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 IV.

Whan this sekernesse was thus y-maked, þese twey maner folkes, witℏ oon̛ wiƚƚ, and̛ with oon̛ hert, with Baners i-lacet, nam the wey toward̛ weysford̛. The men̛ of þe self ton̛ weren̛ ywar̛ of har̛ commyng, and̛ tok ham̛ to rede—for þe tother weren̛ so few, & day so many—that þaẏ wold figtℏ with ham̛ in þe pleyne felde. They cam̛ owt of the ton̛ arraied̛ on har maner; bot whan þay sawe the Englismen̛, with hors I-helled̛ with yren̛ harnes, ham̛-self weƚƚ I-wepned̛ with haubergeons, and̛ Bright helmes and sheldes, wicℏ the sawe neuer þer-to-for, they toke a-nother̛ rede, and̛ turned̛ ayeyn̛ to ton̛; & aƚƚ þat was with-owt þe walles, thay sett a-fyr and̛ brent, & redied̛ ham̛ to hold̛ ham̛ with-yne the wallẏs with streynthe. Robert with his men̛ went strongly for to assayƚƚ to ton̛, & sette the bowmen̛ for to wer the fight of the kernels, and̛ turned̛ the wepned̛ men̛ to fill þe [Fol. 2b.] diches. thay with-yn defendet ham̛ stalwarthly with stonnes and̛ stakes, wher-of they wer I-warned̛, and wer many I-hurt whit-yn and̛ eke with-out, so that thay with-out mosten nedes leue of the assaut, & withdraw ham̛. Among ham̛ was a yong knyght þat het Robert de Barry, þat drogℏ yong blodes hete, and̛ for hys stalwardnes, reght nat of his lif: as he wold̛ with þe formoste passe ouer the wall, he hent a dynt with a greth stone vpon þe

heued̛ al with the helme, þat he fel doun yn the ground̛ of þe dicℏ; & vnnethes he was I-draw vp throgℏ his felowes, þat mycℏ put har lyf in aduentur̛ for to saw his lif. The cry was weƚƚ gret on euery syde, for this knyght þat thus was I-hurt. Thay with-drow ham̛ fro the wallys and̛ wenten ham̛ to þe strond̛; and̛ aƚƚ þe shippes þat þay þer fond̛, thay settene a-fyre. And.O.shippe þer was, that was I-com̛ owt of Brittayne aftyr cheffar̛, and̛ was y-charget with whet & with wynes, and̛ lay I-ancred in the hauene: the best parte of the englismen̛ wenten̛ with bottes and̛ toke his shippe. þe shippmen̛ werne many, and̛ saw that þer weren bot a few englys in the shippe, & the wynd̛ was of þe lond̛; thay cutte the cabƚe of the ankre, and̛ þe wynd̛ bare the shippe in toward̛ the see: her fellowes saw this, and̛ wenten̛ after with bottys; and̛ vnnethe with rowyng, and̛ with gret peril of all har lyues, þay come ayeyn to lond. Macmorgℏ saw this, & weren̛ sore amaied, for thay wend̛ neuer more þat on of ham shold̛ haw com̛ to lond̛ a-lyue. The assaut was I-left all þat day. A-morowe, whan masse was I-herd̛, al þe host þay wentene to the assaut wislyere and̛ warliere þan thay didden̄ the day befor, and strusten as weƚƚ to sleght as to streyntℏ. The mēn̄ of the tōn̄ saw̄ē ham commyng, and wer rigℏt sor̛ aferd̛ that day shold nat withstond the assaute, and vndrestonden al-so that with wronġ daẏ holden aẏaẏn her lord̛; thaẏ tok ham to red, and besoghten pees; & drogℏ be-sechẏnġe of twe bissoppes, that þat tẏm weren with-yn the toun, and other possibƚe men al-so with ham, thay yolden ham̛ al to Macmorgh; and four̛ hostages, the best þat he wold̛ chese, delyuered to hym̛ for the pees, and trywly with hym for to hold̛ frome þat tẏm forward, as har kyndly lord. Macmorgh, as wise & war̛, ffor-thy that he wold̛ that þe out-commyn men shold̛ haw the bettre hert, and wiƚƚ, hym̛ for to serue, he bethoght þat, of the fyrst good aduentur̛ þat hẏm was befall, þay that best weren worthy shold̛ hawe har̛ parte, and þe host. Al þe ton of weysford, with twey cantredes aller-next, he yaf to Robert, steuenes sone, and to Morice fitz-Geraud̛, as forward̛ was to-for̛ maked; othere thwey cantredes he yaf heruy of Mountmorthy,—neghest thay tweyn on the syd toward Waterford,—a knygℏt þat

com̛ in that same [Fol. 3a.] flote, hym þriddesum of knyghtes, and com̛ þrogℏ the Erle Richard, more for to spẏe the lond̛ than to fight.