This 'wonder þyng' in Roman history—an expansion at will of two lines in Geoffrey of Monmouth, lib. iv. § 10, p. 67, ed. Giles—is neither in Wace (i. 230, ed. De Lincy) nor our Petyt MS., though this last (almost like Wace) substitutes for it and lines 5279-80 above, the following lines,—
till Cesar com & mad conquesteas ȝe haf herd in þis geste.euen sexty ȝere þis was befornþat Ihesu Criste was born:here with all acordes saynt bede;þe gestes of Ingland first ȝe rede.Whan all þis was brouht till ende,& fele went to se þer frende, [The next four lines are not in De Lincy's MS. du Roi 27, but are in the Arsenal MS. 171, B.-L.; and the Ste. Genev. MS. Y., leaf 10. Wace, i. 230.] þus say þei þat know þe estre,þat Iulius funded first Excestre.Excestre it hate, þis skill is whi,þe water hate ex þat rennes þerbi.till wynter were gon, Cesar gan bide,& went home in þe somers tide.for grete luf & speciallehe toke with him sir Androche,& led with þam men of ostages,of þis lond þe best lynages.
[for the continuation, see note to line 5334].
] [Petyt folio 32a:1]
