LIVRE YII
BALLADE POPULAIRE, COJIPOSÉE AU SEIZIÈME SIÈCLE, SUR LE NAIFRAGE DES FILS DE HENRI l*' '
After out royal king
Had foil'd his foes in Franco, And spent the pleasant spring
His honour to advance :
l'nto fair England he retiirn'd
With famé and victory ; That time the suhjects of this land
Receiv'd him joylully.
But at his home return
His children left he still In France, for to sejourn
To purchase learned skill :
Duke William, wilh his brother dear,
Lord Richard was his name, Which was the earl of Chester then.
And tliirsted after famé;
The King's fair daughter eke
The lad y Mary bright, With divers nobles peers,
And many a hardy knight :
Ali thèse were left together there
In pleasures and delight, Wen ihat our king to England came
After the bloody fight
1. Evans's Old BalJads hisloridil and narrative, vol. I. p. 48.
But wlien fair Flora had Drawn fortli her treasure dry,
That winter cold and sad With hoary head drew nigh ;
Those princes ail, with oae consent Prepared ail ihir.gs, meet,
To pass the seas for fair England, Whose sight to them was sweet.
M To England let us hye Thus every one did say,
For Cliris'raas draweîh nigh ; No longer let us sîay.
But spend the Christmas-time Within our father's court
Where lady Pleasure doth attend, With many a princely sport. »
To sea those princes went, Fulfi.'d with mirth and joy :
But this their merriment Did turn to dear annoy
The sailors and the sbipmen ail, Througn foui excess of wine,
Were so disguis'd that on the sea The show'd themselves liko swine;
The stern no man could guide, The master sleeping lay,
The sailors ail beside Went reeling every way,
So that the ship at randora rodo Upon the foaming flood,
Whereby in péril of their lives The princes always stood :
Wbich made distilling tears From tleir fair eyes to fall;
Their hearts were fiU'd with feaï's, No help they had at ail :
They wish themselves upon the land
A thousand timcs and more, And at the last they came in siglU
Of Englnnd's pleasant shore.
Then evcry one began
To turn their sighs to smilcs; Their colour pale and wan,
A chearful look exiles :
The princely lords jnost loviagly
Tfeir ladles did embrace; For now in England shall we 1)3
(Quoth they) in little space.
Take comfort then (they said)
Te'' old the land at last :
Then be no more dismay'd,
The worst is gone and past.
But while they did this jo^ful hope
Witn comfort entertsin, The goodly ship upon a rock
In sunder burst in twain.
With that a grievous shrick
Among them there \Yas made.
And every one did seek
On something to be staid;
But ail -in vain such help they sough;
Tne ship so soon did sink, That in the sea they were contrain'd
To take t: cir latest drink.
Tnere might you see the lords
And ladies for to lie Amistd the sait sea foam,
With many a grievous cry;
Slill labouring for life's defencc
With s'.relched arms abroad, And lifting up their lilly hands.
For help with one accord.
Sî.
But as good fortune would, The sweet young duke did get
Into tlie cock-boat then Where safely be did sit :
But when he heard his sister cry, The king's fair daughter dear,
He turn'd his boat to take her in Whose death did draw so near i
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 number got,
So many, as at the last The boat, and ail that-were thereiu,
Were drown'd and over-cast;
Of lords and gentlemen
And ladies of face fair, Not one escaped then,
Wiiich was a hea-s^ case.
Threescore and ten were drown'd in ail. And none escaped death.
But one pour butcher which bad swoni Himself quite out of breath.
This was most heavy news
Unto our comely king, Who did ail mirtu refuse,
This word when they did bring :
For by this means no chi d he had His kingdoin to succeed,
Whereby liis sister's son was king, As you shall plainly read.
PIÈCES JUSTIFICATIVES 39i
iN» 2
CONVERSATION ENTRE HENRI l" ET MABILE , FILLE DE ROBERT, FILS d'aYMON '
Ther was tho in Engelond a gret louerdyng,
On of the grestost tliat ther was, wythout Henry kyng-,
Syre Roberd le fyz Haym, that let vorst arere
The abbey of Teukesbury, and monekes brogte there.
He deyde aboute thulke tyme, and ybured was ywys
In the abbey of Teukesbury, as hys body gut ys.
Mabyle hys dogter was eyr of al hys londes,
The kyng vor yre erytage hym gan understonde,
To brynge Roberd hys sone a bast in his wuryson there
Thoru spousyng of thys mayde, that avanced were.
He seyde, ihat heo ssolde hys sone to hyre spouse auonge. »
Thys mayde was there agen, and wyth seyde yt longe.
The kyngof sogte hyre suythe ynon, so Ihat atten ende
filabyle hym ansuerede, as gode mayde and hf nde,
« Syi-e, » 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 al)be an louerd, bote he adde an tuo name.
« Syre Roberd le fyz Haym my fader name was,
« And that ne mygte nogt be hys, that of hys kunne ncgt nas.
Il 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.
n Syre, » quath thys mayde tho, « that ys vayr name,
« As wo seyth, al hys lyf, and of grete famé.
■I Ac watt ssolde hys sone hôte thanne and other that of hym come?
« Sone mygte bii hôte nogt, therof nymeth gome. »
T: e kyng understod, that the mayde ne seyde non out rage,
1. Robert of Gloucester Chron., p. 431 et 132, t. Il, éd. Hearne.
And that G!oucestre 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.
« Sjre. » quath the mayde tho, « wel lyketh me thys,
« In thys fourme ychclle, that al my thyng be hys. »
Thus was erl of G oucestre vorst ymade there
As thys Roberd of ail thulke, that longe b^vore wcre.
