& seyde, "þe stones þey schold haue here, [Lambeth folio 38b:2]
" Þey schul by hem first ful dere;
" ffor ȝyf we may, þey schul nought spede,
" Þe stones out of my land to lede."
Line 8848
He scorned & seyde, "hit schal be nought,
" Þey schul faille þat þey haue sought."
Þys kyng byhig[h]t hem foul despit, [P. leaves out this line.]
Bot wykke þey were to desconfyt. [P. leaves out this line.]
Line 8852
So longe he manased & þret,
Atte laste to-gydere þey met.
At þeyr metyng, hit was nought lyte
When þey gonne to-gyder smyte.
Line 8856
fful wel foughte boþe partys,
Bot þe Bretons wan sone þe pris;
Þe Irische [Iris.] couþe nought so wel feight,
Ne of armure þey hadde no sleight,
Line 8860
Ne þer-of were so wel bone,
Þer-fore þe Irische [Iris.] fledde ful sone;
ffro stede to stede þey fledde to sculk,
On heþ & hilles to hyde in [on hii hilles to hide &. (hulk, cubile, tugurium, hovel, sty.)] hulk.
Line 8864
When Bretons hadde don þat chace,
& rested þeym a gret[e] [long.] space,
Merlyn had þem alle at ones
To þe hil to se þe stones.—
Line 8868
Kylomare highte þe hyl
Þer þe geauntz broughte þem tyl.—
¶ De asportacione lapidum de Stonhenges, de Hybernia in Brytanniam.
Þys Bretons aboute renged þe feld,
Þe carole of þe stones byhe[l]d. [beheld.]
Line 8872
fful often ȝede þey [many tyme ȝede þam.] aboute,
Byhelde wyþynne & eke [within biheld.] wyþoute;
