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 V.

Whan this was thus don al aftyr har will, thay toke with tham the Pepill of weysford̛, and wenten ham to-ward̛ Ossory, with oste as myght be by thre Mƚ. men [cum exercitu virorum quasi trium milium.] . And was than Prince of Ossory, Macdonenylde, a man that was myche be-hatyd̛ of Macmurgh, for myche shame that thay hadd hym donne. At the begynnynge, as thay come into the contrey, in narrow weyes throgh woddis and mores, thay foundyn the men of the contrey bolde forto defende har londe; and mych sorrow ham didd̛, ar thay myghttake the Playne: and when thay come to the Playne, thay folwid̛ ham ful fresly. the hors-men saw this, and turned̛ boldely vp-on ham, and anoone slowyn ryght many of ham, and dys-comfited̛ ham euerychon̛. And thay that the hors-men keste to ground̛ wyth Sperys and wyth Swerdis, the Iryssℏ footte-men Smoten of the hedis. Whan the slaght was al y-do, and har ennemys al ouer-come, thay broghten wel ccc. hedis, and kesten at Macmurgh is fete. he behylde ham, and̛ tvrned̛ euery of tham by hym-Selfe forto know tham, and hilde vp his handis, and thankyd almyghty god̛ ful Inwardly. Oone hede ther was, amonge the othyr, of a man that he gretly dreddid̛ and myche hatid̛; he toke hit by the heeres and by the Ers, and grymly hit bitte, as no man sholde haue doun; wyth his tethe he kutte of his nose and bothe lippis. Ther-aftyr they wenten fourdyr Into the contrey, kildyn, robedyn and brandyn̛ ful boldely al that ham wythstodyn, into the tyme the Prynce of ossory, by consaylle of his men, sent to ham, and besoght Pees. the Pees was graunted̛ whan he hit be-soght, vp-on good̛ Ostagis, and othis y-Sworn̄e, [Fol. 3b.] that he, to His Lord Macmurgh, shold be trewe, and trowtℏ Hold, and trewely Serwe fro that tyme forth. In this fyghtes as in many othyr, thoght that in the Englysℏ hoste noone were but good̛ and bolde, Robert de barry and Meyler fiz-henry weryn thay that best diddyn: they wer both yong̛ knyghtes, and Robert Steuenes-sones emys [neveus, nepotes.] both, the one his brodyr sonne, the othyr his Systyr Sonne; Of dyuers maners, but of hardynes and

boldnys mostdele al y-lyke. For Meyler was a man̄ that gretly desyryd̛ to be Praysid̛, and that men shold myche Speke of his boldnys, and Preysyn hym. / Robert was kyndly, hardy and bold̛, and euer with the fryst in euery fyght / and in euery Perill; but he hatyd̛ nothynge so myche as that a man sholde speke of his boldnys, ne hym Preyse. / The whyll the hoste was thus in Ossory, befell that thay weryn a-nyght y-logid̛ in an olde castell, and aboute. And thus two, as they wer wonyd̛, weryn in one Plase to-gedderis. Fer with-in nyght, come an hoste vp-on ham of so mych Pepill, as they were many thowsandis, on euery syde Smytynge vp the hoste, as they woldyn, in wode raas, fersly ouersayle hame al, wyth wepyn̛ ryngynge, Speris and sparris rutlynge to-giddyr, wyth cryynge so grymly, that none ende was Of elf fare, as ofte-tymes was wonet to befall in hostyngis in Irland̛ [Cujusmodi phantasma in Hibernia circa expeditiones frequens esse solebat.—Op. v. 235.] . Of whych ferde, the moste Parte of the Oste was so a-dred̛, that they flow and hiddyn ham; somme in woddis, some in mores / This two bolde men token har wepyn, and lepe to hors, and wentyn anone to Robert Steuenes-sonne, and cried on har fellowis that 'they sholdyn wytstond̛, and take herte to hame, and defende ham-Selfe;' but fewe were that so diddyn̛, tyll they saw that this cry and this noyse was al cessid̛, and nas but a fantasy. whan the host them gaderid̛ ayeyn to-giddyr, they wer ful sore asshamyd̛ that thay so fently Put ham to flyght; and mych Speche was amonge hame; and many haddyn gret enuy, and mych wondyr thoght of Robert de Barry, that Whan the host was in so gret ferde, he was that man that moste stidfastly hym helde, and moste them styrrid̛ to wythstond̛ and̛ fyght. / And amonge al the good̛ dedis that in hym weryn, this Pryncipaly is of hym tolde, that for no vyolence ne ferly aduenture that to hym chanssyd̛, he was neuer in wanhope sette, ne agaste, ne aferd̛, ne abassid̛ of herte, ne shamefully did hym to flyght; but euer-more he was lyke redy to wepyn, and̛ to defend̛ hym-Selfe, And to helpyn al othyr. he was the formyst knyght that, in this conqueste of Irland̛, fryst receyued̛ stroke and hurte in bataill // A wondyr was of that fantasy a-morrow, whan hit was day: In the Playn ther this Pepill y-seye

smytyn vp-on ham, the wedis and̛ the grasse that stodyn al euyn vp-ryght, thay lay al y-throw dovn̄e and cast to ground̛.