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 LIX.

Now and for whych thynge hit was, that the kynges sonnes trauaille, and har mochel costes, at thys tyme ne sped nat as tham ogh, hyt ys non̛ harme thegh me her̛ sette; for thegℏ of thynge that ys I-past ne be no remedy, natheles, of thynge that ys to come, me may be war̛ by ensample of har̛ dede. Whan the kynges sone was Icome to lond at Waterford, theder̛ come to hym Iresshe-men̛ of the contray, rych men̛, and of pees trew hym besoght, & made hym grete gladnesshe as hare lord, & profred hym to kyssen̛. Thay anoon ryght of tho new men̛, & namely of the Normannes, weren̛ shame-fully receyued, & lothly I-hokred, & by the berdes—whych, yn the maner of the contrey, they hadden̛ grete & long—some of ham shamly weren̛ I-shaken̛ & I-draw. As sone as thay comen to har̛ owne, wyth al that thay hadden thay wyth-drowen ham, & left the contrey & wenten to the kynge of Thomon̛, and hym told, & also the kynge of desmon̛ & the kynge of Connaght, what thay hadd receyued & found wyth the kynges sone. ¶ A yonglynge al wyth yonglynges gouerned; & by yonge men̛ rede, al he wroght; no wytte ne no staluarthnesse wyth hym was found; no sekernese ne trouth to Iresshemen̛, thayr south nat behete. Whan̛ tythynges her̛-of was I-spronge, thay thre cheftayns of Irland that wer̛ ther̛ redy to come to the kynges sone, & ham to hym, & do hym homage, thay thogthten that, aftyr̛ thay smal harmes, wolden̛ come more; & whan̛ me such thynge dydde to good men̛ & meke, wel wors me wold do the prouth & the vnbuxum. Thay toke ham to rede, & sworr̛ to-gedder̛ that thay wolden̛ vpon har̛ lyues wythstond the ryghtes of har̛ old fredomes, & defende, for to be al to-hewen̛. And for that thay shold [From this line to the end of the page, the ends of the lines are missing, the corner of the page being torn off.] this thyng the better to end brynge, thay

sentten̛ about ynto al the lond, & allyed h … & maden frendes of ham that wer̛ byfore fomen, & thus throgh ham that th… -nyge putte (þrogℏ pryde) from ham, both thaye & al other most dele were …þys folke, as euery other̛ wyld folk, thegh thay no wyrshype ne couthe … me shold do ham wyrshype & manshype. And thegh thay nat be …… wyth falsnesse, natheles thay shonneth that other̛ do ham any falshede; & thus the good that thay loueth yn other̛, thay rech…… ham to-gydder̛ thay …… [Fol. 26b.] Euery wysman vnderstond hym by Roboam, Salomones sone, how mych harme falleth of pryde & ouertrowshype. whan̛ he, aftyr̛ hys fadyr̛, was made kynge of Israel, þe folk come to hym, & bysoght hym that he shold ham somwhat allegge of þe seruyces that thay wer̛ I-woned to do hys fadyr. He was yonge; and by yonge men̛ consaylle, answard & seyd, 'My fyngyr̛ ys gretter̛ than̛ was my faders ryggebone; & yf he yow bette wyth yardes, y wyl yow bette wyth breres.' ¶ Throgh that answar̛, the ten kynredes hym leften̛, & maden ham kynge of Ieroboam, & neuer aftyr̛ weren vnder hym ne noon̛ of hys: of al þe folk of Israel, non wyth hym abode, bot twey kynredes. Vpon thys, þe Iresshe-men londes, that, fro the tyme that Robert steuenes-sone fyrst come ynto þe lond, trewly wyth englysshe-men hadden̛ I-be, wer̛ I-take fro ham, & yeuen to the newe men̛. And thay anoon̛ turned to the Iresshe-men, & aspyed al the harme that thay myght do to þe Englysshe; & werr̛, so mych the more harme dydde, that thay so pryue werr̛ wyth ham ther-byfore