Aftere the Chapitle of Commoditees of Dyverse Landes, Shewyth the Conclusioun of Kepynge of the See

Now see wee welle than that this rownde see
To oure noble by paryformytee,
Undere the shypp, shewyd there the sayle,
And oure kynge of-royalle apparaylle,
Wyth swerde drawe, bryght and extente,
Ffor to chastise enmyes vyolente,
Shulde be lorde of the see aboute,
To kepe enmys fro wythine, wythoute,
To be holde thorowgh cristianyte
Master and lorde enviroun of the see,
Alle lyvinge men suche a prince to drede
Of suche a regne to be aferde in dede.
Thus prove I welle that it was thus of olde,
Whiche by a cronicle anone shal be tolde,
Ryghte curiouse, but I wolle interprete
Hit into Englisshe, as I did it gete.
Of kynge Edgare, oo moste merveyllouse
Prince lyvynge, wytty, and chevalrouse,
So gode that none of his predecessours
Was to him lyche in prudens and honours.
He was fortunat, and more gracious
Then other before, and more glorious.
He was benethe no man in holinesse,
He passed alle in vertuuse swetenesse.
Of Englysshe kynges was none so commendable
To Englysshe men, ne lasse memoriable
Than Cirus was to Perse by puissaunce;
And as grete Charlis was to them of Fraunce,
And as to Romanis was grete Romulus,
So was to England this worthy Edgarus.
I may not write more of his worthynesse,
Ffor lake of tyme, ne of his holynesse;
But to my matere I hym examplifie,
Of condicions tweyne and of his policie.
Wythine his land was one, this is no doute,
And anothere in the see wythoute,
That in tyme of wynter and of werre,
Whan boistous wyndes put see-men into ferre,
Wythine his lande aboute bi alle provinces
He passyd thorowghe perceyvynge his princes,
Lordes, and othir of the commontee,
Who was oppressoure, and who to poverte
Was drawe and broughte, and who was clene in lyffe,
Any who was by myscheffe and by stryffe
Wyth overeledynge and extorcioun;
And gode and bad of eche condicioun
He aspied, and his mynisters als,
Who did trought, and whiche of hem was fals;
How the ryght and lawes of his londe
Were execute, and who durste take on honde
To disobeye his statutes and decrees,
Yf they were welle kepte in alle cuntrees.
Of these he made subtile investigacioun
By his owyne espye and other menis relacioun.
Amonge othyr was his grete besines
Welle to bene ware that grete men of rycchesse,
And men of myght in citee ner in toune,
Shuld to the pore doo none oppressione.
Thus was he wonte, as in this wynter tyde,
One suche enserchise busily to abyde;
This was his laboure for the publique thinge,
Thus was he occupied, a passynge holy kynge.

Now to the purpose; in the somer ffayre,
Of lusty season, whan clered was the eyre,
He had redy shippes made byfore,
Grete and huge, not fewe but manye a score,
Ffulle thre thousande and sex hundred also,
Statelye inowgh on oure see to goo.
The cronicles seyth these shippes were full boisteous;
Suche thinges longen to kynges victorious.
In somere tide wolde he have in wone,
And in custome, to be fulle redy sone,
Wyth multitude of men of gode array,
And instrumentis of werre of beste assay;
Who coude hem welle in ony wyse describe,
Hit were not lyght for ony man on lyve.
Thus he and his wolde entre shippes grete,
Habilementis havynge and the fete
Of see werres, that joyfull was to see
Suche a naveie, and lord of mageste
There present in persone hem amonge,
To saile and rowe environ alle on londe,
So regaliche aboute the Englisshe yle,
To all straungeours terroure and perille;
Whose sonne wente aboute in alle the worlde stoute,
Unto grete ferre of alle that be wythoute,
And exercise to knyghtis and his meyne
To hym longynge of his natalle contre.
Ffor corage muste of nede have exercise,
Thus occupied for esshewynge of vise.
This knewe the kynge, that policie espied,
Wynter and somer he was thus occupied.
Thus conclude I by auctorite
Of cronique, that enviroun the see
Shulde bene oures subies unto the kynge,
And he be lorde therof for ony thynge,
Ffor grete worship, and for profite also,
To defende his londe fro every foo.
That worthy kynge I leve, Edgar by name,
And alle the cronique of his worthy fame;
Save onely this I may not passe awey,
A word of myghty strenght til that I seye,
That grauntyd hym God suche worship here,
Ffor his meritis, he was wythoute pere,
That sumtyme at his grete festivite
Kynges and yerles of many a contre,
And provinces fele, were there presente,
And mony lordes come thedire by assente
To his worship; but in a certayne daye
He bade shippes be redy of arraye
Ffor to visite Seynte Jonys chyrche he lyste,
Rowynge unto the gode holy Baptiste.
He assygned to yerles, lordes, knyghtes,
Many shippes ryght godely to syghtes;
And for hym selfe and viij. kynges mo
Subdite to hym, he made kepe one of tho,
A gode shipp, and entred into it,
Wyth viij. kynges, and doune did they sit,
And eche of them an ore toke in hande,
At ore-holes viij., as I understonde;
And he hym selfe atte the shipp behynde
As steris-man, it hym becam of kynde.
Suche another rowynge, I dare welle saye,
Was not sene of princes many a day.
Lo than how he on waters had the price,
In land, in see, that I may not suffice
To telle, o right! o magnanimite!
That kynge Edgar had upon the see.
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