Evans' old Btdlads hislorkal and narralhe, vol. 1, p

To Dover then he look his way,

The castle down to fling Which Arviragus bailded tliere,

The noble British king.

Which when the brave archbishop bold

Of Canterbury knew The abbot of saint Augustines eke,

With ail their gallant crew :

The y set themselves in armour bright, Thèse mis.chi;fs to prevent

With ail the yeomen brave and bold That were in fruitful Kent.

At Canterbury did they meet

Upoii a certain day, With sword and spear, with bill and bow

And stopt the conqueror's way.

Let us not yield like bond-mea poor To French-men in their pride,

But keet our ancient liberty, Wath chance so e'er betide,

And ralher dye in bloody field With manly courage prest,

Tban to endure the servile yoke, Which we so much detest.

Thus did the Kentish commons cry

Unto their leaders still.

And so march'd forih in warlike sort.

And stand at Swan conib-hill ;

There in the woods they hid themselves Under the shadow green,

Thereby to get ihem vantage good, Of ail their foes unseen

And for the Conqueror's coniing tlicre

They privily laid wait.

And thereby suddenly appal'd

Ilis lofty high conceit;

For when.tlicy spyed his approach

în place as they did stand, Thea inarched they to hiin with sijccd,

Each oue a bough in hand,

So that unto tlie Gonqueror's sight,

Ainaz.ed a», he stood They seem'd to be a walking grave,

Or else a moving wood.

The shape of men he could not see,

The boughs did hide Ihem so :

And now his heart wiih fear did quake,

To see a forest go;

Hefore, behind, and on each side.

As lie did cast his eye, Ke spy'd the wood with sobcr pace

Approach to him t'uU nigh :

Buth when the Kentish men had thus

lùiclos'd the Conqueror round, Most suddenly they drew their swords,

And threw Iheir boughs to ground;

Their banners they display in sight,

Tiieir trumpets sound a charge, Their ratling drums strike up alarms,

Tlieir troops slretch out at large.

Tiie Conqueror with ail his train,

Were hcreat sore agast, And most in péril, when they thought,

AU péril had been past.

Unto the Kentish men he sent,

The cause to understand.

For what intent and for what cause

They took this war in hand.

To whom they made this short rcply.

For liberty we light.

And to enjoy king Edward' s laws he which \vc hoid our right,

Then said the dreaful Conqueror, You shall bave %Yhat you will,

Your ancient customs and your lawS;, So that you will be still,

And eacîi thing else that you will crave With reason at my hand,

So you will but acknowledge nie Chief king of fair England.

The Kentish mea agreed thereon^ And laid their arms aside,

And by this means king Edward's b.ws In Kent doth still abide;

And in no place in England else Thèse customs do remain,

Which they by manly policy Did of Duke William gain.

DÉTAILS SCR LA REDDITION DE LONDRES, EXTRAITS D EN POEME CONTEMPORAIN ATTRIBUÉ A GUY, ÉVÊQUE d' AMIENS *

Intus erat quidam contraclus débilita te

Renum, sicque pedum segnis ab oiflcio; Vulnera pro patria quoniam numerosa recepit,

Lectica vehitur, mobiiitate carens.

Omnibus ille tamen ^rimatibus imperat urbis, (v. C8o)

Ejus et in auxilio publica res agitur.

Huic, per legatum, clam rex potiora révélât

Secretij poscens quatenus bis faveat.

« Solum rex vocitetur, ait, sed commoda regni,

« Ut jubet Ansgardus- subdita cuucta regat. » (o90|

1. Chroniques anglo-normande-'; publiées par M. Francisque Michel, t. 111, p. 31.

2. L'orlhographe saionne de ce nom est Ansgar et quelquefois Asgar. L'aiiiion de la lettre d provient ici d'une habitude française dont on trouve plu-

PIÈCES JUSTIFICATIVES 33f>

Ille quidem caulus eau te legata recepit,

Cordis et occulto condidit in tlnlamo. Natu majores, omni levitate repulsa,

Aggregat, et verbis talibus alloquitur : « Egregii fratres, tum vi, tum sfBpius arte

(Est ubi nec sensus vester, et actns ubi?) Cernitis oppresses valide certamine muros,

Et circuinscptos cladibus innurneris; Molis et erectae transcendu macliina turres,

Ictibiis et validis mœnia scissa ruunt. C'OO)

Casibus a multis, ex onnni parte ruina

Eminet, et nostra corda timoré labant; Atque manus populi, nimio percussa pavore,

Urbis ad auxilium segniter arma movet.

Nosque foris vastat gir>dia5, paver angit et intns;

Et nullum nobis praesidium superest.

Ergo, precor, vobis si spes est uUa salutis,

Quatenus addatis viribus ingenium ; Est quum prœcipuurn, si vis succumbat in actum,

Quod virtute nequit, fiât ut ingénie. (710)

Est igitur nebis super hoc prudenter agendum.

Et pariter sanum quœrere consilium.

Censée quapropter, si vobis constat honeslum,

Hostes dmn lateant omnia quœ patimur Actutum docilis noster legatus ut hosti

Mittatur, verbis fallere qui satagat; Servitium "simulet nec non et fœdera pacis

Et dextras dextrae subdere si jubeat. » Omnibus hoc placuit ; dicte velocius miplent;

Mittitur ad regem vir ratione capax, (720)

Ordine qui retulit decorans sermone faceto

Utile fraternum, non secus ac proprium.

Sed quamvis patula teneatur compede vulpes,

Fallitur a rege fallere quem voluit, Namque palam laudat rex, atque latenter ineptat

Quidquid ab Ansgardo nuntius atlulerat.

sieurs exemples dans Guillaume de Poitiers, qui écrit Algardus pour Alfgar,et Morcardus pour Morkar. Voyez, sur le slaller Ansgar, une note de M. Au- £Uile Le Prévost, dans son édition d'Orderic Vital, t. II, v- 154.

3i0 PIÈCES JUSTIFICATIVES

Obcœiiat donis stohdum verbisque fefellit,

Prœinia promittens innumerosa sibi.