English conquest of Ireland : A.D. 1166-1185 : mainly from the 'Expugnatio hibernica' of Giraldus Cambrensis : part I, the text / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

CHAPTER XLIV.

[Fol. 21a.]

The whyle that̘ Reymond was in this maner yn desmon, come a Messager to hym ffrom dyuelyn, hastyly I-sent, & broght hym a lettre from basile, hys wyf; bot he that hyt broght, wyst nat what hyt was. Reymond hadde wyth hym a clerk that he wel tryst to; he lete hym rede the lettre priuelych, that thus myche hym seyde: "To hyre leue lord & hyr spouse Reymond, hys basyle sendeth gretynge. as to hyr̛ selue, wyt thou, lef man, that the grete chek-toth that so sore me oke, ys I-falle. Wherfore, yf thou any thynge recheste of thy self, other̛ of me, ne leue nat to come hastyly to me." Whan Reymond thys herd, he vnderstode that the mych toth that hyr was I-falle, betokned þe Erles deth; for he lefte hym ful seke at dyuelyne, whan he parted from hym. And thegℏ he lange ther̛-to-fore was ded, for̛ drede of Iresshe-men he was for-hold tyl Reymondes comes, & the meygnees, ynto leynestre. Reymond turned sone to lymeryke. & þe sorow that was yn hys hert with-yn, he, for al hyt, as myche as he myght, with fayr semblant makynge with-out; & ful fewe men, he shewed the aduentur̛ that so sodeynly was byfalle; & of ham that mooste good kouth, he besoght consaylle & rede, what was ham to done. Than was comenly har̛ rede such: "what fore the erles deth, what for Reymondes wendynge out of the lond, that the sytè of lymeryke, that was so ferr̛, & amonge so many enemyes, me shold leue voyde; & al the meygne holy led ynto leynestre, þe townes vpon þe see & the castels for to kepe." Reymond, thegℏ hym loth wer̛, graunted thys, & stod to har̛ rede; &, for he ne fond none that aftyr hym wold ther̛ abyde, he betoke Obreen̛, the kynge of thomon̛, the Cytè to kepe as the kynges baroun, & toke of hym efte newe hostages, & many new othes I-swore, the toun harmles for to kepe, & the pees trewly for to hold. Vpon̛ thys forward, thay wentten al out of the Cytè, & lefte Obren̛ & hys men with-yn; & vnnethes thay war̛ I-passed the brygge, that þe tother̛ end nas I-broken̛ anoon ryght behynd ham, & þe toun, that wel & fast was I-walled, & wel I-byld with good housses I-herberged o wyttaylle that on euery half̘ þether was I-broght well I-stoffed, nat without

grette sorynesse of hert, thay sawe on four̛ partyes I-sette afyr̛; & thys the traytour Obren shewed openlych how me shal tryst to Iryshemen trouth. ¶ Reymond, with all the meygne, wentt hym tho to dyuelyn̛; & the Erles body, that by hys byddynge was I-kept vnburyed, was buryed yn the modyr-church of þe Trynyte, to-for the swete rode, by procurynge of sent laurence, that was yn that tyme erchebysshoppe of dyuelyn̛.