Pe levyp hys messe on pe auter
For to go to a dyner.
So ne shulde he do, for no þyng,
For love ne awe of no lordyng,
But gyf1 hyt were for a grete nede
Pat shulde hym falle, or a grete drede.
Yn Northfolk, yn a tounne,
Wonede a knygt besyde a persone; a
Fyl hyt so, pe knyztes manere
Was nat fro pe cherche ful fere; c
And was hyt pan, as oftyn falles,
Broke were pe cherche gerde walles.
Pe lordes hyrdes often lete
Hys bestys yn to pe cherche gerde and ete;
De bestys dyde as pey mote nede,
Fylede overal pere pey zede.
A bonde man say f þat, ande was wo
Pat pe bestys shulde pere go;
He com to pe lorde, and seyde hym þys,
'Lorde,' he sezde, 'youre bestys go mys,
Loure hyrde dop wrong, and youre knavys,
Pat late youre bestys fyle pus pese gravys;
Pere mennys bonys shulde lye,
Bestes shulde do no vyleynye.'
pe lordes answere was sumwhat vyle,
And pat fallep evyl to a man gentyle;
'Weyl were hyt do rygt for pe nones
To wurschyp swych cherles bones;
What wurschyp shulde men make
Aboute swych cherles bodyes blake?'
Pe bonde man answerede and seyde
Wurdys to gedyr ful weyl leyde,
'pe Lorde pat made of erpe erles,
Of pe same erpe made he cherles;
Erles myzt and lordes stutk
As cherles shal yn erpe be put.1
Erles, cherles, alle at ones,
Shal none knowe youre fro oure bones.'
pe lorde lestenede pe wurdes weyl
And recordede hem every deyl;1
No more to hym wulde he seye,
But lete hym go furpe hys weye;
He seyde pe bestys shulde no more
By hys wyl come pore."
Sepen n he closede pe cherchezerde so
Pat no best mygt come parto.
For to ete ne fyle per ynne,
So pozt hym sepen þat hyt was synne.
Pyr are but fewe lordes now
Pat turne a wrde so wel to prow;°
But who seyp hem any skylle, P
Mysseye azen fouly pey wylle.
Lordynges, þyr are ynow of þo ;*
Of gentyl men, þyr are but fo.s 2
• advantage
P wisdom q abuse in turn
r those
Here we see the word put get the meaning of ponere; before this, it was trudere.
2 In one copy of the Harrowing of Hell, Christ calls Satan 'lording.'
Dane Felyp was mayster pat tyme
pat y began þys Englyssh ryme.
Pe yeres of grace fyl pan to be
A pousynd and pre hundrede and pre.
In pat tyme turnede y }ys
On Englysshe tunge out of Frankys,
Of a boke as y fonde ynne;
Men clepyn þe boke 'Handlyng Synne.'
Now of kyng Robin salle I zit speke more,
& his broper Tomlyn, Thomas als it wore,
& of Sir Alisandere, pat me rewes sore,
Pat bope com in skandere, for dedes pei did pore.
Of arte he had pe maistrie, he mad a corven kyng
In Cantebrige to pe clergie, or his broper were kyng.
Sipen was never non of arte so pat sped,
Ne bifore bot on, pat in Cantebrigge red.
Robert mad his fest, for he was pore pat tyme,
& he sauh alle pe gest, þat wrote & mad pis ryme.
Sir Alisander was hie dene of Glascow,
& his broper Thomas zed spiand ay bi throw,
Where our Inglis men ware not in clerke habite,
& non wild he spare, bot destroied also tite.
Porgh pe kyng Robyn pei zede pe Inglis to spie,
Here now of per fyn þam com for pat folie.'
'Hearne's Langtoft's Chronicle, ii. 336.
by Manning, some thirty years after his Handlyng Synne, at a time when he lived further to the North. The Northern dialect is most apparent. We here read of his getting a glimpse of the Bruce family at Cambridge, about the year 1300 or earlier.
YORKSHIRE.
(About A.D. 1340.)
HAMPOLE.
Dan waxes his hert hard and hevy,
And his heved feble and dysy;
Dan waxes his gast seke and sare,
And his face rouncles, ay mare and mare;
His mynde es short when he oght thynkes,
His nese ofte droppes, his hand stynkes,
His sight wax dym, þat he has,
His bax waxes croked; stoupand he gas;
Fyngers and taes, fote and hande,
Alle his touches er tremblande.
His werkes for-worthes that he bygynnes;
His hare moutes, his eghen rynnes;
His eres waxes deef, and hard to here,
His tung fayles, his speche is noght clere;
His mouthe slavers, his tethe rotes,
His wyttes fayles, and he ofte dotes;
He is lyghtly wrath, and waxes fraward,
Bot to turne hym fra wrethe it es hard.1
DURHAM.
(About A.D. 1320.)
METRICAL HOMILIES.
A tal of this fest haf I herd,
Hougat it of a widou ferd,
That lufd our Lefdi sa welle,
That scho gert mac hir a chapele;
And ilke day deuotely,
Herd scho messe of our Lefdye.
Fel auntour that hir prest was gan
His erand, and messe haved scho nan,
1 Morris, Specimens of Early English, p. 172. This poem should be compared with the Northern Psalter, at page 145 of my work.
And com this Candelmesse feste.
And scho wald haf als wif honeste
Hir messe, and for scho moht get nan,
Scho was a ful sorful womman.
In hir chapele scho mad prayer,
And fel on slep bifor the auter,
And als scho lay on slep, hir thoht
That scho in til a kyrc was broht,
And saw com gret compaynye
Of fair maidenes wit a lefedye,
And al thai sette on raw ful rathe,
And ald men and yong bathe.1
LANCASHIRE.
(About A.D. 1340.)
SIR GAWAYNE.
'Where schulde I wale pe,' quoth Gauan, 'where is þy place?
I wot never where pou wonyes, by hym þat me wrogt,
Ne I know not pe, knygt, þy cort, ne þi name.
Bot teche me truly perto, & telle me howe pou hattes,
& I schal ware all my wyt to wynne me peder,
& pat I swere pe for sope, & by my seker trawep.'
pat is innogh in nwe-zer, hit nedes no more,'
Quoth pe gome in pe grene to Gawan pe hende,
'Gif I pe telle triwly, quen I pe tape have,
& pou me smopely hatz smyten, smartly I pe teche
Of my hous, & my home, & myn owen nome,
ben may pou frayst my fare, and forwardez holde,
& if I spende no speche, penne spedez pou pe better,
For pou may leng in þy londe, & layt no fyrre,
bot slokes;
Ta now by grymme tole to pe,
& let se how pou cnokez.'
‘Gladly, syr, for sope,'
Quoth Gawan; his ax he strokes.2
1 Small, Metrical Homilies, p. 160.
2 Morris, Specimens, p. 233. In Alliterative verse obsolete words
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