LIVRE SEPTIEME
No 4.
BALLADE POPULAIRE, COMPOSÉE AU XYl» SIÈCLE, SUR LE NAUFRAGE DES FILS DE HENRI I ^.
After our royal king
Ha foil'd his foes in France, And spent tUe pleasant spring
His honour to advance :
Into fair England he return'd
With famé and yictory ; That time the subjects of this land
Receiv'd him joyfully.
But at his home retum
His Ghildren left he still In France, for to sejourn
To purchase learned skill :
Duke William, with his brother dear.
Lord Richard was his name, Which was the eafl of Chester then.
And thksted after famé;
* EYsms'sold Balladsbistorical and narrative, vol. I, p. 48.
The King's liair danghter eke The lady Mary bright,
With divers nobles peers.
And many a hardy knight :
Ail thèse were left together there In pleasures and delight,
Wen that oar king to England came After the bloody fight.
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 things 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 Christmas-time Within ont fether's court
Where lady Pleasure doth attend, With many a princely sport.
To sea those princes went, Fulfll*d with mirth and joy :
But this their merriment Did tum to dear annoy
The sailors and the shipmen ail, Through foui excess of wine,
Were so disguis*d that ou the sea The show*d themselves like swine ;
The stem no man could guide, The master sleeping lay,
The sailors ail beside Went reeling every way^
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So that the ship at random rode
Upon the foaming flood, Whereb j in péril of their lives
The princes always stood :
Which made distUling tears
From their fair eyes to fall ; Their hearts were fill*d with fears,
No help they had at ail :
They wisht thernselves upon the land
À thousand times and more, And at the last they came in sight
Of England's pleasant shore.
Then every one began
To tom their sighs to smîles ; Their colour pale and wan,
A chearful look exiles :
The princely lords most loYingly
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 joyM hope
With comfort entertain, The goodly ship upon a rock
In sunder burst in twain.
With that à grievous shriek
Among them there was made , And every one did seek
On something to be staid;
But ail in vain such help they sought ;
The ship so soon did sink, That in the sea they were contrain*d
To take their latest drink.
There mûcib you see the lord$
And ladieç for to lie Amisdtthe lalt gea foam,
With mapy a grievous cry ;
Still laboTiriflig for life's defence With gtretcbed amis abroad.
And lifting up their lilly hands, For help with one accord.
Bat as good f ortone wonld, The sweet young dnke did get
Into the cock-^boat then Where saf ely be did sit :
But when he heaid bis siater cry, The lùng*» fair dangbter dear,
He tom'd bis boat to take her in Wbose deatb did draw so near :
But wbil9 b^ strov^ to take His sweet young sister in,
The rest sucb sbifl did make In sea as tbey did swim ,
That to the boat a number got, So many, as at the last
The boat, and ail that were therein, Were drown'd and over*<iast;
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 deatb,
But one pour butcber which bad swom Himself (juite out of breatb.
TbjB was most heavy news
Unto our comely king , Who did ail mirth refuse,
This Word when they did bring :
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For by this means no cfaild he had
His kingdom to succeed, Whereby his sister's son was king ,
As you shall plainly read.
GOMVERSATIOlf EIfTHB HENHI I ET HABILE, nLLE DE ROBERT FILS d'ATMON K
Ther was tho in Engelond a gret louerdyng , On of ihe grestost that ther was , wythont Henry kyng, Syre Roberd lefyz Haym , Uiat let vorst arere The abbey of Tenkesbnry, and monekes brogte there. He deyde aboute ihulke tyme, and ybnred was ywys In the abbey of Tenkesbnry, as hys body gut ys. Mabyle hys dogter was eyr of al hys londes, The kyng vor yre erytage hym gan nnderstonde, To brynge Roberd hys sone a hast in hys waryson there Thom sponsyng of tîiis mayde, that avanced were. He seyde, « that heo ssolde hys sone to hyre sponse anonge. » Thys mayde was there agen , and wyth seyde yt longe. The kyng of sogte hyre snythe ynou, so that atten ende Mabyle hym ansnerede, as gode mayde and hende, « Syre, » heo seyd'*, « wel ychot, that gonre herte np me ys , « More vor myn. erytage, than my folne ywys.
« So yayr erytage, as ych abbe, yt were me gret ssame, « Vor to abbe an lonerd, bote he adde an tuo name. « Syre Roberd le fyz Haym my fader name was, « And that ne^mygte nogt be hys, that of his knnne nogt nas. « Thervore, syre, vor Gode*s love, ne let me non man owe, « Bote he abbe an tuo name, war thoru he be yknowe. « Damaysele, » cpiath the kyng, « thon seyst wel in thys cas , « Syre Roberd le fyz Haym thy fàdere's name was. « And as vayr name he ssall abbe, gyf me hym may byse, « Syre Roberd fiz le Roy hys namessal be.
' Robert ofGloaeester'sChron., p. 431 ei433, l. U, ed.Hearne.
« SyT€, » qnath fhyf nayde tho, c tbat ys rayr name,
« As wo seyth, al hys lyf , and of gi«te Hame.
« Ac wat ssolde hys sooe hôte thaime and other that of hym corne?
« Sone mygte hii bote nogt, iherof nymeth geme. »
The kyng understod , that the mayde ne seyde non ont rage.
And that Gloncestre was chef of hyre erytage.
« Damasele, h he seyde tho, « thy louerd ssal abbe an name
« Vor hym, and vor hys eyrs, yayr wyth ont blâme.
« Vor Roberd erl of Gloncestre hys name ssal be, and ys.
« Vor he ssal be erl of Gloncestre and hys eyrs ywys.
« Syre, » quath the mayde tho, « wel lyketh me thys ,
« In thys fonrme ychoUe, that aj my ihyng be. hys. »
Thns was erl of Gloncestre y orst ymade there
As thys Roberd of ail thnlke, that longe byrore were.
r» nu piicis jusiif icativbs.
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TABLR
