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 XLIX.

Sone ther̛ aftyr̛, Aldelinessone was I-sent aftir̛ ynto Engelonde, that no good yn Irland dydde bot oon, that, by procurynge of hym, an holy baghell & of grete vertue, that me cleped Ihesus baghel, was I-broght from Ardmagℏ to dyuelyn̛, & yet ys at the chyrch of the Trynyte: & come [Fol. 23b.] ynto Irland Hugℏ de Lacy, heye Seneshal of al the lond, & Robert de Power̛ wyth hym, Conestable of Waterford. Myles de Cogan̛ & Robert steuenesson̛ wentten also ouer the see ynto Engeland; bot thay comen sone ayeyne, & phylepe de Bruse wyth ham; & hadde the kynge I-yeuen ham thre, al the lond of Desmond. Robert & Myles hadden the south Contrey, that ys to wytten̛, from lysmore al aboute Corke vii Cantredes, saue the kynge the Cytè of Corke, wyth þe next cantrede. Phylype de Bruse, the kynge yaf̘ al the Contrey of lymeryke, saue the Cytè & hys next cantred: these thre I-feffed to-gedder̛, come ouer ynto Irland yn o felewshyppe, & arryueden at Waterford, & fro thennes thay wentten̛ to Corke al harmles. Thay war̛ thar̛ fayr̛ receyued of þe Cytteyns, & of a knyght that was keper̛ of the Cytè, that hete Rychard of Londone. Whan̛ thay hadde I-broght to pees Demot Mac charthy, prynce of desmone, & other̛ many of the contrey of moche power, Robert and myles deled betwen ham the vij cantredes next the Cytè; & felle by lot̘ to Robert, thre on the eeste syde; Myles, four yn the weste; mo to the on than to the other̛, for the lond was wors; the kepynge of̘ the Cytè comune to ham bothe; the renth & the trywage

of̘ the other̛ four̛ & xx cantredes, as hyt wold falle, euyn to dele betwen ham: & ys a cantrede to sygge, an hundret ton̛ lond. Whan̛ thys was I-don̛, thay wentten wyth Phelype to lymeryke. Robert hadde wyth hym xxx^ti knyghtes & lxti sweynes; Myles, xx^tiknyghtes & fyfty squyers; Phelype, xx^ti knyghtes & xl^ti squyers; & fotmen wyth euery of ham ful many: they came to the Cytè, & noght was betwen̛ ham bot the watyre of the shynnen̛; & Robert & Myles baden Phylepe to wend ouer & assaylle the toun; othyr, yf hym leuer wer̛, to rer̛ hym a castele vpon the same watyre afor the toun. Phelepe, thegℏ he knyght wer stalwarth & hardy yn hym selue, natheles, throgℏ feble consaylle of ham that wyth hym, wer̛ he chase; & mych leuer hym was, leue the Contrey, & harmles turne ayeyne to hys own̛, Than amonge so many fomen̛ & so fer londes, yn so grete perrylle to abydde; & that no wonder̛ nas, thegℏ hym yn thyke vyage mys byfelle, that so many lydder̛ men, theues, & manslaghtres of the marche of Wales—& thay to-fore al other—hadde I-chose & I-draw to hys felewshyppe. Noght lange ther-aftyr, Meredus, Robertes sone, yonge knyght & stalwarth, nat wyth-out myche wepynge & sorow of̘ many, deyed yn the Cytè of Corke. That whylle, was I-hold at Rome the consaylle of̘ latran, that men̛ so moche speketh of, vonder the pope Alyxsandyr̛ the thyrdde. & was wyth-yn thre yer̛, thre eclypses of the sone. ¶ Whan̛ Robert steuenesson̛ & Myles of Cogane, wel fyfe yeyr, al desmone yn good pees hadden̛ to-gyddyr̛ I-holde, Myles & hys Othome Rauf̘, Robertes son̛, that a lytyll ther-to-fore hadde hys doghter̛ I-spoused, wentten to the contrey of lysmor, to hold parlement wyth ham of Waterford. & as thay saten̛ yn the feldes abydynge aftyr ham, Mactyr, that theder was wyth ham I-come, & wyth whom thay sholden̛ that nyght be I-herbrowed, vnwyttyngly smot̘ vpon ham behynd, & ham both, wyth fyue other̛ knyghtes, ther̛ slowen wyth sparthes; & other̛ fewe that wer wyth ham vnneth escaped. Throgℏ that thynge, al the contrey forth ther̛-aftyr̛ worth so I-storbet, that Demot Maccarthy & al the hegh men of [Fol. 24a.] the contray, forth wyth Mactyre, ayeyne har trouth, wyth-drowen̛ ham

al from the Englysshemen̛, & turned vpon̛ Robert steuenes-sone, that oft hadde harde happes assayed; & neuer eft, tyl Reymond to hym come, and helpe hym for to wyn the londe & worth to herytage; ffor Robert ne myght nat pees haue, as he rather hadde. As the northren men loueth fyght, also the southren, falsness; thay trusteth to streynth, these to sleghtes; thay to staluarthnesse, these to traysoune. Whan Reymond herd that Robert was so narow byladde yn the toun of Corke, wyth hys fomen al about beseget, he put hym to shyppe yn the hauen of Watyrford, wyth xx^ti knyghtes & squyers, & bowmen̛, wel CCC; leftene the lond al on̛ the ryght hond, & wentten about by the see, fort he come to Cork, to gaddre hele to hys frendes, & vnhele to hys fomen. Aftyr many & selcouth camplynges, many of har̛ fomen̛ thay slow, & many out of̘ contray thay dryuen̛, & the moste parte & the beste come to pees; & so the grete tempeste of that weddyr̛ hape, yn lytel whyle was I-queynt & I-stylled.