Part 13

Now schall I seye ȝou sewyngly of contrees and yles þat ben beȝonde the contrees þat I haue spoken of. Wherfore {135} I seye ȝou, in passynge be the lond of Cathaye toward the high Ynde, and toward Bacharye, men passen be a kyngdom þat men clepen 'Caldilhe', þat is a full fair contré. And þere groweth a maner of fruyt, as þough it weren gowrdes; and whan þei ben rype, men kutten hem ato, and men fynden {140} withinne a lytyll best, in flesch, in bon, and blode as þough it were a lytill lomb, withouten wolle. And men eten bothe the frut and the best: and þat is a gret merueylle. Of þat frute I haue eten, allþough it were wondirfull: but þat I knowe wel, þat God is merueyllous in his werkes. And natheles I tolde {145} hem of als gret a merueyle to hem, þat is amonges vs: and þat was of the Bernakes. For I tolde hem þat in oure contree weren trees þat baren a fruyt þat becomen briddes fleeynge; and þo þat fellen in the water lyuen; and þei þat fallen on the erthe dyen anon; and þei ben right gode to mannes mete. And hereof {150} had þei als gret meruaylle þat summe of hem trowed it were an inpossible thing to be. In þat contré ben longe apples of gode sauour, whereof ben mo þan an hundred in a clustre, and als manye in another: and þei han grete longe leves and large, of two fote long or more. And in þat contree, and in {155} oþer contrees þere abouten, growen many trees, þat beren clowe gylofres, and notemuges, and grete notes of Ynde, and of canell, and of many oþer spices. And þere ben vynes þat beren so grete grapes þat a strong man scholde haue ynow to done for to bere o clustre with all the grapes. In {160} þat same regioun ben the mountaynes of Caspye þat men clepen 'Vber' in the contree. Betwene þo mountaynes the Iewes of ten lynages ben enclosed, þat men clepen Goth and Magoth; and þei mowe not gon out on no syde. Þere weren enclosed twenty two kynges with hire peple, þat dwelleden {165} betwene the mountaynes of Sy_t_hye. Þere Kyng Alisandre chacede hem betwene þo mountaynes; and þere he thoughte for to enclose hem þorgh werk of his men. But whan he saugh þat he myghte not don it, ne bryng it to an ende, he preyed to God of Nature þat He wolde parforme þat þat he {170} had begonne. And all were it so þat he was a payneme, and not worthi to ben herd, ȝit God of His grace closed the mountaynes togydre; so þat þei dwellen þere, all faste ylokked and enclosed with high mountaynes alle aboute, saf only on o syde; and on þat syde is the See of Caspye. Now {175} may sum men asken: sith þat the see is on þat o syde, wherfore go þei not out on the see syde, for to go where þat hem lyketh? But to this questioun I schal answere: þat See of Caspye goth out be londe, vnder the mountaynes, and renneth be the desert at o syde of the contree; and after it streccheth vnto the endes {180} of Persie. And allþough it be clept a see, it is no see, ne it toucheth to non oþer see; but it is a lake, the grettest of the world. And þough þei wolden putten hem into þat see, þei ne wysten neuer where þat þei scholde arryuen. And also þei conen no langage but only hire owne, þat no man {185} knoweth but þei: and þerfore mowe þei not gon out. And also ȝee schull vnderstonde þat the Iewes han no propre lond of hire owne, for to dwellen inne, in all the world, but only þat lond betwene the mountaynes. And ȝit þei ȝelden tribute for þat lond to the queen of Amazoine, the whiche þat {190} maketh hem to ben kept in cloos full diligently, þat þei schull not gon out on no syde, but be the cost of hire lond. For hire lond marcheth to þo mountaynes. And often it hath befallen þat summe of þe Iewes han gon vp the mountaynes, and avaled down to the valeyes: but gret nombre of folk ne {195} may not do so. For the mountaynes ben so hye, and so streght vp, þat þei moste abyde þere, maugree hire myght. For þei mowe not gon out, but be a litill issue þat was made be strengthe of men; and it lasteth wel a four grete myle. And after is þere ȝit a lond all desert, where men {200} may fynde no water, ne for dyggynge, ne for non other þing: wherfore men may not dwellen in þat place. So is it full of dragounes, of serpentes, and of oþer venymous bestes, þat no man dar not passe, but ȝif it be be strong wynter. And þat streyt passage men clepen in þat contree 'Clyron'. And þat {205} is the passage þat the Queen of Amazoine maketh to ben kept. And þogh it happene sum of hem, be fortune, to gon out, þei conen no maner of langage but Ebrew, so þat þei can not speke to the peple. And ȝit natheles, men seyn þei schull gon out in the tyme of Antecrist, and þat þei schull maken {210} gret slaughter of Cristene men. And þerfore all the Iewes þat dwellen in all londes lernen allweys to speken Ebrew, in hope þat whan the oþer Iewes schull gon out, þat þei may vnderstonden hire speche, and to leden hem into Cristendom, for to destroye the Cristene peple. For the Iewes seyn þat {215} þei knowen wel be hire prophecyes þat þei of Caspye schull gon out and spreden þorghout all the world; and þat the Cristene men schull ben vnder hire subieccioun als longe as þei han ben in subieccioun of hem. And ȝif þat ȝee wil wyte how þat þei schull fynden hire weye, after þat I haue herd {220} seye, I schall tell ȝou. In the tyme of Antecrist, a fox schall make þere his †trayne†, and mynen an hole, where Kyng Alisandre leet make the ȝates: and so longe he schall mynen and percen the erthe, til þat he schall passe þorgh towardes þat folk. And whan þei seen the fox, they schull {225} haue gret merueylle of him, because þat þei saugh neuer such a best. For of all oþere bestes þei han enclosed amonges hem, saf only the fox. And þanne þei schulle chacen him and pursuen him so streyte, till þat he come to the same place þat he cam fro. And þanne þei schulle {230} dyggen and mynen so strongly, till þat þei fynden the ȝates þat King Alisandre leet make of grete stones and passynge huge, wel symented and made stronge for the maystrie. And þo ȝates þei schull breken, and so gon out, be fyndynge of þat issue. {235}

Fro þat lond gon men toward the lond of Bacharie, where ben full yuele folk and full cruell. In þat lond ben trees þat beren wolle, as þogh it were of scheep; whereof men maken clothes, and all þing þat may ben made of wolle. In þat contree ben many ipotaynes, þat dwellen som tyme in the {240} water, and somtyme on the lond: and þei ben half man and half hors, as I haue seyd before; and þei eten men, whan þei may take hem. And þere ben ryueres and watres þat ben fulle byttere, þree sithes more þan is the water of the see. In þat contré ben many griffounes, more plentee þan in ony {245} other contree. Sum men seyn þat þei han the body vpward as an egle, and benethe as a lyoun: and treuly þei seyn soth þat þei ben of þat schapp. But o griffoun hath the body more gret, and is more strong, þanne eight lyouns, of suche lyouns as ben o this half; and more gret and strongere þan an {250} hundred egles, suche as we han amonges vs. For o griffoun þere wil bere fleynge to his nest a gret hors, ȝif he may fynde him at the poynt, or two oxen ȝoked togidere, as þei gon at the plowgh. For he hath his talouns so longe and so large and grete vpon his feet, as þough þei weren hornes of grete oxen, or of {255} bugles, or of kyȝn; so þat men maken cuppes of hem, to drynken of. And of hire ribbes, and of the pennes of hire wenges, men maken bowes full stronge, to schote with arwes and quarell.

From þens gon men be many iourneyes þorgh the lond of Prestre Iohn, the grete emperour of Ynde. And men clepen {260} his roialme the Yle of Pentexoire.

EPILOGUE.

Þere ben manye oþer dyuerse contrees and many oþer merueyles beȝonde, þat I haue not seen: wherfore of hem I can not speke propurly, to tell ȝou the manere of hem. And also in the contrees where I haue ben, ben manye {265} mo dyuersitees of many wondirfull thinges þanne I make mencioun of, for it were to longe thing to deuyse ȝou the manere. And þerfore þat þat I haue deuysed ȝou of certeyn contrees, þat I haue spoken of before, I beseche ȝoure worthi and excellent noblesse þat i_t_ suffise to ȝou at this tyme. For {270} ȝif þat I deuysed ȝou all þat is beȝonde the see, another man peraunter, þat wolde peynen him and trauaylle his body for to go into þo marches for to encerche þo contrees, myghte ben blamed be my wordes, in rehercynge manye straunge thinges; for he myghte not seye no thing of newe, in the {275} whiche the hereres myghten hauen ouþer solace or desport or lust or lykyng in the herynge. For men seyn allweys þat newe thinges and newe tydynges ben plesant to here. Wherfore I wole holde me stille, withouten ony more rehercyng of dyuersiteeȝ or of meruaylles þat ben beȝonde, to þat entent {280} and ende þat whoso wil gon into þo contrees, he schall fynde ynowe to speke of, þat I haue not touched of in no wyse.

And ȝee schull vndirstonde, ȝif it lyke ȝou, þat at myn hom comynge I cam to Rome, and schewed my lif to oure {285} holy fadir the Pope, and was assoylled of all þat lay in my conscience, of many a dyuerse gr_e_uous poynt, as men mosten nedes þat ben in company, dwellyng amonges so many a dyuerse folk of dyuerse secte and of beleeve, as I haue ben. And amonges all, I schewed hym this tretys, þat I had made {290} after informacioun of men þat knewen of thinges þat I had not seen myself; and also of merueyles and customes þat I hadde seen myself, as fer as God wolde ȝeue me grace: and besoughte his holy fadirhode þat my boke myghte ben examyned and corrected be avys of his wyse and discreet {295} conseill. And oure holy fader, of his special grace, remytted my boke to ben examyned and preued be the avys of his seyd conseill. Be the whiche my boke was preeued for trewe; in so moche þat þei schewed me a boke, þat my boke was examynde by, þat comprehended full moche more be an {300} hundred part; be the whiche the _Mappa Mundi_ was made after. And so my boke (all be it þat many men ne list not to ȝeue credence to no þing, but to þat þat þei seen with hire eye, ne be the auctour ne the persone neuer so trewe) is affermed and preued be oure holy fader, in maner and forme {305} as I haue seyd.

And I Iohn Maundevyll knyght aboueseyd, (allþough I be vnworthi) þat departed from oure contrees and passed the see the ȝeer of grace 1322, þat haue passed many londes and manye yles and contrees, and cerched manye full {310} strange places, and haue ben in many a full gode honourable companye, and at many a faire dede of armes, all be it þat I dide none myself, for myn vnable insuffisance; and now I am comen hom, mawgree myself, to reste, for gowtes artetykes þat me distreynen, þat diffynen the ende of my labour, aȝenst {315} my will, God knoweth. And þus takynge solace in my wrechched reste, recordynge the tyme passed, I haue fulfilled þeise thinges and putte hem wryten in this boke, as it wolde come into my mynde, the ȝeer of grace 1356 in the 34th ȝeer þat I departede from oure contrees. Wherfore I preye to all {320} the rederes and hereres of this boke, ȝif it plese hem, þat þei wolde preyen to God for me, and I schall preye for hem. And alle þo þat seyn for me a _Paternoster_, with an _Aue Maria_, þat God forȝeue me my synnes, I make hem parteneres and graunte hem part of all the gode pilgrymages, {325} and of all the gode dedes þat I haue don, ȝif ony ben to his plesance; and noght only of þo, but of all þat euere I schall do vnto my lyfes ende. And I beseche Almyghty God, fro whom all godenesse and grace cometh fro, þat He vouchesaf of His excellent mercy and habundant grace to {330} fullfylle hire soules with inspiracioun of the Holy Gost, in makynge defence of all hire gostly enemyes here in erthe, to hire saluacioun, bothe of body and soule; to worschipe and thankynge of Him þat is þree and on, withouten begynnynge and withouten endyng; þat is withouten qualitee good, {335} withouten quantytee gret; þat in alle places is present, and all thinges conteynynge; the whiche þat no goodnesse may amende, ne non euell empeyre; þat in perfyte Trynytee lyueth and regneth God, be alle worldes and be all tymes. Amen, Amen, Amen. {340}

X

THE BRUCE

WRITTEN IN 1375 BY JOHN BARBOUR.

John Barbour was archdeacon of Aberdeen, an auditor of the Scottish exchequer, and a royal pensioner. Consequently a number of isolated records of his activities have been preserved. In 1364 he was granted a safe-conduct to travel with four students to Oxford. In 1365 and 1368 he had permission to travel through England so that he might study in France. The notices of his journeys, his offices, and his rewards point to a busy and successful life. He died in 1395.

According to Wyntoun, Barbour's works were (1) _The Bruce_; (2) _The Stewartis Oryginalle_ (or _Pedigree of the Stewarts_), now lost; (3) a _Brut_, which some have identified with extant fragments of a Troy Book (see the prefatory note to No. VII), and others with (2) _The Stewartis Oryginalle_.

_The Bruce_ is found in two late MSS., both copied by John Ramsay; the first, St. John's College, Cambridge, MS. G 23, in the year 1487; the second, now at the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, in 1489. It has been edited by Skeat for the Early English Text Society, and for the Scottish Text Society. The poem is valuable for the history, more especially the traditional history, of the period 1304-33. Barbour speaks of it as a romance, and the freedom and vividness of the narrative, with its hero-worship of Robert Bruce and Douglas, place it well above the ordinary chronicle. But far from disclaiming historical accuracy, Barbour prides himself that truth well told should have a double claim to popularity:

Storys to rede ar delitabill Suppos that thai be nocht bot fabill: Than suld storys that suthfast wer, And thai war said on gud maner, Hawe doubill plesance in heryng: The fyrst plesance is the carpyng, And the tothir the suthfastnes, That schawys the thing rycht as it wes.

He did not misjudge the taste of his country, and _The Bruce_, with which the Scottish contribution to English literature begins, long held its place as the national epic of Scotland.

The specimen describes an incident in the unsuccessful siege of Berwick, 1319.

THE BRUCE, Bk. xvii, ll. 593 ff.

St. John's College (Cambridge) MS. G 23 (A.D. 1487).

Thai at the sege lay, Or it wes passit the fift day, Had maid thame syndry apparale To gang eftsonis till assale. Of gret gestis ane sow thai maid 5 That stalward heling owth it had, With armyt men enew tharin, And instrumentis als for to myne. Syndry scaffatis thai maid vithall That war weill hyar than the wall, 10 And ordanit als that by the se The toune suld weill assalȝeit be. And thai vithin that saw thame swa So gret apparale schap till ma, Throu Cra_bb_is consale, that ves sle, 15 Ane cren thai haf gert dres vp hye, Rynand on quhelis, that thai mycht bring It quhar neid war of mast helping. And pik and ter als haf thai tane, And lynt hardis, with brynstane, 20 And dry treis that weill wald byrne, And mellit syne athir othir in; And gret flaggatis tharof thai maid, Gyrdit with irnebandis braid; Of thai flaggatis mycht mesurit be 25 Till a gret twnnys quantité. Thai flaggatis, byrnand in a baill, With thair cren thoucht thai till availl, And, gif the sow come to the wall, Till lat thame byrnand on hir fall, 30 And with ane stark cheyne hald thame thar Quhill all war brint that ves thar. Engynys alsua for till cast Thai ordanit and maid redy fast, And set ilk man syne till his ward; 35 And Schir Valter, the gude Steward, With armyt men suld ryde about, And se quhar at thar var mast dout, And succur thar with his menȝhe. And quhen thai into sic degré 40 Had maid thame for thair assaling, On the Rude-evyn in the dawing, The Inglis host blew till assale. Than mycht men with ser apparale Se that gret host cum sturdely. 45 The toune enveremyt thai in hy, And assalit with sa gud will,— For all thair mycht thai set thartill,— That thai thame pressit fast of the toune. Bot thai that can thame abandoune 50 Till ded, or than till woundis sare, So weill has thame defendit thare That ledderis to the ground thai slang, And vith stanys so fast thai dang Thair fais, that feill thai left lyand, 55 Sum ded, sum hurt, and sum swavnand. Bot thai that held on fut in hy Drew thame avay deliuerly, And skunnyrrit tharfor na kyn thing, Bot went stoutly till assalyng; 60 And thai abovin defendit ay, And set thame till so harde assay, _Quhill_ that feill of thame voundit war, _And_ thai so gret defens maid thar, That thai styntit thair fais mycht. 65 Apon sic maner can thai ficht Quhill it wes neir noyne of the day. Than thai without, in gret aray, Pressit thair sow toward the wall; And thai within weill soyne gert call 70 The engynour that takyne was, And gret manans till him mais, And swoir that he suld de, bot he Provit on the sow sic sutelté That he t_o_frusch_yt_ hir ilke deill. 75 And he, that has persauit weill That the dede wes neir hym till, Bot gif he mycht fulfill thar will, Thoucht that he all his mycht vald do: Bendit in gret hy than wes scho, 80 And till the sow wes soyn evin set. In hye he gert draw the cleket, And smertly swappit out the stane, That evyn out our the sow is gane, And behynd hir a litill we 85 It fell, and than thai cryit hye That war in hir: 'Furth to the wall, For dreid it is ouris all.' The engynour than deliuerly Gert bend the gyne in full gret hy, 90 And the stane smertly swappit out. It flaw quhedirand with a rout, And fell richt evin befor the sow. Thair hertis than begouth till grow, Bot ȝeit than with thair mychtis all 95 Thai pressit the sow toward the wall, And has hir set thar_to_ iuntly. The gynour than gert bend in hy The gyne, and swappit out the stane, That evin toward the lift is gane, 100 And with gret wecht syne duschit doune Richt by the wall, in a randoune, That hyt the sow in sic maner That it that wes the mast summer, And starkast for till stynt a strak, 105 In swndir with that dusche he brak. The men ran out in full gret hy, And on the wallis thai can cry That 'thair sow ferryit wes thair!' Iohne Crab, that had his geir all ȝar, 110 In his faggatis has set the fyre, And our the wall syne can thame wyre, And brynt the sow till brandis bair. With all this fast assalȝeand war The folk without, with felloune ficht; 115 And thai within with mekill mycht Defendit manfully thar stede Intill gret auentur of dede. The schipmen with gret apparale Com with thair schippes till assale, 120 With top-castellis warnist weill, And wicht men armyt intill steill; Thair batis vp apon thair mastis Drawyn weill hye and festnyt fast is, And pressit with that gret atour 125 Toward the wall. Bot the gynour Hit in ane hespyne with a stane, And the men that war tharin gane Sum dede, _sum_ dosnyt, vyndland. Fra thine furth durst nane tak vpon hand 130 With schippes pres thame to the vall. But the laiff war assalȝeand all On ilk a syde sa egyrly, That certis it wes gret ferly That thai folk sic defens has maid, 135 For the gret myscheif that thai had: For thair wallis so law than weir That a man richt weill with a sper Micht strik ane othir vp in the face, As eir befor tald till ȝow was; 140 And feill of thame war woundit sare, And the layf so fast travaland war That nane had tume rest for till ta, Thair aduersouris assailȝeit swa. Thai war within sa stratly stad 145 That thar wardane with _him_ had Ane hundreth men in cumpany Armyt, that wicht war and hardy, And raid about for till se quhar That his folk hardest pressit war, 150 Till releif thame that had mister, Com syndry tymes in placis ser Quhar sum of the defensouris war All dede, and othir woundit sare, Swa that he of his cumpany 155 Behufit to leiff thair party; Swa that, be he ane cours had maid About, _of_ all _the_ men he had Thair wes levit with him bot ane, That he ne had thame left ilkane 160 To releve quhar he saw mister. And the folk that assalȝeand wer At Mary-ȝet behevin had The barras, and a fyre had maid At the drawbrig, and brynt it doune, 165 And war thringand in gret foysoune Richt in the ȝet, ane fire till ma. And thai within gert smertly ga Ane to the wardane, for till say How thai war set in hard assay. 170 And quhen Schir Valter Steward herd How men sa stratly with thame ferd, He gert cum of the castell then All that war thar of armyt men,— For thar that day assalȝeit nane,— 175 And with that rout in hy is gane Till Mary-ȝet, and till the wall Is went, and saw the myscheif all, And vmbethoucht hym suddandly, Bot gif gret help war set in hy 180 Tharto, thai suld burne vp the ȝet _With_ the fire _he_ fand tharat. Tharfor apon gret hardyment He suddanly set his entent, And gert all wyde set vp the ȝet, 185 And the fyre that he fand tharat With strinth of men he put avay. He set hym in full hard assay, For thai that war assalȝeand thar Pressit on hym with vapnys bair, 190 And he defendit with all his mycht. Thar mycht men se a felloune sicht: With staffing, stoking, and striking Thar maid thai sturdy defending, For with gret strynth of men the ȝet 195 Thai defendit, and stude tharat, Magré thair fais, quhill the nycht Gert thame on bath halfis leif the ficht.

[Foot-note: 15 Crabbis] Craggis _MS._: Crabys _MS. Edinburgh_.]

[Foot-note: 63 Quhill] How _MS._]

[Foot-note: 64 And] þat _MS._]

[Foot-note: 75 tofruschyt] till frusche _MS._]

[Foot-note: 97 tharto] þar in _MS._]

[Foot-note: 129 Sum dede dosnyt sum dede vyndland _MS._]

[Foot-note: 146 him] þame _MS._]

[Foot-note: 158 of] to _MS._ the] to _MS._]

[Foot-note: 182 With] And _MS._ he fand] haffand _MS._]

XI

JOHN WICLIF

D. 1384.

Like Richard Rolle, Wiclif was a Yorkshireman by birth. Of his career at Oxford little is known until 1360, when he is described as 'master of Balliol'. From Balliol he was presented to the living of Fillingham, and, after a series of preferments, he accepted in 1374 the rectory of Lutterworth, which he held till his death in 1384.