Melusine. Part I

Cap. LXII. How the king was bete & ouerthrawen and knew not of whom.

And immediatly after the departyng of Melyor there feƚƚ vpon the kyng gret & pesaunt strokes, as thykk as rayn falleth fro the skye. Wherof he was al to brusid̛ in euery part of his body, and was drawen by the feet fro the halle vnto the barrers without the Castel. And wete it that he neuer saw none of them that so cruelly seruyd hym. And as soone as he myght he stode vpon his feet, cursyng a thousand̛ tymes hym that first brought hym tydynges of this auenture, and the heure also that euer he cam thither. And thenne he went toward his meyne that saw his harneys al to broken and perysshed, and demanded of

hym in this manere: 'My lord, vs semeth that ye be sore hurt, haue ye had batayƚƚ there as ye haue be?' And he ansuerd̛, 'I am somwhat hurt / but no batayƚƚ I haue not had / but so ferre I knowe that shrewedly I haue be festyed̛ [folio 217b] how wel I perceyued no body / but I assure you I felt wel the strokes, and wete it wel I reuenged̛ me not / and thus haue I had no batayƚƚ / For he that gyueth the first strokes dooth not the batayƚƚ. but he that reuengeth hym bryngeth it to effect.' /

Anoone aftir the king & his peuple departed and entred in the see and sailled toward his countre, euer thinking vpon this that Melyor had said to hym, and doubted moche to haue lost his good fortune as he had. For wete it wel that neuer aftir this faytte he had no hertly joye and regned long tyme, but fro day to day feƚƚ in decaye by dyuerse maners. And wete it wel that his heyres after his decesse were not fortunat, but vnhappe in al their actes. Here shal I leue to speke of the king of Armanye. For ynough it is knowen that they came of the noble lynee of the king Elynas of Albanye & of Lusynen. vnto this thursday vii day of August vpon the whiche was ended this present volume. The yere of our lord a thousand [ccc] [Note to C. Brunet's Fr. Ed., page 420. Le texte porte: mil iiij vingz et xiiij. C'est évidemment une erreur puisque Jean d'Arras dit, dès les premières pages, qu'il a commencé cette histoire en 1387. In the Harl. MS. of Melusine the date is given as 'le VIIe jour d'aoust l'an de grace Mil iiiC iiiX et XIII.'] lxxx & foureteen. /

Now have I shewed to you after the very Cronykles and true history how the noble Fortresse of Lusynen in Poytou was edyfyed & made / and of the noble yssue & lynee of the foundatours therof, on whos sowles god haue mercy / the whiche fortresse of Lusynen is a now come but of late, by manere of Conqueste, into the handes of the ryght noble & myghty

prynce my right redoubted lord Johan sone to the kyng of Fraunce, Duc of Berry, Auuergne, &c., by whos commandement I haue endeuoired me after my rude and symple entendement to collige & gadre emong̘ many gestes & true Cronykles the trouth of thystory [folio 218] byfore specyfyed. And wete it for trouth that oftentymes I haue herd̛ my said lord say that a knyght called Sersueƚƚ that held the said Fortres as lieuftenaunt & Captayne there for the kyng of England̛ / at that tyme that my said lord had besieged / said to hym after the reducyon of the Fortres / that thre dayes tofore, tofore that he gaf it vp / he lyeng in hys bed̛ with a woman hys concubine named Alexaundryne / perceyued a grete & horryble serpent in the myddes of the Chambre, wherof he was gretly abasshed & sore agast / and wold̛ haue take the swerd̛ to haue descharged it vpon the serpent / but Alexaundryne said thenne to hym in this manyere: 'Ha, valyaunt Sersuel, how ofte haue I sene your mortal enemyes tofore your presence that neuer ye were aferd̛, and now for a serpent of femenyne nature ye shake for fere. Wete it for trouth that this serpent is the lady of this place & she that edyfyed it / she shal by no manere wyse hurt nor dommage you / but so ferre I vnderstand̛ by her apparysshing that nedes ye shal hastly delyuere & gyue vp this Fortres to the Duc of Berry' / And morouer said the said Sersueƚƚ to my said lord that hys Concubyne fered nothing̘ the serpent / but that he was neuer in his dayes so aferd̛. And that he sawe thenne the said̛ serpent tourned in to a fourme of a woman clothed in a gowne of Cours clotℏ & gyrded with a grete corde vndernethe the pappes of her / and soone after tourned herself in the figure of a serpent and so vanysshed away.

Also there was a man named godart dwellyng at that tyme within the said Fortresse, whiche

affermed for a trouth / and sware to my forsaid lord vpon the holy euaungilles that many tyme he had sene vpon the walles of the fortres [folio 218b] the said serpent, and that he had passed oftymes nygh her without receyuyng of ony harme. Then another also called Yuon of Walles sware his feyth vnto my said lord that thre dayes tofore the reducyon of the said Fortresse made by the said Sersueƚƚ into the handes of my said lord, þat he sawe an horryble grete serpent vpon the batelments of the donjon of the said Castel of Lusynen. And many other also had the vision and syght of her. /

And where it is soo that at thinstaunce requeste and prayer of my said lord haue be examyned many prynces and dyuerse oþer for the makyng & compilacion of this present hystorye vpon the said matere. And also I haue putte my self to myn vtermost power to rede & loke ouer the Cronykles & many bokes of auncyent hystoryes, to thende that I might knowe the trouth of the forsaid matere. Therfore yf I haue wryton or shewed̛ ony thing that to som semeth neyther possible to be nor credible, I beseche them to pardonne me. For as I fele & vnderstand̛ by the Auctours of gramaire & phylosophye they repute and hold this present hystorye for a true Cronykle & thinges of the fayry. And who that saith the contrary / I say the secret jugements of god and his punysshments

are inuysible & impossible to be vnderstand or knowe by the humanyte of man./ For the vnderstanding of humayne Creature is to rude to vnderstande the spyce espirytuel, & may not wel comprehend̛ what it is / but as ferre as the wylle [folio 219] of god wyl suffre hym. For there is found in many hystoryes Fayries that haue be maryed̛ & had many children / but how this may be the humayn creature may not conceyue. For these poynts and suche other god hath reteyned þem in his secrets. And the more that the personne is of rude entendement the ferther is he fro knowlege of it. And he that is replet of scyence naturel, the rather shaƚƚ haue affection to byleue it. Notwithstandyng no creature humayn may not obteyne the secrets of god./ how be it saint paule saith in hys epystles to the Rommayns, 'that al thinges ben knowen by humayn Creature' / but the glose reserueth & excepteth the secrets of god. For the kynde of man is to vnderstand the ferther that he trauaylleth in reaumes and Countrees / the greter knowleche hatℏ he of euery thinge / than he that resteth in his owne Countre and neuer remevyth. And semblable wyse this historye is more credible for as moche as it is not auctorised by one man only / but also by many noble Clerkes. Now of this proces I wyl make no ferther mencion / but humbly I beseche you and alle them þat shaƚƚ here or rede this hystorye / that yf there be ony thing that be nuyouse or desplaysaunt to you / wyl pardonne me & hold me escusid. For yf a man dooth as wel as he can / he ought to be accepted. For in som cas the good wylle of a man is accepted for the dede./ And here I, Johan of Aras, ende the hystorye of Lusynen / [folio 219b] beseching god of his hygh mercy to gyue to þem that be passed fro this mortaƚƚ world hys eternaƚƚ glorye / and to them that be lyuyng, prosperous and blessidfuƚƚ endyng./

[Here fynyssheth the noble hystorye of Melusyne.]