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 XLVI.

IOhan de Cursy Saw that al thynge that willam did was couetyse and trecherye, and that he was nothynge trew to ham that vndyr hym were, ne dredfull to his enemys. He chose hym of the meny of Deuelyn a few, but thay were good and bolde, and hardy throgh al thynge, So that he hadd xxij^tiknyghtis, fyfty Squyeres, and footmen as myght be by thre hundrid̛, and wente hym to vllyster, whar noone Englysℏ-man wepenyd̛ to-for hym was seyn. Than was fulfillid a prophesy of merlynge, that thus sayd̛: "a whyte knyght, syttynge on a whyte hors, berrynge fowlis on his shelde, shal formyste assayle vllystere." This Ihon was a man ful whyte, and rode vpon a whyte hors, and bare in his shelde, ernys y-peyntyd. he went throw myth and throw Vriel thre dayes goynge; and the fourth day Erlych, come to doune, wythout any lette of any enemy. Vn-wyttynge he come; In he wente. Dunleue, the kynge, was schortlych agaste of so suddeyn comynge, lefte the toun and flow; the mayny, that was myssaysid and hungry, founde ther mette and drynke y-now, and Pylfre of golde and Syluyr and clothis, and also wher-with thay wer wel arrayed, and her herte wel confortid. In-to the toun was than y-come a legate of Rome that was callid Vyuyen and was come out of scotlonde. this legate was besy about, Pees to make be-twen the kynge and Ihon̄. mych he spake, and mych he hym proferid̛, and more he promysyd, and trewage to bere euery yere to Englyssℏ-men, So that he wolde the lond lewe, and turne agayn. gretly her-of he spoke and be-soght; but noght he wolde hym hyre; For his thoght was al turned, the londe forto wynne, or his lyfe for-sake. Dounleue Saw that he, wyth fayre speche ne fayre promes, nothynge myght spede [se verbis minime profecturum.] . he send anoone aftyr his Pepill, and wyth-in viij^e dayes he gaddrid to-giddyr an hoste of x. Mƚ

men, bolde to fyght / and besegyt boldely the Cite of doun ther Ihon was In / For in this lond, as in al othyr, the nordryn men ben sturdier and smyrtyr to fyght than othyr. Ihon Saw the hostys comynge to-wardes hym, and chose; and lewyr was, out wende, and wyth streynth to assay the aduentures of battayl, than in the lytel feble fortelet, that he in and herne of the toun in so lytel tyme hadd arrerid, amyd his enemys be be-segid, and to dey with hungyr. he went out to hard fight. and when thay had fryste, frome fer shote her arrowys, thay smytten aftyr hertely to-giddyr, spere agaynys spere, Swerde agaynys Spare; and many there the lyfe loste. But who had y-sey Ihonys strokys wyth Swerd, how he smote Of that man the hede frome the sholdris, that man the Arme and the shuldyr [Fol. 22a.] frome the body, Hee myght wel Sey, that His myght and His mayn oght Wel to be Praysid. Thegh many wer in this fyght that boldely did, Natheles Rohere le Power, that ther-aftyr was of gret myght in Ossory and in the contrey of leghlyn, was the othyr that best did. Aftyr grete and lange fyghtynge of wel vnlych hostis [nimis impari certamine. per marinamglisim.] , at the last, the Irysℏ hoste was ouercome and scomfited, and many slayne by the strondis syde whedyr thay flowe / than was fulfillid a prophesy that colmekyl [Hibernici Kolumbae. Prae glisis namque mollitie, dum ad ima penetraret humana ponderositas, terrae lubricae sanguis profluus superficiem tenens, genua cruraque de focili pertingebat.] Sayde of this fyght. He sayde, 'that So many men sholde be slayn in that Place, that har enemys myght wadyn to the knees in her blode' / And so hit was than. For as thay fleddyn to-for ham in the Slyme, thay folwedyn aftyr and kyllid ham; and as thay dyuedyn done, the blode of ham that weryn slayne, and fletid abow, toke to the knees of them that ham Slayne. The same Prophet sayde also, 'that a pouere man, and as thegh he were flow or banshed but of othyr landys, with lytel folke sholde come to doune, and the toune wynne wyth-out Soccoure of any herrer'; and othyr many fightes and aduentures of thynge that in that contray sholde befalle, whych al opynly wer fulfillid in Ihōn̄ de Cursy. That same boke, ther-aftyr had Ihon de Cursy on Irysℏ writte, and was to hym ther-aftyr as merrowre of al his dedys. In þe sayde boke is also fovnde, that a man with pepil wepenyd, sholde with streynth the wallis of watyrford breke; and with grete slaght

of the Citteseynes, the toun wyn: And al this fund fulfillid of the Erle. He sayde also that the Cite of lymerike, of Englysℏ-men twyes sholde be lefte, and the thyrde tyme sholde be holde. And So hit was, on tyme of Reymonde, a-nothyr of Phylip de bruse, as hit opynlyer shal be shewid in his owyn Place. Therof the prophesy was thus sayde: "The Cite thryse soght, at the thyrde tyme shal be holde," Two grete fyghtis, Ihon ther abode, and ham ouercomyd̛ at doun / that oone aftyr candylmasse, as hit is tolde / that othyr, aftyr mydsomer, wher he, with few men, did ouercome the battail o xv. Mƚ, and Slayne of ham ful many. The thyrd was at ferly, at a pray takyn: thar thay come throw a narrow Paas, and had so styfe fyght, that his men was, some slayne, and othyr Part so descomfite in-to al the woddys, that vnneth with hym was lefte Mƚ; and he, as man woundyrly bolde, with so few with hym, Whan thay hadd har hors loste, thay went afoote al wepenyd: xxx^ti myle wey thay heldyn the fyght of har ennemys; and two dayes and two nyghtes thay wer fastynge, til thay come to his castel. the iiij^e fyght was in Vriel, ther many of his were slayn, and the othyr dyscomfite, and Put ham to flyght; the v. fyght at yuores bryge, as he come with few men out of England. natheles, ther he ouercome, and slayne ful many, and come hole and Sounde to his owyn. Thus in thre grete fyghtis he had the ouer-hande; and in two, thegh he loste the ouer-hand, he did his enemys mych more // Ihon was a man whyte and fayre; of lymmes, bony and [Fol. 22b.] Synowy; myche of Body; noone Hardier than Hee; Bolde, and fyghter stronge of youth: in euery fyght the fryst, and the meste peril he wolde euer be In / he was So covetouse of fyght, and So bernynge whan he hoste ladd, and come to fyght, that he hym neuer wolde holde as ledere, but with the fryste wolde smyte, Sumtyme be-hynnde, ther more Peril was, that ofte al the hoste was the vnredyer, and thoght that thay wer ouercome, and al haddyn for-lore. And thegh he were in wepyn vnmetly sturdy and Sterne, Out of wepyn natheles he was meke and sobyr, and mych vyrchippid god and holy church, and in al thyng he lowid god and his service; and all that hym befel, he thankyd good that hym the grace sende. He Spousyd Godfredes doghtyr, the kynge

of man; and aftyr many Selchouth battalys that he did, not wyth-out grete laboure and Peril of lyfe and mych myssayse, And at the last he was al abow, and clenly hadd ouercome. He castelid the londe in behowabyll Placys; and Suche Pes made, that noone bettyr ne myght be, ne stydfastyr. But hit is grete wondyr, and not but as god hit wolde, that thay iiij^e grete Postes of the conqueste of Irland, Namely, Robert Steuenes-sone, heruey of Mountmorthy, Reymond le gras / and Ihon de Cursy, myghten neuer haue childe of her Spousyd wyues / Thus mych we haue Shortely tolde of Ihon de Curcy; And the othyr Parte of his bolde gestis, we lewyth to write to otheres that ham write wille, And turnyth agayn̄e ther we afore lefte.