LIVRE YII
BALLADE POPULAIRE, COMPOSÉE AU SEIZIÈME SIÈCLE, SCn LE NAUFRAGE DES FILS DE HENRI l" *
After eut royal king
Had foil'd his foes in France, And spent the pleasant spring
His honour to advance :
Into fair England he return'd
With famé and victory; That time the subjects of this land
Receiv'd him joyfuUy.
But at his home return
His children Icft he stili In France, for. to sejourn
To purchase learned skill :
Duke William, with his brother dear.
Lord Richard was his name, Which was the earl of Chester then.
And thirsted after famé;
The King's fair daughter eke
The lady Mary bright, With divers nobles peers,
And many a hardy knight :
Ali thèse were left together there
In pleasures and delight, Wen that our king to England came
After the bloody fight
i. Evans's Old Ballads hislorical and narrative, vol. I. p. 48.
But when fair Flora had Drawn forth her treasure dry,
That winter cold and sad With hoary head drew nigh ;
Those princes ail, with one consent Prepared ail thifigs, meet,
To pass the seas for fair England, Whose sight to them was sweet.
« To England let us hye Thus every one did say,
For Ghristmas draweth nigh :
No longer let us stay,
But spend the Ghristmas-time
Within our father's court Where lady Pleasure doth attend, With many a princely sport. »
To sea those princes went, Fulfit'd with rairth and joy :
But this their merriment Did turn to dear annoy.
The sailors and the shipmen all^ Througn foui excess of wine,
Were so disguis'd that on the sea The show'd themselves like swine;
The stern no man could guide, The master sleeping lay,
The sailors ail beside Went reeling every way,
So that the ship at randoni rode Upon the foaming flood,
Whereby in péril of their lives The princes always stood :
Which made distilling tears From their fair eyes to fall;
Their hearts were fiU'd with fearsj No help they had at ail :
They wish themselves upon the land
A thousand times and more, And at the last they came in sight
Of England's pleasant shore.
Then every one began
To turn their sighs to smilcs; Their coloar pale and wan,
A chearful look exiles :
The princely lords most lovingly
Their ladies did embrace; For now in England shall we be
(Quoth they) in little space.
Take comfort then (they said)
Behold the land at last :
Then be no more dismay'd,
The worst is gone and past.
But while they did this joyful hope
With comfort entertain, The goodly ship upon a rock
In sunder burst in twain.
With that a grievous shriek
Among them there was made, And every one did seek
On something to be staid;
But ail in vain such help they soughl
Tne ship so soon did sink, That in the sea they were contrain'd •
To take their latest drink.
There might you see the lords
And ladies for to lie Amistd the sait sea foam,
With many a grievous cry;
Still labouring for life's defence
With slretched arms abroad.
And lifting up their lilly hands,
For help with one accord.
But as good fortune would, Ttie sweet young duke did get
Into the cock-boat then Where safely he did sit :
But when he heard his sister cry, The king's fair rlaughter dear,
He turn'd his boat to take lier in Whose di'ath did dravv so near >
But while he strove to t^ke His sweet young sister in,
The rest such shift did make In sea as they did swim,
That to the boat a riumber got,
So many, us at the last The boat, and ail that were therein,
Were drown'd and over-cast;
Of lords and gentlemen
And ladies of face fair, Not one escaped then,
Which was a heavy case.
Threescore and ten were drown'd in ail, And none escaped death.
But one pour butcher which had swora Himself quite out of breath.
This was most heavy news
Unto our comely king, Who did ail mirtli refuse,
This Word when they did bring :
For by this means no chi d he had
His kingdora to succeed, Whereby his sister's son was king", ^ As you shall plainly read.
CONVERSATION ENTRE HENRI l^"^ ET MABILE , FILLE DE ROBERT, FILS D'AYMON ^
Ther was tho in Engelond a gret louerdyng,
On of the grestost that ther was, wythout Henry kyng,
Syre Roberd le fyz Haym, that let vorst arere
The abbey of Teukesbury, and monekes brogte there.
He deyde abouie thulke tyme, and ybured was ywys
In the abbey of Teukesbury, as hys body gut ys.
Mabyle hys dogter was eyr of al hys fondes,
The kyng vor yre erytage hym gan understonde,
To brynge Roberd hys sone a bastin his waryson there
Thoru spousyng of tbys mayde, that avanced were.
He seyde, that heo ssolde hys sone to hyre spouse auonge. »
Thys mayde \yas there agen, and wyth seyde yt longe.
The kyng of sogte hyre suythe ynou, so that atten ende
Mabyle hym ansuerede, as gode mayde and hende,
« Syre, » heo seyde, « wel ychot, that goure herte up me ys,
« More vor myn erytage, than my fulue ywys.
« So vayr erytage, as ych abbe, yt were me gret ssame,
« Vor to abbe an louerd, bote he adde an tuo name.
« Syre Roberd le fyz Haym my fader name w^as,
« And that ne mygte nogt be hys, that of hys kunne nogt nas.
« Thervore, syre, vor Gode's love, ne let me non man owe,
« Bote he abbe an tuo name, war thorn he be yknowe.
« Damaysele, » quath the kyng, « thous seyst wel in thycas,
(( Syre Roberd le fiz Haym thy fadere's name was.
« And as vayr name he ssal abbe, gyf me hym may byse,
« Syre Roberd fiz le Roy hys name ssal be.
« Syre, » quath thys mayde tho, « that ys vayr name,
« As wo seyth, al hys lyf, and of grete famé.
« Ac watt ssolde hys sone hôte thanne and other that of hym corne?
« Sone mygte hii hôte nogt, therof nymeth gome. »
The kyng understod, that the mayde ne seyde non eut rage,
1. Robert of Glôiicesler Cliron., p. 431 et 432, t. II, éd. Hearne.
And that Gloucestre was chef of hyre erytage.
« Damasele, » he seyde tho, « thy louerd ssal abbe an name
« Vor hym, and vor hys eyrs vayr wyth out blâme.
« Vor Roberd erl of Gloucestre hys name ssal be, and ys.
« Vor he ssal be erl of Gloucestre and hys eyrs ywys.
« Syre^ » quath the mayde tho, « wel lyketh me thys,
« In thys fourme ychoUe, that al my thyng be hys. »
Thus was erl of G oucestre vorst ymade there
As thys Roberd of ail thulke, that longe byvore were.
