated from the French by William Caxton and printed by him 1485 ; edited from the unique copy in the British Museum by Sidney J.H. Herrtage

¶ How Rolland deyed' holyly, after many martyres & orysons made to god ful deuoutely, & of the complaynte maad' for hys swerde durandal: capitulo iij

Rolland̛ the valyaunt, and champyon of the crysten fayth, was moche sorouful of the crysten men, by cause they had̛ noo socours; he was moche wery, gretely abasshed, & moche affebled̛ in hys persone, for he had lost moche of his blode by his foure mortal woundes, of whyche the leste of them was suffysaunt for hym to haue deyed, and̛ he had̛ grete payne to gete hym oute fro the sarasyns for to haue a lytel commemoracion of god̛ tofore or the soule shold̛ departe fro his body. so moche he enforced̛ hym, that he came to the fote of a montayne, nygh to the porte of Cezarye, and̛ brought hym self nygh to a rocke ryght by Roncyuale, vnder a tree in a fayr medowe. whan he sat down [sign. m j, back, col. 2] on the grounde he behelde his swerde, the best that euer was, named̛ durandal, whyche is as moche to say as gyuyng an hard stroke, whyche was ryght fayr & rychely made: the handle was of fyn beryle, shynyng̛ meruallously; on hye it had̛ a fayre crosse of gold, in the which was wryton the name of Ihesus. It was so good̛ & fyn, that sonner shold̛ the arme faylle than the swerde. he took it out of y^e shethe & sawe it shyne moche bryght, and by cause it shold̛ chaunge his maister he had moche sorowe in his hert, and wepyng, he sayd in thys maner pytously: ¶ "O swerd of valure, the fayrest that euer was, thou were neuer but fayr, Ne neuer fonde I the but good̛: thou art long̛ by mesure; Thou hast be so moche honoured̛, that alwaye thou barest with the the name of the blessyd̛ Ihesus, sauyour of the world̛, whyche hath endowed̛ the wyth the power of god̛. who may comprehende thy valure? Alas!

who shal haue the after me? who someuer hath the shal neuer be vaynquysshed, alwaye he shal haue good̛ fortune. Alas! what shal I more ouer say for the, good̛ swerde? many sarasyns haue ben destroyed by the; thynfydels and̛ myscreauntes haue ben slayn by the; the name of god̛ is exalted̛ by the; by the is made the path of [sign. m ij] sauement. O, how many tymes haue I by the auenged̛ thyniurye made to god̛! O, how many men haue I smyton and̛ cutte a-sondre by the myddle! O, my swerde, whyche hast ben my comfort and̛ my Joye, whych neuer hurtest persone that myght escape fro deth! O, my swerde, yf ony persone of noo value shold̛ haue the & I knewe it, I shold̛ deye for sorowe." After that Rolland̛ had wepte ynough, he had fere that somme paynym myght fynde it after his deth, wherfore he concluded [orig. cencluded.] in hym self to breke it, and̛ toke it & smote it vpon a rocke wyth alle hys myght iij tymes wythoute hurtyng̛ ony thynge the swerde, and clefte the rocke to therthe, and coude in no wyse breke the swerde. Whan he sawe the facyon and coude do nomore therto, he took his horne, whyche was of yuorye moche rychely made, and sowned & blewe it moche strongely, to the ende that yf there were ony crysten men hydde in the wodes or in the waye of theyr retournyng̛, that they shold̛ come to hym tofore they wente ony ferther, and̛ to fore he rendred̛ hys sowle. Thenne, seyng̛ that none came, he sowned̛ it ageyn by soo grete force and̛ vertu, and̛ so Impetuously, that the horne roof a sondre in the myddle, and̛ the vaynes of hys necke braken a sondre, and̛ the [sign. m ij, col. 2] synewes of his body stratcheden. And̛ that noys or voys by the grace of god̛ came to the eeres of Charles, whyche was eyght myle fro hym. The Emperour, heeryng the horne, he knewe wel that Rolland̛ had̛ blowen it, and wold haue retorned̛ ageyn, but Ganellon, the traytre,

whyche knewe wel alle the fayt, dystourned̛ ["dystourned̛:" turned him away, dissuaded him. Fr.le destourba.] hym, in sayeng̛ that Rolland̛ had̛ blowen his horne for somme wylde beest that he chaced̛ for his playsyr; For ofte tymes he wold blowe hys horne for lytel thynge, and that he shold̛ not doubte of nothyng̛. ¶ And thus he dyd̛ the kynge to vnderstonde that he byleued̛ hym, and̛ made none other semblaunte. Neuertheles, Rolland, leyng̛ in thys sorowe, he peased̛ hys woundes also wel as he myght, and̛ stratched̛ hymself on the grasse to the fresshenes for to forgete hys thurst, whyche was ouer grete.

¶ Here vpon Baulduyn, hys brother, came vnto hym, whyche was moche heuy and̛ sorouful for hys brother Roulland̛, whyche was in that necessyte. And̛ anone Roulland̛ sayd̛ to hym, "my frende and̛ my brother, I haue so grete thurst that I must nedes deye yf I haue not drynke to aswage my thurst.

¶ Baulduyn had̛ grete payne in goyng̛ here and̛ there, and [sign. m ij, back] coude fynde no water, and came to hym ageyn & sayde he coude fynde none; and̛ in grete anguysshe he lepte [orig. lefte; "lepte:" corrected on the authority of the original French, which reads monta.] on Roullandes hors, and̛ rode for to fetche charles, For he knewe wel that rolland̛ was nyghe hys deth. Anone after came to hym Thyerry, duc of Ardayne, whyche wepte vpon Rolland̛ so contynuelly that he myȝt not speke. but with grete payne Rolland confessyd hym and̛ dysposed̛ hym of hys conscyence. neuertheles, that same day Rolland̛ had̛ receyued̛ the body of our lord̛, For the custome was that the subgettes of Charles that day whyche they shold̛ fyght were confessyd̛ & comuned wythoute fayllyng by men of the chyrche, which alway were wyth them. Rolland, whyche knew hys ende by entyer contemplacyon, hys eyen lyfte vp to heuen, & hys hondes Ioyned̛, al stratched̛ in the medowe, began to say thus: "Fayre lord̛ god̛, my maker, my redemour, sone of the gloryous moder of comforte, thou knowest

myn entencyon, thou knowest what I haue doon for the bounte that is in the. by thy grete mercy of wℏyche thou art enuyronned, by the grace whyche in the haboundeth, by the meryte of thy passyon, holy and bytter, with a good and̛ humble hert I requyre the y^t tofore the thys day my faultes, [sign. m ij, back, col. 2] synnes, and̛ ygnoraunces may be pardouned̛ to me, and̛ take noo regarde to the trespaces that I haue doon to the; but beholde that I deye for the, and̛ in the fayth that thou hast ordeyned. remembre that thou hengest on the tree of the crosse for the synnars, and̛ so as thou hast redemed me, I beseche the that I be not loste. Alas! my maker god̛ omnypotent, wyth good wylle I departed̛ oute of my contreye for to defende thy name, and̛ for to mayntene crystendom. ¶ Thou knowest that I haue suffred̛ many anguysshes of hungre, of thurst, of hete, of colde, & many mortal woundes. And day and nyght to the, my god, I yelde me culpable; I mystrust not thy mercy. thou art pyetous; thou art comen for the synnars; thou pardonest marye magdelene and the good theef on the crosse, by cause they retorned vnto the; they were synnars as I am; lyke as they dyd̛ I crye the mercy, & better yf I coude saye it. thou byheldest how Abraham was obeyssaunt to the of hys sone ysaac, wherfor he ferde moche the better; byholde me how I am obedyent to the commaundements of the chyrche: I byleue in the, I loue the aboue all other, I loue my neyghbour. ¶ O good̛ lord̛, I beseche the to pardoune & forgyue alle theym that thys day ben deed̛ in [sign. m iij] my companye, & that they may be saued̛. Also, my maker, I requyre the to take hede of the pacyence of Job, for which he was moche the better, that I deye here for thurst, and̛ am allone. I am wounded mortally, and may not helpe my self, and̛ take in pacyence alle the sorowe that I suffre, and̛ am therwyth content whan it pleaseth the.

as al thys is trewe, pardone me, comforte my spyryte, receyue my soule, and̛ brynge me to reste perdurable." Whan Rolland had̛ prayed thus, he sette hys handes on hys body, holdyng̛ hys flesshe, and̛ after sayd̛ thre tymes, ¶ "Et in carne mea videbo deum saluatorem meum," and̛ after layed his handes on hys eyen, and̛ sayd̛, "Et oculi isti conspecturi sunt, In thys flesshe that I holde I shal see my sauyour, and̛ these eyen shal beholde hym;" and after he sayd̛ that he sawe thynges celestyal, whyche the eyen of mankynde myght not see, ne the eeres here, ne the hert thynke, the glorye whyche god̛ hath maad̛ redy to them that loue hym; and in sayeng̛, "In manus tuas, domine, commendo spiritum meum," he layed̛ hys armes vpon hys body in maner of a crosse, & gaf and̛ rendred̛ hys soule to god̛ the xvj kalendes of Juyl.