Men may rede in romance right
of a grete clerk that Merlin hight:
ful many bokes er of him wreten,
als thir clerkes wele may witten,
and yit in many prive nokes
may men find of Merlin bokes.
Merlin said thus with his mowth:
Out of the north into the sowth
suld cum a bare over the se
that suld mak many man to fle.
And in the se, he said ful right,
suld he schew ful mekill might,
and in France he suld bigin
to mak tham wrath that er tharein.
Untill the se his taile reche sale
all folk of France to mekill bale.
Thus have I mater for to make
for a nobill prince sake.
Help me, God, my wit es thin;
now Laurence Minot will bigin.
A bore es broght on bankes bare
with ful batail bifor his brest;
for John of France will he noght spare
in Normondy to tak his rest
with princes that er proper and prest
Alweldand God of mightes maste,
He be his beld, for He mai best,
Fader and Sun and Haly Gaste.
Haly Gaste, Thou gif him grace,
that he in gude time may bigin
and send to him both might and space
his heritage wele for to win.
And sone assoyl him of his sin,
hende God that herled hell,
for France now es he entred in,
and thare he dightes him for to dwell.
He dwelled thare, the suth to tell,
opon the coste of Normondy;
at Hogges fand he famen fell
that war all ful of felony.
To him that makked grete maistri
and proved to ger the bare abyde;
thurgh might of God and mild Mari,
the bare abated all thaire pride.
Mekill pride was thare in prese,
both on pencell and on plate,
when the bare rade with outen rese
unto Cane the graythest gate.
Thare fand he folk bifor the gate,
thretty thowsand stif on stede.
Sir John of France come al to late;
the bare has gert thaire sides blede.
He gert blede if thai war bolde,
for thare was slayne and wounded sore
thretty thowsand, trewly tolde;
of pitaile was thare mekill more.
Knightes war thare wele two score
that war new dubbed to that dance.
Helm and hevyd thai have forlore;
than misliked John of France.
More misliking was thare then,
for fals treson alway thai wroght;
bot fro thai met with Inglis men,
all thaire bargan dere thai boght.
Inglismen with site tham soght
and hastily quit tham thaire hire,
and at the last, torgat thai noght,
the toun of Cane thai sett on fire.
That fire ful many folk gan fere,
when thai se brandes o ferrum flye;
this have thai wonen of the were,
the fals folk of Normundy.
I sai yow lely how thai lye,
dongen doun all in a daunce;
thaire frendes may ful faire forthi
pleyn tham untill John of France.
Franche men put tham to pine
at Cressy when thai brak the brig.
That saw Edward with both his ine;
than likid him no langer to lig.
Ilk Inglis man on others rig
over that water er thai went;
to batail er thai baldly big
with brade ax and with bowes bent.
With bent bowes thai war ful bolde
for to fell of the Frankisch men.
Thai gert tham lig with cares colde;
ful sari was sir Philip then.
He saw the toun o ferrum bren,
and folk for ferd war fast fleand
The teres he lete ful rathly ren
out of his eghen, I understand.
Than come Philip ful redy dight
toward the toun with all his rowt;
with him come mani a kumly knight,
and all umset the bare obout,
The bare made tham ful law to lout
and delt tham knokkes to thaire mede;
he gert tham stumbill that war stout —
thare helpid nowther staf ne stede.
Stedes strong bilevid still
biside Cressy opon the grene.
Sir Philip wanted all his will;
that was wele on his sembland sene.
With spere and schelde and helmis schene,
the bare than durst thai noght habide;
the king of Beme was cant and kene,
bot thare he left both play and pride.
Pride in prese ne prais I noght
omang thir princes prowd in pall;
princes suld be wele bithoght
when kinges suld tham till counsail call.
If he he be rightwis king, thai sall
maintene him both night and day
or els to lat his frendschip fall
on faire manere and fare oway.
Oway es all thi were, I wis,
Franche man with all thi fare;
of murnig may thou never mys,
for thou ert cumberd all in care.
With speche ne moght thou never spare
to speke of Ingliss men despite;
now have thai made thi biging bare —
of all thi catell ertou quite.
Quite ertou, that were we knaw,
of catell and of drewris dere;
tharfore lies thi hert ful law,
that are was blith als brid on brere.
Inglis men sall yit to yere
knok thi palet or thou pas
and mak the polled like a frere,
and yit es Ingland als it was.
Was thou noght, Franceis, with thi wapin
bitwixen Cressy and Abuyle
whare thi felaws lien and gapin
for all thaire treget and thaire gile?
Bisschoppes war thare in that whiie
that songen all withouten stole.
Philip the Valas was a file;
he fled and durst noght tak his dole.
Men delid thare ful mani a dint
omang the gentill Genevayse;
ful many man thaire lives tint
for luf of Philip the Valays.
Unkind he was and uncurtayse —
I prais no thing his purviance:
the best of France and of Artayse
war al to dongyn in that daunce.
That daunce with treson was bygun
to trais the bare with sum fals gyn.
The Franche men said all es wun!
Now es it tyme that we bigin,
for here es welth inogh to win
to make us riche for evermore,
bot thurgh thaire armure thik and thin
slaine thai war and wounded sore.
Sore than sighed sir Philip;
now wist he never what hym was best,
for he es cast doun with a trip.
In John of France es all his trest,
for he was his frend faithfulest;
in him was full his affiance,
bot sir Edward wald never rest
or thai war feld, the best of France.
Of France was mekill wo, I wis,
and in Paris tha high palays;
now had the bare with mekill blis
bigged him bifor Calais.
Heres now how the romance sais
how sir Edward oure king with croune
held his sege bi nightes and dais
with his men bifor Calays toune.
of a grete clerk that Merlin hight:
ful many bokes er of him wreten,
als thir clerkes wele may witten,
and yit in many prive nokes
may men find of Merlin bokes.
Merlin said thus with his mowth:
Out of the north into the sowth
suld cum a bare over the se
that suld mak many man to fle.
And in the se, he said ful right,
suld he schew ful mekill might,
and in France he suld bigin
to mak tham wrath that er tharein.
Untill the se his taile reche sale
all folk of France to mekill bale.
Thus have I mater for to make
for a nobill prince sake.
Help me, God, my wit es thin;
now Laurence Minot will bigin.
A bore es broght on bankes bare
with ful batail bifor his brest;
for John of France will he noght spare
in Normondy to tak his rest
with princes that er proper and prest
Alweldand God of mightes maste,
He be his beld, for He mai best,
Fader and Sun and Haly Gaste.
Haly Gaste, Thou gif him grace,
that he in gude time may bigin
and send to him both might and space
his heritage wele for to win.
And sone assoyl him of his sin,
hende God that herled hell,
for France now es he entred in,
and thare he dightes him for to dwell.
He dwelled thare, the suth to tell,
opon the coste of Normondy;
at Hogges fand he famen fell
that war all ful of felony.
To him that makked grete maistri
and proved to ger the bare abyde;
thurgh might of God and mild Mari,
the bare abated all thaire pride.
Mekill pride was thare in prese,
both on pencell and on plate,
when the bare rade with outen rese
unto Cane the graythest gate.
Thare fand he folk bifor the gate,
thretty thowsand stif on stede.
Sir John of France come al to late;
the bare has gert thaire sides blede.
He gert blede if thai war bolde,
for thare was slayne and wounded sore
thretty thowsand, trewly tolde;
of pitaile was thare mekill more.
Knightes war thare wele two score
that war new dubbed to that dance.
Helm and hevyd thai have forlore;
than misliked John of France.
More misliking was thare then,
for fals treson alway thai wroght;
bot fro thai met with Inglis men,
all thaire bargan dere thai boght.
Inglismen with site tham soght
and hastily quit tham thaire hire,
and at the last, torgat thai noght,
the toun of Cane thai sett on fire.
That fire ful many folk gan fere,
when thai se brandes o ferrum flye;
this have thai wonen of the were,
the fals folk of Normundy.
I sai yow lely how thai lye,
dongen doun all in a daunce;
thaire frendes may ful faire forthi
pleyn tham untill John of France.
Franche men put tham to pine
at Cressy when thai brak the brig.
That saw Edward with both his ine;
than likid him no langer to lig.
Ilk Inglis man on others rig
over that water er thai went;
to batail er thai baldly big
with brade ax and with bowes bent.
With bent bowes thai war ful bolde
for to fell of the Frankisch men.
Thai gert tham lig with cares colde;
ful sari was sir Philip then.
He saw the toun o ferrum bren,
and folk for ferd war fast fleand
The teres he lete ful rathly ren
out of his eghen, I understand.
Than come Philip ful redy dight
toward the toun with all his rowt;
with him come mani a kumly knight,
and all umset the bare obout,
The bare made tham ful law to lout
and delt tham knokkes to thaire mede;
he gert tham stumbill that war stout —
thare helpid nowther staf ne stede.
Stedes strong bilevid still
biside Cressy opon the grene.
Sir Philip wanted all his will;
that was wele on his sembland sene.
With spere and schelde and helmis schene,
the bare than durst thai noght habide;
the king of Beme was cant and kene,
bot thare he left both play and pride.
Pride in prese ne prais I noght
omang thir princes prowd in pall;
princes suld be wele bithoght
when kinges suld tham till counsail call.
If he he be rightwis king, thai sall
maintene him both night and day
or els to lat his frendschip fall
on faire manere and fare oway.
Oway es all thi were, I wis,
Franche man with all thi fare;
of murnig may thou never mys,
for thou ert cumberd all in care.
With speche ne moght thou never spare
to speke of Ingliss men despite;
now have thai made thi biging bare —
of all thi catell ertou quite.
Quite ertou, that were we knaw,
of catell and of drewris dere;
tharfore lies thi hert ful law,
that are was blith als brid on brere.
Inglis men sall yit to yere
knok thi palet or thou pas
and mak the polled like a frere,
and yit es Ingland als it was.
Was thou noght, Franceis, with thi wapin
bitwixen Cressy and Abuyle
whare thi felaws lien and gapin
for all thaire treget and thaire gile?
Bisschoppes war thare in that whiie
that songen all withouten stole.
Philip the Valas was a file;
he fled and durst noght tak his dole.
Men delid thare ful mani a dint
omang the gentill Genevayse;
ful many man thaire lives tint
for luf of Philip the Valays.
Unkind he was and uncurtayse —
I prais no thing his purviance:
the best of France and of Artayse
war al to dongyn in that daunce.
That daunce with treson was bygun
to trais the bare with sum fals gyn.
The Franche men said all es wun!
Now es it tyme that we bigin,
for here es welth inogh to win
to make us riche for evermore,
bot thurgh thaire armure thik and thin
slaine thai war and wounded sore.
Sore than sighed sir Philip;
now wist he never what hym was best,
for he es cast doun with a trip.
In John of France es all his trest,
for he was his frend faithfulest;
in him was full his affiance,
bot sir Edward wald never rest
or thai war feld, the best of France.
Of France was mekill wo, I wis,
and in Paris tha high palays;
now had the bare with mekill blis
bigged him bifor Calais.
Heres now how the romance sais
how sir Edward oure king with croune
held his sege bi nightes and dais
with his men bifor Calays toune.