The story of England

                                
                                  þe Brute, all þat þe Latyn spelles,
                                
                                  ffro Eneas till Cadwaladre;
                                
                                  þis Mayster Wace þer leues he.
                                  Line 60 
                                
                                  And ryght as Mayster Wace says,
                                
                                  I telle myn Inglis þe same ways;
                                
                                  ffor Mayster Wace þe Latyn alle rymes
                                
                                  þat Pers ouerhippis many tymes.
                                  Line 64 
                                
                                  Mayster Wace þe Brute alle redes,
                                
                                  & Pers tellis alle þe Inglis dedes;
                                
                                  þer Mayster Wace of þe Brute left,
                                
                                  ryght begynnes Pers [þer] eft,
                                  Line 68 
                                
                                  And tellis forth þe Inglis story,
                                
                                  & as he says, þan say I.
                                
                                  Als þai haf wryten & sayd,
                                
                                  haf I alle in myn Inglis layd,
                                  Line 72 
                                
                                  In symple speche as I couthe,
                                
                                  þat is lightest in mannes mouthe.
                                
                                  I mad noght for no disours,
                                
                                  ne for no seggers, no harpours,
                                  Line 76 
                                
                                  Bot for þe luf of symple men
                                
                                  þat strange Inglis can not ken;
                                
                                  ffor many it ere þat strange Inglis
                                
                                  In ryme wate neuer what it is;
                                  Line 80 
                                
                                  And bot þai wist what it mente,
                                
                                  ellis me thoght it were alle schente.
                                
                                  I made it not forto be praysed, [Petyt folio 1b:1] 
                                
                                  bot at þe lewed men were aysed.
                                  Line 84 
                                
                                  If it were made in ryme couwee,
                                
                                  or in strangere or enterlace,
                                
                                  þat rede Inglis it ere inowe,
                                
                                  þat couthe not haf coppled a kowe,
                                  Line 88 
                                
                                  þat outhere in couwee or in baston
                                
                                  som suld haf ben fordon,
                                
                                  so þat fele men þat it herde
                                
                                  suld not witte howe þat it ferde:
                                  Line 92 
                                
                                  I see in song, in sedgeyng tale
                                
                                  of Erceldoun & of Kendale,

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About this Item

Title: The story of England
Author: Mannyng, Robert, fl. 1288-1338.
Canvas: Page 3
Publication: London,: Longman & co.; [etc., etc.]; 1887.
Subject terms: Great Britain -- History

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ahb1379.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/ahb1379.0001.001/37:3

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DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

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Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/cme:ahb1379.0001.001

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Full citation: "The story of England." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ahb1379.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 19, 2025.

The story of England

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