war songs of the reign of Edward III

Laurence Minot is a name and nothing more: eleven poems in a single manuscript, Cotton Galba E. ix in the British Library, are all that is known of him. The poems themselves are a soldier's-eye chronicle in rhymed and alliterative Middle English of Edward III's French and Scottish wars, from the English victory at Halidon Hill in 1333 through the naval battle off Sluys, the siege of Tournai, the march to Crécy, the long siege of Calais, the English victory at Neville's Cross, a sea-fight with Castilian ships in the Channel, and the taking of the castle of Guînes in 1352 — a war correspondent's eyewitness-toned verse, patriotic, gleeful, and occasionally savage toward the French and Scots alike.

The poems were first printed by Joseph Ritson in 1795, and edited again by Wilhelm Scholle in 1884. Joseph Hall's edition, first published by the Clarendon Press in 1887 and revised in 1897 and 1914, remains the standard scholarly text: a close transcription of the manuscript with introduction, full textual and historical notes, an appendix of related Latin, French, and English pieces, a glossary, and an index of names. The text below is built from Hall's third edition of 1914, the last he prepared, with a small number of damaged or scrambled readings checked against his first (1887) and second (1897) editions.

Middle English þ (thorn) and ȝ (yogh) are preserved throughout, restored where the nineteenth-century scan's optical character recognition had flattened them into ordinary Latin letters — the method and its limits are set out in the colophon.

Contents

• Introduction
• List of Books Quoted by Brief Titles in the Notes
• The Poems
  • I. Halidon Hill
  • II. Bannockburn Avenged
  • III. Edward in Brabant
  • IV. The Invasion of France, and Flamengerie
  • V. The Sea Fight at Sluys
  • VI. The Siege of Tournai
  • VII. The March through Normandy, and Crécy
  • VIII. The Siege and Taking of Calais
  • IX. The Battle of Neville's Cross
  • X. Les Espagnols sur Mer
  • XI. The Taking of Guînes
• Notes
• Appendix
• Notes on Appendix
• Glossary
• Index of Names
• Words Explained in the Notes

Introduction

THE Poems of Laurence Minot have been preserved in a single
Manuscript of the Cottonian Collection, Galba, E. ix. It is a
large parchment folio, written in two columns to the page. The
following is a table of its contents :f. I a. Blank. On the verso is written Chaucer, Exemplar
f. 2.
emendate scriptum, an inscription which led Tyrwhitt
to look into the MS. and discover these poems (Ritson's
Minot, pp. vii, viii).
A leaf inserted from a book of Hours, probably when
the book was bound for Sir Robert Cotton.
f. 3 a. Seven lines of the poem on the siege of Calais, which
is written in full at the end of the MS., also an inventory
of linen. The verso is blank.
f. 4 a. 'Here bigyns Ywaine & Gaw-iñ,' printed in Ritson's Metrical Romances, vol. i. pp. 1-169; and Ywain
and Gawain, ed. Gustav Schleich. Oppeln und Leipzig,
1887.
f. 25 a. 'Ywain and Gawayn þus makes endyng | God grant
vs al hys dere blyssing, Amen.'
f. 25 b. 'Here bigyns þe proces of þe seuyn sages,' printed
in The Seven Sages of Rome, ed. Killis Campbell.
Boston, 1907.
f. 48 b. A poem of 94 lines, beginning 'Al es bot a fantum
þat [we] with ffare, | vs be houes ilka day heþen make
us ȝare forto wend fra þis werld naked & bare | bot
our wyndyng clathe with outen any gare,' printed in
Englische Studien, xxi. pp. 201-204; and in Horstman's Richard Rolle, ii. pp. 457, 8.
f. 49 a. 'Here bigins prophecies of Merlin,' see pp. 103-111.

f. 50 b. 'Incipit narracio de domino denario' [Sir Peny],
printed in Ritson's Pieces of Ancient Popular Poetry,
Second Edition, pp. 103-108; Wright's Latin Poems
of Walter Mapes (Camden Society), pp. 359-61; and
Englische Studien, xxi. pp. 204-207.
f. 51 b. A Rood Poem with the heading, ' Vos qui transitis:
si crimina flere uelitis | Per me transite: qui sum janua
vite | Bides a while and haldes ȝoure pais | and heres
what God him seluen sais | hingand on þe rode,' printed
in Englische Studien, xxi. pp. 207–209; and in Horstman's Richard Rolle, ii. p. 457. At the end is written
in a later hand'de domino denario | mani thinges not
be reiected.'
to
f. 52 a.
f. 57 b.
Minot's poems.
6
Hic incipit euangelium nichodemi,' printed in
the Middle-English Harrowing of Hell and Gospel of
Nicodemus, ed. W. H. Hulme. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. C.
London, 1907. (Contains a description of the MS.,
pp. xxii-xxv.)
f. 67 a. A poem on the Seven Deadly Sins, printed in
Cursor Mundi, pp. 1527-51.
f. 69 a. A poem on Penance, printed in Cursor Mundi,
pp. 1560-86.
f. 73 b. A metrical exposition of the Lord's Prayer, also
printed in Cursor Mundi, pp. 1437-55. This ends on
f. 75 a; the verso is blank.
f. 76 a.
The Pricke of Conscience, which has been taken
by Dr. Morris as the basis of his edition of Hampole's
poem printed for the Philological Society.
f. 113 b. The fly-leaf has some notes on the points of a
horse, beginning, 'A horss hath xxv propertes þat ys to
say he hath iiij off a lyon | iiij of an ox.' (See Reliquiae Antiquae, i. p. 232, for a similar scrap.) Then
follows, in a later hand, a poem on the siege of Calais
in 1400; it is printed in Reliquiae Antiquae, vol. ii.
pp. 21-24. On the back of f. 144 is written Richard
Chawfer (? for Chawser), from which was no doubt
copied the misleading title of the volume.

The handwriting of the MS. is of the first twenty years of the
fifteenth century¹. The evidence afforded by the poem printed
at p. 101 would be in favour of a date immediately before the
Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. For the enthusiastic partisan
of the conspirators against Henry the Fourth would hardly
have written in such a strain after the battle which shattered
the hopes of his party. At the utmost we cannot carry the
composition of the concluding portion of this piece down later
than 1407, and it is difficult to conceive of its being copied as it
stands later than the date which marks the definitive triumph
of Henry the Fourth.
The Poems were printed for the first time by Ritson in 1795.
The title-page of this scarce book is as follows:-Poems on
Interesting Events in the reign of King Edward III. written, in
the year MCCCLII. by Laurence Minot. With a preface, dissertations, notes and a glossary. London: Printed by T. Bensley,
for T. Egerton, Whitehall, 1795. The editor's name does not
appear anywhere in the volume. The preface is followed by
two dissertations, (1) On the Scottish wars of King Edward III,
and (2) On the Title of King Edward III to the Crown of
France. The text follows the MS. closely and accurately.
Pages 55-151 are occupied by notes, mostly historical, and
largely consisting of extensive quotations from Berners' translation of Froissart. The glossary, pp. 153-173, is followed by
six pages of corrections and additional notes. A second edition,
practically a reprint, was issued in 1825, with Ritson's name on
the title. The poems were again printed by Wright, in his
Political Poems and Songs relating to English History, where
they occupy pp. 58-91 of the first volume. Lastly, they have
been edited by Dr. Wilhelm Scholle as the fifty-second volume
of Quellen und Forschungen, Strassburg. His book contains an
1 Seems to have been written in the time of Richard II or towards
the close of the fourteenth century; and not, as appeared to Warton,
who knew nothing of the age of MSS. and probably never saw this,
"in the reign of King Henry the Sixth," Ritson, Metrical Romances,
iii. p. 229. Wright thinks we owe our copy of the poems to the interest
awakened in the exploits of Edward the Third by Henry the Fifth's
successes in France. (Political Poems, i. p. xxii.)

X
elaborate grammatical and metrical study of the poems, a
normalized text, and a few notes. The first four songs are also
edited by Mätzner, Sprachproben, i. pp. 320-7; the second and
ninth by Wülker in his Altenglisches Lesebuch, i. pp. 77-80,
159-61; the third, fourth, and the first 108 lines of the seventh
by Morris and Skeat, in Specimens of Early English, Part ii.
pp. 126-37, 315-17; the first three by Emerson, in A Middle
English Reader. A dissertation, principally on the grammar
and historical interest of the author, was published by F. J.
Bierbaum at Halle in 1876¹. A study of the Poems in their
historic setting was contributed to the Programm of the Königsberg Realgymnasium by Max Dangel in 1888.
Of the writer, nothing is known beyond his name, which he
has given us in v. 1 and vii. 20. No further information can be
gleaned from his poems about himself. He probably mentions
a friend of his in v. 59. Three of his poems are connected with
Yorkshire; the expedition of Edward Baliol was organized there,
and best chronicled by some monk connected with Meaux and
Bridlington; in the Battle of Neville's Cross he gives a special
mention to the Archbishop of York, and in the last ballad he
celebrates the exploit of a Yorkshire man.
But in the absence of direct information about the author,
it may be worth while to set down what is known about his
contemporaries of the same name; it may help some more
fortunate searcher. The Minot family was, in the 14th century,
connected mainly with the counties of York and Norfolk. Sir
John Minot appears in a return of 1324 as a knight of Yorkshire (Parliamentary Writs, ii. p. 1174). In the first year of
Edward the Third's reign he held three parts of a knight's fee
in the Manor of Thresk from John Lord Mowbray (Calend.
Inquisit. post Mortem, ii. p. 6). In 1327, while resident in the
Wapentake of Brudeforth (Birdforth, N. Riding), he is associated with William Darrell in raising forces for Edward's
¹ See also, ten Brink, English Literature (Eng. translation), i.
pp. 322-4; Professor Herford's article in the Dictionary of National
Biography; and Alois Brandl, Spielmannsverhältnisse in frühmittelenglischer Zeit (Sitzungsberichte der k. preussischen Akademie), xli.
(1910).
01

Scottish expedition of that year (Rotuli Scotiae, i, p. 223 a, and
p. 657 a). He obtained a grant of free warren in Carlton,
Calton, Hoton and Skipton-upon-Swale, in 1333 (Calend. Rot.
Chart. p. 167). In 1338 he is witness to a deed by which
William Darell founds a chantry in Elvedmere Church (Archbishop Melton's Register, f. 265 a), to which a Laurence de
Cysseford was collated in 1349 (Zouche's Register, f. 167 b).
He was the owner of Carlton Miniot (Yorkshire Archæological
Journal, ii. p. 92), which was no doubt called by his name to
distinguish it from the many other Carltons. The church of
Carlton Minot was dedicated to St. Laurence (id. p. 185), a fact
of some small significance when we remember that Laurence
was not a very common Christian name in the 14th century.
Of Sir John Minot's children nothing is known directly; but
the John Mynyot, Esq., who was a deponent in the Scrope and
Grosvenor trial, was almost certainly his son and heir (Scrope
and Grosvenor Roll, i. p. 70; ii. p. 229). Besides the Yorkshire
estates he held land at Bekering in Kent (Foedera, iii. pt. iii.
p. 190). A Sir Roger Mynyot held land from the Abbot of
Egleston at Skitheby, in the Wapentake of Gilling West in
1284-5 (Surtees Society, xlix. p. 171). In 1298 he was summoned from Norfolk to perform military service against the
Scots (Parliamentary Writs, i. p. 739), as also in 1300, and
1331. He was Sheriff of Northumberland in the former year
(Historical Documents, Scotland, ii. p. 422, and Liber Quotidianus Contrarotulatoris Garderobae, p. 76). His name occurs
frequently in documents cited by Harrison, History of Yorkshire. He is probably the person who held Thurning Manor in
15 Edw. I, who was lord of a manor at Langale in 13 Edw. I,
and whose son Jeffrey had a town house in the parish of
St. Stephen, Norwich, in 1316 (Blomfield, History of Norfolk,
iv. pp. 85, 166; viii. 280; x. 163).
Michael Myniot was a prominent London merchant of the
time. In 1313 he obtained a pardon as an adherent of Lancaster (Parliamentary Writs, ii. p. 1174). In 1319 he was nominated by the citizens of London as their representative in the
York Parliament of that year, but in 1320 he was obliged to
renounce the freedom of the city (Liber Albus, p. 576; Riley,

Memorials of London, letter E. 103). He was tried for extortion
in 1329 (Annales Londonienses, in Chronicles of Edw. I and II,
p. 244). In Harleian charter (Brit. Museum) 86 A. 27 of
5 Edw. III, he assigns his interest in an estate which he holds
for debt. He was prospering in 6 Edw. III, and acquiring
lands in Gloucestershire (Inquisitiones post Mortem, ii. p. 51).
He was the king's wine merchant in 1338 (Rotuli Scotiae,
i. p. 543 a, 546b, 553 b). He was dead in 1351 (Calendar of
Letters from the Mayor of London, &c., ed. Sharpe, p. 22,
piece 41).
Another man of the same name was in the service of the
king. Thomas Mynot, 'Notaire le Roi,' accompanied William
Stury and William de Burtone to Holland between Dec. 6,
1351, and Feb. 26, 1352, to receive possession of the castle of
Saintgeretruydensberg in Flanders (Record Office, Exchequer,
Q. R. H. C. H. 7313). He is evidently a person of importance,
as he receives pay at the rate of 40 pence a day. He is probably
to be identified with Thomas Minot, Archbishop of Dublin from
1363 to 1375: see Chartularies of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin,
ed. J. T. Gilbert, Rolls Series, 1884. It is perhaps worth noting
that the time of his mission was contemporaneous with the
capture of Guisnes, an obscure event little noticed by the English
chroniclers, but treated in detail in Minot's last poem. The
Minots of the 14th century were then landed gentry and people
of considerable standing, and it is not likely, as Brandl has
pointed out, that a member of the family was a professional
minstrel. Probably he was a younger son, who took an active
part, as a soldier of fortune, in some of the affairs about which
he sings.
Minot's poems were plainly written under the immediate
influence of the events which form their subjects. Indeed, in
stirring times like Edward the Third's, when striking events
crowded one another out of remembrance, a writer of this kind
of verse must treat the topic of the moment. We may therefore
assume that the poet's activity as represented in these poems
extended from 1333¹ to 1352 A.D. There are traces of a revision,
1 See p. 38 for a discussion of the date of the first poem.

probably about the latter date, in the use at v. 41 of Henry of
Derby's later title (conferred in 1352), in the inserted connecting
link, iii. 117-126, and in the added lines 57–70, 79–81, of the
sixth piece¹. The headings of the poems may be of the same
date, but it is quite possible that they have been added by a
copyist; those prefixed to ii and xi are very inept.
It is highly probable that a poet of such evident facility as
Minot produced much more verse than we have here. But the
only piece which I can point to, with any confidence, as his, is
the Hymn to Jesus Christ and the Virgin (Religious Pieces,
E. E. T. S. No. 26, p. 75), which bears a striking resemblance
in style and language to the poems before us.
The most remarkable feature of Minot's style is the constant
use made of alliterative phrases, the common stock of the writers
of romances 2. But he varies the traditional manner by novel
combinations of the well-worn phrases. Unlike the later
romancers of the Sir Thopas school he makes sparing use of the
cheville and the merely ornamental epithet. Further, he is at his
best in those poems where the alliteration is carried out most
systematically; there is a great distance between the loose and
rambling narrative of the third poem and the swing and vigour
of the sixth or tenth. The long line poems, where the artistic
difficulties are multiplied, are, as a whole, better and more
effective than the short line ones. But the fetters of a special
art tradition impose on his work a somewhat constrained and
mechanical air. Nor is this relieved by any touch of imagination. There is an absence of anything like simile or metaphor ;
a bald and realistic simplicity prevails. Still his turn is lyrical
rather than narrative. His direct historical value is small;
1 See P. 68.
2 This point is illustrated fully in the notes; phrases peculiar to
Minot seem made midelerd and þe mone,' i. 5; 'þaire wapin es oway,'
v. 36; 'gold gert all þat gale,' vi. 66; 'ken ;ow ȝowre crcde,' viii. 4,
ix. 38, xi. 14; 'with dole to dere,' viii. 10.
6
3 Compare for instance, ‘Sum lay stareand on þe sternes, | And sum
lay knoked out faire hernes,' iii. 67, 68; þai sail in þe see-gronde
fissches to fede,' x. 4; 'Wele war þai armed vp to þe chin,' v.
the stanza in the eighth poem which begins with 1. 73.
85; and

though he preserves now and then a curious detail which has
escaped the contemporaneous English Chroniclers', he adds
little to our store of facts about the wars of the third Edward.
But he is the abstract of the spirit of his time, its undoubted
bravery, its glitter, its savagery, its complete absence of pity
for the conquered. The greatest merit of his poems lies in i
their warm and spontaneous expression of national feeling.
His predecessors in the political poem had attacked abuses,
exposed grievances, or written in the service of a faction. He
is the first to speak in the name of the English nation just
awakened to a consciousness of its unity and strength.
GRAMMAR.
It must be borne in mind that the following remarks deal with
the language of Minot modified by a copyist who lived at least
fifty years later than the poet. Wherever forms occur in rhymes
not easily varied they are specially noted as probably representing the author's own practice.
NOUNS. The termination of the genitive sing. in monosyllabic nouns is es, a distinct syllable; so dedes, i. 26; Goddes,
iii. 10; kinges, iii. 24; &c. Exceptions are mans, xi. 9; prince,
vii. 18, disyllabic, but does not take an s, as it is followed by
a word beginning with s. The disyllabic Edward-es, v. 76, has
the full inflection; but on the other hand, Adams, vi. 76; somers,
x. 7: Edward, iii. 84, is uninflected. Scottes, i. 87 (perhaps an
adjective, compare i. 79), galaies 2, iii. 51, 97; galayes, iii. 78;
and mens (better mennes), iii. 84, are the only genitive plurals.
Four plurals in is occur—stremis, iii. 73; brenis, vi. 3; helmis,
vii. 105; drewris, vii. 126. Elsewhere the termination is written
es, except in enmys, i. 46; pelers, ii. 15; sons, iii. 15; galays, iii. 79 ;
nakers, iv. 80; barons, v. 26; kaitefs, v. 58; stremers, v. 75;
sawls, v. 88; schilterouns, v. 6; sins, vi. 81 ; felaws, vii. 135;
¹ See the notes on i. 19, v. 59, 78, x. 19. He was plainly very imperfectly informed when he wrote the third poem.
2 The dot. under a letter means it is not pronounced.

dais, vii. 171; leders, viii. 94; taburns, x. 8; ankers, x. 14.
The termination es forms a syllable in the disyllabic words,
gaylayes, iii. 60; sergantes, v. 22; bisschoppes, vii. 137; but
with disyllables elsewhere it does not count as a distinct
syllable; compare bischoppes, iii. 17; prelates, id.; tipandes,
iii. 58; Normandes, passim; biginges, vi. 35; sergantes, viii.
28; marchandes, x. 26. In monosyllables the termination of
the plural is about as frequently pronounced as not: inęs,
viii. 27, rhymes with bigins; but ines, ix. 52; dayes, iv. 32,
rhymes with Valayse. As a rule, words the singulars of which
end in a combination of two or three consonants have the es
distinctly pronounced; so harmes, ii. 26, vi. 43; knightes, iv.
29, &c.; bankes, vii. 21, viii. 20; hundes, viii. 76; clerkes, ix. 14.
Eghen, vii. 92; ine, vii. 79, are the only plurals in n. Mutation
plurals are men, i. 84, &c. and its compounds; hend, iii. 32
(but also handes, iii. 57); fote (dative pl., see note on iv. 59).
3ere, iii. 110; score, vii. 57; myle, viii. 42; buriase, v. 15;
burgase, viii. 65, are plurals of the same form as the singular.
Frende, vi. 19, I take to be singular; the plural is frendes, ii. 28,
vii. 75.
ADJECTIVES. The scribe's arbitrary use of the final e makes
the question of the adjectival inflections difficult in so short
a text. Grete, iv. 62, is a clear case of the plural adjective.
But it seems to be monosyllabic at ix. 14, though with a plural
noun. So the plural smalę, i. 6 and vi. 64, is monosyllabic, for
it rhymes with bale, which rhymes with sale (= sall) at vii. 15.
Compare also v. 80 for the plural small, rhyming with wall. Of
the inflected definite adjective there is no clear example, though
the reading false, vii. 72, ¿ecidedly improves a halting rhythm.
The proper adjectives, Franche, i. 13; vii. 77, 118, 151; viii. 33,
46; xi. 24; Duche, iii. 20, are disyllabic; compare Bruysé blode
in Thomas of Erceldoune, 482, &c. We may conclude that
when Minot wrote, the adj. inflections had almost disappeared
in his dialect, but were still occasionally available for verse.
3 Adjectives are compared by er and est; more and most are not
used in comparisons. The comparative lenger, iv. 35, with
vowel change, may be noted.
PRONOUNS. The personal pronouns are I, me, we, us; þou

(tou, in combination with verbs, saltou, wiltou, ertou), þe, ȝe
(nominative), 30w (dative, as at vi. 1, 23, and accusative). The
demonstrative pronoun of the third person is Sing. Nom. he, it,
yt; Dat. and Acc. him, hym, it; Pl. Nom. þai, þay; Dat. and
Acc. þam. The simple personal pronoun serves also as a reflexive, but him self occurs once, ix. 50. The possessive
pronouns are my, mi (v. 4, 5), þi, þine (absolute), his, owre,
powre, paire, payre (iii. 23). The demonstrative pronouns are
þis, Plural þir, þise (ii. 26); þat, Plural þa (v. 61), þo (iv. 32,
v. 57). The definite article he is not inflected; but the variant
form ha occurs once at vii. 166. The regular relative pronoun
for both persons and things is hat; who occurs once, vi. 29;
who so twice, iii. 118, v. 69; wham once, xi. 4; what at iii. 88;
what and whilk are also used accompanied by nouns. Noteworthy adjective pronouns are felę, iii. 17, x. 5; fonẹ, ii. 28,
v. 45; fune, ii. 29. Many, mani, is used before a singular
noun without the indefinite article: so many kene knight, v.
26, 42.
VERBS. The glossary should be specially consulted for the
inflections of be, mai, sal, will, kun, dar, wit and mot. In the
pres. ind. sing. the first person has no inflection (sai, vii. 73 ;
say, v. 31 ; herẹ, i. 65), that of the second person occurs once in
sittes, i. 1, while the third has es, es, s or is (betes, ii. 25; takes,
viii. 27; haues, xi. 36; gase, ii. 25; has, ii. 4; fars, iii. 40; wakkins, vi. 10; ordanis, a single instance of this termination, iv. 5).
A solitary first person plural is we knaw, vii. 125; the second
person is also uninflected, unless haues, in 'For þou and sir Iohn
þi son haues kast me in care,' ix. 6o, be taken as such; the third
person is uninflected when the nominative is a pronoun, otherwise it takes es (þai sail, x. 4; ligges, iii. 99; makes, v. 3;
but mase, viii. 34). A midland form occurs twice in lien, and
gapin (rhymes with wapin), vii. 135.
The imperative sing. is as a rule flectionless (send, i. 7;
dresce, i. 8). Gretes and wendes, xi. 29, seem to be exceptions.
The endings of the plural are es, s, is (hides, vi. 17; herkins, vi.
T. 1; helis, vi. 17); sometimes it is flectionless, as in war, ii. 6.
The present subjunctive is without distinctive terminations.
In the preterites of the strong verbs only one word shows

-El
the termination of the plural, songen, vii. 138, where the ablaut
has disappeared. Nomen, ix. 53, which, as the MS. stands,
must be a pret. plural, is probably a past participle, had having
dropped out. All other verbs make no distinction between
the sing. and plural in this tense.
The inflection of the preterite of weak verbs is the same
throughout, and is either ed, id, d or t. Forms in id are : helpid,
delid, leuid, bileuid, likid, semid. Full and shortened forms
of the same word occur, as delt, vii. 98; delid, vii. 141. The
following strong forms, preterites, or past participles in Minot
have since been replaced by weak ones—wroken, wrokin, ii. 4, 5;
schope, iii. I; wex, iv. 48; 3olden, viii. 89; baken, ix. 51.
Infinitives in en and n are: witten, vii. 4; slaken, ix. 49 (both
in rhyme); saine, i. 81 (rhymes with plaine). In all other cases
this mood has no inflection. The usual sign of the infinitive is
to; at (three times), and for to go with the gerundial infinitive.
The present participles which occur—alweldand (adjective),
dareand, fleand (rhymes with understand), ligand, stareand,
sayland, wepeand (rhymes with understand), wonand—all end
in the Northern termination and. The strong past participle
ends in en, n, or in, yn—the last two only in betin, ii. 8; etin,
viii. 74, 76, 77; to-dongyn, vii. 148; wrokin, ii. 5. The weak
past participle ends in ed, d or t, as slaked (rhymes with naked),
i. 53; mend, i. 29. Flemid, leuid, menid, wapnid have id.
Of the adverbs, the following are noteworthy: genitive forms
—whils, els; datives—whilum, o-ferrum, to-3ere; accusative—
so gat; instrumental-for þi. Comparatives are—fer, ferr,
here, x. 14, nerr. Senin, ix. 44, is probably a scribe's slip for
sepin. The adverbial inflection e is silent: so wide, i. 37; dere,
i. 43.
It follows from the above remarks that the Grammar of the
poems is in its main features Northern. The most noteworthy
evidences of this are, the termination of the present indicative
plural in es, the general absence of the termination of the
infinitive, the use of sal and suld, of ger and mun, the ending of
the present participle in and, the en of the past participle of
strong verbs, the contracted bud (= behoved), the plural hend,
the absence of plurals in en (except eghen, ine), the use of
1692
b

þir, ilk, ilka, ilkone, slike and sere, of at with the infinitive,
of fra (= from), til (= to), of sogat (= in such a way), and of
o-ferrum. Northern also is the vocabulary, as the occurrence
of the following words, specially Northern, shows-big (= to
build), biging, boun, busk, cant, cantly, dump, droupe, euill,
flay (to terrify), gate, hundereth, ken, lithes, site, skrith, sowed
(= smarted), sternes, tipandes, wall (= choice), waniand, wery
(= to curse). The alliterative style points in the same direction.
Northern, too, in the main, is the Phonology, a point which has
been fully worked out by Dr. Scholle. It may suffice here to
point out that k persists in kirk, ilk, &c.; g and gg in words like
lig, ligand, brig, rig, ligges, where the corresponding Southern
form has either softened or rejected them; and that the Northern
a is retained as the representative of O.E. a in lare, sare, þare,
mare-all rhyming with care. But at the same time o is largely
found as its representative; thus more and sore rhyme with score.
The dialect, then, is in basis Northern, but with a slight admixture of Midland forms. As rhymes like gapin—wapin show,
we must set down these latter to the poet, and not to the transcriber. We may, therefore, infer that the poet lived on the
border-land between the Northern and Midland areas; and to
the east rather than the west, on the evidence of the terminations
of the present plural indicative of the verbs. It is difficult to
separate the characteristics of the poet and the scribe; but a
comparison of other poems in the same MS., as, for instance,
Ywain and Gawain and the piece printed at p. 101, goes to
show that the scribe was more distinctly Northern. Possibly
Minot belonged to the Norfolk branch of the family, while his
transcriber might be a Lincolnshire or Yorkshire man (see p. 123,
note on l. 134). But it may well be that the scribe had before
him a copy made by a Midland man, and not that of Minot.
METRE.
Five of the poems (ii, v ix, x, xi) are written in the alliterative
long line with end rhyme. This form was mainly connected
with the Northern and West Midland areas in the fourteenth
century. Having a certain kinship to the Old English allitera-

It
tive verse, the strict syllabic principle is of little account in it,
but it depends on stresses more or less regularly occurrent.
is a popular measure especially suited for recitation.
This long line is divided by a middle pause into two parts
(indeed in the MS., for reasons of space, there being two columns
to each page, the last three poems are written in half lines).
In each half line there are at least two main accents, falling as
a rule on the syllables having the alliterative letter. If there be
three alliterative syllables, as in xi. 1, 2, there are also three
main accents. In addition to the main accents, secondary stresses
to the number of two or three occur in most lines¹. Either half
line may end in a syllable altogether outside the measure, as
ix. 6, 49, 50. There is considerable freedom as to the number
of syllables in the measure; the prevailing rhythm is trochaic
and dactylic.
Of the other poems, all written in short line with an iambic
rhythm, the third and the first twenty lines of the seventh are in
rhyming couplets of four measures to each line (with an occasional line of three, as iii. 3). The first measure often consists
of a single syllable, as in iii. 1, ' Gód | þat schópe | both sé and
sánd'; so also iii. 12, 40, 61, 83, 89, 98, 102, 104, 110, 116–120;
vii. 1, 6, 12, 13, 18, 19. Trisyllabic measures occasionally occur,
as in Fór þe gude will þat þái | war ín,' iii. 116; 'Oure
kíng was cúmen | trewlý | to tell,' iii. 11; 'When Phillip þe
Vál as herd of þís,' iii. 41; 'óf | a grete clérk | þat Mérļlin
híght,' vii. 2. The effect of this verse form in Minot's hands is
inartistic; the formlessness of such lines as iii. 70, 99, 105, 106
is curious.
6
The rhyme formulae of the remaining poems are aabccb
(iv), ab abb cbc (vii. 21–172, viii), ab ab ab ab (i, vi), the last three
stanzas of the sixth being extended to ab ab ab ab c ac. With the
exception of the half line of the last three stanzas, the sixth poem
is written throughout in lines of three measures, the seventh and
eighth have four measures to the line, the first and fourth vary
between three and four measures. The one syllable measure at
the beginning of the line, and the occasional trisyllabic foot are
¹ Scholle lays down the rule that each line has either 4+ 3 or 3+3
accents, but many lines, especially in the first half, are then irregular.

also met with here, as in ' Gái | þai wár | and wéle | þai thóght,'
i. 41; Oút | of his égh | en I vn|derstánd,' vii. 92.
The elaboration of the alliterative effects in these poems
should be noted. Alliteration of the same letter is often continued through a pair of lines, as i. 21, 22; vii. 83, 84; ix. 32, 33.
Double alliteration occurs frequently in the long line with a rich
effect, as, 'I wald noght Spare for to Speke wist I to Spede,'
x. I; 'For at þe Neuil Cros· Nedes bud þam Knele,' ix. 28.
Medial alliteration of R seems intended in such lines as A
BORe es BRoght on Bankes BaRè,' vii. 21; ‘Pe FRanche men
war Frek to FaRe,' i. 13; A were es wRoght, i-wis,' vi. 31;
'OR 3e Be BRoght on BeRe,' vi. 48. This elaboration is a
mark of the later alliterative poetry; see Joseph of Arimathie
(E. E. T. S., O. S., No. 44), p. x.
6
6
Except in the matter of capital letters, the text of the present
edition follows the MS. closely. Additions are placed within
square brackets and interlineations printed between accents. It
seemed to me the bulk of the poems was hardly great enough to
give a sure basis for an attempt at restoration. At the same
time the most noteworthy readings of Scholle's (S) normalized
edition are given in the foot-notes, where R stands for Ritson's
edition of 1795 (see p. ix).
In the notes an attempt has been made to illustrate the
affinity of Minot's style with the language of the Middle English
romances, and to give so much historical information as will
make the poems intelligible.
WOODSTOCK,
May 14, 1914.

List of Books Quoted by Brief Titles in the Notes

ÆLFRIC'S Lives of Saints.
E. E. T. S., O. S., nos. 76, 82.
Aiol et Mirabel, ed. Foerster. Heilbronn, 1876-82.
Alisaunder, see Weber.
Alisaunder fragment, in William of Palerne, ed. Skeat.
Amis and Amiloun, ed. Kölbing.
Anturs of Arther, see Robson.
Arthour and Merlin, ed. Kölbing.
Heilbronn, 1884.
Leipzig, 1890.
Athelston, ed. Zupitza. Englische Studien, xiii. pp. 331-414.
Awntyrs of Arthure, see Laing.
The Babees Book. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 32.
Bernardus, and Early Scottish Prophecies. E E. T. S., O. S., no. 42.
Bestiary (in Old English Miscellany). E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 49.
Beues of Hamtoun. E. E. T. S., E. S., nos. xlvi, xlviii, lxv.
BÖDDEKER, Altenglische Dichtungen des MS. Harl. 2253. Berlin, 1878.
Bruce. E. E. T. S., E. S., nos. xi, xxi, xxix.
The Brut or the Chronicles of England. E. E. T. S., O. S., nos. 131,
136.
Castel off Loue.
Philological Society, 1864.
h Cheuelere Assigne. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. vi.
Cleanness (in E. E. Alliterative Poems). E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 1.
Cursor Mundi. E. E. T. S., O. S., nos. 57, 59, 62, 66, 68.
Pe Deuelis Perlament.
Early English Poems.
Early English Psalter.
Emare, ed. Gough.
E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 24.
Philological Society. Berlin, 1862.
Surtees Society, nos. xvi, xix.
Erl of Tolous, ed. Lüdtke.
Berlin, 1881.
Gawayne and the Green Knight. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 4.
Generides, ed. Furnivall. Roxburghe Club, 1865.
Genesis and Exodus. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 7.
Guy of Warwick. E. E. T. S., E. S., nos. xxv, xxvi.
HALLIWELL, The Thornton Romances. Camden Society, 1844.
HAMPOLE'S Psalter, ed. Bramley. Oxford, 1884.
HAMPOLE, The Pricke of Conscience. Philological Society, 1863.
Havelok, ed. Holthausen. London, 1901.
Horn Childe, in King Horn, ed. Hall.

HORSTMANN, Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge. Heilbronn, 1881.
(Quoted as Horst. A. L. ii.)
HORSTMANN, Barbour's Legendensammlung, 2 vols. Heilbronn, 1881-2.
HORSTMANN, Sammlung Altenglischer Legenden.
(Quoted as Horst. A. L. i.)
Heilbronn, 1878.
Hymns to the Virgin and Christ. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 24.
Ipomadon and Ipomydon, in Ipomedon in drei Englischen bearbeitungen,
heraus. von E. Kölbing. Breslau, 1889.
Juliana. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 51.
King Horn, ed. Hall. Oxford, 1901.
King of Tars, ed. Krause. Englische Studien, xi. pp. 33-62.
Knight of Curtesy, see Ritson.
LAING, Ancient Scottish Poetry. Edinburgh, 1885.
LANGTOFT (original French), ed. Wright. Rolls Series, 1866-8.
LANGTOFT'S Chronicle, ed. Hearne, 2 vols. London, 1810.
Laud Troy Book. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 121.
Launfal, see Ritson.
LAZAMON'S Brut, ed. Madden, 3 vols. London, 1847.
Lay le Freine, see Weber.
Le bone Florence, ed. Vietor.
Le Débat des Hérauts d'Armes.
Paris, 1877.
Lybeaus Disconus, ed. Kaluza.
Marburg, 1893.
Société des Anciens Textes Français.
Leipzig, 1890.
MÄTZNER, Altenglische Sprachproben, 2 vols. Berlin, 1867-9.
MÄTZNER, Worterbuch. Berlin, 1878-85.
Monumenta Franciscana, ed. Brewer. Rolls Series, 1858.
Morte Arthure, ed. Brock. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 8.
Morte Arthur, ed. Furnivall. London, 1864.
Myrc, Duties of a Parish Priest. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 31.
A New English Dictionary. (Quoted as N. E. D.)
Octavian, ed. Sarrazin. Heilbronn, 1885.
Old English Homilies.
Second Series, E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 53.
Old English Miscellany. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 49.
Otuel. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. xxxix.
Partenay or Lusignen. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 22.
Patience (in E. E. Alliterative Poems). E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 1.
PEACOCK, The Dialect of Manley and Corringham. E. Dialect Society.
London, 1877.
Pearl, The (in E. E. Alliterative Poems). E. E. T. S., O. S., no. I.
PECOCK, Repressor of Overmuch Blaming of the Clergy. Rolls Series,
2 vols. 1860.
PERCY'S Folio Manuscript. 3 vols. Edd. Furnivall and Hales. London,
1867-8.

Piers Plowman, ed. Skeat. 5 vols. E. E. T. S., O. S., nos. 28, 38, 54,
67, 81.
Political, Religious and Love Poems. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 15.
Promptorium Parvulorum, ed. Way. 3 vols. Camden Society, 1843-
53-65.
Ratis Raving. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 43.
Rauf Coilzear, see Laing.
Religious Pieces in Prose and Verse. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 26.
Reliquiae Antiquae, ed. Wright and Halliwell, 2 vols.
1841-3.
Richard Coer de Lion, ed. Brunner. Wien, 1913.
London,
Richard the Redeless, see Piers Plowman, part iii.
RITSON, Ancient Engleish Metrical Romanceës, 3 vols.
Roland fragment. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. xxxv.
London, 1802.
ROBSON, Three E. E. Metrical Romances. Camden Society, 1842.
Rouland and Vernagu. E. E. T. S., E. S., no, xxxix.
Rowland and Otuell. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. xxxv.
Sege off Melayne. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. xxxv.
The Seven Sages of Rome, ed. K. Campbell. Boston, 1907.
Seyn Julian. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 51.
Sir Amadace, see Robson.
Sir Cleges, ed. Treichel. Engl. Studien, xxii. pp. 345-389.
Sir Degrevant, see Halliwell.
Sir Eglamour, ed. Schleich. Berlin, 1906.
Sir Ferumbras. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. xxxiv.
Sir Gowther, ed. Breul. Oppeln, 1886.
Sir Isumbras, ed. Zupitza u. Schleich. Berlin, 1901.
Sir Orfeo, ed. Zielke. Breslau, 1880.
Sir Perceval, see Halliwell.
Sir Tristrem, ed. Kölbing. Heilbronn, 1882.
SKELTON, Poems, ed. Dyce. 2 vols. London, 1843.
SMALL, English Metrical Homilies. Edinburgh, 1862.
Sowdone of Babylone. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. xxxviii.
Squyr of Lowe Degre, see Ritson.
St. Marherete. E. E. T. S., O. S., no. 13.
Stewart's Boece. vols. Rolls Series, 1858.
Swete Susan, ed. Köster. Strassburg, 1895.
Syr Tryamoure. Percy Society.
Thomas of Erceldoune, ed. Brandl. Berlin, 1880.
Torrent of Portyngale. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. li.
Towneley Plays. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. lxxi.
The Destruction of Troy. E. E. T. S., O. S., nos. 39, 56. (Quoted as
Troy Book.)

Wallace, by Henry the Minstrel. Glasgow, 1869.
WEBER, Metrical Romances. 3 vols. Edinburgh, 1810.
William of Palerne. E. E. T. S., E. S., no. i.
WRIGHT, Political Poems. 2 vols. Rolls Series, 1859-61.
WRIGHT, Political Songs.
Camden Society, 1839.
Wyntoun, ed. Laing. 3 vols.
York Plays, ed. L. T. Smith.
Edinburgh, 1872-9.
Oxford, 1885.
Ywain and Gawain, ed. Schleich. Oppeln, 1887.
Robertus de Avesbury, de Gestis Edwardi Tertii. See Murimuth, below
Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke, ed. E. M. Thompson.
Oxford, 1889.
BLOMFIELD'S History of Norfolk. 1805-10.
Chronique d'un Bourgeois de Valenciennes, ed. Lettenhove, published
for the Académie Royale de Belgique, 1877.
Chronique Normande. Société de l'Histoire de France. Paris, 1868.
DE KLERK, Van den derden Edewaert, ed. Willems. Gent, 1840.
FROISSART, mostly quoted from Lettenhove's ed. published for the
Académie Royale de Belgique. 25 vols. 1870-7.
Chronicon Henrici Knighton, ed. J. R. Lumby. 2 vols. Rolls Series,
1889-95.
LOCKHART's Isle of Wight; in the History of Hampshire by Woodward
and others. 3 vols. London, n. d.
MEYER, Commentarii sive Annales Rerum Flandricarum. Antverpiae,
1561.
Adae Murimuthii Continuatio Chronicarum, ed. E. M. Thompson.
Rolls Series, 1889. In same vol., Avesbury.
Nangis, ed. H. Géraud. Société de l'Histoire de France. Paris, 1843.
OUDEGHERST, Annales de Flandres. 2 vols. Ghent, 1789.
VILLANI, Istoria Fiorentina. 8 vols.
Milan, 1802.

The Poems

I. Halidon Hill

Lithes and I sall tell ȝow tyll
þe bataile of Halidon Hyll.

TREW king, þat sittes in trone,
Vnto þe I tell my tale,
And vnto þe I bid a bone,
For þou ert bute of all my bale.
[f. 52 a¹.
Als þou made midelerd and þe mone
And bestes and fowles grete and smale,
Vnto me send þi socore sone
And dresce my dedes in þis dale.
In þis dale I droupe and dare
For dern dedes þat done me dere.
Of Ingland had my hert grete care
When Edward founded first to were.
þe Franche men war frek to fare
Ogaines him, with scheld and spere;
þai turned ogayn with sides sare,
And al þaire pomp noght worth a pere.

A pere of prise es more sum tyde
þan all þe boste of Normondye.
þai sent þaire schippes on ilka side.
With flesch and wine and whete & rye.
With hert and hand, es noght at hide,
For to help Scotland gan þai hye:
Þai fled, and durst no dede habide,
And all þaire fare noght wurth a flye.
ffor all þaire fare þai durst noght fight,
For dedes dint had þai slike dout;
Of Scotland had þai neuer sight
Ay whils þai war of wordes stout.
þai wald haue mend þam at þaire might
And besy war þai þareobout.
Now God help Edward in his right,
Amen, and all his redy rowt.
His redy rout mot Ihesu spede
And saue þam both by night and day;
Þat lord of heuyn mot Edward lede
And maintene him als he wele may.
þe Scottes now all wide will sprede
For þai haue failed of þaire pray;
Now er þai dareand all for drede
Þat war bifore so stout and gay.
Gai þai war and wele þai thoght
On þe Erle Morre and oper ma;
Þi said it suld ful dere be boght
þe land þat þai war flemid fra.

Philip Valays wordes wroght
And said he suld þaire enmys sla;
Bot all þaire wordes was for noght,
Þai mun be met if þai war ma.
Ma manasinges ȝit haue þai maked,
Mawgre mot þai haue to mede.
And many nightes als haue þai waked
To dere all Ingland with þaire dede.
Bot, loued be God, þe pride es slaked
Of þam þat war so stout on stede,
And sum of þam es leuid all naked
Noght fer fro Berwik opon Twede.
A litell fro þat forsaid toune
Halydon hill þat es þe name,
þare was crakked many a crowne
Of wild Scottes and alls of tame:
þare was þaire baner born all doune;
To mak slike boste þai war to blame:
Bot neuer þe les ay er þai boune
To wait Ingland with sorow and schame.
Shame þai haue als I here say;
At Donde now es done þaire daunce,
And wend þai most anoper way
Euyn thurgh Flandres into France.
On Filip Valas fast cri þai
þare for to dwell and him avaunce;
And no thing list þam þan of play
Sen þam es tide þis sary chance.
[f. 52 a².

þis sary chaunce þam es bitid,
For þai war fals and wonder fell;
For cursed caitefes er þai kid
And ful of treson, suth to tell.
Sir Ion þe Comyn had þai hid,
In haly kirk þai did him qwell;
And þarfore many a Skottis brid
With dole er dight þat þai most dwell.
þare dwelled oure king, þe suth to saine,
With his menȝe a litell while;
He gaf gude confort on þat plaine
To all his men obout a myle.
All if his men war mekill of maine
Euer þai douted þam of gile;
þe Scottes gaudes might no thing gain,
For all þai stumbilde at þat stile.
þus in þat stowre þai left þaire liue
Þat war bifore so proud in prese.
Ihesu, for þi woundes fiue,
In Ingland help vs to haue pese.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

Title, 1. 2. All or of is to be inserted before þe.
is the only form in rhyme, iv. 58; vi. 26.
10. dern] perhaps derue is to be read.
IO
4. bute] bote
6. fowles] briddes S.
done dose S.
22. Forto al vays in one word in the MS.
writes ihesus in full at f. 64 a².
33. The same scribe
68. The nasalized a in Romance words before mb, ng, nc, nd, nt (ten
Brink, C's Sprache, § 70) is written either a or au in the MS.; so both
France and Fraunce, chance and chaunce, &c.
69. Valas] so
four times in MS. Valays, vii. 144, and Valayse, iv. 31, in rhyme.

II. Bannockburn Avenged

Now for to tell ȝow will I turn
Of [þe] batayl of Banocburn.

SKOTTES out of Berwik and of Abirdene,
At þe Bannok burn war ȝe to kene;
Þare slogh ȝe many sakles, als it was sene,
And now has king Edward wroken it, I wene,
It es wrokin, I wene, wele wurth þe while;
War ȝit with þe Skottes, for þai er ful of gile.

Whare er ȝe, Skottes of Saint Iohnes toune?
De boste of ȝowre baner es betin all doune;
When ȝe bosting will bede sir Edward es boune
For to kindel ȝow care and crak ȝowre crowne :
He has crakked ȝowre croune, wele worth þe while;
Schame bityde þe Skottes, for þai er full of gile✔
Skottes of Striflin war steren and stout;
Of God ne of gude men had þai no dout;
Now haue þai, þe pelers, priked obout;
Bot at þe last sir Edward rifild þaire rout,
He has rifild þaire rout, wele wurth þe while,
Bot euer er þai vnder, bot gaudes and gile.
Rughfute riueling, now kindels þi care,
Berebag with þi boste, þi biging es bare
Fals wretche and forsworn whider wiltou fare?
Busk þe vnto Brug and abide þare;
þare, wretche, saltou won and wery þe while;
þi dwelling in Donde es done for þi gile.
þe Skotte gase in Burghes and betes þe stretes,
All þise Inglis men harmes he hetes;
Fast makes he his mone to men þat he metes,
Bot fone frendes he findes þat his bale betes:
Fune betes his bale, wele wurth þe while,
He vses all threting with gaudes and gile.
Bot many man thretes and spekes ful ill
Þat sum tyme war better to be stane still;

þe Skot in his wordes has wind for to spill,
For at þe last Edward sall haue al his will:
He had his will at Berwik, wele wurth þe while;
Skottes broght him þe kayes, bot get for þaire gile.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

80. þat] better þar.
    Title, 1. 2. be supplied by R.
    [f. 52 b'.
    So
81. ȝit] ȝow S.
82. Bot euer] perhaps And euer is to be read.
83. Skotte] So R. Skottes in MS.
    In all wise; see iii. 47.
84. brig MS.
85. All þise] perhaps better

III. Edward in Brabant

How Edward þe king come in Braband
And toke homage of all þe land.

GOD þat schope both se and sand
Saue Edward king of Ingland,
Both body, saul and life,
And grante him ioy withowten strif:
For mani men to him er wroth
In Fraunce and in Flandres both:
For he defendes fast his right,
And þarto Ihesu grante him might,
And so to do both night and day,
þat yt may be to Goddes pay,
Oure king was cumen, trewly to tell,
Into Brabant for to dwell.
þe kayser Lowis of Bauere,
Þat in þat land þan had no pere,
He and als his sons two
And oper princes many mo,
Bisschoppes and prelates war þare fele
Þat had ful mekill werldly wele,
Princes and pople, ald and ȝong

Al þat spac with Duche tung,
All þai come with grete honowre
Sir Edward to saue and socoure,
And proferd him, with all þayre rede,
For to hald þe kinges stede.
Þe duke of Braband, first of all,
Swore, for thing þat might bifall,
Þat he suld, both day and night,
Help sir Edward in his right,
In toun, in feld, in frith and fen;
þis swore þe duke and all his men
And al þe lordes þat with him lend
And þarto held þai vp þaire hend.
þan king Edward toke his rest
At Andwerp, whare him liked best;
And þare he made his mone playne
Þat no man suld say þare ogayne;
His mone þat was gude and lele,
Left in Braband ful mekill dele;
And all þat land vntill þis day
Fars þe better for þat iornay.
When Philip þe Valas herd of þis,
þarat he was ful wroth, i-wis;
He gert assemble his barounes
Princes and lordes of many tounes.
At Pariss toke þai þaire counsaile
Whilk pointes might þam moste availe;
And in all wise þai þam bithoght
To stroy Ingland and bring to noght.
Schipmen sone war efter sent
To here þe kinges cumandment;

And þe galaies men also
Þat wist both of wele and wo.
He cumand þan þat men suld fare
Till Ingland, and for no thing spare
Bot brin and sla both man and wife
And childe, þat none suld pas with life:
De galay men held vp þaire handes.
And thanked God of þir tipandes.
At Hamton, als I vnderstand,
[f. 53 a¹.
Come be gaylayes vnto land,
And ful fast þai slogh and brend,
Bot noght so mekill als sum men wend;
For, or þai wened, war þai mett
With men þat sone þaire laykes lett.
Sum was knokked on þe heuyd
þat þe body þare bileuid;
Sum lay stareand on þe sternes,
And sum lay knoked out þaire hernes:
þan with þam was none oper gle,
Bot ful fain war þai þat might fle.
þe galay men, þe suth to say,
Most nedes turn anoper way;
þai soght þe stremis fer and wide.
In Flandres and in Seland syde.
þan saw þai whare Cristofer stode
At Armouth, opon þe flude;
þan wen[t] þai þeder all bidene
Þe galayes men with hertes kene,
Viij. and xl. galays and mo,
And with þam als war tarettes two,
rather something like 'þam likes now nan oper gle,' Cursor, 54.
Armouth] Aremouth S., see vi. I, note.
wen MS. See Havelok, ed. Skeat, p. xxxvii.

a
And oper many of galiotes,
With grete noumber of smale botes;
All þai houed on þe flode
To stele sir Edward mens gode.
Edward oure king þan was noght pere,
Bot sone when it come to his ere,
He sembled all his men full still
And said to þam what was his will.
Ilk man made him redy þen,
So went þe king and all his men
Vnto þaire schippes ful hastily
Als men þat war in dede doghty.
Þai fand þe galay men grete wane
A hundereth euer ogaynes ane
þe Inglis men put þam to were
Ful baldly, with bow and spere ;
þai slogh þare of þe galaies men
Euer sexty ogaynes ten,
Þat sum ligges ȝit in þat mire
All heuidles, with owten hire,
þe Inglis men war armed wele
Both in yren and in stele;
þai faght ful fast both day and night
Als lang als þam lasted might;
Bot galay men war so many
Þat Inglis men wex all wery:
Help þai soght, bot þare come nane;
Þan vnto God þai made þaire mane.
Bot, sen þe time þat God was born
Ne a hundreth ȝere biforn.
[f. 53 a².
I10

War neuer men better in fight
Þan Ingliss men, whils þai had myght.
Bot sone all maistri gan þai mis.
God bring þaire saules vntill his blis,
And God assoyl þam of þaire sin
For þe gude will þat þai war in. Amen.
Listens now, and leues me,
Who so lifes þai sall se
Þat it mun be ful dere boght
Þat þir galay men haue wroght.
þai houed still opon þe flode
And reued pouer men þaire gude :
Þai robbed and did mekill schame,
And ay bare Inglis men þe blame.
Now Ihesus saue all Ingland
And blis it with his haly hand. Amen.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

34. S. supplies sir before Edward.
35. Ingland] Ingeland S., see vi. 1, note.
    MS.
    [f..52 b².
36. trewly] so S., trely
37. sons] sunes S.; perhaps better, He and his two sons also.
38. ȝong] Jung S.
39. better] bet S. improving grammar and metre,
40. i-wis] I wis MS.
41. gaylayes] a mistake for galayes.
42. with þam is suspicious;
43. went] so Wright,
44. mens] mennes S.
    wone and in next line one S.
    mone S.
45. ful should be omitted.
46. wane]
47. nane] none and in next line

IV. The Invasion of France, and Flamengerie

EDWARD oure cumly king
In Braband has his woning,
With mani cumly knight;
And in þat land, trewly to tell,
Ordanis he still for to dwell,
To time he think to fight.
Now God þat es of mightes maste
Grant him grace of þe Haly Gaste

JI
His heritage to win.
And Mari moder, of mercy fre,
Saue oure king and his menȝe
Fro sorow, and schame and syn.
þus in Braband has he bene,
Whare he bifore was seldom sene,
For to proue þaire iapes;
Now no langer wil he spare,
Bot vnto Fraunce fast will he fare,
To confort him with grapes.
ffurth he ferd into France;
God saue him fro mischance,
And all his cumpany.
Þe nobill duc of Braband
With him went into þat land,
Redy to lif or dy.
þan þe riche floure de lice
Wan þare ful litill prise;
Fast he fled for ferde.
þe right aire of þat cuntre
Es cumen, with all his knightes fre:
To schac him by þe berd.
Sir Philip þe Valayse,
Wit his men in þo dayes,
JO
[f. 53 b¹.
To batale had he thoght:
He bad his men þam puruay,
S. reads He bad þam þam puruay: perhaps, He bad his menȝe paṁ
puruay, see iv. 11, and Horst. Barb. ii. 179/176.

MS.
With owten lenger delay,
Bot he ne held it noght.
He broght folk ful grete wone,
Ay seuyn oganis one,
þat ful wele wapnid were:
Bot sone whe[n] he herd ascry
Þat king Edward was nere þarby,
þan durst he noght cum nere.
In þat morni[n]g fell a myst,
And when oure I[n]gliss men it wist,
It changed all þaire chere;
Oure king vnto God made his bone,
And God sent him gude confort sone,
þe weder wex ful clere.
Oure king and his men held þe felde
Stalwortly, with spere and schelde,
And thoght to win his right,
With lordes and with knightes kene
And oper doghty men bydene,
Þat war ful frek to fight.
When 'sir Philip of France herd tell
Þat king Edward in feld walld dwell,
þan gayned him no gle;
He traisted of no better bote,
Bot both on hors and on fote
He hasted him to fle.
40 when] So R. whe
Horst. A. L. ii. 112/11; and ȝernig, id. 113/44; ȝarnige, Horst. Barb.
i. 135/839, 153/916. 44. Ingliss] igliss MS.

It semid he was ferd for strokes
When he did fell his grete okes
Obout his pauilyoune;
Abated was þan all his pride,
For langer þare durst he noght bide,
His bost was broght all doune.
þe king of Beme had cares colde,
Þat was ful hardy and bolde
A stede to vmstride.
[He and] þe king als of Nauerne
War faire feld in þe ferene
Þaire heuiddes for to hide.
And leues wele it es no lye,
þe felde hat fflemangrye
Þat king Edward was in,
With princes þat war stif ande bolde
And dukes þat war doghty tolde
In batayle to bigin.
Þe princes þat war riche on raw
Gert nakers strike, and trumpes blaw.
And made mirth at þaire might
Both alblast and many a bow
War redy railed opon a row,
And ful frek for to fight.
Gladly þai gaf mete and drink
So þat þai suld þe better swink
felid: perhaps War fain for fered in þe ferene, see note.

þe wight men þat þar ware.
Sir Philip of Fraunce fled for dout,
And hied him hame with all his rout:
Coward, God giff him care.
ffor þare þan had þe lely flowre
Lorn all halely his honowre,
Þat sogat fled for ferd:
Bot oure king Edward come ful still,
When þat he trowed no harm him till,
And keped him in þe berde.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

122. gude] gode S. 125. Ihesus] ihe MS. Ingland] Ingeland S.
123. cumly is probably a mistaken repetition from the first line.
124. Ordanis] Ordaynes S.
125. R. omits the first and.
126. ferd] fered S.
127. God] Iesus S.
     practically dissyllabic.
     after duc.
     v. 3153.
128. delice in one word MS.
     But ferd is
129. S. inserts als
130. right] perhaps
     better rightwis, see vii. 113. 32. in] perhaps into, comp. Wyntoun,
131. The repetition of his men (after v. 32) is suspicious.
132. lenger] leng S. 37. broght] beoght MS.
133. morning] mornig MS., perhaps a genuine form, see murnig,
     vii. 119; viii. 2; so also in this MS. fagenig, f. 28 a¹; biginnig, f. 50 b¹;
     Comp., too, in other Northern pieces murnig,
     and other words in nig.
134. Stalwortly] Stalworthly R.
     gayned] perhaps gamed, see note.
135. shanged MS.
136. walld] wald S.
137. ful] so R., fur MS.
     and supplied by R.
     [f. 53 b².
     So
138. S. inserts for after stede.
139. He
140. feld in þe are in smaller writing than
     the other words, as if they had been inserted afterwards. S. reads
141. felde
     hat] feld it hat S. 79. raw] row and in next line blow S.

V. The Sea Fight at Sluys

Lithes and þe batail I sal bigyn
Of Inglisch men & Normandes in þe Swyn.

MINOT with mowth had menid to make
Suth sawes & sad for sum mens sake;
Þe wordes of sir Edward makes me to wake,
Wald he salue vs sone mi sorow suld slake;
War mi sorow slaked sune wald I sing:
When God will sir Edward sal vs bute bring.
Sir Philip þe Valas cast was in care;
And said sir Hugh Kyret to Flandres suld fare,
And haue Normondes inogh to leue on his lare,
All Flandres to brin and mak it all bare;
Bot, vnkind coward, wo was him þare:
When he sailed in þe Swin it sowed him sare;
Sare it þam smerted þat ferd out of ffrance;
þare lered Inglis men þam a new daunce.

Þe buriase of Bruge ne war noght to blame;
I pray Ihesu saue þam fro sin and fro schame,
For þai war sone at þe Sluse all by a name,
Whare many of þe Normandes tok mekill grame.
When Bruges and Ipyre hereof herd tell,
þai sent Edward to wit þat was in Arwell;
þan had he no liking langer to dwell,
He hasted him to þe Swin with sergantes snell,
To mete with þe No[r]mandes þat fals war & fell,
Þat had ment if þai might al Flandres to quell.
King Edward vnto sail was ful sune dight
With erles and barons and many kene knight:
Þai come byfor Blankebergh on Saint Ions night; [f. 54 a¹.
Þat was to þe Normondes a well sary sight.
ȝit trumped þai and daunced with torches ful bright,
In þe wilde waniand was þaire hertes light.
Opon þe morn efter, if I suth say,
A meri man, sir Robard out of Morlay,
At half eb in þe Swin soght he þe way;
þare lered on þe Normandes at bukler to play;
Helpid þam no prayer þat þai might pray;
Þe wreches er wonnen, þaire wapin es oway.
þe Erle of Norhamton helpid at þat nede,
Als wise man of wordes and worthli in wede,
Sir Walter þe Mawnay, God gif him mede,
Was bold of body in batayl to bede.

þe duc of Lankaster was dight for to driue,
With mani mody man þat thoght for to thriue,
Wele & stalworthly stint he þat striue,
þat few of þe Normandes left þai oliue;
Fone left þai oliue bot did þam to lepe;
Men may find by þe flode a C on hepe.
Sir Wiliam of Klinton was eth for to knaw;
Mani stout bachilere broght he on raw.
It semid with þaire schoting als it war snaw;
Þe bost of þe Normandes broght þai ful law;
Þaire bost was abated and þaire mekil pride,
Fer might þai noght fle bot þare bud þam bide.
Þe gude Erle of Glowceter, God mot him glade,
Broght many bold men with bowes ful brade;
To biker with þe Normandes baldely þai bade
And in middes þe flode did þam to wade;
To wade war þo wretches casten in þe brim;
Þe kaitefs come out of France at lere þam to swim.
I prays Iohn Badding als one of þe best;
Faire come he sayland out of þe suthwest,
To proue of þa Normandes was he ful prest,
Till he had foghten his fill he had neuer rest.
Iohn of Aile of þe Sluys with scheltron ful schene
Was comen into Cagent, cantly and kene,
Bot sone was his trumping turned to tene;
Of him had sir Edward his will als I wene.
Þe schipmen of Ingland sailed ful swith
Þat none of þe Normandes fro þam might skrith.

Who so kouth wele his craft þare might it kith:
Of al þe gude þat þai gat gaf þai no tithe.
Two hundreth and mo schippes on þe sandes
Had oure Inglis men won with þaire handes;
þe kogges of Ingland war broght out of bandes,
And also þe Cristofir þat in þe streme standes;
In þat stound þai stode, with stremers full still, [f. 54 a². 75
Til þai wist full wele sir Edwardes will.
Sir Edward, oure gude king wurthi in wall,
Faght wele on þat flude, faire mot him fall;
Als it es custom of king to confort þam all
So thanked he gudely þe grete and þe small,
He thanked þam gudely, God gif him mede,
þus come oure king in þe Swin till þat gude dede.
þis was þe bataile þat fell in þe Swin,
Whare many No'r'mandes made mekill din;
Wele war þai armed vp to þe chin;
Bot God and sir Edward gert þaire boste blin,
þus blinned þaire boste, als we wele ken:
God assoyle þaire sawls, sais all, Amen.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

2. mens] mennes S.
3. aname in one word MS.
   Normandes] Nomandes MS.
   to the following es.
   MS.
4. sergantes] seriantes S.
5. er] so S. es MS., due probably
6. Norhamton] Norhmton (= norhramton)
7. S. supplies man after bold; perhaps burne.
8. .C.] hundreth S.
9. boldmen in one word MS.
10. swith] swithe and in the next lines skrithe, kithe S.

VI. The Siege of Tournai

Herkins how king Edward lay
With his men bifor Tournay.

TOWRENAY, ȝow has tight
To timber trey and tene

A bore, with brenis bright
Es broght opon ȝowre grene:
þat es a semely sight,
With schilterouns faire and schene:
þi domes day es dight,
Bot þou be war, I wene.
When all yowre wele es went
ȝowre wo wakkins ful wide,
To sighing er ȝe sent
With sorow on ilka syde:
Ful rewfull es ȝowre rent,
All redles may ȝe ride;
þe harmes þat ȝe haue hent
Now may ȝe hele and hide.
Hides and helis als hende,
For ȝe er cast in care;
Ful few find ȝe ȝowre frende
For all ȝowre frankis fare.
Sir Philip sall ȝow schende,
Whi leue ȝe at his lare?
No bowes now thar ȝow bende ;
Of blis ȝe er all bare.
In this MS. it is sometimes written where it must be slurred
over in scansion, Towrenay, ferene, iv. 71; semely, vi. 5. In other
places where the metre requires it it is not written, Aremouth, iii. 76 ;
Ingeland, iii. 2. M.'s Arwell is Chaucer's Orewelle. Comp. also
coroun, ix. 46, elsewhere croun. 3. bore only here and vii. 21, but
bare sixteen times.
harmes] harms S.; rather omit þat, harmes being dissyllabic here and
in ii. 26, vi. 43. 16. hele] perhaps holde, and in 17 holdis, see note.
bowes er for ȝow bende S.

All bare er ȝe of blis,
No bost may be ȝowre bote,
All mirthes mun ȝe mis,
Oure men sall with ȝow mote,
Who sall ȝow clip and kys,
And fall ȝowre folk to fote:
A were es wroght, i-wis,
ȝowre walles with to wrote.
Wrote þai sal ȝowre dene,
Of dintes ȝe may ȝow dowt;
ȝowre biginges sall men brene,
And breke ȝowre walles obout.
Ful redles may ȝe ren,
With all ȝowre rewful rout;
With care men sall ȝow ken
Edward ȝowre lord to lout.
To lout ȝow[re] lord in land
With list men sall ȝow lere;
ȝowre harmes cumes at hand,
Als ȝe sall hastly here.
ȝe
Now frendschip suld ȝe fande
Of sir Philip ȝowre fere,
To bring ȝow out of band,
Or ȝe be broght on bere.
On bere when ȝe er broght,
Þan cumes Philip to late,
He hetes, and haldes ȝow noght,
With hert ȝe may him hate.
times, and is invariably þan.

A bare now has him soght
Till Turnay þe right gate,
Þat es ful wele bithoght
To stop Philip þe strate,
Ful still.
Philip was fain he moght
Graunt sir Edward his will.
If he will trow my tale,
A duke tuke leue þat tide,
A Braban brwed þat bale,
He bad no langer bide;
Giftes grete and smale
War sent him on his side;
Gold gert all þat gale
And made him rapely ride
Till dede:
In hert he was vnhale;
He come þare moste for mede.
King Edward, frely fode,
In Fraunce he will noght blin.
To mak his famen wode
Þat er wonand þarein.
God, þat rest on rode
For sake of Adams syn,
Strenkith him main & mode
His reght in France to win
And haue.
God grante him graces gode,
And fro all sins vs saue.
Amen.
þe strate ful still, so also 67, 68, and 78, 79.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

1. Towrenay] Towrnay S. Between the syllables bearing the prin-
   cipal and the secondary accent an e oro is often heard in conjunction with
2. schilterouns] in v. 63 scheltron: the scribe
   has followed the analogy of Romance words like resoun, soun.
3. sall occurs sixteen times; sal only at v. 6, vi. 33, viii. 19.
4. No
5. And] All S.
   so R. Jow MS.
6. i-wis] I wis MS.
   [f. 54 b¹.
7. Jowre]
8. Þan] Þen S.; the word occurs sixteen
9. þarein] þare in MS.
   In MS. to stop philip
10. brwed] brewd S.
    parin S.
11. Till] Til S.; always till in MS.
12. rapely] raply S.

VII. The March through Normandy, and Crécy

How Edward at Hogges vnto land wan
And rade thurgh France or euer he blan.

MEN may rede in romance right
[f. 54 b².
Of a grete clerk þat Merlin hight;
Ful many bokes er of him wreten,
Als þir clerkes wele may witten;
And it in many priue nokes.
May men find of Merlin bokes.
Merlin said þus with his mowth,
Out of þe north into þe sowth
Suld cum a bare ouer þe se
Þat suld mak many man to fle;
And in þe se, he said ful right,
Suld he schew ful mekill might;
And in France he suld bigin
To make þam wrath þat er þarein ;
Vntill þe se his taile reche sale
All folk of France to mekill bale.
þus haue I mater for to make,
For a nobill prince sake:
Help me, God, my wit es thin,
Now Laurence Minot will bigin.
A bore es broght on bankes bare
With ful batail bifor his brest;
For Iohn of France will he noght spare
In Normondy to tak his rest,
wroth S. þarein] parin S.
dropped because another s follows.

With princes þat er proper and prest:
Alweldand God of mightes maste,
He be his beld, for he mai best,
Fader and Sun and Haly Gaste.
Haly Gaste, þou gif him grace,
Þat he in gude time may bigin,
And send to him both might & space
His heritage wele for to win;
And sone assoyl him of his sin,
Hende God, þat heried hell.
For France now es he entred in,
And þare he dightes him for to dwell.
He dwelled þare, þe suth to tell,
Opon þe coste of Normondy;
At Hogges fand he famen fell
Þat war all ful of felony :
To him þai makked grete maistri,
And proued to ger þe bare abyde;
Thurgh might of God & mild Mari
þe bare abated all þaire pride.
Mekill pride was þare in prese,
Both on pencell and on plate,
When þe bare rade, with outen rese,
Vnto Cane þe graythest gate.
þare fand he folk bifor þe ȝate
Thretty thowsand stif on stede :
Sir Iohn of France come al to late,
þe bare has gert þaire sides blede.
[f. 55 a¹.
He gert [þam] blede if þai war bolde,
For þare was slayne and wounded sore

Thretty thowsand, trewly tolde,
Of pitaile was þare mekill more;
Knightes war þare wele two score
Þat war new dubbed to þat dance,
Helm and heuyd þai haue forlore:
Þan misliked Iohn of France.
More misliking was þare þen,
For fals treson alway þai wroght;
Bot, fro þai met with Inglis men,
All þaire bargan dere þai boght.
Inglis men with site þam soght
And hastily quit þam þaire hire;
And at þe last forgat þai noght,
þe toun of Cane þai sett on fire.
Þat fire ful many folk gan fere,
When þai se brandes o-ferrum flye;
þis haue þai wonen of þe were,
þe fals folk of Normundy.
I sai ȝow lely how þai lye
Dongen doun all in a daunce;
Þaire frendes may ful faire forpi
Pleyn þam vntill Iohn of France.
ffranche men put þam to pine
At Cressy, when þai brak þe brig;
Þat saw Edward with both his ine,
Þan likid him no langer to lig.
Ilk Inglis man on opers rig
Ouer þat water er þai went;
To batail er þai baldly big,
With brade ax and with bowes bent.

With bent bowes þai war ful bolde
For to fell of þe Frankisch men;
Þai gert þam lig with cares colde;
Ful sari was sir Philip þen.
He saw þe toun o-ferrum bren,
And folk for ferd war fast fleand;
þe teres he lete ful rathly ren
Out of his eghen, I vnderstand.
þan come Philip ful redy dight
Toward þe toun with all his rowt,
With him come mani a kumly knight,
And all vmset þe bare obout.
þe bare made þam ful law to lout,
And delt þam knokkes to þaire mede;
He gert þam stumbill þat war stout,
þare helpid nowper staf ne stede.
Stedes strong bileuid still
Biside Cressy opon þe grene;
[f. 55 a².
Sir Philip wanted all his will,
Þat was wele on his sembland sene.
With spere and schelde and helmis schene
þe bare þan durst þai noght habide:
þe king of Beme was cant and kene,
Bot þare he left both play and pride.
Pride in prese ne prais I noght
Omang þir princes prowd in pall;
Princes suld be wele bithoght,
When kinges þam till counsail call.

If he be rightwis king, þai sall
Maintene him both night and day,
Or els to lat his frendschip fall
On faire manere, and fare oway.
Oway es all þi wele, i-wis,
Franche man, with all þi fare ;
Of murning may þou neuer mys,
For þou ert cumberd all in care :
With speche ne moght þou neuer spare
To speke of Ingliss men despite ;
Now haue þai made þi biging bare,
Of all þi catell ertou quite.
Quite ertou, þat wele we knaw,
Of catell and of drewris dere;
Þarfore lies þi hert ful law,
Þat are was blith als brid on brere.
Inglis men sall ȝit to ȝere
Knok þi palet or þou pas,
And mak þe polled like a frere :
And it es Ingland als it was.
Was þou noght, Franceis, with þi wapin
Bitwixen Cressy and Abuyle?
Whare þi felaws lien and gapin,
For all þaire treget and þaire gile.
Bisschoppes war þare in þat while
Þat songen all withouten stole:
Philip þe Valas was a file,
He fled and durst noght tak his dole.

Men delid þare ful mani a dint
Omang þe gentill Geneuayse;
Ful many man þaire liues tint
For luf of Philip þe Valays.
Vnkind he was and vncurtayse,
I prais no thing his puruiance;
Þe best of France and of Artayse
War al to-dongyn in þat daunce.
þat daunce with treson was bygun
To trais þe bare with sum fals gyn:
þe Franche men said, All es wun,
Now es it tyme þat we bigin,
For here es welth inogh to win,
[f. 55 b¹.
To make vs riche for euermore:
Bot, thurgh þaire armure thik and thin
Slaine þai war, and wounded sore.
Sore þan sighed sir Philip;
Now wist he neuer what him was best,
For he es cast doun with a trip:
In Iohn of France es all his trest,
For he was his frend faithfulest,
In him was full his affiance:
Bot sir Edward wald neuer rest,
Or þai war feld þe best of France.
Of France was mekill wo, i-wis,
And in Paris þa high palays:
Now had þe bare with mekill blis
Bigged him bifor Calais.
þa] the R.

Heres now how þe romance sais
How sir Edward, oure king with croune,
Held his sege bi nightes and dais
With his men bifor Calays toune.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

Title, 1. 2. thurgh] tlurgh MS.
3. wreten] writen, and in next line witen S.
mark these two lines as an interpolation of the scribe.
5, 6. it seems to
14. wrath]
18. prince] princes S.; the s is
53. þam supplied in Morris and Skeat's Specimens.
61. misliking] misliling MS.
70. o ferrum MS. and so in 1. 89.
false S.
65. inglismen in one word MS.
71. wonen] wonnen S. 72. fals]
80. langer] better read with S. leng.
85. bent bowes] bended bows S.
112. Kinges suld MS.; suld is
clearly due to the preceding line, as ten Brink points out in Scholle,
P. 45.
till] tyll R.
toll MS.
115. els to] elles S.
117. i-wis] I wis MS.
murnig MS., see iv. 43, note.
119. murning]
142. Geneuayse] a corrected out of e MS.
dongyn MS.
vii. 54, 57, 59.
148. to-dongyn] alto
165. i-wis] I wis MS.
154. euermore] evermare; and in 156, sare S.; but see
160. es] was S.

VIII. The Siege and Taking of Calais

How Edward als þe romance sais
Held his sege bifor Calais.

CALAYS men, now mai ȝe care,
And murning mun ȝe haue to mede;
Mirth on mold get ȝe no mare;
Sir Edward sall ken ȝow ȝowre crede.
Whilum war ȝe wight in wede
To robbing rathly for to ren ;
Mend ȝow sone of ȝowre misdede;
ȝowre care es cumen, will ȝe it ken.
Kend it es how ȝe war kene
Al Inglis men with dole to dere;
þaire gudes toke ȝe al bidene,
No man born wald ȝe forbere;
ȝe spared noght with swerd ne spere
To stik þam and þaire gudes to stele;
With wapin and with ded of were
þus haue ȝe wonnen werldes wele.
Weleful men war ȝe, i-wis,
Bot fer on fold sall ȝe noght fare;
A bare sal now abate ȝowre blis
And wirk ȝow bale on bankes bare;

He sall ȝow hunt als hund dose hare
þat in no hole sall ȝe ȝow hide ;
For all ȝowre speche will he noght spare
Bot bigges him right by ȝowre side.
Biside ȝow here þe bare bigins
To big his boure in winter tyde;
And all bi tyme takes he his ines
With semly se[r]gantes him biside.
þe word of him walkes ful wide;
Ihesu saue him fro mischance.
In bataill dar he wele habide
Sir Philip and sir Iohn of France.
þe Franche men er fers and fell
And mase grete dray when þai er dight;
Of þam men herd slike tales tell
With Edward think þai for to fight,
Him for to hald out of his right
And do him treson with þaire tales;
Þat was þaire purpos day and night.
Bi counsail of þe Cardinales.
Cardinales with hattes rede
War fro Calays wele thre myle;
þai toke þaire counsail in þat stede
How þai might sir Edward bigile.
þai lended þare bot litill while
Till Franche men to grante þaire grace;
Sir Philip was funden a file,
He fled and faght noght in þat place.
In þat place þe bare was blith,
For all was funden þat he had soght:

Philip þe Valas fled ful swith
With þe batail þat he had broght.
For to haue Calays had he thoght
All at his ledeing loud or still;
Bot all þaire wiles war for noght,
Edward wan it at his will.
[VII c]
Lystens now, and ȝe may lere,
Als men þe suth may vnderstand,
þe knightes þat in Calais were
Come to sir Edward sare wepeand,
In kirtell one and swerd in hand
And cried, Sir Edward, pine [we] are,
Do now, lord, bi law of land
þi will with vs for euermare.
þe nobill burgase and þe best
Come vnto him to haue þaire hire;
þe comun puple war ful prest
Rapes to bring obout þaire swire :
þai said all, Sir Philip oure syre,
And his sun, sir Iohn of France,
Has left vs ligand in þe mire
And broght vs till þis doleful dance.
Oure horses þat war faire and fat
Er etin vp ilkone bidene;
Haue we now per conig ne cat
þat þai ne er etin and hundes kene.
All er etin vp ful clene,
Es nowther leuid biche ne whelp,
þan said þai all, Philip oure syre.
[f. 56 a¹.

þat es wele on oure sembland sene,
And þai er fled þat suld vs help.
A knight þat was of grete renowne,
Sir Iohn de Viene was his name,
He was wardaine of þe toune,
And had done Ingland mekill schame.
For all þaire boste þai er to blame,
Ful stalworthly þare haue þai streuyn;
A bare es cumen to mak þam tame,
Kayes of þe toun to him er gifen.
þe kaies er ȝolden him of þe ȝate,
Lat him now kepe þam if he kun;
To Calais cum þai all to late,
Sir Philip and sir Iohn his sun.
Al war ful ferd þat þare ware fun;
Þaire leders may þai barely ban.
All on þis wise was Calais won;
God saue þam þat it so-gat wan.

Textual notes (manuscript variants and Hall's critical apparatus, as recovered from the scan; order approximate):

2. murning] murnig MS.
3. i-wis] I wis MS.
   [f. 55 b².
4. albidene in one word MS.
5. sergantes] so R. segantes MS. seriantes S.
6. funden] fun S.
7. we added by R., but the MS. is perhaps right.
8. Perhaps

IX. The Battle of Neville's Cross

A note on the text of Poems IX–XI. Hall's edition prints these three poems (Neville's Cross, the Spanish sea-fight, and Guînes) in half-lines, each full alliterative line split by a raised point into two half-verses set on the manuscript's two columns. In the 1914 (third-edition) scan used as this text's base, the HathiTrust page-by-page OCR read the two columns out of true order, so the two halves of each line came out scrambled or separated by several lines. The 1887 first edition shows the same fault in places. The 1897 second-edition scan, however, preserved the correct reading order throughout this stretch, mid-line point and all. The text of Poems IX, X, and XI below is therefore built from the 1897 witness, with individual words checked against the 1914 and 1887 scans wherever legible, and thorn/yogh restored by the same method used throughout. Hall's line-by-line textual footnotes for this stretch could not be reliably re-sequenced from any of the three scans within this pass and are not reproduced here; the interpretive Notes section later in this edition (keyed IX, X, XI) is unaffected and is preserved in full.

Sir Dauid had of his men grete loss
With sir Edward at þe Neuil cross.

SIR Dauid þe Bruse was at distance,
When Edward þe Baliolfe rade with his lance;
Þe north end of Ingland teched him to daunce,
When he was met on þe more with mekill mischance.
Sir Philip þe Valayse may him noght avance;
Þe flowres þat faire war er fallen in Fraunce,

Þe floures er now fallen þat fers war and fell;
A bare with his bataille has done þam to dwell.

Sir Dauid þe Bruse said he suld fonde
To ride thurgh all Ingland, wald he noght wonde;
At þe Westminster hall suld his stedes stonde,
Whils oure king Edward war out of þe londe:
Bot now has sir Dauid missed of his merkes
And Philip þe Valays with all þaire grete clerkes.

Sir Philip þe Valais, suth for to say,
Sent vnto sir Dauid and faire gan him pray
At ride thurgh Ingland þaire fomen to flay,
And said none es at home to let hym þe way,
None letes him þe way to wende whore he will:
Bot with schipherd staues fand he his fill.

ffro Philip þe Valais was sir Dauid sent
All Ingland to win fro Twede vnto Trent;
He broght mani berebag with bow redy bent;
Þai robbed and þai reued and held þat þai hent;
It was in þe waniand þat þai furth went;
For couaitise of cataile þo schrewes war schent;

Schent war þo schrewes and ailed vnsele,
For at þe Neuil cros nedes bud þam knele.

At þe ersbisschop of York now will I bigyn,
For he may with his right hand assoyl vs of syn;
Both Dorem and Carlele þai wald neuer blin
Þe wirschip of Ingland with wappen to win;
Mekill wirschip þai wan and wele haue þai waken,
For syr Dauid þe Bruse was in þat tyme taken.

When sir Dauid þe Bruse satt on his stede,
He said of all Ingland haued he no drede;
Bot hinde Iohn of Coupland, a wight man in wede,
Talked to Dauid and kend him his crede.

Þare was sir Dauid so dughty in his dede,
Þe faire toure of Londen haued he to mede.
Sone þan was sir Dauid broght vnto þe toure,
And William þe Dowglas with men of honowre;
Full swith redy seruis fand þai þare a schowre,
For first þai drank of þe swete and sepin of þe sowre.

Þan sir Dauid þe Bruse makes his mone,
Þe faire coroun of Scotland haues he forgone;
He luked furth into France, help had he none
Of sir Philip þe Valais ne ȝit of sir Iohn.

Þe pride of sir Dauid bigon fast to slaken;
For he wakkind þe were þat held him self waken;
For Philyp þe Valaise had he his brede baken,
And in þe toure of Londen his ines er taken:
To be both in a place þaire forward þai nomen,
Bot Philip fayled þare and Dauid es cumen.

Sir Dauid þe Bruse on þis manere
Said vnto sir Philip al þir sawes þus sere:
Philip þe Valais, þou made me be here,
Þis es noght þe forward we made are to ȝere;
ffals es þi forward and euyll mot þou fare,
For þou and sir Iohn þi son haues kast me in care.

Þe Scottes, with þaire falshede, þus went þai obout
For to win Ingland whils Edward was out.
For Cuthbert of Dorem haued þai no dout;
Þarfore at Neuel cros law gan þai lout,
Þaire louted þai law and leued allane:
Þus was Dauid þe Bruse into þe toure tane.

X. Les Espagnols sur Mer

How King Edward & his menȝe
Met with þe Spaniardes in þe see.

I WALD noght spare for to speke, wist I to spede,
Of wight men with wapin and worthly in wede,
Þat now er driuen to dale and ded all þaire dede,
Þai sail in þe see-gronde fissches to fede;
Fele fissches þai fede for all þaire grete fare,
It was in þe waniand þat þai come þare.

Þai sailed furth in þe Swin in a somers tyde,
With trompes and taburns and mekill oþer pride;
Þe word of þo weremen walked full wide;
Þe gudes þat þai robbed in holl gan þai it hide,
In holl þan þai hided grete welthes, als I wene,
Of gold and of siluer of skarlet and grene.

When þai sailed westward, þo wight men in were,
Þaire hurdis, þaire ankers hanged þai on here;
Wight men of þe west neghed þam nerr,
And gert þam snaper in þe snare, might þai no ferr,
ffer might þai noght flit bot þare most þai fine,
And þat þai bifore reued þan most þai tyne.

Boy with þi blac berd, I rede þat þou blin,
And sone set þe to schriue with sorow of þi syn;
If þou were on Ingland noght saltou win,
Cum þou more on þat coste þi bale sall bigin:
Þare kindels þi care kene men sall þe kepe,
And do þe dye on a day and domp in þe depe.

ȝe broght out of Bretayne ȝowre custom with care,
ȝe met with þe marchandes and made þam ful bare;
It es gude reson and right þat ȝe euill misfare,
When ȝe wald in Ingland lere of a new lare,
New lare sall ȝe lere, sir Edward to lout:
For when ȝe stode in ȝowre strenkith ȝe war all to stout.

XI. The Taking of Guînes

How gentill sir Edward with his grete engines
Wan with his wight men þe castell of Gynes.

WAR þis winter oway wele wald I wene
Þat somer suld schew him in schawes ful schene:
Both þe lely and þe lipard suld geder on a grene,
Mari, haue minde of þi man, þou whote wham I mene;
Lady, think what I mene, I mak þe my mone,
Þou wreke gude king Edward on wikked syr Iohn.

Of Gynes ful gladly now will I bigin,
We wote wele þat woning was wikked for to win:
Crist, þat swelt on þe rode for sake of mans syn,
Hald þam in gude hele þat now er þarein.

Inglis men er þarein þe kastell to kepe;
And Iohn of France es so wroth for wo will he wepe.

Gentill Iohn of Doncaster did a ful balde dede,
When he come toward Gynes to ken þam faire crede;
He stirt vnto þe castell withowten any stede;
Of folk þat he fand þare haued he no drede,
Dred in hert had he none of all he fand þare:
Faine war þai to flie for all þaire grete fare.

A letherin ledder and a lang line,
A small bote was þarby þat put þam fro pine;
Þe folk þat þai fand þare was faine for to fyne;
Sone þaire diner was dight; and þare wald þai dine,
Þare was þaire purpose to dine and to dwell,
For treson of þe Franche men þat fals war and fell.

Say now, sir Iohn of France, how saltou fare?
Þat both Calays and Gynes has kindeld þi care;
If þou be man of mekil might lepe up on þi mare,
Take þi gate vnto Gynes and grete þam wele fare,
Þare gretes þi gestes; and wendes with wo.
King Edward has wonen þe kastell þam fro.

ȝe men of Saint Omers, trus ȝe þis tide,
And puttes out ȝowre pauiliownes with ȝowre mekill pride;
Sendes efter sir Iohn of Fraunce to stand by ȝowre syde,
A bore es boun ȝow to biker þat wele dar habyde,
Wele dar he habide bataile to bede,
And of ȝowre sir Iohn of Fraunce haues he no drede.

God saue sir Edward his right in euer ilka nede,
And he þat will noght so euil mot he spede;
And len oure sir Edward his life wele to lede,
Þat he may at his ending haue heuin till his mede.

AMEN.

Notes

I. Halidon Hill.

It was stipulated by the treaty of Northampton in 1328 that the
forfeited estates of English barons in Scotland should be restored to
their former owners. The discontent which arose from the failure of
the Scotch to carry out this arrangement found a pretext for action in
Edward Balliol's claim to the throne of Scotland, and the expedition of
the Disinherited Lords in 1332 was the result. On the last day of July
in that year, Edward Balliol with a small force sailed from Ravenspur in Yorkshire, and after a difficult passage reached Kinghorn in
Fife on the 6th of August. Before they could land their horses they
were attacked by the Earl of Fife with 24,000 men. They defeated
the Scots and reached Dunfermline on the next day, where they rested
for two days. They then marched to the river Earn, on the opposite
bank of which they found the forces of the Earl of Mar, whose support
they had counted on. But he was now prepared to resist them, and the
English, threatened by a large force in their rear, forded the river in
the night and fell on the Scotch foot in their tents, killing a large
number of them. Meanwhile the cavalry who were guarding the bridges
gathered and attacked Balliol's army, but they were completely routed
at Gaskmoor or Dupplin Moor, with the loss of Mar, Menteith, Carrick,
and others. The English then occupied and fortified Perth, where they
were besieged by the rallied fugitives of Dupplin and others under
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Dunbar. In the meantime John Crab,
'pirata crudelissimus,' came with ten well-appointed Flemish ships
from Berwick to attack the English vessels at Dundee, but he was
defeated and his ships taken or destroyed (Rot. Scacc. Scot. i. p. cxlii;
Knighton, i. p. 464). Thereupon the siege of Perth was raised, and
the principal Scotch leaders having submitted, Balliol was crowned
King of Scotland on the 24th of September. The adherents of David
rising against him were defeated at Roxburgh bridge. The false security
produced by the defeat of this attempt led Edward Balliol to dismiss
most of his English forces, and he was himself expelled by a sudden

MINOT'S POEMS
rising at Annan under the Earl of Moray and Archibald Douglas on
Dec. 13, 1332 (see ll. 41-44). With Edward the Third's permission he
raised 10,000 men in England and laid siege to Berwick on March 12,
1333. The Scots, hoping to draw him off, invaded England on the
23rd of March, but they were defeated two days after by Antony de
Lucy, who captured William Douglas, the leader of the expedition,
and recovered much booty. After Easter, Edward the Third arrived
before Berwick. The Scots in the town, being hard pressed, procured
a truce on condition of giving up the place if it were not relieved within
fifteen days. An attempt to relieve the town failed, and the garrison
still holding out after the stipulated time, one of their hostages was
hanged before the eyes of the besieged. The Scots again tried to divert
Edward from the siege, but they burnt Tweedmouth and besieged
Queen Philippa in the strong fortress of Bamborough to no purpose.
The men of Berwick then offered to give up the town by the following
Monday if the Scots failed to relieve it by throwing into it a force of
two hundred men with the loss of less than ten of their number. In
the attempt to accomplish this the battle of Halidon Hill was fought,
on Monday, July 19, 1333. (Gesta Edwardi Tertii in Chronicles of
Edw. I and Edw. II, Rolls Series. Knighton. Walsingham. Rot.
Scacc. Scot. vol. i.)
Bierbaum (p. 13) thinks that the first two songs were written not
earlier than 1339 or 1340. He sees in 1. 23 a reference to the retreat of
the French at Flamengerie in 1339. But as this isolates the line, which
clearly refers to the ships of 1. 19, he offers as an alternative argument
that there is no record of French vessels coming to the help of Scotland
till 1338. But the reference in the stanza is clearly to the event recorded
by Nangis and quoted in the note on 1. 19. He further relies on Mätzner's suggestion that 1. 66, and ii. 1. 24, refer to the burning of Dundee
in 1335. But it is just as satisfactorily explained by the fact that in
1334 all Scotland, with the exception of three or four strongholds, was
in the hands of the English; or it may be regarded as an allusion to
the defeat of Crab's expedition before Dundee. Besides, the Earl of
Moray was captured in 1335 by William of Prestfen, the Warden of
Jedburgh (Hemingburgh, ii. p. 311); and the poet would hardly have
failed to rejoice at this when mentioning his success at Annan in 1332
(11. 41-44). There is then nothing in the poems against the natural
assumption that they were written immediately after Halidon Hill.
The allusion in 1. 83 to the king's speech appeals to the still fresh
recollection of the poet's hearers.
As in vii and the first sections of vi and viii, an emphatic word of
the last line of each stanza is repeated in the first line of the next. This
linking also occurs in the Awntyrs of Arthure, and between the last long

NOTES, I. I-9
line and the first short one in each verse of Sayne John, printed in
Horstmann, A. L., ii. p. 467, and in Religious Pieces, E. E. T. S. no. 26,
p. 87. The opening lines of a Hymn at p. 75 of the latter collection
may be quoted here for their striking resemblance to the first stanza of
this poem.
'Fadir and Sone and Haly Gaste, | Lorde to þe I make my
mone, | Stedfaste kyng of myghtes maste, | Alleweldand Gode sittand
in trone, I praye þe Lorde, þat þou þe haste | To forgyffe þat I hafe
mysdone.' The half verse at the end by way of epilogue is noteworthy.
Another poem on Halidon Hill is quoted in Ritson's notes from MS.
Harl. 4690. It is reprinted in the Appendix, piece i.
I. in trone.
For the preposition comp. And thankyd god, that
syts in trone,' Erl of Tolous, 461.
4. bute of all my bale, a very common alliterative formula.
Comp. This is boyte of our baylle | good holsom aylle,' Towneley
Plays, 108/247; 'Mi bale þou fond to bet,' Sir Tristrem, 3307; 'She is
the bote of all my bale,' Skelton, i. 293/2096; 'A blicht (? blitht)
blenk of hir vesage bair | Of baill his bute mycht be,' Laing, Ancient
Scot. Poetry, 224/59; Cursor, 105, 4766, 14415, 23951; Sir Amadace
xvii; Sir Isumbras, 774; Amis, 2352; and Mätz. under beten and bot.
8, 9. in þis dale, on this earth, this vale of misery: Hampole's
‘dym dulful dale | þat es ful of sorow and bale,' 1166, 7. Comp. also
'dan man hem telled so e tale | Of blisses dune, of sorwes dale,' Gen.
and Ex. 17, 19.
•
9. droupe and dare, a Northern alliterative formula. Comp.
'I drope, I dare, for seyng of sight | That I can se,' Towneley Plays,
316/336, 267/309; He may droupe and dare | þat schal his troupe
tyne,' Horstmann, A. L., i. 205/111, 2, 178/387; Le Bone Florence,
92, 3; Morte Arthure, 4007; Rel. Ant. i. p. 78, ii. p. 9; Wright,
P. Poems, i. 250. The derivative droupnen is also found; 'for hire
loue y droupne ant dare,' Böddeker, 171/80, and beside it are variant
forms drouknen, with kn for pn, and drouken: see Björkmann, Scandinavian Loan-words, 177 n. Comp. Als i lay in a winteris nyt, | In
a droukening bifor þe day,' thirteenth-century version of the dispute
between the body and the soul, with 'Als y lay in a winters ni3t, | In
a droupening bifor þe day,' of fourteenth century; Erlanger Beiträge, i.
pp. 24, 25. So also in Promptorium Parvulorum, p. 113, 'DARYNGE,
or drowpynge (droukynge, H.: droukinge, P.) Latitatio.' Instead of
droupe, durk, to lie in the dark, sometimes appears; comp. 'I durk,
I dare,' York Plays, 141/105; 'That the dere dwellys | And darkys and
darys.| Alle darkis the dere and to down schowys | And for the dowte
of the dede drowpys the daa,' Awntyrs of Arthure, 50-53, where Robson's
text has Thay droupun and daren | Alle dyrkyns the dere,' Anturs of

MINOT'S POEMS
A., iv, v; ‘In hope i durk and dare,' Cursor, 25444. In Towneley
Plays, 163/83,' Alas! I lurk and dare,' the scribe has probably got rid
of the obsolescent form. Dare in this combination usually means, to
lurk, to lie hid in fear of something, as in the quotations from Prompt.
Parv. above, and in þær þa wider-sacan inne dariað behydde,' Ælf.,
Lives of Saints, i. 506/322, the earliest occurrence of the word, but the
derived sense, to be dismayed, to lose heart, is required here: comp.
we dared for drede and durst noght luke,' Harrowing, 799.
10. dern, secret, deceitful, is possibly a copyist's mistake for derue,
terrible, injurious. The two words are frequently confused, and the same
alteration improves Genesis and Exodus, 1950. So in the Bestiary, 284,
Morris has derue, Mätzner derne, and the words alternate in the versions of Cursor, 19712. Comp. for the combination, 'þat derf o ded,
þat fals traitur,' Cursor, 12936; Horstmann, A. L., ii. 469/125.
12. founded first. See fand and founded in Glossary. The scribe
uses both forms in the sense, to try, elsewhere, 'he fanded fast the childe
to styng,' Seven Sages, 829; in Ywain, 1495, founde rhymes with stownde.
We should at first expect fast here, from the frequency of such passages
as 'For fast i fund to fare,' Cursor, 25441; The fend of helle fondyd
fast,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 330/73; 'To fynde a forpe faste con I
fonde,' The Pearl, 150; 'ffownde the fast to fare,' Towneley Plays,
160/4; York Plays, 430/123; W. of Palerne, 1682; Bruce, i. 42; Sir
Perceval, 463; St. Marherete, 30/205. But first may refer to the
indecisive campaign of Edward in 1327.
13. frek to fare. Comp. 'ffor to fare to pere ffoos with a ffryke
wille,' Troy Book, 1050, 10599, the only examples of this combination
I have noted. Fresch is also found as a variant of frek in this phrase ;
comp. Nis no so fresch on fote to fare,' E. E. Poems, 134/49. See
also iv. 54 and note.
14. with sides sare, a phrase which often occurs in the romances.
Comp. And made þere many a sore syde,' Octavian, 144/1340; 'The
prynce of Aragon in they barr | With litull worshipp and sydes sare,'
Torrent of Portyngale, 1182, 3; 'Ys siden were sore | le sang de ly cora,'
Böddeker, Alteng. Dichtungen, 221/33; 'Sides þai made blo & wan,'
Horn Childe, 76; 'Mani sides schuld be bibled,'id. 874; Sir Degrevant,
1328; 'þan schold y make hure sydes blede,' Sir Ferumbras, 5401,
see vii. 52.
and
16. noght worth a pere. The same comparison in Laud Troy
Book, 1928; Sir Ferumbras, 5721; Le Bone Florence, 657; and Rowland and Otuell, 815, ‘his armours ne vaylede noghte a pere.' So,
'noghte worthe a pye,' id. 1157; 'noghte worthe ane aye,' id. 222; and
in 24 below, 'noght wurth a flye,' with which comp. 'He harmed him
nou3t worth a thong,' Laud Troy Book, 1469; 'Your frantick fable not

NOTES, I. 9-29
worth a fly,' Skelton, i. 185/104. Comp. also Richard the Redeles,
prologue, 1. 73, and note.
17. A pear is more in value sometimes.
18. Normondye, see v. 9, note.
19. 'Hoc anno (1333) decem naves, munitae armis et victualibus
a rege Franciae Philippo in auxilium Scotorum in civitate de Bervic per
gentes regis Angliae obsessorum missae sunt, sed vento impellente contrario, ad portum optatum pervenire non valentes, portui de Sclusa in
partibus Flandriae appulerunt et ibi venditis omnibus imo quasi dissipatis, parvum aut nullum effectum habuerunt,' Nangis, avec les continuations, ed. Géraud, ii. p. 139. on ilka syde frequently fills up
a verse without adding anything to the meaning. Comp. vi. 12; '&
hastili he sent þat tide | efter his neghburs on ilka side,' Seven Sages,
1237; also with same rhyme id. 867, 1048; þai tald mi banes in ilka
side,' E. E. Psalter (Surtees Soc., xvi), p. 63; Hampole, 391, and ten
other places; Horstmann, A. L., ii. 96/300, &c. ; Richard, 5129, 5198;
Ywain, 808, 923. For the Southern equivalent of the phrase, comp.
'Both knightes and barans him behelde | How comely he was on eche
side,' Knight of Curtesy, 340.
<
21. es noght at hide, is frequently used by the romance writers to
fill up a line. The fuller phrase is in Horn Childe, 57,' In herd is
nouȝt to hide,' a variant of which 'In herte is no3te for to layne,' Sir
Perceval, 143, possibly suggested the beginning of this line. See Sir
Tristrem, 166, note.
23. dede habide. Possibly the scribe has substituted dede for dint
under the influence of 1. 26. Comp. 'Na Sotheroun was that mycht
thair dynt abid,' Wallace, vii. 1014, and see vii. 106.
24. fare. See vi. 20, note.
26. The same alliterative combination occurs with many variations.
Comp. 'When ho schulde on the rode dye | The stones þat undur þe
tempull lye | They flowen for dowt of hys dede,' The 15 tokens, 231–3
(Anglia, iii. p. 539); And for the dowte of the dede drowpys the daa,'
Awntyrs of Arthure, 53; Richard Coer de Lion, 3033; 'For dout of ded
thar sall nane fle,' Bruce, xii. 488; 'As for ded of the dynt, dressit of þe
fild,' Troy Book, 7517, 7524.
28. Ay whils, although, but usually it means, as long as, until, as
in Yis, sir, he sayd, at my power | Ay whils I [may] my armes bere,'
Seven Sages, 3318; Hampole, 3238. Its use is mostly Northern.
29. Mätzner explains mend, moaned, complained, a meaning which
will not satisfy this place. In And at my might I will it mend,'
Horstmann, A. L., ii. 113/111; Ywain, 2204, it means ' amend,' which
is also inadmissible here. It must be taken as aphetic for demeaned =
behaved, as in' But william whizes þat wiztly of-seizyen, | & demened
•

MINOT'S POEMS
hem douztili dintes te dele,' William of Palerne, 1221, 2. Comp. 'And
mene vs with monhode maistry to wyn,' Troy Book, 2785 and 2773. So
in 'and many oper þat stode him by | and saw þis selkuth sight | knocked
on þaire brestes & cried mercy | and mendid þam at þaire might | of
þis wonderful dede,' Harrowing, 680, mendid is almost certainly a mistake for menid in this sense. Seruit = deserved, is common; see
glossary to Piers Plowman, E. E. T. S., no 81, and Horstmann, Barbour,
ii. 112/414, and cert = desert, id. i. 188/806. at þaire might, to the
best of their ability. Comp. for the preposition,' And þe lord þat þat
beist aght | Sal þar-for ansuer at his maght,' Cursor, 6720; Rowland
and Otuell, 1176.
30. besy þareobout.
Comp. 'þai var richt besy ay aboute | To
fynd sume get hyme to grewe,' Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 131/824, 5.
About is used alone to express the same meaning, so, 'To seint Austin
he was deuout | To rede his bokus he was about,' Horstmann, A. L., i.
87/1477, 8, 12/243, 16/527, 67/344; ‘Satan is zeorne abuten uorto
ridlen be ut of mine corne,' Ancren Riwle, 234/15 (=expetivit); 'þat
were abouten him to dere,' A. & M. 15/430; Lazamon, 12563; Ratis
Raving, 58/1137.
37. now may refer to the failure of the Scotch forays into England
mentioned in the introduction, but it has probably no special force.
39. dareand all for drede. Comp. note on i. 9, and add, 'For al
dares for drede, withoute dynt schewed,' Gawayne, 315.
41, 42. They set great store by the Earl of Moray and many others.
John Randolph (second son of Thomas Randolph who was proclaimed
Regent in 1332 and died in the same year) was the leader of the sudden
rising at Annan on Dec. 13, 1332, which forced Edward Balliol to fly.
Gesta Edwardi Tertii, p. 110.
43. They said the English adventurers would pay very dearly for
having expelled them from their country. Comp. for this phrase, 'Hit
schal beo ful deore abought,' Alisaunder, 4154; 'And said it suld ful
dere be boght,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 107/142; Cursor, 822; ‘And
swoir it suld be full deir sald,' Lyndesay, Sqvyer Meldrum, 351/1069,
Full dere it mond be solde,' Sir Eglamour, 81.
45. wordes wroght. See ii. 33, and for the alliteration comp. ' þai
ditted þaire eris, for þai suld noght | Here þir wurdes þat þus war
wroght,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 30/147, 8.
48. Comp. He wold us mar and we were mo,' Towneley Plays,
300/224; York Plays, 384/208.
49. A common formula in the romances. Comp. Sic manassing
thay me mak, forsuith, ilk 3eir,' Rauf Coilzear (Laing) 200; Horstmann,
A. L., ii. 467/34.
50. Mawgre is here a noun, what is unpleasing, misfortune. For the

NOTES, I. 29-77
"
A
alliteration, comp. 'And 3eue hem myche maugre to mede | þat ony good
þee wolde kenne,' Hymns to the Virgin, 65/215, 6; 'mekil mawgre mot
þou haue,' Seven Sages, 1071; Cursor, 21471; Sir Ferumbras, 618,
2577; Sir Tristrem, 2017.
54. stout on stede. See note on vii. 50.
:
55. Naked is illustrated by Barbour's Bruce, xiii. 459-62 (of Bannockburn) And quhen thai nakit spulzeit war | That war slayñe in the
battale thar, | It wes forsuth a gret ferly | Till se sammyn so feill dede ly.'
59. See ii. 11, note.
60. The wild Scots' are the Gaelic population of the North and
West (Le Bel's 'La sauvage Escoce,' i. p. 117), the 'tame Scots' the
English-speaking Lowlanders. But these adjectives sometimes merely
fill up a line, 'Of Israel, both wyld and tame, | I haue in my bondon,'
Towneley Plays, 59/101; Horstmann, A. L., i. 38/235.
64. wait, to look out for an opportunity to harm, and hence, to
injure. Comp. 'That never he shold be nyght ne day | Wayte kyng
Ermyn with treason,' Beues of Hamtoun, 50/826, 7; 'Sythene hafe I ever
bene his fo | For to wayte him with wo,' Sir Perceval, 558; Cursor,
899; Erl of Tolous, 299, 683; Ure eldre waiteden him to deade,' O.E.
Homilies, ii. 43/35. It is also constructed with a double accusative as
in 'Neewe gilours wolde waite us schame,' Hymns to the Virgin,
44/101; ȝit schalle thai never wayt Inglond good,' Wright, P. Poems,
ii. p. 127; 'Ne fro this tyme furth waite him no shame,' Generides,
6091; þai schuld him neuer waite lop,' A. & M. 13/352. But Ekwall,
Archiv, cxx. 428, thinks this a different word derived from O.W.Scand.
veita, to inflict.
66. Ritson has a curious idea that, as Edward Balliol's fleet was at
Dundee when he won the battle of Dupplin, this line may refer to the
latter event. But see the introduction. Already in 1332 at that place
ships had been allowed to depart without paying customs to the Scotch
Exchequer on account of the war, and in 1334 the accounts of the
chamberlain Reginald More are a blank, 'Et nihil hic de vno anno
tempore regis Anglie quia ministri sui ad opus suum et ad opus Edwardi
de Balliolo se totaliter de eodem anno intromiserunt,' Rot. Scacc. Scot.,
i. p. 448. For daunce, see vii. 58.
71. A turn of expression frequent in the romances. Comp. And liste
no thynge of playe,' Sege off Melayne, 1254; "Sitte downe, fole," the
mayd gan saye, | "Vs list to speke of no pleye," Ipomydon, 1695, 6;
Na creatur sal þan list plai,' Cursor, 22601; Chaucer, Kn. Tale,
269.
74. A fuller alliteration is found in Cursor, 9030, þat bath ar funden
fals and fell.'
77. John Comyn of Badenoch was murdered in the church of the

MINOT'S POEMS
"
Minorites at Dumfries on Feb. 10, 1306. Quo (Comyn) reperto coram
magno altari in ecclesia fratrum dicti loci de Drumfres dictus Robertus de Broys. . . eundem protenus letali vulnere jugulavit. Ac ipso
relicto et in vestibulum retro altari per conventum ejusdem ecclesiae
retracto...' Annals of Pluscarden, i. p. 229. Hid may find an explanation
in the latter sentence, but it is more likely due to the needs of the
rhyme and alliteration: it is then much the same as pwte away in 'Swa
gert he all apon a day | Be slayne to dede and pwte awaye | The Denmarkys,' Wyntoun, vi. 1557-9.
80. For the alliteration comp. 'þat þus with dole to dede es dyghte,'
Sege off Melayne, 557; And myche dole is vs dight to-day as I wene,'
Troy Book, 9558; With doole haue þei dight hym to dede,' York Plays,
426/7. If the line as it stands is right, it must mean, are appointed
that they must dwell with sorrow. But þat is, at least, suspicious; we
should probably read þar here, as in Castel off Loue, 56, with the
meaning, where, in which. Comp. 'Swa es þe worlde here þar we
duelle,' Hampole, 1241; 'That barne brynge vs to blysse þare beste es
to byde,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 467/8;' And went whare God hyr dight
to dwell,' Seven Sages, 19.
81. þare, before Berwick. þe suth to saine, an assurance of the
poet's truthfulness after the manner of the romance writers. Other
formulae of the same kind are, es noght at hide,' i. 21; 'leues wele it
es no lye,' iv. 73; if I suth say,' v. 31; 'þe suth to tell,' vii. 37; 'I sai
ȝow lely,' vii. 73; 'Als men þe suth may vnderstand,' viii. 58; 'suth
for to say,' ix. 15.
83. Comp. v. 79, 80; 'rege Anglorum suos sapienter atque decenti
hilaritate confortante,' Le Baker, p. 51. The king's speech to his troops
before the battle is reported in the Gesta Edwardi Tertii, p. 115.
'Ascenso itaque dextrario, dominus rex suos verbis affabilibus animavit,
Considerate, commilitones mei, cum quibus gentibus dimicaturi sumus
isto die. Diu est quod progenitoribus nostris rebelles extiterunt. Piget
itaque referre plebis et religiosorum subversiones et strages quas nostro
generi pluries intulerunt. Jam, Deo propitio, dies instat ultionis, nec
illorum multitudinem timeatis, quia de Domini praesidio confidentes
vobiscum pares erimus in conflictu." on þat plaine. The battle of
Halidon Hill was fought on rugged, hilly ground. Probably plain is
used quite generally as we should talk of a battle-field in such a case:
so, 'þey assemblyd on a playn, | Besyde Acres, on a mountayn,'
Richard, 2971, 2. But we may have here a scribe's alteration of into
playn used as in 'Thar leyff thai tuk with conforde into playn,' Wallace,
iii. 335, where the phrase means in plain (for into = in, comp. 'Hys
newo in tyll ire he slewe,' Wyntoun, ii. 1262) plainly, beyond doubt, and
helps to fill up the line.

NOTES, I. 77—II. 3
84. obout a myle, for the time it takes to go a mile. See Guy of
Warwick, 2810, note, and add to the examples collected there, 'per inne
heo runden. | ane lutle while ne leaste hit na wiht ane mile,' Lazamon,
5817-9; 'He had not slepyd but a while | Not the space of a myle,'
Ipomydon, 1465, 6; ' Than thai mellit on mold ane myle way and mare,'
Golagrus, 1119 (Anglia, ii. p. 435); 'Nadde Arthour bot a while | The
mountance of a mile, | At his table ysete,' Libeaus 115-7 and 1088;
Cursor, 22458; Hampole, 1419; A. & M. 16/5705, 6; 'Et furent ensi
entr'acholé l'esrure de x. arpens de tière,' Le Roi Flore, p. 143 (Nouvelles Françoises du xiii® Siècle, ed. Moland et d'Héricault).
85. All if, even though. Comp. All if þe crosse were makede of
tree | The fire 3ode owtt þat come per nee,' Sege off Melayne, 448, 9;
'Al-if þe oyle war welland warme | þe appostell had þarof no harme,'
Horstmann, A. L., ii. 35/57, 8. If all occurs in the same sense in
id. 465/902, and in Octavian, 95/550. Other Northern forms are al set,
Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 40/206, and set, Wyntoun, ii. 1452. mekill of
maine is an uncommon alliteration, but it is in Wallace, viii. 604;
' mochel of myght,' Laud Troy Book, 3745.
87. gaudes, tricks, deceits. The combination seems specially
Northern, comp. 'Bot when þaire gaudes might noght gayne,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 133/133 (in Northern dialect); 'For all pair gaudis
sall noght þam gayne,' York Plays, 82/248.
90. proud in prese, see vii. 45, note.
91. woundes flue. Comp. 'vor cristes fif wunden ðu zif me milce
& ore,' O. E. Homilies, i. 197/102; O. E. Miscellany, 57/696; 87/24.

II.

This poem was probably written soon after the defeat of the Scots at Halidon Hill, which Minot treats as a sufficient set-off to Bannockburn.
In 1. 7 the defeat at Dupplin and the subsequent occupation of Perth is
referred to, while 1. 15 perhaps points to the two raids over the English
border in March and July, 1333, which failed to draw away Edward
the Third from the siege of Berwick.
The refrain in the last line of each stanza and the linkage of the
fourth and fifth line in each stanza are noteworthy.
3. sakles, innocent, perhaps said of the slaughter of women and
children. According to Barbour, Bruce says, 'For throu me and my
warraying Of blud thar has beyne gret spilling | Quhar mony sakles
man wes slayne,' xx. 173-5.

MINOT'S POEMS
6. ȝit. Although the Scots are apparently so hopelessly beaten that
the war seems completely ended, still it is necessary to guard against
crafty surprises. Et sic dicebatur publice quod guerra in Scocia fuit
finaliter finita et terminata, quia nullus remansit de natione illa, qui
posset, sciret, aut vellet homines ad proelium congregare aut regere
congregatos. Non tamen fuit verum, sicut inferius apparebit,' Murimuth, p. 68. with, against, as in 'Be war with reirsuppers & of gret
excess,' A Dietary (E. E. T. S., No. xxix), 50; 'And taucht mene þat
al ydolis are | Bot fendis, and with pame to be ware,' Horstmann,
Barbour, i. 36/325, 6. The charge against the Scots is repeated in ix.
61 and i. 87: it is extended to the French in vii. 62, 72, 136, and xi. 24.
It is a commonplace in contemporary writers, 'Nam quia fidem in
Scotis quasi nodum in cirpo quaesivit,' Gesta Edw. Tertii, p. 110. And
it seems to have persisted, ' And there was concludyd (1464 A. D.) a pes
for xv yere with the Schottys. And (= if) the Schottys ben trewe hyt
moste nedys contynu so longe, but hit ys harde for to tryste unto hem
for they byn evyr founde fulle of gyle and dyssayte,' Gregory's Chronicle,
p. 224. Comp. also Skelton, i. p. 186. The Scotch in turn speak of
the false Southron,' and the French accuse the English of unfaithfulness and fickleness.
7. Saint Iohnes toune, Perth; Froissart's St. Jehanstone. There
is a church in it dedicated to St. John Baptist.
8. Comp. Are not these Scottys | Folys and sottys, | Such boste to
make, To prate and crake,' Skelton, i. 183/29-32.
9. Comp. iv. 66, v. 50, and 'þe boste of kyng Philip fayn þan wild
he felle,' Langtoft, i. 203.
10. kindel ȝow care, a not common alliterative phrase. See ii. 19,
x. 23, xi. 26, and comp. Ur copes were cumberous, and kyndelet us
care,' Swete Susan, 224; 'Then was sche warre of þe iiij þare | That
had kyndylde all hur care,' Le Bone Florence, 2014, 15; ´Or he will
kindill cares full calde,' Sege off Melayne, 596.
II. crakked ȝowre croune, is a favourite combination of the
romance-writers. Comp. i. 59; Crounes thai gun crake,' Sir Tristrem,
887; 'he crakkede full many a carefull croun,' Rowland and Otuell,
1066; In feld when they togedur mett, | Was crakydd many a crown,'
Erl of Tolous, 72; York Plays, 124/44.
13. Mätzner sees in this mention of Stirling a reference to the success
of Wallace over Cressingham in 1297. Striflin, is Strevillyne in Bruce,
steren and stout, so 'þan þe
i. 409, Estouvelin in Le Bel, i. p. 6.
iews ful sterne and stout,' Harrowing, 133.
15. Now have they, the plunderers, gone on their raids. Comp.
'Ffor they have take notable gode of oures | On thys seyde see, these
false coloured pelours, | Called of Seynt Malouse, and elles where,'

NOTES, II. 6-19
Wright, Political Poems, ii. 164/13-15. Whedyr prykkes thow,
pilour, þat profers so large?' Morte Arthure, 2533; and note that the
next line, Sir Edward has plundered them, carries on the idea. See
N.E.D. s. v. Peeler, and Pill. Wülker, Lesebuch, p. 159, explains, They
have dispersed through the country their best men, thus taking pelers as if
'pillars of the state.' But this gives a very unusual meaning to pricked,
which Mätzner explains correctly, rode, spurred. Mätzner, however,
takes pelers = pillars, and Kölbing, Eng. Stud., iv. 492, adopting this,
explains, Now have they ridden round the pillars, the boundary marks,
which gives a good sense, but with a meaning for pelers difficult to
parallel. Besides, obout naturally goes closely with priked, as in ' And
priked a-boute on palfrais from places to maners,' P. Plowman, C.
91/160; and it is noteworthy too that pillar in the Northern dialect at
any rate has always i ory in its first syllable, so pyllare, Wyntoun,
i. 246; piller, Barbour; pyler, Hampole, 5388; piler, E. E. Psalter, 243.
18. vnder, defeated. Comp. 'Beleue hath mastry, and reson is
under,' Pecock, Repressor, ii. p. 623; 'þan had my maisters bene al
vnder,' Seven Sages, 3798; 'Bot wes at wndyre throwch thame ay,'
Wyntoun, v. 4517; Libeaus, 1397. It sometimes means, in adversity,
in poor circumstances: A mane above is sone under by a draght of
chekmate,' Rel. Ant., i. p. 271; 'Of thes frer mynours me thenkes moch
wonder | That waxen are thus hauteyn that som tyme weren under,'
Monum. Francis., i. p. 606. The contrasted word above is illustrated in
Mätzner, Sprachproben, i. p. 163; overhand in the same sense is in
Cursor, 2508. bot gaudes, unless when they succeed by surprises and
tricks.

19. Rughfute riueling. Skelton inherits this topic of abuse, ' Of the
    out yles the roughe foted Scottes,' i. 187/170 and 194/41. The riveling
    or rullion is a kind of makeshift boot cut out of raw hide, made as
    described in the following passage: 'We go a hunting, and after that we
    have slain red deer we flay off the skin bye and bye, and setting of our
    bare foot on the inside thereof, for want of cunning shoemakers, by your
    grace's pardon, we play the cobblers, compassing and measuring so
    much thereof as shall reach up to our ancles, pricking the upper part
    thereof with holes, that the water may repass where it enters, and
    stretching it up with a strong thong of the same above our said ancles.
    So, and please your noble grace, we make our shoes. Therefore we,
    using such manner of shoes, the rough hairy side outwards, in your
    grace's dominions of England we be called rough-footed Scots,' Elder's
    Address to Henry VIII, apud Pinkerton's History, ii. 397 (quoted in
    Scott's Sir Tristrem). Such brogues are still the common wear in
    Iceland. The historian of Edward's first Scottish expedition describing
    a camp deserted by the Scots says, 'Et si trouvasmes . . . et plus de dix

MINOT'S POEMS
mille vielz soulers tous usez, faitz de cuir tout cru, atout le poil, que ilz
avoient laissié,' Le Bel, i. p. 70. Comp. also 'And led him (the Earl of
Athole in 1335 A. D.) in tyll swylk dystres, | That at sa gret myscheff he
wes, | That hys knychtis weryd revelynys | Off hydis, or off hart hemmynys,' Wyntoun, viii. 4419-22; Also tha fand, quhairof tha had grait
wounder, | Tua thousand pair of relyngis on the streit | That Erische
men vsis to weir vpone their feit | In steid of schone, quhilk maid war
of rouch skynnis, | In falt of buklis prickit war with pynnis,' Stewart's
Boece, iii. 267/51318-22; þou getes no ping but þi riuelyng to hang per
inne,' Langtoft, ii. p. 282, which corresponds to Wright, Pol. Songs,
307/541-3; 'Thws in the hyllis levyt he, | Till the maist part off his
menȝe | Wes rewyn and rent; na schoyne thai had, | Bot as thai thaim
off hydys mad,' Bruce, ii. 508–511. So too a 'despitefull' Englishman
says to Wallace, 'Thou Scot, abyde; | Quha dewill the grathis in so
gay a gyde? | Ane Ersche mantill it war thi kynd to wer; | A Scottis
thewtill wndyr thi belt to ber; | Rouch rewlyngis apon thi harlot fete,'
Wallace, i. 215-9.
20. Berebag, bag carrier. Le Bel explains how the Scots manage to
dispense with baggage and so move about rapidly: 'Et si scevent bien
qu'ilz trouveront bestes à grande abondance au pays où ilz veulent aler,
pour quoy ilz ne portent aultre pourvéance [fors] que chascun porte
entre sa selle et le paneau une grande plate pierre, et si trousse derrière
luy une besache pleine de farine, à celle fin que quant ilz ont tant mengé
de celle chair mal cuite que leurs estomacs leur semblent estre wapes
(exhausted, L. vapidus) et flebes (enfeebled), ilz gettent celle plate pierre
au feu, et destrempent ung petit de leur farine d'eawe, quant la pierre
est eschauffée, et en font ung petit tourtel à manière d'une oulée de
beguine et le mengent pour reconforter leur estomac,' i. p. 48. The
place where the battle of the Standard was fought was once called
Bagmoor, because, says a commentator on de Houedene (i. p. ci) the
Scots in their flight threw away their bags. But for a more likely
explanation, see Peacock's Dialect of Manley, p. 13. þi biging es
bare, your dwelling is empty, ruined. See vii. 123, and comp. ' Comeb
þe maister budel, brust ase a bore, | seip he wole mi bugging bringe
ful bare,' Böddeker, A. D., 104/52, 3; 'Brent vp the byggynges &
full bare maden,' Troy Book, 1379; 'We sall spuilze ȝow dispittously at
the nixt springis; | Mak ȝow biggingis full bair, bodword haue I brocht,'
Coilzear (Laing), 901, 2; 'Maid byggyngis bar als fer as euir thai
past,' Wallace, viii. 950.
22. Brug, Bruges in Flanders. The MS. reading brig, and probably
also burghes, in 1. 25, conceals the name of this town, which appears as
bruge, v. 15, and bruges, v. 19. So Burges, Borde's Introduction, p. 147.
At P. Plowman, C. 110/278, three MSS. have brigges. There is abundant

NOTES, II. 19-36
evidence that Bruges was a favourite resort of Scotchmen in the fourteenth
century. Comp. i. 67, 8, and That ilke yhere on ordynawns | Oure
Kyng Dawy wes send in Frawns | . . . That ilke yhere Jamys Ben, | The
Byschape off Sayntandrewys then, | To Brygys past oure the se; | Hys
lattyre day thare closyd he,' Wyntoun, viii. 3645, 6, 3651-4, and id. ix.
2943. The actual year of David's departure was 1334 (Rot. Scacc. Scot.,
i.p.clviii). The Chamberlain of Scotland, Reginald More, was established
at Bruges, and there the second instalment of King David's ransom was
paid (id. ii. p. 21). In 1408 the Earl of Mar on his way home from France
lived there for some time (Wyntoun, ix. 2943-5). Murimuth indeed
(p. 69) tells us that the Scotch bishops fled into France. Wülker thinks
the poet consigns the unhappy Scots to a dwelling with the fiends
and water sprites who live under bridges.
24. See i. 66, note.
25. betes þe stretes, frequents the streets, is much in evidence: similarly Cotgrave (ed. 1632) explains Batre les chemins, To belay the way
as pursetakers and boothalers doe. And again under Pave, Bateur de
pavez, A pauement beater; . . . one that walkes much abroad, and riots
it wheresoeuer he walkes. Comp. MERKETBETER, circumforanus,'
·
Cath. Anglicum, p. 236, with Herrtage's note.
32. stane still. Other examples of this favourite comparison are,
'No man alyve ne schall me se | As stylle as any ston,' Launfal, 356, 7;
'I shall make þe still as stone, begynnar of blunder,' Towneley Plays,
35/406; 'Bot hold þam stone stille in pes at per contre,' Langtoft,
ii. p. 266; And still als stane þou stand,' E. Studien, xxi. 207/8; York
Plays, 146/4; Horstmann, A. L., ii. 271/219; Seven Sages, 3994;
Myrc, 889; The Babees Book, 4/86.
"
33. has wind for to spill, indulges in empty talking. Comp. 'þat
wind þou hauest ilore,' Otuel, 216; 'Speche þu maht spillen ant ne
speden nawiht,' Juliana, 24/14; 'per aboute ȝe spillep breþ,' id. 82/37;
'Woman, thy wordis and thy wynde thou not waste,' York Plays,
258/121; Troy Book, 9788; ' Do way, mercy, þou spillist myche winde,'
Hymns to the Virgin, 97/55.
"
36. get is explained by Wright 'gain,' and Wülker quotes in
support, Alle my get I schal yow gif agayn, bi my trawþe,' Gawayne,
1638. Mätzner suggests that it means zet. But the alliteration shows
that the g is hard, and the word is imperative of geten, O.W.Scand.
gæta, to be on one's guard, to beware, as in, ‘Our goddes with grace
get vs perfro,' Troy Book, 2113. The phrase then means, as in 1. 6,
We have got the better of them, but look out for their treachery.
1692
E

MINOT'S POEMS
Edward in Brabant.

III. The Sack of Southampton, and the Taking of the 'Christopher.'

The first forty lines of this piece describe Edward's reception in
Flanders. He sailed from Orwell on the 16th of July, 1338, and landed
on the 22nd at Antwerp, where he was received with much ceremony.
Minot is, however, mistaken in saying that he was met by the Emperor;
it was only after irritating delays, unmentioned by the poet, on the part
of his allies that Edward went in search of him to Coblentz and received his commission as Vicar-General of the Empire, which enabled
him to strike money for the payment of his German auxiliaries (1. 35).
The meeting with Lewis is described with great minuteness in Knighton,
(ii. pp. 5, 6).
The second section of the poem describes the mischief done by Philip's
fleet on the south coast of England. Already in 1337, and therefore
before Edward's departure for Brabant (see 11. 40-48), a strong force of
Normans, Picards and Genoese under Nicholas Behuchet had burnt
Portsmouth. On Sunday, Oct. 4, 1338, while the townspeople were at
mass, the French landed at Southampton from fifty galleys under Quiéret
(v. 8), Behuchet, Barbenoire (x. 19) and Ottone Doria. They remained
plundering till they learned that the country was rising against them,
when they set fire to the town and retreated to their ships. Some three
hundred of the lingerers, and among them the son of the king of Sicily,
were cut off (11. 63-70). Then, says Minot, they saw the Christopher
at Aremouth in the Isle of Wight just opposite Southampton, and
carried it off. But Adam of Murimuth, pp. 87, 106, says that the
Christopher was one of five large vessels taken by the French in the
port of Sluys while most of the sailors had gone to the town; and
Edward himself in his despatch written after the battle of the Swyn
details the recovery of the Cristofre et les autres qui estoient perdues
à Middelburgh' (Nicolas, History of the Navy, ii. p. 502). Further,
Murimuth dates the loss of the Christopher on the feast of St. Michael,
Sept. 29, the Tuesday before the attack on Southampton, while Minot
reverses in point of time the order of the events. The presence of
Edward at the fight is not mentioned by any chronicler, and the silence
of de Klerk obliges us to fall back on the ingenious suggestion of Sir
Harris Nicolas (id. p. 37), that the poet has confounded the presence of
the ship Edward' with that of the king. The continuator of Nangis
(ii. 161, 2) treats the sack of Southampton and the taking of the ships
as quite distinct events, and says that the fight raged about the

NOTES, III. 1–20
Christopher for nearly a whole day with much bloodshed on both sides.
(De Klerk, Van den derden Edewaert. Knighton. Murimuth. Walsingham. Nangis. Lockhart's Isle of Wight.)
In the MS. the next poem is written continuously with this. We
may infer that this one originally ended at line 116, and that the poet,
at the revision which left his works much in their present shape, added
ll. 117–126 as a connecting link between two poems which naturally
group together. Line 117 is a formula commonly used in the romances
to introduce a new topic, here the revenge of the English at Sluys and
Cressy foretold after the event.
I. se and sand, sea and shore, land; a favourite combination of
which Mätzner has collected examples in Alt. Sprachproben, i. p. 362.
Add, ' Was neuer more serwful segge, bi se, nor bi sande,' Swete Susan,
254; þat lufes þe more, by se and sand, | þan any man þat es lifand,'
Ywain, 3657, 8; 'þat all wroght and has in hand, | Sun and mone and
se and sand,' Cursor, 10910; Erl of Tolous, 908; York Plays, 12/74
and frequently; but note 'see and lande,' Sir Isumbras, 732 (Halliwell).
Minot's opening would satisfy the writer of Emare (ll. 13-18), 'Menstrelles, þat walken fer & wyde, | Her & per in every syde, | In mony
a dyuerse londe, Sholde[n], at her bygynnyng, | Speke[n] of that
ryghtwys kyng, | That made both see and sonde.' Comp. also Bosworth
Feilde, Percy Folio MS. iii. 235/1.
4. withowten strif, past denial, undoubted, as will be seen by
comparison with, 'þe ioyes sere at god ordans with-owten striue | To
þam þat lufes him in þare liue,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 169/438-40; 'Yf
þo lorde gyf o3t to terme of lyf, | The chaunceler hit seles withouten
stryf,' Babees Book, 318/567, 8; 'Horn,' heo sede, 'wipute strif | þu
schalt haue me to þi wif,' King Horn, C. 407, 8.
5. The construction with to is noteworthy; comp. Wher þou salt
wreth to us withouten ende,' E. E. Psalter (Surtees, xvi.), i. p. 283;
'And all men þe sonere foregaue | There wreth þat þei to oper haue,'
Horstmann, A. L., ii. 340/101, 2; Castel off Loue, 905. So with words
of similar meaning, 'To quam men sal haue gret envi,' Cursor, 9332,
Athelston, 79, and Zupitza's note, p. 356, but also with at in Horstmann,
Barbour, ii. 33/491.
13. Lewis of Bavaria was elected Emperor in 1314, as Lewis the
Fourth, but his election was not recognised by Pope John XXII. In
1341 he concluded a strict alliance with Philip of France. He died
in 1347.
14. had no pere, see for a collection of examples of this phrase,
Zupitza's note to Athelston, 1. 33.
20. Duche tung. Comp. This Duche-land cald Germany,' Wyn-
E 2

MINOT'S POEMS
toun, iv. 2423. The expression, no doubt, includes all the German
dialects; De Klerk, lamenting the divisions of Christendom, says, 'Want
tkerstenheit es gedeelt in tween; | Die Walsche tongen die es een,
Dandre die Dietsche al geheel,' 11. 1585-7.
211 See introduction; but it is curious that De Klerk speaks of
Edward's reception by the emperor on landing almost in the same terms
as here, Doe die keiser dat vernam, | Dat die coninc van Engelant
quam | Ontfing hine mit groter eren, | Alse betaemt selken heren,'
11. 349-52. The Chronique de Berne has, ' Hoc inde petivit Anverpiam.
Et fuit ibi dux Brabantiae consobrinus suus obviam ei ac praesentavit ei
totam terram suam et posse suum.' Istore et Croniques de Flandres,
i, p. 558. Et applicuerunt apud Andewerpiam, ubi fuerunt prima facie
cum honore recepti; et sibi dederunt obviam ibi dux Brabanciae, comites
Hanoniae, de Geldre, et de Juliers, et alii magnates partium illarum,
parati ad suum servitium, ut dixerunt,' Murimuth, p. 84.
23. with all þayre rede, with the advice of them all, with one
consent; practically the same as ‘þis tuei bischopes and seint Dunstan
were al at one rede,' Mätzner, Sprachprob., i. 175/143. Comp. also
And beryd þe cors with both her rede,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 335/76.
For proferd comp. He profers hym on al wyse | To myne honore &
my servyse,' Ywain, 1233, 4.
26. Notwithstanding anything which might happen. Cursor, 8731,
has' For nathing, sco said, mai fall,' in same sense. Comp. also, That
thei scholde come with-outen dwellyng | And speke with him for anythyng,' Laud Troy Book, 3103, 4: in For thynges that myght befalle,’
id. 3212, the meaning is, to provide against emergencies.
29. in frith and fen. fen is for the rhyme; the usual phrase being
frith and fell, as in Anturs of Arther, i; Thomas of Erceldoune, 319;
Towneley Plays, 156/515; Percy Folio, iii. p. 57, note. Fild and
frithe come in Sir Amadace, xlii, and Alisaunder fragment, 15.
35. Si tinrent (Edward and his Queen) leur estat à Louvaing tout
cel yver moult honnourablement, et fist faire monnoye d'or et d'argent
à Antwers à grand foison; et fit faire escus à l'aigle au nom de l'empereur, semblans aux escus que le roi de France faisoit, qui bien eurent
et ont leur cours,' Le Bel, i. p. 149. Ruding, Annals of the Coinage,
vol. i. p. 408, thinks these coins were struck with English dies and are
not now to be distinguished; while Lelewel, Numismatique du Moyen.
Age, iii. p. 280, says that the 'esterlings' of Luxembourg were servilely
copied in the name of Edward, and he figures in Plate xx, no. 46, a coin
bearing the inscription LOCENBGENSIS. Comp. Lussheborgh, Piers
Plowman, Notes, p. 357. But Van der Chÿs, in his Munten der voormalige Hertogdommen Braband en Limburg, gives representations of
some of them, and says that they are of English type but easily dis-

NOTES, III. 20--79
tinguished by their legends from coins struck in England (Notes and
Queries, 1852, p. 150); and a representation of one of them of silver is
engraved in Willems' ed. of De Klerk's poem. It has on one side the
crowned head of the king with legend MONETA: NRA: ANTVVERP
(our mint of Antwerp), and on the other, BNDICTV: SIT: NOMEN: DNI:
NRI- on the outer circle; SIGNUM CRUCIS and a cross within.
36. Comp. 'Her egain mai naman sai,' Cursor, 798.
47. Comp. viii. 95.
49. Sailors soon were sent for.
52. Who had experienced both victory and defeat. The words are
used with their ordinary meaning in 'þe pople fel adoun to grounde |
þai nist of wele no wo,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 234/348; And I shalle
telle of there endinge | That mykelle wiste of wo and wele,' Le Morte
Arthur, 7, 8. Similarly, & ich him wulle suggen; of blissen and of
sorwen,' Lazamon, 4631, 2.
C
57. held vp þaire handes, as a way of showing thankfulness. So,
'When thei herde these tithandis, | Then thei held vp bothe here
handis | And thanked her goddis of here wille,' Laud Troy Book, 3515-7.
The burgeyse held vp his hand | And thankyd God þat he hathe found,'
Ipomydon, 1351, 2; '& Adam held vp bope his hond | & ponked God
of alle his sond,' Horstmann, A. L., i. 144/489, 90. It is a gesture of
assent, Erl of Tolous, 632; Sir Ferumbras, 1406; and of prayer, Cursor,
4767. See also Athelston, p. 365, note on l. 154.
59. Hamton, Southampton. The longer name appears for the first
time about the middle of the tenth century, but in the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries Hampton is much the commoner.
66. bileuid, remained. So in Thomas of Erceldoune, 23, And wha
sall dye and byleve thare.'
67. Comp. 'Was non of hem þat hise hernes | Ne lay þer-ute ageyn
þe sternes,' Havelok, 1808, 9.
69. gle, shift, device; comp. iv. 57.
74. syde, coast. It must be understood with Flandres. Comp.
'Item alle Selandes side strecket dat lant sutwest and nortost. Item
alle Vlanderenssyden strecket westsutwest und ostnortost,' Seebuch,
PP. 50, 51.
76. Armouth, Yarmouth, at the mouth of the western Yar on the
north-west coast of the Isle of Wight. It is styled Eremouth in its first
charter, dated A. D. 1135, and the first appearance of the present name
in an official document apparently occurs in a charter of James the
First granted to Eremue alias Yarmouth. In Rymer it is Yarnemuth
in Insula Vectae, ii. p. 950, while Great Yarmouth is generally Gernemuth or Jernemuth, id. p. 948.
79. The galley was a vessel of a long and narrow type impelled

MINOT'S POEMS
mainly by oars. At this time it was most used by the Genoese and
other sailors of the Mediterranean. Those ordered by Philip for his
proposed Crusade in 1332 were for crews of two hundred men each,
while the galions or galiots of the same class but smaller were to be
manned by one hundred men (Jal, Archéologie Navale, i. pp. 453, 4).
In 1337, Ottone Doria of Genoa covenants to supply the French king
with twenty galleys at 900 golden florins a month each. Each galley
is to be manned by a captain, 2 mates, 2 clerks, 25 arblast men, and
180 rowers. The contract is printed in the Chronique Normande,
p. 210, and Doria was present at the pillage of Southampton with these
vessels, receiving a present of a hundred livres tournois' from Quiéret
for coming to the help of his men whose vessel first entered the harbour,
id. p. 251. For pictures of galleys see Yule's Marco Polo and Stirling-
Maxwell's Don John of Austria. Jurien de la Gravière, Les derniers
jours de la Marine à Rames, Paris, 1885, though mainly about the
galley of the sixteenth century, has a good appendix on its construction
and management. The taret, O.F. taride, L.L. tareda, tarida, was a
large vessel like a galley, but mostly used for transport (Jal, Glossaire
Nautique, pp. 1429, 30). The cog, O.N. kuggr, was an English vessel
very broad and deep in proportion to its length. The king's favourite
vessel, the cog Thomas, was manned by 136 sailors, and was probably
of 200 to 250 tons burthen (Nicolas, ii. p. 161). But it seems to have
been one of the largest; the John de Douorre and the Mighel of the
same place have each 34 soldiers at 8d. a day, and 35 sailors at 3d.
a day in 46 Edw. III (Record Office, E. B. 160 605). The English war
vessel of this period was generally a merchant ship specially fitted with
a high raised bulwark at either end.
87. still, if correct, is due to the need for a rhyme; it rhymes with
will seven times.
92. in dede doghty. Comp. 'Sone, seyde Clement, be doghty of
dede,' Octavian, 150/1438; Sir knyghtys that ar of dede dughty,'
Towneley Plays, 213/308.
93. wane mostly takes a noun in apposition, as, 'To Sarsyns habbeþ
þay 3yue anon | Of sturne strokes wel god won,' Sir Ferumbras, 5517;
'for ȝe haue werldes welth gude wane,' Seven Sages, 265. So with
other words of similar meaning, 'He sal quete find vs gret plente,'
Cursor, 6500.
95. put þam to were. Skeat explains, prepared themselves for
battle' or 'prepared to defend themselves,' like 'mult se penoient de
desfendre,' Wace, Brut, 336. It might mean 'put the enemy in distress,
comp. All the pepull to pyne put,' Troy Book, 8852; xi. 20.'
"
100. hire. Comp. vii. 66; and, He wol quite þe wel pin hire,'
Horstmann, S. A. L., 40/332.

NOTES, III. 79—IV
102. A formula which occurs frequently, with little meaning, in the
romances. Comp. 'Thane armede þe geaunt hym ful wele | Bothe in
iryne and in stele,' Octavian, 111/690, 1; 'An helm of riche atire |
Þat was stele, and noon ire,' Libeaus, 255, 6, and 464; 'Girde þi
swerde of iren and stele,' E. E. Psalter, i. p. 145; Richard Coer de
Lion, 2544; Alisaunder, 5549-51; A. & M. 90/3161, 2; and Sir
Tristrem, 3324, in the note to which other places will be found quoted.
109. Comp. þare i fand þe fayrest thorne | That ever groued sen
god was born,' Ywain, 353, 4; 'Þat has bene us beforne | And þe
tyme sen god was borne,' 103/4; Amis, p. xlv, has a large number of
examples.
III. This turn of expression is found in Alisaunder, 3770, 1, 'No
sygh never men beter fyghtors, | Betir stonders, no beter weorryours,' in
Roland fragment, 1001; Was ther neuer beter men slayn, I trow,' and
in 'Ne neuere better men born ware,' Laud Troy Book, 39.
116. 'For their earnest wish to beat the French.' Comp. 'As thai
that war in-to gud will | To wenge the angir and the Ill,' Bruce, v. 99,
100, and xix. 417; He þat wes mast in gud wil | His handis for to
strek hir til,' Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 188/127; York Plays, 66/336.
117. Such expressions were used by the minstrels to rouse the attention of their hearers at the beginning of a new division of their story.
Comp. viii. 57, and Amis, p. xliii, for a collection of them.
126. his haly hand. Comp. hold ouer me, lord, thy holy hand,'
Towneley Plays, 42/75; Godd hald ouer him his holi hand,' Cursor,
4196 and 4804; 'He blesse ows alle wip his hond | And sende ows pes
in Engelond,' A. & M. 359/1979, 80.

IV. Edward's First Invasion of France. Flamengerie.

About the 20th of September, 1339, Edward quitted Valenciennes at
the head of the allied forces, and entered Cambrésis. He captured
Thun-l'Evêque and besieged Cambrai, but as the winter was coming on
he decided to abandon the siege and to invade France. Many strong
places were taken and sacked on his way, and nothing was to be seen
but fire and ruin till Edward arrived at Flamengerie. Meanwhile Philip
was at Saint-Quentin, from which place, on Sunday, the 17th of October,
a letter was sent by Gallois de la Baume, the commander of the crossbowmen, on behalf of his master Philip, to Hugh de Genève for Edward.
It was attested by letters from the king of Bohemia and the Duke of
Lorraine on the 20th, and it stated that the king of France had been
told that Edward had said he would wait a fortnight or three weeks for
a battle if he knew Philip wanted to fight. If then, it continued,

MINOT'S POEMS
Edward will wait till Thursday or Friday following he will get his
desire. Edward replied that he had been in France for more than
three weeks, and Philip could have fought already if he had wished.
He would, however, wait till the day named. On the Wednesday,
accordingly, he prepared for the fight, but the enemy did not come.
Philip appears to have advanced as far as Buironfosse, about three miles
off. Thursday was spent in a foray on the country about Thiérace, and
on Friday Edward again awaited the French. In the evening Philip sent
a message that he would not fail Edward on the next day. On Saturday,
then, Edward took up a position about a league from Flamengerie, and
drew up his men so skilfully that the Germans and Brabançons were
astonished and delighted when they saw the king and his people
'prest pur vivre et mourer en la place' (Froissart, xviii. p. 90). After
Edward had knighted a large number of the young esquires, he and his
nobles caused wine to be given to the troops, 'feirent amener des vynes
pur doner à boire à touts lours gentes' (id. xviii. p. 91). A prisoner
was then sent off to Philip to point out that it was not courteous to
keep the English waiting. But the king of France retreated to St.
Quentin on the same day, Saturday the 23rd, with such haste that he
left behind him a thousand horses in a marsh. Edward, by his own
account, remained till the following Monday, when he returned to
Antwerp, but Nangis says he too went on Saturday. The French king's
reasons for not fighting are variously stated; he was dissuaded because
it was Friday, because his troops were not sufficiently rested, and because
Edward's position was too strong. King Robert of Sicily, too, had discovered by astrological science that the fates were against him. De
Klerk says that he was eager to fight till he ascertained that the Duke
of Brabant was still with Edward. (Froissart. L'Ordonnance des
Anglais à la Flamengerie, printed in Lettenhove, xviii. p. 89, from MS.
Cotton, Caligula D. iii. Avesbury. Rymer. Chronicon Monast. de
Melsa. iii. Nangis. Chronique Normande. De Klerk. Oudegherst.)
This poem in the MS. follows the last one without any break, but as
it differs in form from the third, it is here separated from it. Opposite
the first line in the MS. is written in pencil, Warton, iii. p. 103; see
Ritson's Minot, p. ix for a characteristic reference to the History of
English Poetry.
3. The repetition of cumly is suspicious, but comp. vii. 95.
6. To time, until. Comp. To tyme that childe to deth were dight,'
Towneley Plays, 221/544.
7. of mightes maste. The plural noun is usually found in this
phrase. Comp. vii. 26; 'Itrow in the mekle God, that maist of michtis
may,' Coilgear, 888; God in glorye of myghteste moost,' Sowdone of
"

NOTES, IV. 3-57
Babylone, 1; 'Art þou nóghte halden of myghtis moste,' Sege off
Melayne, 550; Cursor, 25577; Horstmann, A. L., i. 40/340, 200/122.
But,' As mon on this mydlert that most is of myzte,' Anturs of Arther, 1.
See Athelston, p. 343, note on 1. 2.
12. The same combination occurs in Cursor, 839, 'Of sin, and sorou
and shame and strife.'
18. So John of Bridlington's prophecy, 'Laetificabuntur Angli pinguedine musti,' with the gloss, 'i. per bona vina quae bibent ad suorum
confortationem transeundo per terram Franciae.' Wright, Pol. Poems,
i. p. 156, 7. According to the Frenchman in the Dispute, id. p. 92, the
English were not used to it; Non alit ipse liquor vitis, faex venditur
Anglis, Quae cum sit liquida creditur esse liquor.'
26. prise, glory, honour. So Sir Tristrem, 51, 'To heize and holden
priis,' to exalt and retain their fame; Böddeker, A. D., 129/88;
Bruce, xiv. 82. Minot's opinion is shared by at least one French
chronicler: Et tunc rex Franciae nescitur quali usus consilio, eidem
obviare differt, propter quod magnum scandalum ac murmur non solum
in exercitu sed etiam in toto regno contra ipsum exortum est,' Nangis,
ii. p. 164.
30. Comp. iv. 96; and, 'I shal schak hym by the berd | The nexte
tyme we mete,' Sir Degrevant, 819, 20; 'The kyng by chyn him
schoke,' Alisaunder, 3934; Wright, Pol. Songs, 324/18.
43. morning, probably of Saturday the 23rd. The mist is not mentioned in any of the chronicles.
45. Their joyful anticipation of battle was clouded. Other examples
of the alliteration are, 'Micht I chaip of this chance, that changes my
cheir,' Coilzear (Laing), 721; 'Qwan þe Juwys thoutyn hym to slo,
| þan chaungyd al here chere,' Horstmann, A. L., i. 103/155, 6; Ywain,
2234; Launfal, 921; Le Bone Florence, 819. See also Mätzner,
p. 563.
Frek alternates with
54. frek to fight. Comp. 1. 84, and i. 13.
fresh in this phrase; so, 'To ffy3te þey were ful ffressche þat tyde,'
Richard, 7008; All fresch i am to fit,' Libeaus, 1943; Alisaunder
fragment, 946.
56. dwell, await battle, for which Minot more commonly uses abide.
57. gayned him no gle, no device or trick was of service to him:
an uncommon expression, bu tcomp. ' of a gome þat gayned no gle,' Rel.
Ant. i. 77/39. gle with meaning, business, line of action, is exclusively
Northern, comp. iii. 69. Similarly gamen, as in 'Vngainand þan sal be
his gamen,' Cursor, 22751: the modern game has retained the meaning,
policy, dodge.' In 'per nis no murg3þe þat may him gayne,' Ferumbras, 2034, the sense is simply, he can take pleasure in nothing.
A similar phrase with gamen, ‘to please,' is frequent, as, ‘gamyt hem
"

MINOT'S POEMS
non oper gle,' Horst., A. L., i. 107/424; 'Quen he wit his gleu him
gammen,' Cursor, 7409; 'Sone with þe Danes gamned þam no glewe,'
Langtoft, i. p. 18.
58. So,' He no coupe no better bot' (he knew of no better resource),
Rouland and Vernagu, 564; 'Florent sawe none odur bote | But þat he
muste fyght on fote,' Octavian, 140/1261, 2.
59. on fote, on his feet. Fote here and at vi. 30 is a dative plural,
M.E. foten, O.E. fōtum. See Zupitza, Guy of Warwick, 598 note.
61-63. Philip in his challenge had declared himself willing to take
up a position unfortified by wood, marsh or water. But Edward in
his letter to the council (Avesbury, pp. 305, 6), declares that Philip broke
this self-imposed condition: 'En le mesne temps si estoient ascuns de
noz descoverours une chivaler Dalmaigne pris, quavoit veu tut nostre
arrai, et le monstre en aventure a noz enemys; issint (ainsi) meintenaunt qil fist retrere savaunt garde et comanda de loggier, et
fisrent fosses entour eaux et couperent lez grosses arbres þur nous
tolir (take away, prevent, L. tollere) la venue a eaux.' Murimuth,
p. 102, is to the same effect, 'Sed rex Franciae, licet prope fuisset per
ij. milliaria, nunquam tamen eis voluit appropinquare; sed rediit, et
fractis pontibus et prostratis arboribus ad impediendum iter regis
Angliae ne sequeretur eum, Parisius est reversus.' Comp. also for the
combination, 'He have gevyn amonge þe okes | knyghttys so mony
grette strokes,' Ipomadon, 4014, 5.
67. cares colde, also at vii. 87. It is a very common alliterative expression; 'For care ful colde þat to me cazt,' The Pearl, 50; 'þus
y kippe & cacche cares ful colde,' Böddeker, Alteng. Dicht., 104/61 and
102/9; Towneley Plays, 285/207; 'Casten y wol the from cares ant
kelde,' Specimens of Lyric Poetry (Percy Soc.), p. 37; 'þe kyng for þat
care coldit at his hert,' Troy Book, 1306; Awntyrs of Arthure, 150;
W. of Palerne, 1656. On the other hand we have, 'pa3 I hente ofte
harmez hate,' The Pearl, 388.
68. Comp. 'de king him bad ben hardi & bold,' Genesis, 2121; 'And
thow art hardi, strong & bolde,' Laud Troy Book, 2299.
70. þe king als of Nauerne. Philip the Third was the father-inlaw of Philip of Valois. His eldest son, Charles the Second, the Bad,
was at Crécy, Nauerne rhymes with sterne in Octavian, 31/962, and
the form is also used by Skelton, 'Of the kyng of Nauerne ye might
take heed | Vngraciously how he doth speed,' i. 187/153, 4: it is
possibly due to Navarreni, Latin for the natives of Navarra.
71. The line is corrupt, the second, third and fourth words are in
smaller writing as if filled in afterwards. Skeat suggests that feld may
mean, felled, knocked down, which would not suit the next line, or it
may, he thinks, be an error for fled, i. e. had fairly fled away. Scholle

NOTES, IV. 57-88
C.
P. 12.
adopts felid which can only mean, hid; comp. Small, Met. Homilies,
Faire seems to me to have absorbed two distinct words, fain
and for. I propose to read, War fain for fered in the ferene. Comp.
for fayn, 'Fayn he was hys hedd to hyde,' Erl of Tolous, 113, and for
for fered, iv. 27, 93; vii. 90; And felede theme so feynte they falle in
þe greues | In the ferynne of þe fyrthe, fore ferde of oure pople,' Morte
Arthure, 1874, 5;ffor to fele me for ferde of tha foule thyngez,'
id., 3238; ' He sperd his 3ate & in he ran | For fered of þat wode
man,' Ywain, 1677, 8. Mätzner, Alteng. Sprachproben, i. p. 122, note,
gives further examples.
72. This alliteration is common, especially in the romances. Comp.
'Ther es none of ȝow so hardy, | And ȝe hade sene his cheualry, | 3our
hedis þat ye nolde hyde,' Rowland and Otuell, 262-4; 'For dred of
dethe he hid neuer his hed,' Roland fragment, 211; Or busk to youre
beyldyng | youre heedys for to hyde,' Towneley Plays, 167/35; Libeaus,
1167; King of Tars, A. 1187; Horn Childe, 252. See also Amis, p. 1.
77. tolde, esteemed, held. This meaning is well illustrated by ' þar
bras, 4212.
as y ha be arst mykel of tolde, For a coward y worp y-holde,' Sir Ferum-
Comp. also, '3ef þou art riche & wel ytold, | Ne be þou
noht þarefore to bold,' Böddeker, Alteng. Dicht., 292/119, 20.
79. riche on raw, splendid in their ranks, the row of this phrase is
apparently either the line of guests at table, or, as here, of knights in line
of battle. Comp. Before þat riale renkis, richest on raw, | Salust
þe bauld berne with ane blith wont,' Golagrus, 1277, 8 (Anglia, ii.
p. 438) the only example I have met with.
80. Comp. v. 29, x. 8. Villani, vi. p. 168, says of this occasion,
'Ma veggendosi che il re di Francia non venia alla battaglia trombando
e ritrombando se n' andarono ad Arenes in Tiraccia (Thiérace).'
Froissart shows us Edward entering Berwick in 1333 ‘à grant solennité de trompes et de nakaires, de cornemuses, claronceaux et tabourins,'
ii. p. 275. Like his father he was a great patron of minstrels of all
kinds, as his household accounts sufficiently show.
81. at þaire might, see i. 29, note.
85-87. See the introduction to the poem, p. 55. But le Bel says the
English and their allies had been drawn up in the fields from morning
to noon without eating or drinking, i. p. 161. The practice is illustrated by Barbour, Bruce, xix. 331-6, where the English 'send out
archeris a thousand | And gert thaim weill drink of the vyne | And bad
thaim gang to bikkyr syne | The scottis host in abandoune, | And luk if
thai mycht dyng thaim doune.'
"
88. Le Lundy matin si avoms novelles qe le dit sire Phelipe et
toutz sez alliez fusrent desparpilez et retretz a graunt haste,' Edward's
letter, Avesbury, 306.

MINOT'S POEMS
96. keped him in þe berde, withstood him at close quarters:
comp. 'And kepe him euene in the berd, | For he was nou3t of him
aferd,' Laud Troy Book, 1383, 4.

V. The Sea Fight at Sluys.

When Edward was about to leave England for his second invasion of
France in 1340, he was told that Philip had collected a large fleet at
Sluys to hinder his landing. He therefore waited about ten days (1. 21)
till he had got together about two hundred ships, sailing on the 22nd of
June. On the following day he arrived before Blanckenberghe, where
he was joined on the morning of the 24th by Sir Robert Morley with
fifty vessels of the Northern Fleet. The French were commanded by
Hugues Quiéret and Nicolas Behuchet, and they were strengthened by a
squadron under Barbenoire, a corsair of Porto Venere, qui estoit tres
bons weriers et hardis' (Jean d'Outremeuse, vi. p. 369). The battle,
une des rudes & cruelles batailles marines dont on ouyt oncques parler'
(Oudegherst, ii. p. 447), began on the afternoon of Saturday the 24th, and
resulted in the complete defeat of the French. The details of the struggle
may be read in Nicolas, History of the Navy.
The stanza beginning with 1. 15 in its present place separates the
herof of 1. 19 from 1. 12 to which it refers; and in subject it plainly
belongs to the second section of the poem which deals with those who
were at the fight. It should be transferred, and probably to follow

1. 62 or 1. 70.
   The irregularity in the length of the stanzas both here and in ix. is
   remarkable. They consist of six lines or of four, but the former may be
   extended to eight by the repetition in two additional lines of the idea of
   the sixth (see ll. 13, 14; ix. 7, 8; 27, 28). The two kinds of stanzas
   are mostly grouped together, not alternated. The irregularity is scarcely
   due to carelessness on the part of the scribe, or to writing down from
   imperfect memory, as nothing seems wanting to the sense in either poem.
   A similar irregularity, too, occurs in the Hymn on p. 75 of Religious
   Pieces (E. E. T. S. No. 26), which I ascribe to Minot; its verses are of
   eight lines with the exception of the first two, which have six each.
   I. Minot with mowth. Comp. 'It es no lifand man with mowth |
   þat half hir cumforth tel kowth,' Iwain, 1381, 2; 'Horn iherde wip
   his ires,' King Horn, C. 959 and 755 note; Athelston, p. 392, note on
3. mi sorow suld slake, a not common alliteration, but comp.

NOTES, IV 96… V. 15
A
ffor thi I red thi sorowe thou slake,' Towneley Plays, 269/356;
For it wolde do my sorowe to slake,' York Plays, 422/45; 'Allace,
Ded, quhene wil þu tak | Me, & al my sorou slak,' Horstmann,
Barbour, ii. 19/496, 7, and 119/254.
7. cast was in care. See vi, 18 note.
8. Kyret. Hugues Quiéret, Chevalier, Seigneur de Tours en Vimeu,
is styled 'magnificus vir dominus H. Q. miles admiratus' in a document
of 1335 which gives him the command of five galleys in the proposed
crusade of Philip. He was appointed Admiral of France in 1336; in
1338 he visited Bruges on behalf of the French King; and in 1339
he was Captain of Douay. In that year he served on the frontier of
Flanders. He died of the wounds he received at Sluys. Froissart calls
him 'bons chevaliers et hardis' (iii. 201). Two of his descendants were
killed and two taken prisoner at Agincourt, (de la Chenaye-Desbois,
Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, xi. p. 637, xiv. p. 515. Luce, Froissart,
i. p, ccxxii, ii. p. xvii).
9. Normondes. The enemy's vessels were mainly manned by them.
Comp. 'Dese vrancrijcsche partien | Waren meest uut Normandien, ]
Ende van Kaleys uter stede; Oic so waren daer mede | Een deel
Vlaminge te waren | Die uten lande gebannen waren,' De Klerk,
1283-8. So in an account (Record Office, Navy ººº) a payment is made
to the master of a ship acquired apud le Esclus ad bellum Normannorum.' The fleets which had preyed on the southern coast of England
for the three years previous came mainly from the north of France, and
the squadron which appeared before Southampton in 1339 summoned
the town to surrender to the Duke of Normandy, Perhaps Minot, in his
special dislike of 'be fals folk of Normundy,' vii. 72, expresses a
specially English feeling, a survival of the Conquest. Comp. from a
poem of the middle of the thirteenth century, 'Gens Normannigena
fragili nutritur avena, | Subdola, ventosa, mendax, levis, invidiosa, |
Vincere mos est Francigenis nec sponte nocere, | Prodere dos Normannigenis belloque pavere,' Reliq. Antiq. i. p. 5. leue on his lare, see
vi. 22, note.
12. sowed him sare. Sowed is explained by its synonym smerted
in the next line. See Gloss. and for this Northern phrase comp. 'I
shall send venyance ix or ten | Shall sowe full sore or I seasse,
Towneley Plays, 69/172; 'For, in faythe, I fele yt yette | That sore it
dothe me sowe,' Ipomadon, 5183, 4; 'Thinkand he mycht na payne
mare | Do til hyme to sow hyme sare,' Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 104/291,
2; 'When I sall quake and dredfull be | And all my synnes sowe full
sare,' Religious Pieces, 77/75, 6; 'Þat wil yow herafter sare sow,'
Cursor, 6568; York Plays, 334/437.
15. Edward in his despatch says, 'Les Fflemengs estoient de bone

MINOT'S POEMS
volente davoir venuz a nous ala bataille du comencement tanqe ala fin'
(Nicolas, ii. p. 502), a statement which Nicolas (p. 51) finds rather
obscure. But Froissart is explicit, Et dura le bataille del heure de
prisme jusques à relevée (afternoon) et adont vinrent grant gent de
Flandres, car tres le matin li bailleux de l'Escluse l'avoit fet segnefyer
à Bruges et és villes voisinnes. Si estoient les villes touttes esmutes
et acouru à piet et à cheval et par le Roe . . . et s'asamblèrent à
l'Escluse grant quantité de Flammens et entrèrent en nefs et en barges
et en grans vaissiaux espagnols et s'en vinrent jusques à le bataille tout
fresk et tout nouvel et grandement reconfortèrent les Englès,' Froissart,
iii. p. 197.
17. Þe Sluse, province of Zeeland, arrondissement of Middelburgh:
'Le havre de l'Escluse qui est ung des plus beaulx havres de Crestianté,' Le Débat des Hérauts (abt. 1450), p. 27. The word means, the
floodgate, L. exclusa; it began to supersede the former name Zwijn,
the southern port, about the middle of the fourteenth century (Southey,
Lives of the Admirals, i. p. 245). The harbour is now sanded up.
by a name, possibly, to a man, individually enumerated, but apparently
a mere cheville; elsewhere it means, expressly; 'But god that died ffor
man be name | Saue his body ffro dedly shame,' Beuis of Hamtoun,
60/1019, 20; 'I saide þat he schuld breke | Youre barres and bandis
by name,' York Plays, 383/189, 90; 'As he told before by name, | To
oure fader, abraham,' Towneley Plays, 99/76.
20. Walsingham says that the information came from the Count of
Gileres, i. e. Juliers (Hist. Anglic., i. p. 226). But Avesbury, p. 311,
tells us that the king first heard of it from the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and thought the story an invention to keep him at home. Orwell is a
river the estuary of which opens out between Ipswich and Harwich in
Suffolk. See Archaeologia, x. p. 350.
27. Blanckenberghe in West Flanders, arrondissement of Bruges,
situated on the sea-coast a little to the west of the river Sluys. Saint
Jons night, Friday the 23rd of June, is the vigil or evening before
St. John's day.
30. See ix. 25, note.
32. Sir Robert Morley, Marshal of Ireland by his marriage with
Hawyse, sister and heir to John le Mareschall of Hengham in Norfolk,
and Admiral of the Northern Fleet in 1339-41, 1348, 1350 and 1355.
He was at Crécy, Calais and Espagnols sur Mer. He died in France in
1360 possessed of the manors of Gressinghall and Morley Hall in Norfolk.
The latter is in the parish of Morley St. Botolph, Hundred of Forehoe;
it is not far from Wymondham. Blomefield's Norfolk, ii. p. 481.
33. At half eb. It was high water on the day of the battle at
II.23 a.m. (Nicolas, ii. p. 51). Minot's half-ebb would then fall

NOTES, V. 15-40
bout three o'clock in the afternoon, and this would agree fairly well
with Edward's statement in his dispatch, that the battle began 'bien
pres houre de noune,' and with Le Baker, 'Post horam nonam...
ostibus dedit optatum insultum,' p. 68, where see the note p. 243, 4.
Froissart says the fight began at prime, i. e. about nine o'clock.
C
36. þaire wapin es oway. Comp. To say your perle is al awaye,'
The Pearl, 258; 'his gentilnesse was alle away,' Le Morte Arthur, 1082;
'þe feste was trobled & myrpe aweye,' R. of Brunne, 4930; Our
bred, our wyn ys al away,' Ferumbras, 2504; 'þy miȝte ys al oway,' id.
5126; ' Al awei was hire wo,' K. of Tars, V. 857; 'Se, thi mens myghte
es alle away,' Horstmann, A. L., i. 185/163.
37. William de Bohun was created earl of Northampton in 1337.
He was at Flamengerie, and in 1342 he was appointed Lieutenant-
General of Edward in Brittany. He captured the king of Majorca at
Crécy. In 1350 he was Warden of the Scotch Marches, and he died in
1360. Doyle's Official Baronage, ii. p. 613. Helpid at þat nede:
Comp. To help me at þis nede,' K. of Tars, A. 1008; 'Help now in
þis nede,' Horn Childe, 264.
38. worthli in wede. See x. 2, and the variant wight in wede, viii. 5.
Wede is here armour, as in Richely armed in his wede,' Torrent of
Portyngale, 1265. The phrase is common in the romances, '3ondere I see
full brighte Banere | And worthily vndir wede,' Rowland and Otuell,
860, 1; 'þat ich maide, worpli in wede,' Amis, 1430; 'That wyt ys vndyr
wede,' Torrent of Portyngale, 749; Sir Degrevant, 1892; Octavian,
65/21.
39. Sir Walter Manny, 'bons chevaliers, rades, preux, hardis, sages et
bachelereux' (Froissart, ii. p. 193), is first met with in a Household
Account of 1332, as 'Watelet de Hainault, pagius custos leporariorum
dominae reginae.' He came to England in the train of Queen Philippa.
In 1332 he was entrusted with the charge of the castle of Hardelagh,
and in 1337 he was Admiral of the Northern Fleet and one of the
commanders of the expedition to Cadzand. He commanded an expedition to Brittany in 1345 and was present at the siege of Calais. In
1347 he became a baron of the realm by a writ of summons to Parliament,
and in 1348 he was again Admiral of the Northern Fleet. He took part
in the sea-fight with the Spaniards in 1350. He died in London in 1372.
40. This line would present no difficulty if we read, Was bold burne
his body in battle to bede. If it be right as it stands, it contains a
curious admixture of two phrases, (1) bold of body, and (2) to bede
(offer, risk) one's body, with a suggestion of (3) to bede (offer) battle.
Comp. for (1) 'bold burnes of bodies pere were on bope sides,'
William of Palerne, 3618: for (2) 'Ye ne have na knyght in þis
cuntre þat durst right now his body bede,' Ywain, 952, 3 and for

MINOT'S POEMS
"
(3) Gif ony wald hym byde battale,' Bruce, viii. 284; ' Ilk dai he come
in place, | And batail bede wit sli manace,' Cursor, 7471, 2; bataile to
bede,' xi. 35. There are also the common, to abide battle, and to abide
in battle, for which comp. The boldest under baner batelle to abide,'
Political, Religious and Love Poems, 2/39; bold burnes to abide in
batayles harde,' William of Palerne, 3331; Hymns to the Virgin,
84/35, 6. In xi. 34 habyde is used absolutely, with the same sense.
41. Henry of Derby, 'qui au temps présent est l'ung des plus proeus
et des beaulz chevaliers armé et désarmé qui soit en vye,' Le Bel, i.
p. 16.
He took part in the Scotch campaign of 1335. In 1337 he
became Earl of Derby, and in that year he was joined with Sir Walter
Manny in the attack on Cadzand. He was at Flamengerie. In 1345
he became Earl of Lancaster by the death of his father. He distin
guished himself at the sea-fight with the Spaniards in 1350. He was
created Duke of Lancaster by special charter in 1352. He was in
France again in 1359 and 1360 and he died of the plague in the following
year. Doyle, ii. p. 312. dight for to driue is a combination of which
I have not found any other example.
42. With mody, comp. 'He wolle be mody man of þewys,' Archiv.
cxi. 296/717; 'mony a mwdy sarasyne,' Barbour, Bruce. xx. 394. þat
thoght for to thriue, that had a mind bent on success.
The phrase
is illustrated by 'And hopis beste for to spede,' Thomas of Erceldoune,
454; Egyllamowre wened welle to do,' Sir Eglamour, 385; Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 178/89; and 'There come meny another man | That
thought there to have to done,' Torrent of Portyngale, 2446, 7; ich
wende swide wel to don,' Lazamon, 3430.
43. stint he þat striue, put an end to that struggle. Comp. But
they stynte of ther stryfe,' Erl of Tolous, 930; For he may stynte oure
stryve,' York Plays, 58/61. See also Amis, p. xlvi.
45, 6. A celle bataille fut mort ledit messire Hue Kyres et pluseurs
de son lignage, et bien trente mille hommes que morts que noyez, ainsi
comme on disoit; desquelz la mer en jetta grand partie sur la rive de
l'Escluse et de Cagant, et furent trouvez aucuns tous armez ainsy que
combastus s'estoient,' Le Bel, i. p. 172. Comp. too the grim joke
recorded in the Chronicon Monast. de Melsa, iii. p. 45, 'Tantique
fuerunt ibidem Franci et Normanni interfecti et submersi quod de eis
ridicule dicebatur quod si Deus piscibus maris loquelam dedisset, ex
ipsorum mortuorum devoratione, ydioma Gallicum profecto in posterum
habuissent.' According to Walsingham, Hist. Anglic., i. p. 227, the
news of the defeat was broken to the French King by his fool, who
accused the English of cowardice, and when asked by the king why he
did so, said, 'Quia timidi sunt et in mare saltare non sunt ausi, ut
fecerunt nostri Normanni et Gallici generosi.'

NOTES, V. 40-59
47. Sir William Clinton took part in Edward's first Scotch campaign,
and he was subsequently Justice of Chester, Governor of Dover, and
Warden of the Cinque Ports. He helped to surprise Mortimer at
Nottingham, and was soon after, in 1330, summoned to Parliament as
a Baron of the Realm. He was Admiral of the Western Fleet in 1333,
and was at Halidon Hill in that year, and in 1335 and 1336 he was
employed on various embassies. In 1337 he was created Earl of Huntingdon. In 1339 he was Admiral of the Thames, and again Warden
of the Cinque Ports. He was present at Crécy, and in the following
years diplomatic missions were often entrusted to him. He died in
1354. Doyle, ii. p. 225. eth for to knaw. Comp. 'Eth was to knaw
quilk þat þai ware,' Cursor, 8028.
48. on raw, he brought with him many strong men (archers, as in

1. 54) drawn up in good order. This seems the explanation most suitable to the þaire of 1. 49; otherwise broght on raw might mean, killed,
   as in, ‘Smoot and leide on with mayn | And slough a rawe two duzeyn,’
   Alisaunder, 5838, 9; ' & pre kniztes al a rawe | He binam þer her liif
   dawe,' A. & M. 111/3903, 4, 252/9947; 'That he myght the Romaynes
   kille | Playnly on a rowe,' Sowdone of Babylone, 389, 90, and 3105, 6;
   Ferumbras, 4605.
2. Not Hugh Despencer, as Ritson says, but Hugh de Aldithley or
   Audley, who married the widow of Piers Gaveston, one of the daughters
   and co-heirs of Gilbert de Clare. He was with Edward in Scotland in
   1335, and at Flamengerie. He was created Earl of Gloucester in 1337,
   and he died in 1347. Doyle, ii. p. 18.
3. John Badding, 'one of þe best,' is, unlike the six persons already
   commemorated, mentioned in no account of the battle. Possibly Badding
   is a scribe's error for (1) Beauchamp, second son of Guy de Beauchamp,
   Earl of Warwick, who is specially mentioned by Froissart, iii. p. 202,
   or for (2) Bathe or Bathon, who gave evidence in the Scrope and Grosvenor Case (Nicolas, Scrope and Grosvenor Roll, ii. p. 190), and who
   is probably identical with the Mayor of Bristol in 1369 and 1371
   (Ricart's Kalendar, p. 35). But this is very improbable; the poet has
   here inserted the name of some comparatively obscure friend of his.
   A John Badding is mentioned in Harleian Charter, 84 B. 10. of 17th
   Richard II. He is one of four persons (another being a citizen of
   Norwich) to whom Alianor, widow of Robert de Ufford, surrenders
   her right of dower in the Manor of Chebynghale in Fresyngfeld, County
   Suffolk, but nothing further of him is known. The surname is more
   particularly connected with Sussex. A Ralph de Bedyng is Prior of
   Sele in that county in 1324 (Sussex Collections, x. 128). Richard
   Baddyng is part master and owner of a barge of Rye in 46 Edw. III
   (Compotus of William Tidecombe, Record Office, E. B. 160 995).
   He
   1692
   F

MINOT'S POEMS
is apparently the person who was M.P. for Rye in 1366 and 1368 (Sussex
Collections, xxx. p. 189, and Return of Names of Members of Parliament,
Parliamentary Papers, p. 181) and who has property in Winchelsea in
1358 (S. C., xxviii. p. 92), and was bailiff of Rye by royal appointment
in 49 Edw. III (Abbrev. Rot. Original., ii. p. 336). A Robert Baddyng
was master of the Gabriell in 46 Edw. III, and of the Bayarde between
43 and 49 Edw. III (Record Office, E. B. 380 694). He is probably the
same person as the M.P. for Winchelsea in 1371 (Return of Members,
p. 187). From the Rolls of Parliament, i. p. 413, it appears that
a John Badding with other sailors of the Cinque Ports entered a vessel
of John Huchoun and Thomas Peverell of Sherborne in 1321-2, and
carried off twenty-four livres worth of goods. Another John Baddyng was
M.P. for Rye on six occasions between 1386 and 1407 (Return of
Members, pp. 230-273). We may conjecture that it was some person
connected with these whom Minot celebrates.
62. So, Lyghtly walde þey it noghte yelde | To pay had foughtten
þaire fill,' The Sege off Melayne, 212, 13.
63. Jan van Eyle or Heylle was a leading citizen of Sluys. He
belonged to the Leliaert party, and had gone into exile with Count
Louis of Flanders. He was in command of the Christopher, was taken
prisoner and, though a large ransom was offered, was beheaded before
the Halle in Bruges. De Klerk, 1289-98.
64. Cadzant is the name of a village in the province of Zeeland,
arrondissement of Middelburgh, on the south bank of the mouth of the
Scheldt, and also of the island between the village and Walcheren.
67. Ulterius, die illucente et cognito quod triginta naves affugerunt,
misit dominus rex xl. naves bene munitas ad illas insequendas, quibus
preposuit Johannem Crabbe, quem periciorem in arte navali et cognicione
portuum Francorum Anglici reputarunt,' Le Baker, p. 69.
69. Whoever knew his business might show it there, i. e. it was a good
opportunity for the skilful sailor. For the alliteration comp. Sche
nolde kype us his name, | For craft þat we coupe,' Swete Susan, 233, 4;
'Maumecet coupe ful wel þat craft: and put him anon þar-to,' Sir
Ferumbras, 1312; þat mercy schal hyr crafte; kype,' The Pearl, 356;
Mätzner, Alteng. Sprachproben, i. 60/131; Amis, p. xlix.
70. Apparently means that they were allowed to keep their booty,
without deduction. Comp. 'þe English knafes tok the pilfre of the
Scottes þat were quellede, euery man þat he myght take, wiþout eny
chalange of eny man,' Brut, ed. Brie, i. 286 (of Halidon Hill).
73. Hemingburgh, ii. 356, says they recovered the Edward, the
Katherine and the Rose, three very large 'cogs.' Murimuth, p. 106,
mentions the Christopher and the Black Cog as recaptured. From
Geoffrey le Baker and Murimuth we learn the names of two of the

NOTES, V. 59-VI
French ships taken, the Denis and the George. Comp. for the alliterative
formula, iv. 47, and, ‘Whan he of bond was brouht for ransoun þat was
riche,' Langtoft, i. p. 201; 'Because of yone bald berne that broght
me of bandis,' Golagrus, 1316 (Anglia, ii. p. 439).
75. with stremers ful still, as no longer hostile to the English.
The streamer, a very long flag, was a warlike ensign; see in Nicolas,
ii. p. 182, an instance in which vessels going on a peaceful mission are
forbidden to carry them.
77. wurthi in wall. Comp. To wynne the worthyest within the
wall,' Squyr of Lowe Degre, 634; 'That er wes wildest in with walle,'
Specimens of Lyric Poetry (Percy Society), p. 48. The phrase has
arisen out of an older and misunderstood worthy in wale, or worthy
to wale, choice, which occurs in, 'Schir Wawine wourthy to wail,'

• Golagrus, 982 (Anglia, ii. p. 432); 'Lo! here a worthy wyff to wale,'
  Wyntoun, v. 5085: And worthy wemen to wale weping with teris,'
  Troy Book, 9112; Thar Hesylryg duelt, that curssyt knycht to waill,'
  Wallace, v. 574, and vii. 302, 3; Sir Degrevant, 1872.

78. Nicolas notes that Minot is the only English writer who speaks
    of the king's personal bravery in the battle. But he is in accord with
    Le Bel, Maiz le roy Edowart se maintint si vassaument, et faisoit de si
    grands proesses de son propre corps, que il resbaudissoit (re-animated)
    et donnoit cuer à tous les aultres,' i. p. 172; and with De Klerk,' Die
    coninc was, wien lief wien leet, | Bi den iersten daer men street, | Ende
    vacht mitter hant so sere | Dat wonder was van selken here,' 1253-6.
    He was wounded in the thigh, according to the Chronique de Berne
    = (Istore et Croniques de Flandres, i. p. 589). For, faire mot him fall,
    comp. Now fare myght you fall for youre talkyng,' Towneley Plays,
    232/127; 'feyre, syrrys, mote yow be falle,' Le Bone Florence, 198.
79. till þat gude dede, to that fair feat of arms, as in, 'Alle the
    world he hath justid with, | That come to that dede,' Torrent of Portyngale, 2399, 400. Comp. F. fait (d'armes), 'car je ne fu pas à celi fait,'
    Joinville.
80. boste. Comp. vi. 20, note.

VI. The Siege of Tournay.

Immediately after the victory of Sluys, Edward held a council at
Ghent, and another at Vilvorde, where it was decided to besiege
✰ Tournay. Philip, recognizing the importance of the place, threw into
it a strong reinforcement under the Constable, while he himself took
up a position between Lens and Arras with seventy thousand men.
F. 2

MINOT'S POEMS
Edward, with not less than one hundred and twenty thousand men,
began the siege on the 23rd of July. An attempt to take the place by
storm failing, the allied forces maintained a strict blockade and ravaged
the surrounding country. On the 7th of September Philip advanced to
Bouvines, but he was advised that Edward's position was unassailable,
and he made no effort to relieve the besieged, who were by that time
reduced to extremity. But just when Edward's triumph seemed certain,
negotiations for a truce were entered upon, and the articles were signed
at Esplechin on the 25th of September. It is difficult to believe that
Edward relinquished his great advantage for the reasons usually assigned. The intercession of the Countess of Hainault, the want of
money, the long duration of the siege, the approach of autumn, had
not so much weight with the king as the knowledge that through the
treachery of the Duke of Brabant his allies could not be kept any longer
in the field. (Le Bel. Chronique de Tournay. Chronique de Berne.
Oudegherst. Meyer.)
The poem is supposed by Wright and Bierbaum to have been written
before Edward was obliged to abandon the siege. At least 11. 60-70
must have been composed after that event, for the Duke of Brabant did
not go till the treaty of which he was one of the principal negotiators
had been signed. On the other hand, the mocking and triumphant
tone of the preceding lines points to anticipated and almost assured
success. Probably the original ballad ended with 1. 56, followed by
11. 71-78; the poet when rearranging and revising his works inserted
the explanatory lines 60-70, added the awkward transition lines 57-59
(with the past tense was fain), and lines 79-81, to correspond. The
intentional vagueness of the rhyming couplet prefixed to the poem
marks it as belonging to the later revision.
1-4. Tournay, a boar with corselets (warriors) who is brought before
your walls has purposed to build for you sorrow and trouble. For
examples of the omission of the relative, see Koch, Eng. Gram. ii.
§ 362. Wright, following Ritson, takes timber to mean destruction;
but it is a verb, as in for teone ne for tintreohe ₺ ȝe me mahe timbrin,'
S. Juliana, 19/3; 'Hit schalle be tynte, as I troue, and timburt with
'tene,' Anturs of Arther, xxii; Whan þe Danes were out, þat timbred
him his tene,' Langtoft, i. p. 45; And þat hath tymberde all my
teene,' Le Bone Florence, 560; Awntyrs of Arthure, 281; Lazamon,
6619, 20, 28209. The phrase tray and tene is mostly northern :
add to the collection in Brandl, Thomas of Erceldoune, p. 134, 'Þat
liuep in treye & tene,' Amis, 1572; Wit outen ten, wit outen trai,
Small, Metrical Homilies, p. 133; 'And went hir þepen in tene and
trei,' Cursor, 10472, & 17050; William of Palerne, 2073. brenis may

NOTES, VI. I-17
mean a single coat of mail, that of the boar; comp. And woundede
sir Rowlande wonder sore, | thurgh his brenyes brighte,' Rowland and
Otuell, 1397, 8; 'Thane was he warre of a wye wondyre wele armyde, |
Buskede in brenyes bryghte to behalde,' Morte Arthure, 2515, 7. But
it may also mean warriors; if so, it is repeated in with schilterouns of

1. 6. bare, boar, as in Sir Tristrem, 824, 5, Heuedes of wild bare |
   Ichon to presant brou3t.' It is a common designation of Edw. III, 'Tertius Edwardus, aper Anglicus et leopardus,' Wright, Pol. Poems, i. p. 27;
   Walsingham, Hist. Anglic., i. p. 274, describes him when angry,
   'frendens apri more.' See vii. 9. For line 4, comp. vii. 21, and viii. 20.
2. See Amis, p. li, and Athelston, p. 350, for examples of this combination collected from the romances.
3. went, so in similar alliterations, And þi worship is went &
   wastid for euer,' Troy Book, 8118; 'ffor nowe my wirchipe es wente,
   and my were endide,' Morte Arthure, 3957.
4. wakkins, is aroused, begins. Comp. 'Thare wakkyns woo fulle
   wyde,' Sir Isumbras, 227, 323, 419; 'Wer wakyn & wo for þi wickede
   dede,' Troy Book, 1404, 2046, 8183; 'Lat twinne þem in two, | For
   now waknes þeir wo,' Swete Susan, 296, 7; 'I schal waken vp a
   I water to wasch alle þe worlde,' Cleanness, 323.
5. on ilka syde. See i. 19 note, and comp. 'Swiche meting was
   neuer made, | Wip sorwe on ich a side,' Horn Childe, 185, 6.
6. rent is sometimes used vaguely for income, what is to be expected
   by way of return, what is one's due. Scholle quotes Alisaunder,
   1847, 8, 'In justis and fyghtis n'ys non othir rent, | Bote strokis, and
   knokkis and hard deontis.' Comp. also, Richard, 4056; '& seyd, To
   day ich zeld 3our rentes | Wip hard woundes & dep dentes,' A. & M.,
   147/5219, 20, 218/7800. So in Cursor, 19594, 5, ' It fell saint petre als
   for rent, To call men vnto amendment,' it has a similar meaning, what
   is assigned as one's province; in N. E. D. explained as, privilege.
7. hent, seized, received. It often occurs in this connection, as in
   'Mony harmys þai hent er hor helpe come,' Troy Book, 5778; 'For
   ofte harmes were hente · Þat helpe we ne my3te,' Cheuelere Assigne, 3.
   Bearing in mind the great elaboration of Minot's alliteration, and looking
   to the analogy of such places as, 'We mot holde to oure harmes it
   helpes nou3t elles,' William of Palerne, 3988; Holde at þow hente
   has, it harmez bot lyttille,' Morte Arthure, 1842, we are tempted to
   read holde in 1. 16, and holdis in 1. 17. We should then have in l. 17
   a medial alliteration of d thrice. But comp. 'He will be preist þam
   hele and hide,' Cursor, 27437.
8. als hende, as quickly as possible. M.E. hende, hend, representing
   O.E. gehende, is a derivative of hand with the same development of meaning as Germ. anständig, at hand, proper, pleasing, and as adv. near,

MINOT'S POEMS
:
promptly, quickly for the latter, comp. ' tak vp tentis and truse hem
hom hend,' Roland fragment, 48. It appears to interchange meanings
with hendy, O.E. -hendig, dexterous, as at ix. 37, Havelok, 2628. Forals,
comp. 'Thei toke leue as tyde and 3ede | To here schippis with mechel
spede,' Laud Troy Book, 2725, 6; And he graunted as sone here bone,'
id. 3441.
18. cast in care, see v. 7, ix. 60, and compare, 'Of þe smal þat
was so swote, pre hundred sike hadde her bote, & cast were out of
care,' Roland and Vernagu, 107-9; þa3 he be kest into kare, he
kepes no better,' Cleanness, 234; and Cursor, 25705.
20. frankis fare, lit. French behaviour, hence boastful show, assumption of superiority, such as the French affected. Comp. 'He (Christ) es
made of manhede | for all his frankis fare,' Harrowing, 1293. There is
another example in Mätzner, ii. p. 202. In John de Reeue, P. F. MS.
ii. 590/826, Chester Mysteries (E. E. T. S.), 51/100, and Sir Gawayne,
1116, frenkysch fare means fine manners. Comp. further, i. 25, vii. 118,
x. 5, xi. 18; 'I forsaik noght to feght for al his grete feir,' Golagrus,
810 (Anglia, ii. p. 428); ' Her leffe es strekyne down, I wene | For all his
freshe fare,' Ipomadon, 4341, 2; Bruce, ix. 137; Sir Degrevant, 1243, 4;
Morte Arthure, 2225, 2744. For charges of boastfulness against the
French, comp. 1. 26, i. 45, v. 86; The Frensche men cunne bothe bost
and blowe | And with heore scornes us to-threte,' Wright, Pol. Poems,
i. p. 218; 'The Frenshe folke wyth mekyll myghte | In thwerte wyles
they were wyke,' Ipomadon, 5769, 70; 'I say, lady Prudence, howe the
Frenchemen be great braggers, bosters and mangnifyers of them selves
dyspraysynge all nacions savyng them selves,' Le Débat des Hérauts,
p. 58; 'þe Ffrenssche men be couaytous. | Whenne þey sytte at þe
tauerne, | Pere þey be stoute & sterne | Bostfful wurdes ffor to crake, |
And off here dedes 3elpyng to make. | Lytyl wurþ þey are and nyce
prowde, | Ffy3te þey cunne wip wurdes lowde, | And telle no man is here
pere; | But whene þey comen to be mystere, | And see men begynne
strokes dele, | Anon þey gynne to turne here hele, | And gynne to drawe
in here hornes | As a snayl among þe pornes,' Richard, 3852-64.
22. at. Comp. 'A womon is bothe warre & wyse | Grette loue &
lykyng in them lyse | Who lyste to lere at there lore,' Ipomadon,
7088-90. But the usual preposition is on or upon; 'I wol leue my
lay | And on þi lore lere,' Horstmann, A. L., i. 207/262; 3if þou wilt
leue opon mi lare,' Amis, 356. In the Cursor Mundi there are three
variations of the phrase; 'lere on noe lare,' 1832, þai louted til his
lare,' 4683 MS. Fairfax; 'To leten on his lare,' 15614; and the last
occurs in Small's Metrical Homilies with at; 'When we thynk how
thai sall far | That wyll noght lete at Cristes lare,' p. 66. The
uncommon construction without any preposition occurs in 'For Eue

NOTES, VI. 17-32
hadde leued his lore,' Horstmann, A. L., i. 142/247, Early English
Poems (Phil. Soc.), 5/verse 35, and Lazamon, 29022.
23. This line is literally, It needs for you now to bend no bows, i. e.
You need now bend no bows, you may give up fighting. Thar is
impersonal, and ȝow is the dative of the agent. Comp. Him thar not
winnen wel, that evil doth,' Chaucer, quoted in Koch, ii. p. 33; ‘Aftur
opur matere þar þe nouȝt craue,' Horst., A. L., i. 48/389. Dr. Einenkel
(Anglia, vii. Anz. p. 112) explains, No bows need now bend for you,
or, taking into account the confusion between þurfen and durren in
M.E., venture to bend. But this would require þurfen and would not
be idiomatic. Scholle's alteration, No bowes er for ȝow bende, is
unnecessary.
25. bare, deprived of. See a collection of examples of this common
alliterative phrase in Amis, p. xlix. Others are, 'Quo his bidding
brekes, bare is of blis,' Anturs of Arther, xix; 'The ixthe day wyth
mekyll care | Maketh us of blysse bare,' The 15 Tokens, 217, 8 (Anglia,
iii. p. 538); William of Palerne, 3958.
27. mis, fail to get, Comp. 'Mi merci sal þou neuer mis,' Cursor,
17202; 'Man may mysse þe myrþe þat much is to prayse,' E. E. Allit.
Poems, 43/189.
30. to fote, at the feet of your people. See iv. 59, note; and comp.
All fell him doun to fote and hand,' Cursor, 680 (fete in 11450);
'Y wol the serve to hond and fot,' Alisaunder, 6726; Sir Tristrem,
902 note; Laud Troy Book, 131.
31. were. Scholle suggests that this word weder, ram, batteringram, but this meaning would not go well with wrote, to turn up with
the snout. Besides weder, Goth. wiprus, O.S. withar, O.H.G. wider,
etc., all retain the dental. Were is war here as in vii. 71. Comp. ' Bot
herder were to be es wroght,' Horst., A. L., ii. 106/64 (where the
original, the Aurea Legenda, has 'sed majora tibi debentur pro fide
Christi certamina '); and 'Where this Geant were procured and wrought,'
Partenay, 4056. Werc, fortification, is combined with the same verb as
in 'I wyll þou wyrke, with-owten weyn | A warke to saffe þi-selfe wyth
all,' York Plays, 41/35, 6; Lazamon, 16971; the corrupt line, Sir
Gowther, 324, may be restored, Of the were well wro3t. The siege was
remarkable for the engines which were used by the besiegers. Firearms
were first employed there to any great extent. 'Sire Edward nostre roy
fist faire assaut à la dite cyté de Torneye sis foithe (= fois) le jour ove
springals et magnels gettauntz grosses pierres, engyns ove poudres, feu
rosée, issint qe les engyns ove les grosses pieres debriserent les toures et
les fort mures,' A French Chronicle of London (Camden Society,
1844), p. 79. Lettenhove, Froissart, iii. p. 496.
32. With which to undermine your walls. For the inversion of the

MINOT'S POEMS
word order, comp. ' þat I seke myȝt anoynt wiþ be,' Cursor, 17936; '
amende wip my liuing,' Horst., A. L., i. 69/462.
'To
34. Comp. 'No more dowtte the dynte of theire derfe wapyns,' Morte
Arthure, 312.
35. See ii. 20, note.
41. in land is a mere alliterative tag, like the frequent on mold.
Comp. 'þat lorde þat lennes vs lyffe | To lere his lawes in lande,' York
Plays, 52/219; 'God let me neuyr dye in lande,' Guy, 5841, and the
collection of examples in the note.
43. at hand, near. Comp. And now is nedfull for noye, þat neghis
at hond,' Troy Book, 11537.
47. See v. 73, note.
48. Or, ere, before. Shakspere, Tempest, i. 2. II, has or ere; see
Koch, ii. § 516. broght on bere. Comp. 'In Surry he sall shew A
syght | And in babylone bringe mony on one ber,' Bernardus, 20/67, 8;
'Betwene them burgenyd such a bravnche | That in per lyves schall
neuer stavnche | Tille they on bere be brought,' Ipomadon, 1268–70;
'Boldlye on bere they can them bringe,' Percy Folio MS., iii. 257/606.
51. haldes ȝow noght, does not keep his promises to you.
54. þe right gate, by the shortest way. Comp. ' Þe graythest gate,'
vii. 48; ' They ryde the ryght gate | Even to the castell yate,' Lybeaus
(Ritson), 1516, 7; 'þou shalt ride sporeles o by lyard | Al þe ryhte way
to douere ward,' Böddeker, Alteng. Dicht., 100/46, 7.
56. To bar Philip the way. Ful still is a tag. Comp. Be he
never so mych a shrewe, | Heys nedes schul be sped, | Ful styll,' Poem
on Edward II (Percy Society), p. 4; Sir Tristrem, 1461, 2704.
58. Philip was glad that he had it in his power to give Edward his
way, i. e. he was glad to be able to retreat.
60-70. John the Third of Brabant was one of Edward's principal
allies. His conduct had all along been marked by great caution and
a determination to secure himself in either event of the war. During
his first negotiations with Edward, and while making preparations to
join him, he sent repeated assurances of his loyalty to Philip, and
deputed one of his chief counsellors, Louis de Cranehem, to the court of
the French king to neutralize the bad effects of any reports which might
reach Philip from Brabant. 'Ainsy vouloit le dit duc de Brabant nager
entre deux yawes,' Le Bel, i. pp. 136, 147-151. The poor counsellor
became so ashamed and confused at the manifest contradiction between
his statements and the acts of his master that he did not venture back
to Brabant, but died of grief in France. After much shuffling the duke
joined Edward and was present at Flamengerie with a large force,
but he had apparently given Philip some reason to count on his defection. At Tournay his followers, who formed a large part of the

NOTES, VI. 32-68
allied forces, were placed next to the English troops, because, as Lettenhove thinks, of Edward's distrust of his ally. This, Villani says (xi.
c. 112), was well founded. But Froissart and the Flemish chroniclers
do not connect him with the abandonment of the siege. Le Bel tells at
length how the men of Brussels received money from Philip and distributed it among the captains of the Brabançons, who thereupon told
the duke they would not remain any longer in the field. He, however,
acquits the duke of all complicity in the affair; he describes his confusion when he discovered the intrigue and the punishment he inflicted
on certain of Philip's agents when they fell into his hands afterwards
(i. p. 175–194). Villani also speaks of the effect of Philip's money, but
he sets down the corruption of the men to the bad example of their
leader: 'Ma i Brabanzoni sentendo il trattato che menava il loro duca,
et per la corruzione della moneta del re di Francia
feciono punta
falsa, e subitamente si levarono da campo et tornarono in loro paese.'
62. brwed þat bale, devised that mischief. See Mätzner under
brewen, 2. for examples, and comp. 'Rouland wip durindale | Brewe
him miche bale,' Roland and Vernagu, 560, 1; Him bought to
brewen him a bale | wel ille,' Celestin, 228, 9 (Anglia, i. p. 73); ´ And
us is brewed þis harde bale | Þat we shall bope be forlorn,' Body and
Soul, 351, 2 (Anglia, ii. p. 239); 'Alas! y am worsse than wode | Myn
owne bale for to brewe,' Political, Relig. and Love Poems, 100/213, 4;
Octavian, 53/1707; Laud Troy Book, 3411.
63. Les Brabanchons s'en commencèrent à aler hastivement, car
grand désir en avoient,' Le Bel, i. p. 190.
65. On his side, a mere alliterative tag which repeats him.
66. I have not found any other example of this phrase. Wright
explains gale as song, noise, which gives no sense here. It is perhaps
connected with Icel. galli, fault, flaw; Dan. gal, wrong; Swed. gall,
sterile; Eng. dialectic gall, a spot in a field where the crop has failed.
If so it might mean wrong, mischief. The word occurs again in, 'þo
sede he icham a deuel? ich hote belial, | Azen ech mannes good dede!
ich can do luper gal,' Seyn Julian, 83, 4, which Mätzner gives under
galle, gall (O.E. gealla), a word distinct from the former, but probably
connected with it. See Gall, sb.² in N. E. D.
67. For the alliteration comp. 'Nay, sir, we will oure batells guy, |
And rape vs for to ryde,' Rowland and Otuell, 254, 5; P. Plowman,
C. 349/48.
68. Till dede. If this is taken literally, 'to his death,' as Wright
explains it, it is unhappy, for the Duke of Brabant did not die till 1355.
It may, however, be used freely and poetically for 'so as to come to grief.'
But rede, counsel, plotting, would restore the alliteration and give a
good sense. For the phrase, comp. ' At morne þei toke to rede | And

MINOT'S POEMS
soteltes vp soght,' York Plays, 341/113, 4; 'þe Iwes token hem to red,'
Engl. Studien, ix. 46/239; 'þe traytours of Scotlond token hem to
rede, þe barouns of Engelond to brynge to dede,' Böddeker, Alteng.
Dicht., 133/225, 6; Lazamon, 19239; Horn Childe, 214, mostly in
a bad sense. Radly in the previous line would restore the internal
alliteration of d in the three words.
70. This accusation against Edward's German allies occurs pretty
frequently in contemporary writers. So, John of Bridlington, 'Strident
Germani nummorum tempore sani, | Frendent Barbani (Brabançons)
ambo nummis sine vani,' Wright, Pol. Poems, i. p. 146. On the other
hand, Lettenhove, speaking of the Flemish at Tournay, says, 'Tous ces
bourgeois, que leurs ennemis accusaient d'être excités par l'or des Anglais,
avaient déclaré qu'afin de venir en aide à la cause du pays ils voulaient
servir sans solde,' La Flandre Communale, p. 205.
71. frely fode, a nobly nurtured one, a common epithet in the
romances for a courteous knight or lady. See Amis, p. xlix, for a
collection of examples; others are,' þaa fals, þaa felun fode,' Cursor,
MS. Gött., 16452; Sir Tristrem, 193, 369, 2987; Sir Perceval, 38; Bruce,
iii. 578. Mätzner explains it as food, alimentum, extended to mean that
which is fed, alumnus. To feed has the sense of, to educate in 'Nas
neuer non fairer fedde,' Sir Tristrem, 161; 'þat freoly ys to fede,' Böddeker, Alteng. Dicht., 157/45; 'ffarwell, the frelyst that euer was
fed,' Towneley Plays, 203/257.
75. Comp. Ffor hym that ryste on the rode,' Awntyrs of Arthure,
230.
77. main and mode, might and main. Mätzner, Alteng. Sprachproben, i. p. 38, gives examples from O.E. poetry. Comp. also, 'Scho
blewe hir horne with mayne and mode,' Thomas of Erceldoune, 251,
279, 362: 'And len vs, lord, swilk mode and mayn | Þat we tak neuer
þi name in vayn,' Cursor, 25227, 8; Þou sal hir serue wit mode and
mayn,' id. 2624; Ywain, 1031.

VII. Edward's March through Normandy. The Battle of Crécy.

Edward embarked at Porchester on the 2nd of July, apparently with
the intention of going to Gascony. But being prevented by contrary
winds he altered his plans and disembarked on the 12th of July at
La Hogue to march to Calais. He rested his troops in the neighbourhood till the 18th, his fleet in the meantime burning Barfleur. On the
18th he reached Valognes, on the 20th he was in Carentan, and two
days later at Saint-Lô. On the 26th he reached Caen, a town bigger in

NOTES, VI. 68—VII
Michael de Northburgh's opinion than any in England, except London.
It was vigorously defended by the inhabitants and a considerable body
of soldiers gathered there under the Comte d'Eu, the Constable and the
sire de Tancarville. The fight was hottest at a bridge which connected
the halves of the town. At last, but not without considerable loss, the
English remained in possession of the place, where they stayed three
days, and found the famous agreement made in 1338 between the
Normans and Philip for the conquest of England. From Caen they
proceeded to Lisieux, which they reached on the 2nd of August. Meanwhile Philip had assembled a large force at Rouen, which occupied the
right bank of the Seine and destroyed the bridges. Edward still
advanced on the left bank to find a place to cross the river, and burnt
Louviers and other towns. On the 13th he reached Poissy, and finding
the bridge broken here also, he decided to stay and repair it. While
this was being done the English made raids right up to the gates of
Paris. On the day of his arrival at Poissy, Edward had received an
offer of combat from Philip, to which he had replied that he was going
in the direction of Montfort, and that if any one wanted him he could
be found there. Philip, thinking that Edward was going to the south,
fell back to Antony. Meanwhile the bridge was repaired, and on the
16th Edward crossed to the right bank and beat the communes of
Amiens (1. 93) who were marching to join Philip's army south of Paris.
The English now proceeded due north to Calais, passing by Beauvais,
Poix, and Airaines, while Philip followed hard in pursuit till he halted
at Amiens and received reinforcements, bringing up his army to 100,000
men. When the English reached the Somme they found the enemy
everywhere in force on the right bank, and they marched towards its
mouth only to find the bridge at Abbeville strongly held. At last they
succeeded in crossing the ford of Blanquetaque notwithstanding the
resistance of Godemar du Fay and his 12,000 men. Philip coming up
soon after, learned that the English had succeeded, and he returned to
the bridge at Abbeville. Edward meanwhile marched towards Crécy
during the 25th. The battle followed on the 26th. On the next day
two large detachments of French soldiers marching to join Philip were
met by the English and defeated with great slaughter. (Avesbury.
Murimuth. Nangis. Chronique Normande. Chronique d'un Bourgeois
de Valenciennes. Le Bel. Froissart. Le Baker (in the note, pp. 252-
257, the king's route from La Hogue to Calais is very fully made out).
There is a good account of the battle in Louandre, Histoire d'Abbeville,
1834, pp. 129-157: much of it is given in a paper, Archaeologia, xxviii.
P. 171.
The comparative length of the poem is noteworthy; like viii. it may
have been formed by the fusion of two ballads originally distinct. But

MINOT'S POEMS
no joint is perceptible at 1. 101, where the new topic, Crécy, is introduced. The stanzas are linked together throughout the poem, except
at 92, 93, where the break perhaps indicates the loss of one or more
verses. The last stanza is plainly a later addition intended to connect
this with the next poem; the abruptness of the past tense in 1. 167 and
the introductory formula in 1. 169 point to this.

1. The romance writers frequently refer in this way to their sources,
   real or imaginary. Comp. Off here dedys men rede romaunce,'
   Richard, 9; 'Her may ȝe here yn romaunce ry3t,' Octavian, 57/1811;
   'As it is wryten in Romance | And founden in bookes of Antiquyte,'
   Sowdone of Babylone, 25, 6; 'As the boke of Rome doth tell,'
   Torrent of Portyngale, 2183; Amis, p. xliii. The same meaning is
   conveyed by 'Thus seyd the Frenssch tale,' Launfal, 474. The term
   Romani was applied by writers of the fourth century to all who
   lived within the limits of the Empire, and as early at least as the
   fifth century Romania appears as a common name for the united Latin
   area. Hence romanice loqui, to speak the vulgar Latin as distinguished
   from the book language. So, 'Bien sauoit Aiols lire et enbrieuer | Et
   latin et romans sauoit parler,' Aiol et Mirabel, 275, 6.
2. The traditions which went by the name of Ambrosius Merlin's
   prophecies among the Welsh were probably first gathered and reduced
   to writing by Geoffrey of Monmouth about 1132 A.D. Towards the
   end of the century they found a commentator in the universal doctor
   Alanus de Insulis (Alain de Lille). The vague generalities of which
   for the most part they consisted were, with the residue of unwritten.
   tradition, taken as the groundwork of new prophecies, or explained by
   the light of accomplished fact. The collection of prophecy thus set
   afloat was generally received by the English and French. So Langtoft
   expresses the popular feeling in his 'Ha, Deus! ke Merlyn dist sovent
   veritez | En ses prophecyez', (Wright's ed. ii. p. 264). Comp. also,
   Arthour & Merlin, p. 353, 1. 179, foll. In the MS. which contains
   Minot's poems there is a version which was plainly written with a view
   to discredit Henry the Fourth: it is printed in the Appendix, piece ii.
   (See for further information, San Marte (Schulz), Die Sagen von Merlin,
   Halle, 1853; Villemarqué, L'Enchanteur Merlin, and Ward's Catalogue
   of Romances in the British Museum.) There was another prophecy of
   Merlin Silvester called the prophecy of the Eagle, and recorded in Lives
   of Edward the Confessor (Rolls Series), p. 431. Of this some use is
   made by Giraldus Cambrensis in his Expugnatio Hibernica. See his
   works, vol. v. p. 40.
   3, 4. Comp. 'þe touper foure þys clerkys wytyn, | For yn þe byble
   þey ben wrytyn,' R. of Brunne, Handlyng Synne, 409, 10; ' He wrot

NOTES, VII. 1-23
a boc dat manige witen | Manige tidinge dor on is writen,' Genesis and
Exodus, 523, 4; ‘There in latin was it wretin | As clerkes wele knowen
and weten,' Generides, 27, 28; 'þis clerkes witen as wel as I,' Engl.
Stud. xiv. 185/50; 'In Frenssche bookys þis rym is wrou3t | Lewede
men ne knowe it nou3t,' Richard, 21, 22.
C
7. The passage in the Vaticinium Merlini which was generally taken
as referring to Edward the Third is, 'Superveniet aper commercii, qui
dispersos greges ad amissa pascua revocabit. Pectus eius cibus erit
egentibus, et lingua eius sedabit sitientes.' See Appendix ii. 143–188.
Comp. also, Et bien le dist li rois Robers de Cecille, de Naples et
de Jherusalem, que li senglers de Windesore ficeroit encores ses dens
moult parfont ens ès portes de Paris, et chils Edouwars est li senglers
de Windesore ensi que dient les prophesies de Merlin selonch le livre
de Bructus,' Froissart, Luce, ii. p. 226. There is a remarkable poem
printed in Bernardus (E. E. T. S. No. 42), p. 23, the prophecy of Thomas
à Becket, written, I think, to encourage the English in the expedition of
1360. But 11. 106-144 are full of allusions to this campaign of 1346, to
the siege of Calais, and the capture of King David at Neville's Cross.
The prophecy of Thomas of Erceldoune, written in the beginning of
the fifteenth century, has also several references to the events of Edward
the Third's reign; and another prophecy relating to the Scotch wars
of this time is printed in Langtoft's Chronicle (Rolls Series), ii. p. 452.
16. Lit. to great damage for the whole French people, resulting in the
grievous mischief of the French. Comp. To his sune he heo draf? him
seolfue to balewe,' Lazamon, 309.
17. Comp. John of Bridlington, 'Sunt mihi materia de tauro plura
= notare,' Wright, Pol. Poems, i. p. 152.
19. my wit es thin, my ability is slight. Comp. The childes witt
was fulle thynne,' Sir Perceval, 275; 'Oc for I the so eise fond, | And
thi wretche wit so thunne,' Mätzner, Alteng. Sprach. i. 97/229, 30; 'so
is youre wyttys thyn,' Towneley Plays, 105/172; And my witte was
oure thynne,' R. of Brunne, Chron., 113; Langtoft, i. p. c.
"
21. on bankes bare. See viii. 20. The phrase is a reminiscence of
the romances. Comp. To beker atte the barrens, in bonkes so bare,'
Anturs of Arther, iv; 'A Bore com from A bank wondirly boistous,'
Roland fragment, 94; 'Now is roulond redy with his rout faire | For
to abid at a bank with barons thar,' id. 232, 3; This ber salbe buskede
in A banke syde,' Bernardus, 27/127. If the phrase means much, it is,
the boar has taken the field in open country.
23. Iohn of France, the Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of Philip.
Born in 1319, he became duke of Normandy in 1331, succeeded to the
throne in 1350 and died in 1364. At this moment he was besieging
Mont Aguillon in Guienne; he abandoned it on the 20th of August to

MINOT'S POEMS
join his father. He reached Agen on the 23rd, and Moissac on the
25th, but the battle, for which he was too late (1. 51), was fought on
the following day (Chronique Normande, p. 276).
25. proper and prest, the nearest approach to this phrase I have
found is 'prowde and preste,' Syr Tryamoure, 883.
34. Hende God, þat heried hell. For hende, gracious, thus applied,
comp. 'Bot dryghtin dere þat ai es hend | A curtais wrak on þam he
send,' Cursor, 2255, 6. The Harrowing of Hell, the descent of Christ
into hell to set free the souls imprisoned there, was a popular subject
in England from the tenth century (ten Brink, English Literature, p. III;
Hulme, The M.E. Harrowing of Hell, pp. lx-lxx). The source from
which it was taken was the apocryphal Evangelium Nichodemi. At
least as early as the thirteenth century it was treated in a miracle play
(Mall, The Harrowing of Hell; Böddeker, Alteng. Dicht., pp. 264-284,
&c.), and the four cycles of religious plays contain each a drama on the
subject (York Mysteries, p. lxiii). Other evidences of its influence on
M.E. literature will be found in Blickling Homilies, 85; Cursor
Mundi, ll. 18073-352; the long poem of Cotton, Galba, E. ix. ; in
the fine passage of Piers Plowman, C. 382/261-442 (on which see
Skeat's note); in þe Deuelis Perlament, 11. 233-416, and in Death
and Liffe, Percy Folio MS., iii. 72/384-429. References to it are also
frequent.
39. Hogges. Saint Vaast-de-la-Hougue, département de Manche,
arrondissement de Valognes, canton de Quettehou.
Comp.
41. They made a great display of ability against him.
'Wyste þou what maystres I covthe make | My service wold thou not
forsake,' Ipomadon, 6400, 1; 'To mar theym that siche mastry mase,'
Towneley Plays, 296/110; 'i vndirtake | þat þer wille none swylke
maystres make,' Octavian, 117/786, 7.
45. pride in prese. See i. 90 and vii. 109. This is a favourite
alliteration of the romance writers: comp. Pas agane, Porter, and let
him swyith in | Amang the proudest in preis, plesand in pane,' Coilzear,
623, 4; And mony proud mon per presed, þat prynce to honour,'
Gawayne, 830, which show that pres means the throng of courtiers.
But here and in i. 90 it means the confusion of battle, as is further
shown by, And als for oure lemmanys luwe | Off pres yhit a poynt
we pruwe,' Wyntoun, viii. 2569, 70; Wyth pes or pres sa sal we
prowe | That sege to skaile or gere remove,' id. ix. 3041, 2. In such
cases proud is probably a variation arising out of proved, and perhaps
helped by a confusion with F. preux, O.F. prou, as in 'Prynces proved
in pres,' Syr Tryamoure, 969; ‘Let mee be proued as Prince · in pres
where I wend,' Alisaunder fragment, 1200. Other variations are 'To
be proued for pris & prest of hemselue,' id. 6; 'There was mekylle

NOTES, VII. 23-65
pres in pryde, | When eche man began to ryde,' Syr Tryamoure, 730, I.
See also Sir Tristrem, 57 note.
48. Cane, Caen. Et lors alerent droit à Caen ... et le conte d'Eu
à tout bien IIII. mil combatans et le conte de Tancarville prindrent à
garder la ville, ce que on appelle l'Ille, et là ot grande bataille et merveilleuse à la porte Sainte Pierre dessus le pont, mais la dicte ille
estoit mauvaisement close et la rivière estoit basse, par quoy les Anglois
entrerent par pluseurs lieux en la ville et encloirent les François au dos
qui combatoient au pont,' Chronique Normande, p. 75, 6; ‘at þe brigge
of Cadomy, manly & orpudly ystrengped and defended wip Normannes,
he had pere a stronge batayll, & a longe-duryng, þoruz which grete
multitud of people was slayn,' Brut, ed. Brie, ii. 298. Minot's numbers
in ll. 50, 55 are much exaggerated. The stif on stede is a mere cheville.
The men who made so good a fight against the English were mostly
burghers and therefore pitaile.
50. stif on stede is much the same as 'stout on stede,' i. 54. Comp.
‘Mene that bolde were to byde | And styff appone stede,' Sir Perceval,
1471, 2; Octavian, 158/1578. In this and other alliterative phrases
stif alternates with stith, stout, brave, so' Wiþ kniztes stipe on stede,'
Sir Tristrem, 66, 3014 note; Gain hethin folk was stijf in stur,' Cursor,
Cotton, 21382, where the corresponding line in MS. Fairfax has Againe
hepin folk stipe in stoure.' Comp. also Troy Book, 5474; Richard,
1631.
(
53. blede. Comp. Alle þat he hutte, he made hem blede,' King of
Tars, V. 190.
if þai war bolde, notwithstanding their bravery, which gives a
sufficient sense. But the analogy of such places as 'þai broght þe
dwergh, þat be ȝe balde,' Ywain, 2781, And he was broper, be ȝe
balde, | Of Polimius þat I of talde,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 123/341, 2,
suggests that Minot may have used here the same formula of assurance.
58. dance, play, here and at 1. 74, apparently the 'hard hand-play'
of fighting at i. 66 the phrase appears to mean, their game is up.
Comp. They seyde, Syr, þe kyng of Fraunce | Myghte abate all þys
I
daunce,' Octavian, 3/38; 'I shall lede the a dawnce | Vnto sir pilate
hall,' Towneley Plays, 245/80. But neither example is quite like
Minot's use.
59. A detail after the manner of the romances. Comp. 'Some in þe
hals so hytte hee, | þat helme & hed ffley3 into þe see,' Richard, 2575,6;
Langtoft, ii. p. 267.
64. See note on viii. 94.
65. with site þam soght, attacked them with sorrow. Soght is
used of meeting with hostile intent as in 'Lundy him saw and sadly on
him socht,' Wallace, viii. 376. Comp. for the phrase, ' And therfore

MINOT'S POEMS
syte is to paym sought,' York Plays, 29/16. So American slang, ‘to
go for.'
66. Comp. Therefore but ȝe quyte me my hyre,' E. E. Misc. (Warton
Club), 8/5; 'I schal the qwite wel thi mede,' Laud Troy Book, 3929;
'But Ector quyt him his wage,' id. 5714.
·
68. Et quant les Englecqs eurent prins dedens la ville ce qui leur
pleut, ils boutèrent le feu partout,' Le Bourgeois de Valenciennes, p. 219.
73. Minot probably wrote lere not say. Comp. Whom the lord that
all thing can leryd lely on his scole,' Hampole's Psalter, 1/22; þere
cursis lely for to lere,' York Plays, 9/18, 150/141.
"
"
74. Comp. Fadir and sone sall be dongen downe,' Thomas of Erceldoune, 411; To dinge sante Stewyne with stanis done,' Horstmann,
Barbour, i. 22/512; Sir Perceval, 642; Sir Ferumbras, 5557.
78. As the bridge over the Somme at Abbeville was not broken down,
Cressy is almost certainly a scribe's error for Poissy. The mending of
the bridge at the latter place was a remarkable incident in the campaign. Compare the account of the Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Et le
roy d'Engleterre. . . fist ardoir Deu... jusques à Poissy où il trouva le
pont romput et brisiet. Et la estoit le commun d'Amiens et ceulx des
villes de là entour et des gens d'armes avoec eulx de par le roy de
France qui gardoient le pas contre les Englecqs... et quant ils virent
les Englecqs moult bien se deffendirent,' p. 222, 3. The activity of the
French is also testified to in the letter of Richard de Wynkeleye, the
King's Confessor (Avesbury, p. 363. Murimuth, 215). Et sic dominus
rex venit Pusiacum, ubi invenit pontem fractum, et adversarius suus citra
Pusiacum non quievit.' From 1. 81 one is led to suggest that Minot
has confused together Poissy and Blanquetaque.
83. With big, strong, comp. 'With mony bold men in batell and
biggest in Armes,' Troy Book, 1032.
86. of. Comp. 'fforto felle of þe ffrigies felly he poght,' Troy
Book, 5875.
89. The town is Paris. Edward advanced to the gate of Nully and
burnt the tower called Montjoye. The continuator of Nangis was an
eye-witness, ii. 198.
91. This is after the romances. Comp. And he hit redde, y untherstonde, | The teres downe gan he lete,' Emare, 548, 9. See for further
examples Athelston, p. 376, note on 1. 275. I vnderstand, I undertake to say, is used of confident belief, so, 'þe dynt smot porw; þe
hepene herte, I vndyrstande it gan hym smerte,' Richard Coer de
Lion, 5081, 2; Ther Jesu for vs, y understonde, | Hys blood gan blede,'
Octavian, 17/515, 6.
98. knokkes, blows, as their reward. Comp. With peys, stones
and gavelok, | Heore fon they gave knokk,' Alisaunder, 1620, 21.

NOTES, VII. 65-118
100. staf ne stede. A not common alliteration, but in 'A staf is
nou my stede,' Specimens of Lyric Poetry (Percy Society), p. 48. A
similar phrase is "There helpud noþur helme nopere hatte,' Ipomadon,
5220. Perhaps infantry or cavalry is meant.
IOI. 'Car les chevaulz des François, qui se sentirent feruz des saiettes,
se prindrent à desroier et en chay mors pluseurs,' Chronique Normande,
p. 81.
103. Comp. That cawsyd hur to wante hur wylle,' Le Bone
Florence, 2109.
104. See viii. 79, note.
107. cant and kene, bold and eager. See v. 64, and comp.
Knoute com with his kythe, þat kant was & kene,' Langtoft, i. p. 50;
'Of Knightes full kene & cant men of wille,' Troy Book, 2267; 'Iuus
þat war sa cant and kene,' Cursor, 8943 C; Barbour, Bruce, viii. 280;
York Plays, 183/183. These are all the examples of the combination
I have met with.
"
108. play and pride. Comp. And Beues shold passe with
pley and pride,' Beuis of Hamtoun, 41/683; 'For werdes welthe
and prid and play | Endes al wit ten and tray,' Small, Metrical
Homilies, p. 43; Hir lust, her pride & al her play,' Hymns to
the Virgin, 25/118. Play is used here ironically, just as game sometimes is.
109. See 1. 45. This stanza is directed against William, Count of
Namur, Henry, Count of Salm, John of Hainault, 'et grant fuisson de
bonne bachelerie de Haynnau et d'ailleurs' (Froissart, iv. 398), who had
formerly supported Edward, but were now on Philip's side. Minot
says that if they were convinced of the justice of Edward's cause, they
should at least refrain from fighting against him.
110. prowd in pall, an epithet of the romance writers. Comp.
pre knightes proud in palle | He mette þat selve day,' Libeaus, 413, 4;
Princys, pruddust in palle,' Anturs of Arther, xxvi; Religious
Pieces, P. 93.
Proude in þan with the same meaning occurs in Sir
Tristrem, 994. The array of princes and nobles on the French side at
Crécy was unusually brilliant. Mais tant y avoit de gentils hommes
sans les aultres que c'estoit une merveille de leurs riches adornemens
veyr et regarder s'il y eult fait beau tamps et cler, mais il plouvinoit,'
Le Bourgeois de Valenciennes, p. 231.
115. to lat, dependent on sall, like Maintene: to is often inserted
when the second infinitive is separated from its principal verb.
116. on faire manere, honourably, but generally courteously, as in
And Rychard aunswerede in fayre manere,' Richard Coer de Lion
Weber), 704.
118. See vi. 20, note.
1692
G

MINOT'S POEMS
120. cumberd all in care. Comp. 'Thay saide a childe there shuld
be borne | To by mankynde, combryd in care,' Towneley Plays, 331/173;
'She be not combrede ine-to more care,' Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 252/862.
123. See ii. 20, note.
126. drewris dere. The same combination is in, 'Sho was al dight
with drewries dere,' Ywain, 1406.
130. or þou pas, before they have done with you; comp. 'Sche
schal the zeue, or thow pas | Wit', Laud Troy Book, 2470.
131. Comp. A monke ye may be when ye will, | For ye be shavynne
wile per till | And right wele be ye crownde: | Goo take youre abbyte on
be tyme | And helpe to syng bothe oure & pryme, | For ye be shavyne
rownde,' Ipomadon, 230/8087–92; 'þou hast a crown schauen to þe bon |
Tomorwe þou miȝt sing anon | Wele þou pouztest to ben a prest | When
þou of swiche a bischop order berst,' Guy. Auch. 3651-4; ' He made him
a croun brod þere | As a monke þat orderd were,' id. 5287, 8; Beues
of Hamtoun, A. 1869-74; Arthour & M. 299/8188 with note.
133. Franceis, Frenchman. Laurencius Franceys occurs in a
Subsidy Roll for Sussex in 1295. (Sussex Collections, xxiv. p. 67.)
135. gapin. So, 'Et sera de par moi celle ville gastée | Et ochise
la gent gisant geule bée,' Wright, Pol. Poems, i. p. 14.
136. Comp. for the combination, 'E cointement fu detrussé | Par un
treget sanz gile,' Wright, Pol. Songs, p. 62.
137, 8. may mean that the bishops performed well in the battle.
The Bishop of Durham was one of the three leaders of the second
division; he is said by the Bourgeois of Valenciennes to have rescued
the Prince of Wales (p. 233). Comp. 'Hys lyff fforsope nouzt longe
lest, | Ffor Kyng Richard was his preeste,' Richard Coer de Lion, 5315, 6.
'That the Iren with the hawberk met | Right ageyn the self brest | Wel
nigh it had ben his prest,' Generides, 3856-8; Appendix, iv. 773-84;
and note on ix. 30. But it might mean that some of them were killed
there; Beuis of Hamtoun, 71/1232, has, 'ffor sone thy songe shall be
welawey.' Froissart says the Archbishop of Rouen lost his life there,
and Michael of Northburgh adds the bishop of Nîmes and the Archbishop of Sens, but they are wrong (Luce, Froissart, iii. p. lx).
139. file, worthless person: perhaps variant of vile; which is so
used, comp. 'Ne holde here afftir for no vile,' Laud Troy Book, 818; but
connected by Björkman with O.W.Scand. fýla, objectionable person
(Scandinavian Loan-Words, p. 210).
140. his dole, his share of the blows.
142. Geneuayse, from O.F. Géneveis, It. Genovesi; Genova being the
Italian literary name for Genoa. Skelton has the same adj. 'That
jentyll Jorge the Januay,' i. 127/35; it is ironical, for the Genoese
mercenaries were a terror alike to friends and enemies. Six thousand

NOTES, VII. 120-VIII
of them took part in the battle; they were specially brought from some
vessels at Harfleur under Ottone Doria. The night before the battle
they were kept at Mautort and Rouvroi; they were not permitted to
enter Abbeville lest they might sack it (Louandre, p. 128). They
commenced the battle, but were repulsed by the English archers, and
Philip ordering the men at arms under the Duke of Alençon to advance
and cut them down ('Or tos, or tos! tués toute ceste ribaudaille, il
nous ensonnient et tiennent le voie sans raison,' Froissart, v. p. 49), few
of them escaped from the field. Those who got away were killed by
the peasantry of Picardy as they wandered about (Luce, Bertrand du
Guesclin, p. 157).
145. Le Bel in a remarkable passage, ii. p. 61-63, states his reasons
for preferring the 'noble king,' Edward, to Philip. He charges the
latter with cowardice, love of ease, leaning to the 'poor counsel of
clerks and prelates,' and of crimes which ought to make him be less
honoured by all.'
151. Comp. Fadir, he sayd, alle es wonne,' Octavian, 115/778.
157. Et Phelip de Valoise et le markys qest appelle le elitz du
Romeyns eschaperent naufrez à ceo qe homme dist,' Avesbury, p. 369.
159. Perhaps we should read with his trip, i. e. troop. Comp.
'Whan he & alle his trip for nouht fled so tite,' Langtoft, i. p. 203,
which translates, ‘Kant of (od) tut sun hoste à Gesorz fuyst,' Wright,
Langtoft, ii. p. 118. But the text gives a good sense as it stands.
Comp. And deep me waitip with a trippe of dissaite,' Hymns to the
Virgin, 77/599, 75/536.
168. See viii. 24, note.
170. king with croune. A favourite phrase of the romance
writers. Comp. 'Who was king wip croun,' Sir Tristrem, 5; ‘Crist,
crowned kyng that on cros didest.' Piers Plowman, C. 524/1; and
the collection in Zielke, Sir Orfeo, p. 10.
•

VIII. The Siege and Taking of Calais.

Edward left the scene of the battle on the 28th of August; he
appeared before Calais on the 2nd of September. The town was
invested on the following day, and vigorous assaults were at first
directed against it, but they were repulsed and Edward decided on
starving out the garrison. The French cruisers, however, succeeded in
relieving it, till the English fleet mustered in sufficient force to command
the channel. Towards the end of June, 1347, John de Vienne, the
captain of the town, sent out a letter to tell Philip that the besieged
—
G 2

MINOT'S POEMS
were reduced to the utmost straits. It was intercepted, but Edward
forwarded it to Philip, who collected an army at Amiens and came to
Sangatte on the 27th of July. Finding the English in a very strong
position, he sent a challenge to Edward to meet him in the open field.
Edward's answer is variously reported; according to his own account he
accepted the offer for the 3rd of August, but Froissart says he declined
to move. Philip, at any rate, retreated hurriedly on the 2nd of August,
and the town yielded the next day. (The authorities are the same as
those given for vii. In Luce, Froissart, iv. p. xxv, there is a note on the
story of the devotion of Eustace de St. Pierre and his five companions.)
3. mirth on mold, joy on earth. Comp. 'So þat no murþe upon
mold no mizt hem bet haue lyked,' W. of Palerne, 1012, 1316, 2478.
4. See ix. 38.
·
5. wight in wede. See v. 38. The men of Calais had made themselves particularly hated by the English for their piracies in the Channel.
8. ȝowre care es cumen. Comp. 'Oure cares ar comen bothe kyne
and colde,' York Plays, 30/46.
18. For the alliteration comp. 'Nis non so fresch ⚫ on fote to fare. Ne
non so feir⚫ on folde to fynde,' E. E. Poems, 134/49, 50.
20. on bankes bare. See vii. 21, note.
·
About þei gan him
Thei fledde him as
21. als hund dose hare. So, 'þe soudan drof hem yn the feld,]
As hond dop þe hare,' Octavian, 48/1529, 30;
chace & hunted him als hayre,' Langtoft, p. 210;
hare doth hound,' Laud Troy Book, 7009; Richard, 5110.
C
24-6. A small town grew up round Calais during the siege. Ains
fist [Edowart] tantost faire son hostel de mesrien (= mairien, timber), et
plances, et couvrir d'estrain (straw) pour là demourer tout hyver. . .
Chascun des seigneurs et chevaliers fit faire au mielx qu'il poeut sa loge,
l'ung de boys, l'aultre de genests, les aultres d'estrain, tant qu'en petit
temps ilz firent là une forte ville et grande, et y trouvoit-on à vendre
quanques on vouloit à grand marchié; et y avoit boucherie, hale de
draps, et toutes marchandises aussy bien que Arras ou Anvers, car ilz
avoient les Flamens de leur acord, dont tous biens leur venoient,' Le
Bel, ii. p. 95.
29. walkes ful wide. Comp. x. 9; ' Your worde & your worchip
walke3 ay quere,' Gawayne, 1521; He leit no word than walk off his
passage,' Wallace, ix. 29; 'The worde of him walkit baith fer and ner,'
id. iii. 252; 'þe word of him welk al þe land,' Horstmann, A. L., ii.
35/43; Ipomydon, 131; Squyr of Lowe Degre, 520; þa asprang his
word wide geond land,' Ælf., Lives of Saints, 192/388; The worde of
his werkes thurghe þe worlde sprange,' Troy Book, 295; 'þe word of
ihesu was risen brade,' Cursor, 14000: His name is spronge wide,'
"

NOTES, VIII. 3-59
Libeaus, 288; 'þe dedes of per hondes þorgh reames er ronnen,'
Langtoft, i. p. 144; and Sir Gowther, 192 note.
33. Comp. 'þys frensche men bup bop lyther & fel,' Sir Ferumbras,
1535; and for the alliteration,' For he was fers, prud, and fell,' Cursor,
2197; and ix. 7.
34. dray, an instance of the rare contracted form, as in York Plays,
237/121, of deray, for which latter comp. Alisaunder, 1961, and Sir
Tristrem, 3165.
41. The Cardinals appointed by Pope Clement the Sixth to try to
bring about a peace were Annibale Ceccano, bishop of Frascati (Tusculum), and Étienne Aubert, bishop of Ostia, who was elected Pope
(Innocent the Sixth) in 1352. The pope had already in February
remonstrated with Edward for not listening to them (Avesbury, p. 378),
but they again attempted to make terms when Philip's army arrived at
Sangatte. Minot's distrust (11. 37-40) expresses a popular feeling. In
1338, John Stratford openly impugned the fairness of the Cardinals
who came to settle the differences between Edward and Philip (Walsingham, Ypodigma Neustriae, p. 276). So P. Plowman's vicar, 'þe
comune clamat cotidie eche a man to other, "þe contre is þe
curseder þat cardynales come Inne," B. 363/414, 5. And in 21st
Henry VIII, the Duke of Suffolk quoted as an old saw, 'that there was
neuer Legate nor Cardynall, that dyd good in Englande,' Hall's
Chronicle, ed. 1550, folio 183 a.
43. in þat stede, in that place. So, & tuk consel þat (read at) þe
stede | Hou best þai mycht þis il remede,' Horstmann, Barbour, ii.
62/73, 4.
This phrase occurs
54. loud or still, under all circumstances.
frequently in the romances; comp. 'Fader, i chulle him serue at
wille, | Erli and late, loude and stille,' King of Tars, V. 223, 4; 'To
god hy cryde loude and stylle,' Octavian, 18/537; That thai and
thairis, loud and still, | Suld be in all thing at his will,' Bruce, iii. 745,
6; Lay le Freine, 286; Sir Gowther, 175; Rowland and Otuell, 124;
Castel off Loue, 994; York Plays, 163/150; Hampole, 3175, and many
other places. Variants are, at nessche & hard, Sir Ferumbias, 3499;
moyste and drye, York Plays, 217/521; even and morne, id. 113/33 ;
biforen and bihinde, Horstmann, A. L., i. 153/209.
57. Comp. iii. 117, and see in Amis, p. xliii, a collection of similar
phrases used in the romances to introduce a new division of the subject.
58. See note on i. 81.
59. The Bourgeois of Valenciennes describes the ceremony of surrender. Et le samedy au matin on mist les banières du roy d'Engleterre dedens le chastel et la ville de Callais aux tours et aux cresteaux,
et le dimence après le jour Saint-Pierre entrant aoust, v jours au mois

MINOT'S POEMS
d'aoust, l'an mil III et XLVII, entra monseigneur Gaultier de Mausny
dedens la ville de Callais entre luy et monseigneur de Beauchamp, et
amenèrent monseigneur Jehan de Viane, chastelain du chastel et le
capitaine de la ville, luy vre de gentils hommes, par devant le roy
d'Engleterre et son conseil tout parmy l'ost, en pur les chiefs et en pur
les corps, leurs espées toutes nues tenans par les pointes, et les clefs de
la ville et du chastel portant devant eulx en une lanche. Et quant ils
vindrent devant le roy Édouart d'Engleterre et tous ceulx qui veoir les
peurent, ils se mirent à genous en priant et requérant humblement
merchy, en rendant la ville et le chastel, leurs corps et leurs avoirs, pour
faire à la singulière volenté du roy d'Engleterre, et puis les fist le roy
lever et passer oultre. Et tantost après revinrent VIII aultres hommes
de Callais, IIII bourgois et IIII mariniers en pur les corps et les chiefs
nuds et tous deschaux, chascun ung cevestre en leurs cols, poure faire la
volenté du roy.
Et quant ils vinrent près du roy, ils prinrent les
chevestres en leurs mains et agenoullèrent devant le roy en priant
merchy et mettant les cevestres ens leurs cols, poure faire la volenté du
roy, de corps et d'avoir. Adont les fist le roy lever et les rechut en la
manière que vous orez. Les chevaliers et les gentils hommes il envoia
en Engleterre, où ils furent grande espasse en prison, et puis furent-ils
recrus à renchon. Et les VIII furent rechargiet à monseigneur Gaultier
de Mausny et à monseigneur Jehan de Beauchamp, et le chasteau et
toute la ville à la volenté du roy d'Engleterre, et les ramenèrent en la
ville. Et eult le roy en pourpos qu'il meteroit tous ceulx de Callais à
mort; mais la royne d'Engleterre, comme bonne dame piteuse et sage,
en eult moult grant pité,' pp. 259, 60. The English chronicle in MS.
Harley 4690 omits mention of the queen's intercession, And anone
þeighe wenten & towke a downe þe baners & the armes off ffraunce
ou euery side þat weren hongedde oute. And went vppon þe walles
off be towne in diuerse places as nakedde as þey werre borne saving
her schertes and herre Breches & helden her swerdes nakedde and þe
point in her handes downwarde and putten Ropes and halteres
aboute her nekkes & yeldedde vppe þe keyes off be towne & off þe
castelle vn to be king Edward wiþ grete ffere and drede off herte. ¶
And wanne þe king saugh þis as a mercyfulle lorde & king receyvedde
hem alle in to his grace,' f. 82 a². The halter on the neck was, no
doubt, the regular sign of unconditional surrender; so the people of
Galloway (Wyntoun, vii. 2872) come, ‘wyth rapys and wethyis abowt
thare hals.' Comp. also, 'Out com the wardayn Orgayl, | And an
hundryd knyztes in his parayl, | Barffoot, vngyrt, wiþouten hood: |
"Mercy, Thomas, spylle nouzt oure blood! | Tak þe alle þe goodes þat
we haue, Wip þat þou wylt oure lyues saue, | Lat vs passe awey al
nakyd," Richard, 4179-85.

NOTES, VIII. 59-IX
63. law of land. Comp. As it was þe landys lawe,' Athelston, 646,
and Zupitza's note.
73-75. Car ils avoient eu sy grandes disettes d'excessives et urgentes
famines qu'il n'avoit demouré en la ville cheval à mengier, ne chien, ne
chat, sorris, ne rats,' Bourgeois de Valenciennes, p. 260.
79. on, by. Comp. vii. 104, and 'It was wel sen apon þair sang |
Mikel ioi was þam o-mang,' Cursor, 20677, 8 and 24333; 'Þat was on
Tristrem sene,' Sir Tristrem, 1205; ‘On þe hit is wel eþ sene,' O.E.
Hom., ii. 255/5.
82. Jean de Vienne, 'gentils chevaliers vaillans as armes' (Froissart,
v. p. 85), was the son of Jean de Vienne, seigneur de Pagny. He
received a pension of 100 livres in 1338, and this was increased to 300
in 1340 and to 600 in 1348. He was captain of Mortagne in 1339-40,
and he served in Brittany with the Duke of Normandy in 1341. He
died at Paris in 1351.
94. barely, utterly, or openly, N.E.D., is probably what the poet
wrote. Comp. But why are ȝe barely þus brape?' York Plays,
221/37. But we might have expected, þaire leders bargan may þai
ban. Comp. vii. 64; the collection of examples in Mätzner, Altenglische Sprach., i. p. 362; and 'Ful sare þou sall þe bargan ban,'
Horstmann, A. L., ii. 160/88; 'This bargayne schall þai banne,' York
Plays, 155/279; 'That bargynne myght he banne,' Ipomadon, 1300,
3883, 5429.

IX. The Battle of Neville's Cross.

The Scotch took advantage of Edward's absence to invade England.
They probably acted at the instigation of Philip, whọ hoped that the
English would thus be obliged to abandon the siege of Calais. The
Scotch mustered at Perth. On their way south, they demolished the
Pile of Liddel and killed Walter de Selby, the guardian. They then
marched through Cumberland, burned Lanercost Abbey, and, keeping
along the Tyne, sacked the abbey of Hexham, whence they proceeded
by Ebchester in the direction of Durham. But when they reached
Bearpark (Beaurepaire, de Bello Reditu), a foraging expedition under
Sir William Douglas came up quite unexpectedly with the main force
of the English and suffered a loss of five hundred men. The English
then advanced to meet the enemy, and the battle fought near Durham
on the 17th of October resulted in the total defeat of the Scots and the
capture of their king.
The story of Queen Philippa's presence at the battle is due to
Froissart, following and adding to Le Bel, who says she came to

MINOT'S POEMS
Newcastle-on-Tyne and mustered the English troops there. But a
charter at Mons shows that she was at Ypres on the day of the battle
(Luce, Froissart, iv. p. xi note). Minot does not mention her at all,
but he is equally silent as to Ralph de Neville and Henry de Percy,
'illustris miles, Titus, Hector, Brutus, Achilles,' as he is called in
another poem on the battle (Wright, Pol. Poems, i. p. 45).
Besides the Latin verses printed by Wright in his Political Poems,
there are two other poems on the battle which are reprinted from the
MSS. in the Appendix, pp. 112-22. See also Durham ffeilde in the Percy
Folio MS. vol. ii. p. 190 foll. (Chronicon de Lanercost. The Book of
Pluscarden. Chronicon Monast. de Melsa. The contemporary account
written by Thomas Samson, a clerk in the diocese of York, printed in
Lettenhove's Froissart, v. p. 489. The letter of John Fossour, prior of
Durham, to the Bishop of Durham, in Raine's Letters from the Northern
Registers, p. 387. The best account of the battle will be found in
Archaeologia Aeliana, N. S., vol. i. p. 271.)
But it gives a

1. at distance usually means, at enmity, hostile.
   better sense here if taken literally, David fled before Edward Balliol
   when he appeared in Scotland in 1332. So the writer of the Meaux
   Chronicle begins his account of Neville's Cross in the same way with a
   reference to David's withdrawal to France; 'interea David de Bruyz,
   dictus rex Scottorum, qui a facie Edwardi de Balliolo quondam regis
   Scotiae fugerat in Franciam' (Chron. de Melsa, iii. p. 60). It is true
   that David was only eight years old in 1332, and that he did not leave
   Scotland till 1334 (see note on ii. 22), though Wyntoun and Froissart
   put it down under 1332, and Hailes under 1333. Lines 3, 4 may be
   taken either of the battle fought on Dupplin Moor in 1332, at which
   David was not present, or of Neville's Cross fought on Bearpark Moor
   or rather the Red Hills close to it. 'Dicti vero Anglorum principes,
   pro bello omnibus conatibus se praeparantes, in quadam mora prope
   Dunelmensem, quae Mora de Beuerepair vocitatur, locum pugnandi
   elegerunt,' Book of Pluscarden, i. p. 293, 4.
2. north end, northern parts. So in the Seebuch, p. 104, nortende
   with same meaning. Comp. also, 'heofon bip open on sumum ende on
   Fæm eastdæle,' Blick. Hom., 93/1 ; ' & al þene norð aende iuaeld to þan
   grunde,' Lazamon, 14001, 2; Alle þe North ende was in his kepyng,'
   Langtoft, I, p. 32; Seinte Marherete, p. 101.
3. þe flowres þat faire war is an allusion to the lilies in the
   arms of France.
   See xi. 3, and compare, 'The King Richard off
   his flowris than regnand: |. Bot his flowris
   efftyre sone | Fadyt, and ware all undone,' Wyntoun, ix. 1787, 8;
   1793, 4.
   Yngland | Wes in

NOTES, IX. 1-25
8. has done þam to dwell. Dwell here means to remain dead on
the field, as in 'So sore strokes he them gave, | For evyr he dud them to
dwelle,' Sir Eglamour, 47, 8; where for evyr gives the special force to
the verb.
13. Comp. In saint Andrew he had swilk trist; | and of þat merk
no-thing he myst,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 8/289, 90. The plural merkes
is noteworthy. For of, comp. i. 38; 'failede. . . of his hure,' Ancren
Riwle, 404/13.
15-18. Per idem tempus David le Bruse rex Scotiae, animatus per
instigationem regis Franciae, cum Scotorum exercitu glomeroso ausus
est intrare Angliam, aestimans non remansisse in terra nisi clericos et
pastores: autumabat enim omnem regni militiam cum ceteris viris
defensoribus exisse regnum cum rege suo,' Chronicon Angliae, p. 23;
Dicebat autem David quod hoc non posset esse; "non sunt,” inquit,
"in Anglia nisi miseri monachi, improbi presbyteri, porcorum pastores,
sutores et pelliparii," Chronicon de Lanercost, p. 348; 'Nam suggestum erat eis quod non remanserant in Anglia quin omnes forent ad
obsidionem Calesiae nisi solum agricolae ac pastores et capellani
imbecilles et decrepiti,' Knighton, ii. p. 42. 'Thai sayd, that thai mycht
rycht welle fare | Till Lwndyn, for in Ingland than | Off gret mycht
wes left na man, | For, thai sayd, all war in Frawns, | Bot sowteris,
skynneris, or marchawns,' Wyntoun, viii. 6158–62. See also 113.
37-42, 117. 102–112. So in Scotish ffeilde, 96-110 (Percy Folio MS.
p. 217) the French King incites the Scots to invade England, because
there is noe leeds in that land: saue Millers and Masse priests, | all
were faren into france: that fayre were in armes.'
23. berebag. See ii. 20, note. Le Bel says that there were fortythree thousand light horse on the Scotch side, 'car toutes les basses
gens d'Escoce ont haquenées petites quant ilz vont en ost,' ii. p. 109.
25. in þe waniand. See v. 30, x. 6. Waniand is explained by
Skeat (Etymol. Dict., p. 695) as the Northern present participle of
M.E. wanien (but wanande be deficiant, E. E. Psalter, i. p. 227, and
again wanand deficiendo, and York Plays, 51/204), to wane, decrease,
and as meaning in this phrase, the waning moon. This was considered
an unlucky time for beginning any enterprise, but the Scots disregarding
it met and decided to invade England about the day of the full moon,
Tuesday, Oct. 3rd (Arch. Aeliana, N. S., i. p. 274). The phrase comes,
however, to mean quite generally, with ill luck, as in Weynd
furth in the Wenyande,' Towneley Plays, 310/142, 15/226, 227/748,
290/339; 'We! Whythir now in wilde waneand,' York Plays, 36/45 ;
'Nowe walkis on in þe wanyand,' id. 319/388; Furth in þe wylde
wanyand be walkand,' id. 336/485. Comp. too the variation 'Now in
be wilde vengeance ye walke with þat wight,' id. 291/545. The use

MINOT'S POEMS
of wilde in conjunction with waniand seems to be due to the influence of
the phrase will or wild of wane, will wanand, mistaken in opinion.
28. Of necessity it behoved them to kneel.
29. William de la Zouche [now Souche] ('est pater invictus sicco de
stipite dictus, for Zouche signifieth the stocke of a tree in the French
tongue,' MS. Cott. Julius, F. 11. f. 134 b) was Lord High Treasurer in
1338. He became Archbishop of York in 1340 and died in 1352. He
was one of the three commissioners of array appointed to assemble the
Northern forces against the Scots, and he commanded the third line in
the battle.
30. This is probably ironical like vii. 138. The Archbishop absolved
the Scots with blows. See especially 120. 181-4.
31. Dorem and Carlele probably mean the men of those towns.
The Bishop of Durham, who had fought well at Crécy, was in France,
and a description of the battle was sent him by the Prior of Durham.
Le Bel is then in error in stating that he took part in the battle, and
indeed his list is curiously wrong. John de Kirkeby, the Bishop of
Carlisle, had distinguished himself the previous year in repelling a
Scotch foray (Chronicon Angliae, p. 21), but although some of the
chroniclers say he was present, the fact that his name does not occur
in the list of twelve commanders who were specially thanked by the
Regent on Oct. 20th (Rot. Scot., i. 675) is conclusive.
32. Comp. Wynnes wurschip, and wele, throghe wyȝtenes of
hondus,' Anturs of Arther, xxi; 'Miche wirchippe he wane,' Sir
Perceval, 11.
37. John of Coupland, apert homme d'armes et hardi durement'
(Froissart, v. p. 128), was in Flanders in 1338. In the following year
he had a pension of £20 for his services on the border, and early in
1347 he received £600 a year for life. In the same year he was made
constable of Roxburgh Castle, and he was sheriff of Northumberland
from 1350 to 1354. He was about to go on some distant expedition in
1359, when he made his will (Surtees Society, ii. p. 29). Five years
later he was assassinated on Bolton Moor by John Clifford of Ewyas
(Dugdale, Baronage, i. p. 341), whose lands were given to Coupland's
widow (Patent Rolls, pp. 177 b and 181 a). Clifford was afterwards
pardoned. There is an account of Coupland in Archaeol. Aeliana,
N. S., i. p. 293. He did not capture David without a severe struggle,
in which the Scotch King knocked out two of his teeth with a dagger:
the account of the Chronicle of Meaux, 'fugiens captus est' (iii. p. 62),
and of the poem in Wright, i. p. 46, 'Brus David auffugit, fugiens
contra leo rugit, | Coplond attingit fugientem, vulnere cingit; | Regem
persequitur, David in spinis reperitur,' is less probable. Le Bel (ii.
p. 112) tells us that he was unwilling to give up his prisoner till Edward

NOTES, IX. 25-63
sent for him to Calais and made him a knight. Then David was
transferred from Castle Ogle to London. For wight man in wede,
see v. 38, note.
38. Kend him his crede, taught him an elementary lesson, so also
viii. 4, xi. 14. Comp. 'Abate his pryde this ylk nyght, | And rekyn
hym a crede,' Towneley Plays, 259/54, where one would expect to
find bost for pryde, and kenne for rekyn; 'Bien vous aprent vo patenostre,' Wistasse le Moine, 1627.
43. a schowre, in abundance. The usual metaphorical meaning of
shower in M.E. is attack, tumult, pang, as illustrated in Zupitza, Guy
of Warwick, 9206 note. But compare here, 'Shame þe mote by shoure,'
King Horn, L. 334 note.
44. Comp. He dranc þe sure and i þe suete,' Cursor, 23979.
48. Iohn. See vii. 23, note.
50. he wakkind þe were. Comp. vi. 10, and 'Now wackons vp
werre as ye shall note after,' Troy Book, 2046; 'As werre schold awake,'
Libeaus, 1149. þat held him self waken, that kept him self in
trouble. Comp. 'Ma[r]kade held þam waken, & tok of þam tuenti,'
Brunne's Langtoft, i. p. 205; ' & now is Acres taken þorgh R. þe conqueror, | His banere held þam waken was put [out] of o toure,' id.
i. p. 179; Wyp sege þe Payens held þem waken,' Robert of Brunne,
9916. In 11. 8576, 9914, the phrase means to be on the alert; it is
a favourite with Robert of Brunne. I have not met it elsewhere.
"
51. had he his brede baken, had he ruined himself, or, in similar
slang phrase, been done brown. The meaning is shown by Hadd y þat
stronge strok y-take? þou haddest to me ymynt, | For euere my bred
had be bake myn lyf dawes had be tynt,' Sir Ferumbras, 576, 7; 'Deep
seip, my breed he hap baken me, | Now schakeþ he his spere to smite
me,' Hymns to the Virgin, 70/399, 400; 'whan þou doest thus, there
bale þou bakeste,' Pol., Religious and Love Poems, 194/485. His, that
is, his own, seems necessary to the sense.
54. fayled þare, failed to appear in London, the appointed place of
meeting.
56. For the alliterative formula of this line, comp. 'When all þir
saws war said,' Harrowing, 753; & sayde þan on his sawe,' Sir Ferumbras, 3740; Then sayde þe emperour yn hys sawes,' Horstmann, A. L.,
ii. 511/24; 'Avyse you of thise sawes sere,' Towneley Plays, 311/158.
60. kast me in care. See vi. 18, note.
63. While at Ryton on the Tyne, David was warned in a vision not
to injure the territory of St. Cuthbert, or his expedition would end badly
(Fordun, ed. Goodall, ii. 341). In the Rites of Durham (Surtees
Society, xv), pp. 20-23, it is related that on the night before the battle
John Fossour, the prior of the abbey, was commanded in a vision

MINOT'S POEMS
to put the holy Corporax cloth, which St. Cuthbert had used when
he said mass,
on a spear-point like a banner, and to go to the
Readhills on the following day and remain there till the end of the
battle. He and his monks did so, and were miraculously protected
against the attacks of the Scots. Shortly after the victory the cloth was
placed in the centre of a banner (it had certainly formed part of a banner
centuries before this, Reginaldi Libellus, Surtees Society, i. p. 83),
'which was never caryed or shewed at any battell but by the especiall
grace of God Almightie and the mediacione of holie Saint Cuthbert, it
browghte home the victorie.' It was at the battle of Flodden. See for
further details, Archaeologia Aeliana, N. S., ii. p. 51.
64. law gan þai lout. Comp. vi. 40, and, Who so will wip him
fizt, Be hit be day oper ni3t, | He dop him lowe loute,' Libeaus,
766-8.
65. leued allane, remained alone on the battle-field. Leuid is the
same as bileuid, vii. 101. Comp. ' & skalyt his mene here & þare | Til
he belewit al hyme-ane,' Horstmann, Barbour, ii. 15/207, 9; ' & scho
alane lewit, glad & blyth,' id. ii. 9/499; 'þat ilke a mane presit to fle,
& lewit be body it a-lane,' id. i. 118/182, 3 where body may be nominative or accusative.

X. Les Espagnols sur Mer.

Edward had done his best to conciliate the Spaniards. In 1346 he
had caused special proclamation to be made that they were to be
treated on land and sea like his own people (Delpit, Collection Générale, i. p. 70, 1). But the relationship which existed between the royal
houses of France and Spain drew the latter into the conflict with
England. The commander of the Spaniards in this sea-fight was
Don Carlos de la Cerda, son of Don Luis de la Cerda, the nephew of
Philip.
In November, 1349, a Spanish fleet had taken some English ships
laden with wine either in the estuary of the Gironde or on the way to
England, and killed the crews. Edward, hearing that a number of
Spanish vessels were at Sluys, probably the same which had committed
the outrage (Le Baker, p. 109), determined to punish them. They
have reached such a pitch of pride, he says in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury (Rymer, iii. p. 202), that they threaten not only
to destroy the English power on the sea, but also to conquer England.
He accordingly gathered at Sandwich a fleet mainly from the Cinque
Ports, and putting in it the flower of his nobility and the pick of his
archers and men-at-arms, he stood out to sea.
Meanwhile the Spaniards,

NOTES, IX. 63—X. 10
hearing that Edward was waiting for them, hired men and prepared
their vessels for the fight (1. 14). It took place on Sunday, the 29th of
August, 1350, in sight of Winchelsea. After a desperate conflict the
English won the day, and took a number of the Spanish ships, variously
reported at 26 (Walsingham, Hist. Anglic., p. 25), 24 (Avesbury, p. 412),
14 (Froissart) and 17 (Le Baker). These they found to be laden with
merchandise, and especially Flemish cloth. (Froissart. Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke. An Account in Sussex Collections, vol. iv.
p. 118, is valuable for its detailed information, chiefly about the vessels.)

1. Compare with this formula of introduction, 'Spell yeit i wald spek
   if i cuth, | War ani mirthes in mi muth,' Cursor, 23945, 6; 'Mikel wald
   i mene and mote, | Wist i þat it me war bute | Ai to spell and noght
   to spede,' id. 23847-9; then to speke myght I not spare,' Towneley
   Plays, 212/265; 'For specheles may no man spede,' Gower, Conf.
   Amantis, i. 1293.
2. worthly in wede.
   See v. 38, note.
3. driuen to dale, hurled to the grave. Comp. 'Deth him hadde
   driuen to grounde,' Horstmann, Celestin, 252 (Anglia, i. p. 73); 'Until
   þat ded haves dreven þam down,' Ywain, 4026; ' & passede þe brugge
   anon, & slowe to grounde,' Robert of Gloucester, ed. Wright, 7316.
   ded all þaire dede. Comp. 'Nou icham to dethe y-dyht, | y-don is al
   my dede,' Specimens of Lyric Poetry (Percy Soc.), p. 51; ‘All his ded
   wer done, did he no mor,' Roland fragment, 676.
4. seegronde, bottom of the sea: comp. 'Ne me forswelge
   sægrundes deop,' Psalter, ed. Thorpe, lxviii. 15; 'dis fis wuneð wið
   de se grund,' Bestiary, 517; Lazamon, 4033; Horstmann, A. L., i.
   167/329; Child's Ballads, ii. 448/11. The Seebuch has Seegrund,
   p. 92; as also myddelgrunt, a sandbank between two channels.
   Hampole's Psalter translates mirabilia eius in profundo by 'his
   woundirs in the ground.'
5. for all þaire grete fare.
   See vi. 20, note.
6. waniand. See ix. 25, note.
7. with trompes and taburns. See iv. 80, v. 29, and comp. ' With
   trompes and with mekille pryde,' Octavian, 145/1287; Tabours and
   trimpes 3ede hem bi | and al maner menstraci,' Sir Orfeo, 299, 300,
9. weremen is not in Stratmann. It occurs again in Wallace,
   iv. 256, 331, viii. 939, 1168, but nowhere else so far as I know.
   walked full wide. See viii. 29, note.
10. in holl, in the hold. Other examples with this special sense are,
    'Bathe schip maistir, and the ster man also, | In the holl, but baid, he
    gert thaim go,' Wallace, ix. 121, 2; Than Wallace said, "Her is men

MINOT'S POEMS
off mar waill | To saill thi schip, tharfor in holl thow ga,” ' id. x. 824, 5.
It has a wider meaning in, 'Thus to þe se þai maid þaime bowne | Into
þe holl of wyntir richt,' translating in profundo yemis, Horstmann,
Barbour, ii. 275/1694, 5.
14. hurdis. Mätzner wrongly treats this word as the plural of
hurde, but gives no instance of the singular word, in spite of O.H.G.
hurt; and his examples should be placed under hurdice or hurdace,
L.L. hurdicium, and treated as singular. The hurdis is a rampart of
woodwork erected on the bulwarks of a vessel to shelter the crew in
actual combat. When the ordinary merchant ship was fitted out for
warlike purposes, it was fortified in this way (see the account for boards,
nails, &c. in the Liber Contrarotulatoris, pp. 60, 72); on the war galleys
the 'hurdis' was sometimes moveable and could be fitted up just
before the action. One French name for such a defence was pavesade,
because it had replaced the range of shields (paveis). But it is just
possible here from the poet's phrase, 'they hanged their hurdis on high,'
that he is thinking of similar fortifications built round the castles on the
The Spaniards on this occasion equipped their vessels specially
for the fight, as they apparently relied on the missiles they discharged
from the tops: 6
gros barriaus de fier forgiés et fais tout faitis pour
lancier et pour effondrer nefs. . . et avoient, amont les mas, chastiaux
breteskiés pourveus de pierres et de cailliaus pour jetter,' Froissart,
v. p. 259; for breteskiés comp. 'On disait, dès le XIe siècle, bretescher
pour fortifier, garnir de creneaux de bois ou de hourds,' Viollet-Le-Duc,
Dictionnaire de l'Architecture française, under Bretèche.
masts.
15. west. The English sailors, as it seems, were mostly from the
Cinque Ports; for west in the romances, comp. ' King he was biweste,'
King Horn, 5 note. neghed þam nerr, a common alliteration;
comp. 'It puttes oway all oure powere | So þat we mai noght negh it
nere,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 61/315, 6 and 139/121; 'Suffer me to negh
the nere | And kys thi feete,' Towneley Plays, 324/589; York Plays,
23/38; Ywain, 596; Wyntoun, i. 1160; for further references and
examples, see Athelston, p. 348, note on 1. 30. nerr is comparative,
nearer.
16. gert þam snaper. Comp. 'the foly of the ful garis hyme snapyr,
quhen he venis to stand,' Ratis Raving, 23/773, 4; 'þe faster forward him
he faris þe faster he snapirs,' Wars of Alexander, 847; Stedes shall
snapre throwght tresoun,' Thomas of Erceldoune, ed. Murray, 381.
·
17. ffer might þai noght flit. An uncommon combination, but
comp. 'Nay, feynde, thou shalbe feste | that thou shalle flyt no far,'
Towneley Plays, 304/353; 'And forþi, bot þou flit þe ferr,' Horstmann,
A. L., ii. 97/49; 'My ffadir thynkis to flitte full ferre,' York Plays,
47/58.

NOTES, X. 10-27
19. Boy with þi blac berd. This is plainly an allusion to Barbenaire, or, as he is more commonly called, Barbenoire, Blackbeard, the
noted pirate of Genoa (see p. 60), who commanded the Genoese galleys
at Sluys. Villani, in his account of that battle, describes him as
'Barbanero di Porto Venere grandi corsali,' vi. p. 205; Meyer, ' Barbanarius quidam,' f. 141 b; Mezeray, i. p. 774,' Teste noire Geneuois.'
He seems to be the same person as the Pierre dit Berbenaire (or
Berbevaire) who in 1337 had 100 'livres tournois' given to him by
Philip, and a further donation in 1342, with a view to induce him to live
in France; but this seems doubtful. The Barbenaire who was at Sluys
some would have identified with Egidio Boccanegra, the brother of the first
doge of Genoa, the famous Simone Boccanegra. In 1340 Egidio entered
the service of Alphonso XI, King of Castile; and in 1344 he greatly
distinguished himself at the taking of Algeziras. In this year he offered
to enter Edward's service. But the negotiations came to nothing, and he
was made Admiral of Castile and Count of Palma (' Et qui navali vicit
certamine Mauros | Aegidius regnis additus Hesperiis,' Vberti Folietae
Clarorum Ligurum Elogia, in Graevii Thesaurus, i. p. 800).
In 1346
a convention was made between him and the King of France, in which
he agrees to serve Philip with 200 ships against every one except the
King of Castile and the Genoese. He defeated the English off La
Rochelle in 1371. There is no ground for thinking he was present at
the fight here commemorated by Minot. I rede þat þou blin. Comp.
'Of thy lokyng, I rede, þou blynne,' Ipomydon, 450.
21. were on, fight against. For the preposition comp. 'Bot werand
on þe wrang þai wan,' Cursor, 20004.
23. kindels þi care. See ii. 10, note.
24. Comp. & do þe Scottis deie & þer pride asuage,' Langtoft, i.
p. 114; and for the latter half of the line, þai dump in the depe and to
dethe passe,' Troy Book, 13289. on a day, at the appointed time.
25. This line, no doubt, refers to the depredations of the Spanish fleet
in November of the previous year, when, starting from Guerrande in
Brittany, they plundered English vessels coming from Bordeaux with
wine and killed their crews. Custom, originally a 'duty' or 'payment
on merchandise', here means ironically piratical exactions, and with
care, with painstaking, is little more than a cheville.
27. gude reson and right. The phrase is always, reason and right,
without any adjective. Comp. 'And on the morowe they went to
chirch | Godes service for to werch, | As yt was reson and ryžt,' Sir
Cleges, E. 163-5; 'And þarfor it es reson and ryght | þat þai ay se þat
grysely syght,' Hampole, 6891, 2; Morte Arthure, 2041; Troy Book,
8935, 10715; Percy Folio MS., iii. 463/106, and 67/260,

MINOT'S POEMS

XI. The Taking of Guisnes.

The town of Guisnes was surprised by the English in January, 1352,
and probably between the 6th and the 22nd. For we know that the
captain of the town, Tassard de Bouvelinghem, was absent at the time
of its capture, and he assisted at the first festival of the Order of the
Star on the former date; while Avesbury tells us it was taken towards
the festival of St. Vincent, which fell on January the 22nd. The hero
of the enterprise, which was carried out during a truce, was an archer of
Calais, John of Doncaster. According to Geoffrey le Baker, he had been
a prisoner in Guisnes, and had escaped to Calais by means of a submerged
wall built across the principal ditch of the town for the use of fishermen
entering or leaving the town when the gates were shut at night. He
soon found thirty associates in an attempt on the town. Coming to the
place at the dead of night, they crossed the ditch and scaled the walls
unperceived. The few soldiers on guard who resisted them were put to
the sword, and the garrison was surprised in their hall or in bed, and
permitted to depart unmolested. The captors afterwards sold the town
to Edward. This account, which represents the affair as a private
enterprise, and is evidently that accepted by Minot, receives support
from a document printed by Delpit, Collection générale des documents
français qui se trouvent en Angleterre, vol. i. p. 77, and in Palgrave's
Antient Kalendars, i. p. 173. It is an indenture dated 14th of March,
1352, between Robert de Herle, Captain of Calais and others on the
one part, and John de Dancastre and his associates at Guisnes on the
other part for provisions purchased at 4000 gold nobles, that is for some
part of the abundant store which the adventurers found in Guisnes.
(Avesbury, p. 415.) But Froissart simply says the place was sold to
the English and John de Beauchamp, Captain of Calais (v. p. 306).
Le Bel gives as the price, 34,000 écus (ii. p. 170); and the Chronique
Normande (p. 102) tells us that the traitor Hue de Beauconroy was
afterwards torn asunder at Saint Omer. By other writers the loss of the
town is connected with the murder of the Constable Raoul, Count of Eu
and Guisnes. He had remained a prisoner in England since his capture
at Caen in 1346 (p. 73). About this time he was allowed to return
to France to raise his ransom, and was put to death on the 18th of
November, 1350, by the king without trial. When his vassals heard of
it, they handed the town over to the English.
(The Chronicon Galfridi
le Baker gives the most detailed account; it is followed by Stow.
Avesbury. Froissart, ed. Luce iv. p. xlviii. Chronique Normande.
Villani.)

NOTES, XI. 2-4
Minot's poem should be compared with the description of the taking
of Lochleven Inch by Wallace, Blind Harry, ix. 1162, and of the
surprise of Perth by Bruce in Barbour, ix. 364. In the former is a
striking parallel to 11. 22, 3 of our poem. Ramsay and his friends are
wondering at Wallace's disappearance: 'As thai about was talkand on
this wyss, | A message com, and chargyt thaim to ryss. "My lord," he
said, “to dyner has you cald | In till Lochlewyn, quhilk is a ryoll
hald. Ye sall fair weyll, tharfor put off all sorow." | Thai graithit thaim
rycht ayrly on the morow; . . . Thai lugyt thar till aucht dayis was
at end; | Off meit and drynk thai had inewch to spend,' ix. 1213–18,
1221, 2.
In this, as in the last poem, the fifth line of each stanza is linked to
the fourth by the repetition of some prominent word, or as in x. 23 by
the use of a synonym like care for bale. The last stanza of xi. is
possibly imperfect.
The content of the poem is very strangely stated in the heading.
2. þat. Minot hardly said that if the winter were away the summer
would come; but if the winter were away and the summer were come,
the lily and the leopard would meet. þat has probably been shifted by
the scribe from line 3, and its place filled by both. Perhaps we should
read when, and þat at the beginning of 1. 3.
&
3. This probably means that the next campaign will be decisive, and
the two countries will be united under one king, as the arms will be
combined in one coat. So in 1329 the king's envoys, Adam Orleton
and Roger Northborough, said in the opening of their speech to the
French king, Ce fameux Prophete Merlin, à la veue duquel les plus
memorables euenemens des choses humaines ont esté clairement presens,
nous a distinctement marqué dans ses predictions, qu'au temps où nous
sommes, les Lys & les Leopards seroient vnis dans vn mesme champ,
que les nobles Royaumes de France & d'Angleterre n'auroient plus
qu'vn mesme Monarque,' Mezeray, Hist. de France (ed. 1643), i. p. 752.
In this view, the grene would mean the champ, the heraldic field.'
Edward had already in 1337 quartered the arms of France, ‘Edwardus,
rex Angliae, qui se regem Franciae nominabat et arma Francorum cum
suis jam permixerat, scilicet lilia et leopardos,' Nangis, ii. 196. John
f Bridlington suggests, however, another meaning for geder, to meet in
battle, in his lines, 'Conjunget flores leopardis deliciarum, | Per pugnatores dum regnum quaeret avarum, | Conjuncti flores leopardis deliciarum, Annos guerrarum tibi monstrat posteriores,' Wright, Pol. Poems,

1. p. 147.
   to
2. haue minde of þi man, remember King Edward. Comp. 'For
   mynne on his mon his meth þat abydez,' Cleanness, 436; For loue
   1692
   H

MINOT'S POEMS
of Adam, þy man, | þat þow on him wilt haue mercy,' Horstmann, A. L.,
i. 135/879, 80; 'Haf now mercy of þy man, & hys mys-dedes,*
Patience, 287; To the y crie ant calle, thou here me for thi man,'
Specimens of Lyric Poetry (Percy Soc.), p. 93.
·
5. I mak þe my mone. Comp. ii. 27, iii. 108, ix. 45. So 'To þe,
lord, I make my mone,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 356/2, and 215/177;
'And whan ich make mone to God memoria ich hatte,' Piers Plowman,
C. 292/186.
"
8. was wikked for to win is much the same as Langtoft's ' þat
castelle was fulle strong & ille for to wynne,' i. p. 181. For wikked,
difficult, comp. & þey al hit be wykke to wynne,' Robert of Brunne,
9413; Morgan is wikk to slo,' Sir Tristrem, 775: 'wikked way' is
the regular translation of 'mala uia'; comp. This were a wikked
way but who-so hadde a gyde,' Piers Plowman, B. 93/1.
"
13. Froissart mentions ung bon escuier que on appeloit Jehan
Dancastre' as having been made Chatelain of Bourg in 1345 (iv. 304).
But Geoffrey le Baker speaks of him as being an archer. He may be
the person to whom the king makes a grant of lands belonging to the
Earl of Warenne, 5 Edw. III (Abbrev. Rot. Orig., ii. pp. 52, 55), but
nothing further is known of him.
14. ken þam þaire crede. Comp. ix. 38.
15. stirt, said of sudden and rapid movement.
Comp. 'Bot i have
a wele rinand page, Wil stirt þider right in a stage,' Ywain, 1068.
18. for all þaire grete fare. See vi. 20, note.
20. þat put þam fro pine, that saved them trouble, helped them in
their attempt. Comp. ffranche men put þam to pine,' vii. 77.
"
21. fyne, apparently to come to terms, or perhaps, to cease from
resistance. It has a quite different meaning, to die, in x. 17.
22. þare wald þai dine. See the Introduction. Stow, translating
Le Baker, p. 117, tells us that when they had got possession of the town
they tooke oute the Englishmen that had been taken the yeere before,
and there kept in prison; and after they had relieved them well with
meate and drinke, they made them guardeins over them that had them
in custodie.'
26. Since the capture of Calais, Guisnes had become important to the
French as a check on the English garrison of the former place. 'Istud
fortalicium solebat Anglicis opturare viam in patriam superiorem, prebens patrie magnam securitatem a forariis Calesie,' Le Baker, p. 118, 9.
It retained this importance afterwards when in the hands of the English;
see the Chronicle of Calais (Camden Society), p. 203. kindeld þi
care; see ii. 10, note.
31. Saint Omer lies about twenty-one miles to the south-east of
Calais. It was a favourite resort of the Flemish exiles, and its garrison

NOTES, XI. 4-40
1 frequent encounters with that of Calais. In 1349, Geoffrey de
arny and Eustache de Ribemont had made an unsuccessful attack on
lais from it, and were taken prisoners. They were ransomed, and
urned to Saint Omer in 1351, and as it seems, soon after, in June,
feated and took prisoner the Captain of Calais, John de Beauchamp.
not regards the capture of Guisnes as a set-off to this success, over
ich they were too jubilant.
34. boun ȝow to biker. Comp. And latte Rowlande thedire
de | þat ever to Bekyre es bayne,' The Sege off Melayne, 185, 6.
r the transitive use of biker, comp. the quotation in iv. 85, note. For
bide and bede in 1. 35, see v. 40, note.
40. haue heuin till his mede, as his reward. Comp. viii. 2; and
f þey wyll have hevyn to þer mede,' The xv Tokens, 26 (Anglia, iii.
534); ´ And lene vs so oure liue to lede | þat we mai all haue heuene
mede,' Horstmann, A. L., ii. 188/645, 6.
H 2

Appendix

I.

The following piece, from Brit. Mus. MS. Harley, 4690, was printed
Ritson's notes to Minot and in The Brut or Chronicles of England,
Brie, i. p. 287. There is another copy in Hearne's Robert of
oucester, vol. i, Preface, p. lxxxiii.
And þen þe Englische men towken many off þe Skottes
[f. 79 b²].
rses and prikeden after þe Skottes & slewe hem downe
hte. And there men mighte see the nowbell king Edwarde off Englonde
his ffolke hough mannefully þei chaseden the Skottes were off þis
nance was made.
There men mighte well see
Many a Skotte lightely fflee,
And be Englische after priking
With scharp swerdes þem stiking.
And þere her baners weren ffounde
Alle displayedde on the grounde,
And layne starkly on blode,
As þei hadde ffought on þe fflode.
Butt þe Scottes, ille mote pei þee,
pought þe Englisch adreint schulde be:
For bi cause bei mighte not fflee,
Butte iff þei adreinte schulde bee.
Butte bei kepte hem manly on londe,
So patte þe Scottes might nott stonde
And felde hem downe to grounde,
Many powsandes in patte stounde;
[f. 80 a¹.
IO
And be Englische men pursuyede hem so,
Tille þe fflode was alle a-goo.
In litell tyme wip grete feere.
Alle þus þe Skottes discomfite were,
4. stiking] striking R.

MINOT'S POEMS
ffor no noper wise dide pei stryve,
Butt as .xx. schepe among wolfes fyve.
ffor .v. off hem þen were
Ayenste an Englischman pere.
So here itte was welle semyng,
patte with multitude is no scomfiting.
Butt with God fulle off mighte,
Wham he will helpe in trewe ffighte,
So was þis bi Goddes grace
Discomfiture off Skottes in þat place;
That men cleped Halidown hille;
ffor pere þis bateill befelle,
Atte Berwike, be side þe towne.
This was do with mery sowne,
Wip pipes, trompes & nakers þer to;
And loude clariounes pei blew also.
And pere þe Scottes leyen dede,
XXX. M¹, be yonde Twede,
& v. M¹ tolde there to,
With .vii. C. xii. and mo:
& of Englischemen but sevenne,
Worschipped be God in hevenne!
& þat wer men on ffote goyng,
By foly of her owne doyng.
On seinte Margeteys eue, as y yow tell,
Befille þe victory of Halidoune hille,
In be yere off God almighte,
A M¹ iii. c. and ii. and pritty,
Atte þis discomffiture
þe Englisch knightes towke her hure,
Of þe Skottes patte weren dede,
Clopes and haberiounes for her mede;
And watte euer þei might finde
On þe Skottes, bei lefte not behinde;
And þe knaues, by her purchas,
Hadde pere a mery solas:
For pei hadde, for her degree,
45. Margeteys] Margete ys MS.
[f. 80 a².
48. ii] iii R.

APPENDIX II
In alle her lyffe be better to be.
Alle þus þe bateille towke ending;
But y canne not telle off þe þen going
Off be too kingges, were þei become,
& weþer þei wenten oute or home.
Butt Godde, patte is heven king,
Sende vs pees and gode ending.

II.

This poem is from MS. Cotton Galba E. ix, where it almost immediately precedes Minot's songs. It is a translation from a French
original, of which there is a copy on the first fly-leaves of MS.
Harleian, Brit. Mus. 746, another in MS. Cotton Julius A. v, ff.
177b-179, a third in MS. GG. 1. 1, University Library, Cambridge,
f. 120 a2 (on which see Romania, xv. p. 283), and an abbreviated
Latin version in MS. Cotton Vespasian E. vii, f. 89. (See Ward's
Catalogue of Romances in the British Museum, i. pp. 299, 309, 322.)
Our poem follows the first of these closely; it was most probably
written with a view to discredit Henry the Fourth. According to
Otterbourne, p. 210 (ed. Hearne), he had spoken of himself, while still
Henry of Lancaster, as Merlin's Boar of Commerce who would lead
back the scattered flocks to the lost pastures. But the poem says he is
the Mole cursed from God's mouth, in whose days terrible evils must
come on England. It is a good example of the political use made of
the popular belief in the 'prophecies of Merlin.' (See Archaeologia,
xx. pp. 250-271.)
Ritson printed 11. 143–188 in his edition of Minot, pp. 96-98. A
prose version, of which an extract is given in Halliwell's Shakespeare,
ix. p. 401, is very closely related to this poem.
Here bigins prophecies of Merlin.
Herkenes speches of manikyn thinges,
Of gret ferlys & of mani kynges,
Þat has bene us be forne
And þe tyme sen God was borne
60. þen] yen R.
see Minot, iii. 109.
[f. 49 a².
4. Perhaps, And sen þe tyme þat God was borne;

MINOT'S POEMS
And how kynges þat efter ure day
Sal reng when þat we ar away,
And of þaire ayres þat er onborne,
And how Ingland sal be lorne :
Merlyn spekes al of þis,
And of othere thinges þat was & es,
And it sal be after vs.
A kyng Henri þe thrid begynes þus,
A lambe in Winchestre borne sal be,
A white chin haue sal he,
& he sal haue, als Merlyn sais,
Sothefast lepes in al his dais.
In his hert, forsothe, wretyn sal be,
Halynes, wil wit ȝe.
A gode hous he sal ger dight,
þat sal be of ful fair sight;
Bot fully made sal it noght be
In his tyme, for sothe wit ȝe,
We for his Ending! whils he es truande
10
A wolf sal come of vnkouthe lande,
[f. 49 b¹.
And in his kynrik sal he wone,
2.5
And ful gret harme he sal him done.
A ful grete were raies sal he,
Bot, at þe ending, þe lamb maister sal be.
He sal ouercome be wulf at þe last,
Thurgh help of a rede fox of þe northwest.
And after þat tyme, with in a stond,
þe lamb with ded beis broght to grond.
And when he dies, for sothe wit ȝe,
In unkouth lande sal his sede be.
And sua sal þe land duel & a byde
With outen any socoure, vntil a tide.
And þare sal come a dragon of þe lamb sede,
Menged with mercy & with felhede;
II. it] perhaps þat.
14. chin] thing MS.
29. wulf] o is written over
5. Omit þat.
19. In the margin, Westminister.
the u MS. 31. astond in one word MS.

APPENDIX II
And right als a gayt sal he haue a berde,
And al his famen sal for him be ferde :
And he sal gif schadow to Ingland al,
For cald & for hete þat he it gif sal.
þe ta fote in Eurwik sete sal he,
His other fote in London, for sothe wit ȝe:
Thre wonyngstedes he sal umlap þat tide;
To Wales sal he opon his mouthe wide,
And sal ger quak be north & be southe,
For dred & for aghe þat comes of his mouthe.
His eyn sal strik to many contre;
þe ande of his mouthe ful swet sal be.
And he sal ouercom many vnkouthe lyde
Þat weres agaynes him, & many misbyde.
In his tyme sal bekes rene al of blode,
And he sal mak walles þat sal do litel gode.
With his sede pas walles sal dere,
þat sal turn afterward þe land vnto were.
After þat tyme, sithen at þe last,
A folk sal come out of þe north west,
Thurgh a wyked grayhond led sal be;
And þan sal þai dye be a syde o be se:
Mikel folk þat tyme, with outen any faile,
With dole sal dye at þat bataile.
In his tyme the sone als blode sal be rede,
Þat sal betaken many mans dede,
And spiling of blode of many men bedene,
Thurgh dintes of swerds þat scharp er & kene.
þe folk as stepchildre sal duel & abyde
In many grete perels vntil a tyde.
þe dragon sal foster a fox þat sal be vngayne,
For he sal werre with him with might & mayne,
In lif of þe dragon, als Merlin saies,
Bot it sal not be ended in his lyf daies.
And al his famen ouercom sal he wele,
39. In the margin, Edward j. 42. gif] perhaps 3eme is to be
read. 51. lyde] tyde MS.
55. Perhaps, His sede with pas walles
sal he dere. 61. In the margin, ffaukirk.

MINOT'S POEMS
And wile 3eme his land euerilkadele,
And an of þe best knyght halden sal he be,
Þat es in þis werld, forsothe wit ȝe,
And sithen at þe last dy sal he
Be side a fer marche of another contre.
þan sal þe land duel in were,
Als a stepchild withouten þe mere.
Wailoway sal þai sing þen alder mast,
Als a stepchild in land þat es wast.
fter he dragon sal come a gaite;
Aff he sal com a gate saite.
Right as a buc sal he haue a berd;
His famen for him ful litel sal be ferd.
An ande of him sal out fare,
Sal hunger betaken & mikel oper care,
And dy'e'ng of folk & tynyng of lande:
For he sal tyne mikel þat he before fande.
And Merlin, forsothe, in his boke sais
Þat hordom sal be vsed mikel in his dais.
And his ilk gaite j neuen began,
He sal com out of Carnarvian;
And to anothere land wend sal he,
To sek him þe flour of lif þat sal be so fre.
Mikel folk of þe land, in tyme of the gate,
Sal dye with dole, as j wele waite,
Wharfor þat folk of othere contre,
Ful bald & ful ken agayn [him] sal be:
And in hys tyme briges sal be
Of armed folke in dik of the se.
Stanes sal fal ful euen in þe land,
þat befor in castel war wont for to stand.
And, in his tyme als it sal seme right
Þat Ouse al offire brene sal bright.
78. a nother MS.
[f. 49 b².
85. buc] perhaps hauk is to be read.
87. And an MS. him]þam MS.
beferd in one word MS.
be taken MS. oper] of þare MS.
omit. MS.
104. forto MS.
93. nenen MS.
106. Ouse] hous MS.
86.
88.
100. him]

APPENDIX II
A bataile alswa sal be in a feld,
Þat es right schapen as it war a scheld.
Opon a narm of þe se, with outen any fail,
þar 'sal' be sett þat ilk bataile :
Þar mai men finde ded grete plente,
Als men dos fisches in þe saltse;
Þar sal be fallen many wight heued;
Many dohti man þar sal be leued.
& wit ȝe forsothe, with outen any faile,
It sal be called þe wikked bataile.
O
be gaites blode sal come a bere,
And he sal rais agayn him were;
And be gait sal tyn mikil of his land,
& mikel of his riches þat he befor fand;
Scham sal hi`m' think þan at þe last,
IIO
I 20
A pouer sal he gedre ful 3ern & fast;
þan sal he cleth him in a lyon skyne,
And al þat he outraid & more sal he wyne.
A folk sal come out of þe north west,
For to help þe gait þan at þe last,
þat sal ger be gait douted be
In his awen land & in other contre.
þat folk sal come to be gait þen,
And þai sal venge þe gait of his fomen.
And efter all þat tyme, wele wit ȝe,
[f. 50 a¹.
In mekill sorow and pyne end sall he.
And þan sall all be land, als the stori leres,
Efter him be fild full of Henueres ;
And þai sall wirk grete trey and tene
To be folk þat bifore þam has bene.
In the tyme of the gait with owten ani faile,
Sall ane Aren spring up out of Kornwaile :
All his faire fethers of gold sall be;
And in Knaresmire end sall he.
117. Bannokbourn is written above the line.
word MS.
126. forto in one
127. for to after douted would improve the rhythm.
140. So MS.; rather read Knavesmire.

MINOT'S POEMS
For treson and falshed þat in him bese fun,
þe name off þat Aren es cald Gaunston.
Efter be gayt sall cum a lyon,
þat in hert ful fers and fell sal be fun :
His bihalding sall be ful of pete,
His sembland to seke reght lykind sall be:
His brest alswa sal be slokening of threst,
Vntill all [þat] lufes pese and rest.
His tong sall speke wordes all of lewte;
His bering like a lamb meke sal be.
He sall have trey and tene in biginni[n]g,
To chistise misdoers of wrang lifing.
And als thurgh felnes sepin sall he seke,
Till he haue made þe folk als lamb to be meke.
He sall be cald in þe werld, als wide als it es,
Bare of hele of nobillay and of felnes.
Als a lamb sall he [be] milde and meke,
And vnto rightwisnes ay sall he seke.
þis ilk beste þat es þe bare named biforn
Cumes out of Windesore, þare bese he born.
Whetand his tuskes sall þat ilk bare
Fare thurgh foure landes þare he come neuer are:
And euermore his iornay euer ilkadele
Sall he do hardily, nobilly and wele;
Till þe burgh Ierusalem and to be haly land,
Sall he find none oganis him to stand.
Spayne sall trembill for tene and for care;
Aragown sall haue drede & dout of þe bare.
In France sall he sett his heuid biforn.
His tail sal rest in Yngland whare he was born.
He sal whet his tuskes on Pariss 3ates;
Almayn sal be ful ferd for his lates.
He sall ger reuers & mani grete flode
Be rinand with hernes and with rede blode.
þe greses þat er grene sal he rede make;
Gauuston.
142. should read
146. reght] rest MS.
157. be supplied by R.
[f. 50 a².
145. In the margin, Edward iij.
151. biginnig MS.
148. þat omitted in MS.
166. oganis] ogains R.

APPENDIX II
Mani man for þe bare sal trembill & quake.
In alkins landes win sall be bare
þat ani of his eldres has losed are.
So nobil and so doghty sall be bare be
Þat he sal or he dy were corons thre.
Vnderlout sall he mak ilk outen land
To be at his will, and bow till his hand,
Wele more sall þe bare conquer and win
Þan ani did bifore of all his end kin.
All lordes sall him lout with out ani lese,
And þan sall his land be in swith gude pese :
Sepin in a fer land end sall he,
And for his nobilles be grauen bitwen kinges thre.
Efter him sal cum ane ass, wit ȝe ful wele,
He sall haue fete of lede and heuid of stele,
Of bras sall his hert be & yren his skyn;
He sall be harder beste þan ani of his kin.
In all his time, with owten ani lese,
Sall he lede his land in rest & in pese.
And in þe biginni[n]g of his kingrike,
Sall he big a cete and wall it and dike.
His voice and his criyng, als I understand,
Sall be herd swith wele in euerilka land.
And also þis ilk ass for his lewte,
Mekil part of his time praised sal be.
þan sal he gif þe lordschip of all his land
Vntill ane Arne and sese it in his hand :
Þat Arne sal 3eme it wel at his might,
Fro alkins enmies, bi day and by night;
Wele sal he 3eme it vntill a tyde
Þat he be ouercumen and kasten with pride.
þan sall be sorow to one and to ober,
When þe Arne sall be slane with swerd of his broper.
Sepen vnto be ass falles þe land,
And he sal 3eme it wele in his awin hand.
þe land in his time wele 3emid sal be,
184. ena] perhaps endur is to be read.
204. ennies MS.
195. biginnig MS.

110
MINOT'S POEMS
And of all gudes haueand plente.
Sepin sal a moldwerp be zemer in land,
Weried with Goddes mowth mai ȝe warand,
A swith grete wretche be moldwarp sal be;
In euerilka nede fast sal he fle.
His 'hide' sall be rogh als a gait skin,
Ilk a stede bese þe wer þat he cumes in.
And on him sall light, who so right redes,
Þe vengance of God for ald euill dedes.
He sal be ful wrangwis in euerilka wane,
And grace in his time gettes he nane.
In þe land sal be at his biginni[n]g,
Plente of mone and all oper thing.
[f. 50 b¹.
He sall be mekill praised vntill a tide,
Till he be casten down with sin & with pride:
þan sall cum a dragon ful fell & ful scharp,
And he sall raise were oganis þe moldwarp;
And als þe folk sall, find withouten ani faile,
Founded on a stane bese þat bataile.
And als with þat dragon þan sall be prest
A wolf þat sall cum out of the west:
He sall bede bataill ful fell & ful scharp,
And rise with þe dragon oganis þe moldwarp.
Both be dragon and be wolf with mekill might
Sall raise þaire tales samyn on hight.
Out of Yreland þan sall cum a liown,
And hald with be wolf and with þe dragown :
Þan sall all Ingland quakeand be,
Als leues þat hinges on þe espe tre.
Þan sall þe moldwe[r]p be sore adred,
With þam thre sal he be so straytly sted.
His folk sall he gader and samyn þam þen,
For to zeme his land fro his famen.
þe moldwerp with his men fast sall þai fle.
And so ouercomen þan sall he be,
Þan in þat ilk time þe castels all
Þat standes on Tems bank doun sall þai fall.
229. omit als.
244. forto MS.

APPENDIX II
III
And be water sall seme als it war dry,
So many ded bodise sal parin ly.
þe foure chefe waters þat er in I[n]gland
Sall rin all of rede blude, als I vnderstand.
þe grete hilles for drede clouen sall be,
And þe moldwerp for ferd sall oway fle.
þe dragon and be wolf and be liowne
Sall chace þe moldwerp, in feld and in toune,
Þan sall Ingland on euerilka side,
Be with owten zemer vntill a tide.
þe moldwerp at þe last bese leued noght els
Bot ane yle in þe se, þat he in dwells,
þe twa partes sall he gif oway of þat land,
Forto saue be thrid part in his owin hand.
And so sall be moldwerp lede all his life
In were & in wandreth and in mekill strif.
In tyme of þe moldwerp, be ȝe full balde,
Sall be hate bathes bigin to be calde.
And efter þat, euill ded dy sall he sone,
For be wikked sines þat he has done,
Without any lesing, in flodes of þe se,
Purgh Vengance of God drowned bese he.
Þan sall all I[n]gland on wonder wise,
Be euyn partid in thre parties;
Waters and woddes, feldes and towne
Bytwene þe dragon and þe lyoune,
And so, efter þat time, named sall it be
þe land of conquest in ilk cuntre.
þus sall be ayres of Ingland kinde
Pas out of heritage, als we here finde.
Explicit prophetia de Merlyn.
257. euerilkaside in one word MS.
[f. 50 b².
271. iglang MS.

II2
MINOT'S POEMS

III.

This poem is found in the Liber Loci Benedicti de Whalley, Brit.
Museum MS. Add. 10374, a sort of commonplace book written in the
14th century. It has been printed with other extracts from the MS. in
Whitaker's History of Whalley, ed. iv. vol. i. p. 155.
§ Ceste est la copie de letre qe Dauid le Bruys maunda
a Philippe de Valoys Roy de ffraunce.
Ore escoutez de Dauyd le Bruys
Come a Philippe de Valoys maund[a] saluz.
Per ceo qe auoms entenduz
Qe moult de gentz auoms perduz,
[f. 110 a.
Vous face a sauoir qe bien tart
Si auoms fait notre part,
Taunt auoms tenuz voz maundementz
Qe nous sumes perduz & noz gentz,
La terre Descoce ay refuse,
& en Engleterre su demore,
Tout soul saunz nul amy,
& en garde dautruy.
Jeo me confesse a toutes gentz,
Qe trope auoms fait malement
Quant nous entrams en Engleterre
En absence le Roy de leuer guerre,
Qare nous nauoioms riene a faire,
Mes grant mescheance þur nous aquere.
Nous entendismes bien passere
Þar my la terre saunz destourbere ;
Meis Lerceuesqe oue poeir grant
Nous vynt toust encountraunt;
Le Percy & le Moubray
Se porterent bien al iournay.
Nous nauoyoms grace ne poeir
Encountre lour bataille estere;
A la nouelle croyce de Dureme
La perdymes notre Realme;
La fumes pris en fuaunt:
Philippe, gardez vous de taunt.
10

APPENDIX III
Qe nous fumes pris en notre trespase,
Dount sumes venuz de haut en bas;
Come la fortune est ordyne,
Primes mountams de gre en gre;
Quant estoy venus al pluys haute
Si perdy moun regne qe ore me faute.
Vous me maundastes par verite,
Qe en Engleterre ne serroit troue,
ffors chapellayns dames & moignes
& autres femmes & berchers :
Meys trouames illoeqes grant gent,
& ceo nous vynt en confusement:
Dount nous auoms bien aparceu
Qe le Roy du ciel est toust somelu
En qil soit oue son poeir
Le Roy du ciel luy voet aidere;
Pur ceo sume[s] de sa partie.
Escoutez, Philippe, qe ieo en die:
Tout soit i notre frere en ley,
Moult auoms trespasse vers luy :
Et tu, Philippe, en grant outrage
Retenez son heritage.
Estoit a grant sire auaunt:
Heritage est descendaunt,
Qe nul homme ne poet iuger,
Qe heritage doit remountere,
Meis descendre de gre en gre;
Cest est ley par verite.
[f. 110 b.
Moun piere Robert quant il vesqist
Roy Descoce a tort luy fist;
Et nous regnames apres sa mort,
S auoms troue notre tort.
Qi en fausyne se regna,
Le tierce gre ne auera ia;
Nous auoms regne a taunt en cea;
Regne ore qi qe purra.
31. trespase] the last letter has faded out.
36. ore] oze MS.
I
1692.

MINOT'S POEMS
Meis ore, Philippe, auysez vous :
Si prenez ensaumple de nous,
Sicome auoms fait & les noz,
Si ferreiez vous & les voz.
Vous me maundastes votre messagere,
Qe a Loundres dussoms encountrere;
Voz gentz sount venuz deuaunt,
Philippe, ore vous aiourne taunt.
Votre Seneschal fait purueance,
Meis vous demorez trope en ffraunce:
Þar ceo, Philippe, hastez a nous,
Qi la sumes trouez trestoutz.

IV.

This poem is from MS. Harley, 4843, a large folio of the 15th
century containing collections which mostly relate to Durham. It has
only been printed in Hutchinson's History of Durham, vol. ii. p. 342.
The glosses printed at the foot of the page are written between the
lines.
[f. 241 a.
Anno domini millesimo CCC xl. vi. die martis in vigilia
Luce euangeliste hora matutina ixª commissum fuit bellum
inter Anglos & Scottos non longe a Dunelmia in loco vbi nunc stat
crux vulgariter dicta Newillcrosse.
.
Incipit prologus
O miranda bonitas Ihesu saluatoris,
Humiles qui respicit omnibus in horis,
Superbos humilians cuspide meroris,
Quos ceca cupiditas tenuit erroris.
Non est sapiencia certe contra deum,
Vlla nec prudencia valet contra eum ;
Nunc vni nunc alteri dat deus tropheum,
Judas¹ set preualuit nunc in Amorreum ².
gens anglorum.
gentem scoticam.

APPENDIX IV
Benedictus deus qui nos visitauit,
Ab Egipti carcere¹ qui nos liberauit,
Qui sub nostris pedibus 2 Pharaonem strauit,
ffilios qui Israel diu captiuauit.
Explicit prologus. Incipit tractatus belli.
In Francorum partibus rege debellante,
Et sibi subicere Caleis laborante,
Sathane satellites, treuga non obstante,
Irruunt in Angliam, vt solebant ante.
Rex Dauit indomitus, vana spe seductus,
Et Francorum litteris falsis circumductus,
Ad Ledel se properat, ad suorum luctus,
Nam patet per exitum qualis fuit fructus.
ffructus paruus affuit, licet capiebat
Vnum forciunculum sibi quod nocebat,
Proth dolor! set militem viuum quem videbat,
Post visum interimit, licet non decebat.
Non decet ad principes nec ad reges magnos
Ad vindictam pessimam nimis esse pronos.
Qui studet destruere fideles colonos,
Vix sedebit filius eius super thronos.
Capto forciunculo, Dauit 5 est letatus
Plus quam credi poterit, & est exaltatus,
Sic, sic per Achitofel est consiliatus,
Partesque destruere vult episcopatus 7.
Temptauit multociens Duglas suo more,
Vt ab hoc proposito, & ab hoc errore
Dauit regem verteret, suo pro honore,
Error sed nouissimus peior est priore.
Captis, raptis omnibus ad Lidel inuentis,
Versus austrum properant in furore mentis,
Non erant sed memores prophete dicentis,
Salua locum domini & ipsius gentis.
scottica tirannide.

ruys.
2 angli.
6 malcolmum flenyng (sic).
3 scotti.
7 dunelmie.
[f. 241 b.
10
4 es de selbe.
8 wille/mus.
I 2

MINOT'S POEMS
Occidebant homines vtpote bidentes,
Non misericordiam in se plus habentes,
Heu! Cuthberti presulis sic tractabant gentes
Horum sunt plures inopes, erant qui potentes.
Spoliant ecclesias, rapiunt iumenta,
Et de quibus sumpserant nummos & talenta,
Comburunt & grangias, simul & frumenta,
Parum parcunt talibus falsa fide tenta.
Vox in Rama¹ sonuit fletus et ploratus,
Quum vir cum gregibus fugit desolatus,
Panem petit paruulus, nec est sibi datus,
Ex hinc lamentabiles dabat eiulatus.
Tunc fugit plebs vlulans partes ad australes,
Non succursus hominum sperans aliquales,
Set inter angustias voces promunt tales,
Cuthberte, nos adiuua, si quo modo vales.
Cuthbertus, non immemor tante feritatis,
Et vim grandem sustinens sue libertatis,
Sic precatur dominum nostris pro peccatis
Horum sors & victoria cessit desperatis.
Ad Dunelmum properant Scotti maledicti,
Deridentes Angli[c]os ac si essent victi,
Ad nemus de Beureparke festinant predicti,
Vbi erant postea fortiter afflicti.
ffigentes tentoria leti comederunt,
Nam dispersos Anglicos nuncii 2 dixerunt;
Scottis nescientibus prompti set fuerunt,
Aput Aukland Anglici mane vt viderunt.
Noctis sub silencio quando rex ³ dormiuit,
Duglas cum complicibus ad predandum iuit,
Misit suos catulos huc illuc, vt sciuit,
Set ruinam maximam venturam nesciuit.
41. vt pote MS.
[f. 242
1 northumbria.
2 monachi trans missi.
4 predones.
3 edward

APPENDIX IV
Luce in vigilia, fere in aurora,
Venerunt ad Merington non in bona hora,
Depredantur patriam voce cum sonora,
Set in luctum vertitur risus sine mora.
Ipsis depredantibus, ecce summo mane
Quedam pars exercitus gentis Anglicane
In predones irruit, & fugerunt plane
Omnes, velut lepores persequente cane.
Sicut canes lepores insequi solebant,
Sic nostrates & Scoticos vbique cingebant,
In agris & semitis mortui cadebant,
Quia sparsis cerebris stare non valebant.
Agmina prospiciens Duglas Anglicorum
Et progressum indicans sagittariorum,
Non stetit vlterius ad tenendum forum,
Set iuit celeriter ad relictum chorum 4.
Cum venisset igitur Duglas infra nemus,
Dixit; fratres, surgite, noua nos habemus,
Ad arma concurrite & post ordinemus
Si pro nostro commodo sit vt nos pugnemus.
Tribus in agminibus venit gens Anglorum,
Et in prima acie est gens Northumbrorum.
Sunt viginti milia certe pugnatorum,
Et Percy quem nouimus ductor est eorum.
Si fas esset vincere ipsius vexillum
Et Neuell similiter qui stat iuxta illum,
Caperemus Anglicos tempus post pusillum,
Et Archiepiscopum veluti pupillum.
Tunc dixit, vt dicitur, Dauid ad maiores;
Non sunt nunc in Anglia viri bellatores,
Non sunt nisi clerici, aque portitores,
ffient ergo martires isti confessores.
So
1 euangeliste.
2 bertram coupland.
3 anglici.
4 exercitum
scottorum.
5 W. de Souch.

MINOT'S POEMS
Non est nisi palea hec plebs congregata,
Seges est in Francia valde fatigata,
Capiemus Anglicos si permittant fata,
Velut auceps volucrem cum sit inuiscata.
Philippus, rex Francie, noster specialis,
Nobis scripsit litteram, & est tenor talis;
Non est nunc in Anglia sexus aliqualis
Caput qui defendere potest suum malis.
Wilham¹ illa agmina que sic indicasti,
Ex defectu cerebri forte machinasti,
Extra cursum solitum quia vigilasti
Tu ex vno homine duos estimasti.
Si tu sis perteritus, vade vias tuas,
Et fuge velociter ne percussus ruas,
Donec habuerimus manus nostras duas,
Non timemus Anglicos nec cautelas suas.
Ad hec verba motus est Duglas vehementer,
Et circumastantibus dixit luculenter,
Hodie non fugiam, stabo set potenter,
Et hoc luet plurimus incrassatus venter.
Non Anglorum, domine, curo de cautelis,
Regnoque Scocie ero vir fidelis,
Quod si non credideris & probare velis,
Hoc probetur hodie factis non loquelis.
Tunc ad arma bellica Scotti concurrerunt,
Clipeis ab aureis montes splenduerunt,
Juxta regis latera fortes confluxerunt,
Et pre magno gaudio tripudiauerunt.
[f. 242 b.
Venit eo tempore missus a priore,
Vnus simplex monachus tractans de amore,
Quem iussit interimi Dauid in furore,
Set non ita factum est vt precepit ore.
116. estimasti is written as a correction above machinasti.
duglas.

APPENDIX IV
Exeunt¹ de nemore insimul globati,
Gladiis & fustibus fortiter stuffati,
Licet erant omnibus bene preparati,
Erant nichilominus excomunicati.
Scotis audientibus turmas segregatim,
En nostrates veniunt valde seriatim,
Cum tubis clangentibus accedunt paulatim,
Ad ictus, ad verbera conuenerunt statim.
Currunt Scottis obuiam mox architene[n]tes,
Et transmittunt angelos ipsos persequentes,
Sic purgati fuerant scotticorum dentes,
Quod sunt qui relicti sunt adhuc conquerentes.
Irruerunt insimul Anglici & Scotti,
Vt leones rabidi circa predam moti,
Set quod non dixerant culpas sacerdoti,
Per ictus & verbera erant culpis loti.
Quia suspicabilis Duglas fuit Dauid³,
Ad iuncturam igitur primam festinauit.
Quem in ictu oculi Bertram trucidauit,
Viuus tum captus est, licet non putauit.
Nescio quali ductus sit Dauid fantasia,
Recte cum Angligenis iunxit alta via,
Benedictis domini matre et Maria,
Non vt ipse dixerat stetit prophecia.
Prophetauit inscius vtpote volebat,
Set non ita accidit sicuti dicebat,
Laudes cum victoria sibi ascribebat,
Set stetit oppositum antequam sciebat.
Stetit Percy dimicans fortiter cum Scottis,
Cum magnates plurimi starent a remotis,
Quod Angus percipiens viribus cum totis
Ad Percy se properat cum ducentis notis.
1 scotti.
159. bñdicto MS.
[f. 243 a.
168. proparat MS.
2 sagittas.
rex.
comes.
rex.
5 henricus.

MINOT'S POEMS
Non auertunt facies comes nec Henricus,
Donec victus fuerat omnis inimicus ¹,
Vix in campo steterat diues vel mendicus,
Per quem tantus periit sanguis impudicus,
Tunc Archiepiscopus de Suche qui est dictus,
Ad creandos ordines venit valde strictus,
Quotquot ordinauerat senciebant ictus,
Ex hinc imperpetuum fiat benedictus.
ffuit nam diaconus Mowbray vir vrbanus,
Atque subdiaconus Okyll ille canus,
Qui ad istos ordines fuit tam prophanus 5
Quod non potest fieri post hec capellanus.
Illi namque clerici dicti confessores,
Quos Dauit vocauerat aque portitores 6,
Absoluunt in fustibus suos derisores,
Sicque iacent mortui velut peccatores.
Morique de Morauia vir inordinatus,
Contra ius ecclesie comes nuncupatus,
Quia duxit coniugem non licenciatus,
Nunc ad istos ordines fuit degredatus.
Thomas cancellarius ductor regis Dauit,
Qui pomposas literas sepius dictauit,
Quia terras Anglie nimis adoptauit,
Ipsum nunc exigua terra saturauit.
[f. 243 b. 185
Comes de Morauia Anglicis ingratus,
A nostris magnatibus nimis honoratus,
Quia venit contra nos cum Dauid armatus,
Jacet inter mortuos dire vulneratus.
Senescallus Scocie videns ordinatos,
Super terram mortuos iacere prostratos,
Ordinari noluit inter memoratos,
Iter set arripuit inter effugatos.
2 dandos ictus.
6 inabiles ad preliandum.
1 scoticanus.
5 in occidendo.
8 charters.
3 episcopi.
robertus.
7 occidunt.

APPENDIX IV
Gens nostra viriliter stetit Anglicana,
Set fugit celeriter turba Scoticana,
Currebant per aspera insimul & plana,
Sperantes euadere, set spes fuit vana.
Scotis fugientibus ipsos sunt secuti,
Equites & pedites per paludes luti,
Multi vero capti sunt, multi sunt minuti,
Pauci set ad propria peruenerunt tuti.
Videns rex¹ attonitus quod fugissent sui,
Volebat se reddere set nesciuit cui,
Volens vexillarius 2 eius vita frui.
Dixit Coupland ³, cape hunc, eius seruus fui.
Mox in Dauit guttere Coupland misit manus,
Set in quantum potuit restitit prophanus,
Velit, nolit, captus est, set vt vir vrbanus
ffecit secum armiger 6 volens quod sit sanus.
Set non ita sanus est, quin architenentes
Cum sagittis ferreis visitabant dentes;
Est vnum prouerbium dictum inter gentes,
Deridentur sepius qui sunt deridentes.
Non erant nunc ordines nisi speciales,
Qui non sunt mortui omnes capitales,
Cumque congregauerat suos consodales
Senescallus Scocie erunt generales.
Wath qui sanctuarium Cuthberti destruxit,
ffidelem qui militem occidens seduxit,
Qui leonum catulos super nos induxit,
Et comburens segetes risit & non luxit.
Wath qui terras diuidit quas non adquisiuit,
Alienas detinens pluresque concupiuit,
Qui vixisse potuit pace set non sciuit,
ffoueas confodiens in quas dissiliuit.
[f. 244 a.
3 iohanni.
4 S.
a.
1 dauid.
2 thomas carre.
6 coupland.

MINOT'S POEMS
Wath qui regis Anglie filiam despexit,
Propter Vnam pellicem quam sors sursum vexit,
Lyam lippam oculis rex¹ Dauid dilexit,
Set Rachel 2 pulcherrimam vix gaudens respexit.
Non laudetur aliquis propter istud factum,
Nam fuit miraculum quicquid erat actum,
Laudetur set Dominus qui custodit pactum,
Et Cuthberti presulis vendicat ius fractum.
Laudes deceptorias cunctas respuamus,
Et ad thronum gracie preces effundamus,
Vt per temporalia sic, sic transeamus,
Semper eternalia ne nos amittamus.
1 scocie.
Amen.
2 reginam scocie.

Exit,
xit.

Notes on Appendix

I. Halidon Hill.

1-7. This passage is rendered in Caxton's Chronicle, ed. 1502, ‘And
there men myght see many a Scottysshman caste downe vnto ye grounde
& the baners dysplayed hackyd into peces | & many a gode haberyoyne of stele in ye blode bath.'
9-13. The position taken up by the English is described in a speech
attributed to Douglas by the writer of the Gesta Edwardi Tertii, 'Nunc
alia fortuna tanquam inclusos illos in nostris finibus huc adduxit, hinc,
siquidem a tergo villam optimam viris bellicosis munitam; a dextris
vero pelagum spatiosum et altum, a sinistris autem alveum fluminis de
Twede cujus intumescens mare riparum marginem jam implevit,' p. 115.
41. In tanta siquidem caede nisi miles unus et armiger unus de
exercitu Anglicano, et pauci pedites ceciderunt,' id. p. 116.
61. Whither they betook themselves, i. e. Edward the Third and
Edward Baliol.

II. The Prophecies of Merlin.

13. The Harleian MS. (afterwards quoted as H.) has, ‘[U]n aignel
    vendra hors Wincestre qi avera blaunche launge & levers veritables,'
    and the Cambridge MS. agrees with it; thing may then be corrected
    into tunge. But the Latin version gives 'lanam habens albam,' which
    is explained in the margin by 'laneam habens barbam. This perhaps
    points to chin in the sense of beard as the true reading. According
    to Trivet, Annales, p. 280, Henry was generally identified with
    Merlin's lynx.
14. A gode hous, une mesone de Dieu,' H., 'vne mefoun deu
    Weftm.,' Camb. MS., which properly means a hospital. Westminster
    Abbey is meant, þe newe word of Wesmunstre þe king bigan þo
    anon | After is crouninge, & leide þe uerste ston,' Robert of Gloucester,
    10658, 9,
    Faire is þe werk & hie in London at Westmynster
    þat þe Kyng Henrie of his tresore did wirke,' Langtoft,
    Kyrke,

MINOT'S POEMS
213/13, 4. Comp. also 'Eodem quoque anno (1245) dominus rex
devotione ductus quam habuit ad gloriosum Dei regem et confessorem
Edwardum, ecclesiam Sancti Petri Westmonasterii jussit veterem dirui
in parte orientali cum ipsa turri et ipsam decentius sumptibus fecit
propriis reparari', M. Paris, Hist. Angl., ii. p. 506; and Stanley,
Memorials of Westminster Abbey, pp. 122-6.
23. truande, trusting, unsuspicious of danger. The wolf is Simon
de Montfort; the rede fox, Gilbert of Clare, Earl of Gloucester and
Hertford, surnamed the Red, from his red hair, Atkyns's Glostershire
(ed. 1712), p. 716.
34. Edward was crusading when his father died.
37. dragon. Edward the First was generally identified with Merlin's
'warlike boar coming out of Conan.'
45. Comp. He sais, Merlyn, in his deuyn, of him has said, | þat
þre regions in his bandons salle be laid,' Langtoft, ii. p. 282.
50, 1. Sa aleine serra si douce qe venkera meint destrange terre,' H.
54. Perhaps Berwick is meant. See Wright, Pol. Songs, p. 286, and
Rishanger, Chronica, pp. 157, 375; and comp. 'Now dos Edward dike
Berwik brode & long, | Als þei bad him pike, & scorned him in þer
song. | Pikit him, & dikit him, on scorne said he, | He pikes and dikes
in length, as him likes, how best it may be,' Langtoft, ii. pp. 272, 3.
The emendation of 1. 55 given in the footnote is supported by the Latin
version, 'Construet muros quod gravabit semen ejus,' and by the MS.
Cotton Julius,' & fra mures qi enoirent a son semail.'
59. The grayhond is Wallace; the bataile of 1. 62 is Falkirk; and
the fox of 1. 69 is Bruce.
77, 8. 'Toward Scotlond to hie, at Burgh bi sandez he lay, | His
tyme was no more sette here to regne in landes, | He died at a hamelette,
men calle it Burgh bisandes,' Langtoft, ii. p. 340.
80-82. In MS. Cott. Julius this passage is, 'Si demurra la terre mult
orphanycie sauntz bon governoure Allas si serra un chaunce commune com de gentz orphanycies qi reviendrunt en terre de gaste.'
85. buc.
'barbe com hostour,' H., 'barbam ut austurcum,' MS.
Cott. Vesp. The peregrine falcon has thick tufts of feathers below the
eyes.
87, 88. These lines are corrupt. H. has ' & istera de ces narilz une
broume qe signefiera doel & grant damage, famine & mortalite des gent
& perte de terre.' There is nothing in any of the versions answering to

1. 86; the scribe may have adapted it from 1. 40, which he had under
   his eyes in the left-hand column almost opposite.

2. This boke is the Vaticinium Merlini.

3. Si quera flour de vie,' H., so in the other French version, J.
   But lif might also be read lis.

4. That is, the sea will be bridged over by the corpses of dead
   men.

5. En son temps serra ouse escrelari & parira qele arde,' H.;
   'tempore suo fluvius oste (Ouse) clarescet & parebit quod ardeat,' MS.
   Cott. Vesp.
   111, 12. ´ Aliud etiam infortunium accidit Anglicis, quia, cum paulo
   ante transissent unam foveam magnam, in quam intrat fluxus maris,
   nomine Bannokeburne, et jam confusi vellent redire, multi nobiles et
   alii prae pressura cum equis in illam ceciderunt . . . et ideo Bannokeburne in ore Anglicorum erat per multos annos sequentes,' Chronicon
   de Lanercost, p. 226.
   "

6. wight should be white; the wikked of 1. 116 is also a mistranslation. Comp. E a cel bataille morrount mout des blanche
   testes, si serra apelle la blaunche bataille,' H.; et in bello illo morientur quamplures alborum capitum propter quod nuncupabitur album
   bellum,' Vesp.

7. The bere is Thomas of Lancaster, and the folk of 1. 125 are Sir
   Andrew Harcla, Sir Simon Ward, and their forces.

8. Henueres, a substitution for the 'aliens' of the other versions.
   The reference is here to an incident which would be well remembered in
   Lincolnshire. In his first Scotch expedition Edward had the help of
   John of Hainaut and many of his countrymen. At York, their servants
   fell out with some English archers over a game of dice. In the fight
   several of the former were killed. Their masters in turn killed three
   hundred and sixteen of the English archers, all men of the Bishop of
   Lincoln. Le Bel took part in the affair (i. pp. 39-44). Perhaps the
   translator of this piece was a Lincolnshire man; the Harleian MS.
   containing the French version appears to have belonged to Hugh
   Obthorp of Baston, co. Lincoln, in the fourteenth century, and subsequently to John Warner, chaplain of Sutton in the same county.
   (Ward, p. 309.)
   138, 9. The Aren is Gaveston. He bore vert, six eagles displayed
   or. (Doyle, Official Baronage, i. p. 438.) He was created Earl of
   Cornwall in 1307.

9. Knaresmire, for Kravesmire, a common pasturage outside
   York, which was close to the York Tyburn, and came in time to be the
   name for the place of execution there. (Davies, Walks through York,
   p. 101; Drake, Eboracum, p. 398.) It is here used simply for a place
   of execution. Gaveston was beheaded on Blacklow Hill, June 19th,

11. lyon throughout the passage he is a boar. The 'lyon' is due
    to the French, 'Apres cel chevre vendra un sengler qe avera la teste sen
    & quoer de leon,' H.

MINOT'S POEMS
146. Son visage serra repos as malades,' H.
152. To chistise, in punishing. The misdoers are Mortimer and
his friends.
163. iornay, ceo qil avera a faire,' H.
189. ass, the 'asinus nequitiae' of the Vaticinium.
192. Perhaps harder is a play on his name; comp. ' Et per Richard,
riche hard congrue notatur,' Wright, Pol. Songs, p. 49.
"
196. Si foundra une Cite qi serra crie par tot le mound,' Julius.
The other copies seem imperfect; the reference is obscure, perhaps
the occupation of Cherbourg by the English is meant (Froissart, ix.
p. 70).
202. The Arne is Gloucester: in contemporary poems he is generally
a Swan, no doubt from his badge the swan azure. His brother of 1. 208
is John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who is not generally credited with
any share in his murder. But by virtue of his office as Seneschal of
England he would pronounce sentence against Gloucester (Parl. Rolls,
iii. p. 378) who was murdered at Calais in 1397.
213. The moldwerp is Henry the Fourth, the dragon of 1. 231,
Percy, and the wolf of the west Glyndwr. It may, however, be mentioned that the latter, identifying himself with the dragon of Merlin's
prophecy, displayed a banner with a golden dragon on a white ground.
(Wylie, Henry the Fourth, i. p. 247.)
230. Cele guerre serra funde sur un piere,' H., which is as enigmatic
as the English.
237. The liown is perhaps Macmurrugh. But the line is more
probably a vague reference to help expected from Ireland by the conspirators. In 1401 Glyndwr had sent letters to the Irish chiefs asking
help. Merlin, he said, had foretold that the Irish would join the Welsh
and the Scotch against Henry the Fourth. (Wylie, Henry the Fourth,
i. p. 249.)
249. the water, 'Saverne,' H., i. e. the Severn. In the Vaticinium
it is said that the Thames would be turned into blood in the time of the
ass of wickedness; so also the portent of 1. 266.
260. yle, 'nef,' H., J. Perhaps the writer was here thinking of the
story that Richard the Second had escaped to the Out Isles (Wyntoun,
ix. 2015-54).
278. The ending of H. is the same as this; J. adds 'si Dieu ne meite
amendement de sa grace.'

III. Letre Dauyd le Bruys.

This poem is clearly of English origin; it has the characteristic
English mistakes. The writer of the Whalley MS. was certainly not the
author of it; he has written it continuously like prose, and the rhymes
have suffered in 11. 9, 10, 39, 40. The flourish which indicates a final e
in trope, l. 14, riene, 1. 17, passere, 1. 19, destourbere, 1. 20, estere, 1. 26,
aidere, 1. 46, remountere, 1. 56, messagere, l. 71, encountrere, l. 72, makes
impossible forms of these words. There are other indications that the
scribe did not fully understand what he was copying. The spelling
Bruys (= Bruz) in 1. I is noteworthy.
4. auoms. Read auez, the reference being to the French losses at
Crécy.
"
9. refuse, if right, must mean cast away' (L. * refusare).
10. su for sui (L. sum).
21. Lerceuesqe see ix. 29, note.
23. Percy,' alter Judas Machabaeus filius Matathiae, bonus praeliator,'
and Mowbray are specially mentioned in the Lanercost Chronicle,
PP. 350, 351.
27. nouelle croyce, perhaps a folk etymology for Neuille Cross.
40. Chanoignes for berchers would restore the rhyme.
63. fausyne, deceit (L. falsus).

IV. Tractatus Belli apud Crucem.

The account in the Lanercost Chronicle shows a remarkable resemblance to this poem. The Chronicle was probably written by the
Minorites at Carlisle.
19. See p. 87. The Peel of Liddell was situated on the border about
two miles north from Netherby.
22. forciunculum, diminutive of fortia, is not in Ducange. Forta
litium is the word in the Lanercost Chronicle.
31. Achitofel was, as the interlineation explains, Malcolm Flemyng,
created Earl of Wigton in 1342. He was a devoted adherent of David
the Second. See for an account of him Rot. Scacc. Scot., i. pp. clviii
and clxvii.
33. Comp. Than consalyd Willame off Dowglas, | That off weris
mast wys than was, | To turne agayne in thaire cuntre: | He sayd, that
wyth thair honeste | Thai mycht agayne repayre rycht welle, | Syne

MINOT'S POEMS
thai off fors hade tane that Pelle. | Bot othir lordis that war by, | Sayd
he had fillyd fullyly | His baggis, and thairris all twme war,' Wyntoun,
viii. 6149-57.
47. grangias, farm houses, properly barns for storing grain.
49. This line is identical with one in a poem on the Scottish Wars of
Edw. I in Wright, Pol. Songs, p. 165. Comp. 'Sic illud tunc authenticum exstitit impletum, " Vox in Rama audita est, et noluit consolari,"
Chronicon de Lanercost, p. 347.
61. The rhymes in 149-150, 165-166 show that Scoti not Scotti is
the true form.
68. Bishop Auckland lies about ten miles south-west of Durham, and
Kirk Merrington (1. 74) is three miles east of Bishop Auckland.
69. rex, Edward Baliol. It is doubtful whether he was present.
IOI. The true form is Dauit; see ll. 153-154, 189-190.
134. Comp. Duo Nigri monachi venerunt de Dunelmia ad tractandum cum David pro treugis habendis. "Ecce," inquit David, "isti
falsi monachi per suas insidias mecum colloquentes; hac enim de causa
tenebant in conclavi, ut taliter defraudatos irrueret subito super nos
exercitus Anglicanus." Praecepit ergo eos capi et statim decapitari, sed
omnes Scoti tunc temporis sic erant occupati quod monachi clam fugientes laeti et illaesi, sine aliquo damno ad propria repedabant,' Chronicon
de Lanercost, p. 349.
155. Sir Robert Bertram of Bothal in Northumberland, was sheriff of
that county in 1343, 4. He captured both Douglas and Flemyng in the
battle, but being ordered by special writ to convey the latter to the
Tower he let him escape. The King thereupon issued an order to seize
Bertram and his goods. He was, however, pardoned in the following
year. He died in 1363. See Hodgson's Northumberland, Pt. ii. vol.
ii. p. 126.
167. Gilbert de Umfreville, third Earl of Angus, had already done
good service on the English side in the Scottish wars. He was one of
the leaders of the first division at Neville's Cross. He died in 1381.
Hodgson's Northumberland, Pt. ii. vol. i. p. 34-43.
(
175. This jest is also worked out in the Lanercost Chronicle. Leland
copied ex tabula pencilibus Dunelmensis' (pensili Dunelmensi) the
following, 'Gul. de la Zuche archiepiscopus Ebor. and Mowbray ejus
diaconus ac Robertus Ogle ejus subdiaconus fortiter pugnabant,'
Itinerary, viii. p. 40.
178. Sir Robert de Ogle of Castle Ogle on the Blyth, to which place
the captive king was brought. Hodgson, Pt. ii. vol. i. p. 381.
185. John Randolph, third Earl of Moray, younger son of Randolph
the Regent. Douglas, Peerage of Scotland, p. 499.
189. Sir Thomas of Charteris (de Carnoto) was created Chancellor on

David's return from France. There is an account of him in Rot. Scacc.
Scot., i. p. lxxv note.
197. Robert Stewart succeeded David Bruce as Robert the Second in
1371.
211. Leland in the place quoted above noted down, 'Thomas Carre
vexillarius dixit Joanni Copland, cape Davidem regem.' For Coupland,
see p. 90. In another poem on the battle he is described 'A re nomen
habens, cui cognomen cape terram.' Wright, Pol. Poems, i. 46.
212. As the interlineation indicates, this should read, 'seruus eius fui.'
225. Wath, woe be to.
233. This cause of dissension between the two kings is not dwelt on
elsewhere.
1692
K

This Glossary is also a fairly complete index for all words in Minot's poems
except those of very common occurrence. The abbreviations are: v. infinitive mood
of verb; pr. s., pt. s., pr. pl., pt. pl., third person singular or plural, present or past
indicative; imp. s., imp. pl., second person singular or plural imperative. The other
persons are indicated by numbers prefixed. A noun in the singular is indicated by s.,
in the plural by pl. No indication or meaning follows a word which is merely a
variant form of the word preceding.
The other contractions are the usual ones.
theoretical.

Glossary

A.
Abate, v. beat down, lessen, lower,
viii. 19. abated, pt. s. vii. 44;
pp. iv. 64, v. 51. OF. abatre.
LL. abbattuere.
Abide, imp. s. remain, ii. 22.
abyde, v. stop, vii. 42. habide,
await, i. 23, vii. 106, viii. 31;
hold the field, xi. 35. habyde,
xi. 34.
Adreinte, pp. drowned, A i. 12.
ME. adrenchen. OE. drencan.
Affiance, s. trust, vii. 162.
OF.
afiance. LL. adfidencia.
Aghe, s. dread, that which produces fear, A ii. 48. OWScand.
agr.
A-goo, pp. past by, A i. 18. OE.
ägän.
Ailed, pp. afflicted, pained, ix. 27.
OE. eglan, to give pain.
Aire, s. heir, iv. 28.
Al, adj. all, i. 16. all, i. 18.
Alblast, s. a cross-bow from which
quarrels were shot, iv. 82. OF.
arbaleste. L. arcubalista.
Ald, pl. old people, iii. 19.
Alder, gen. pl. adj. of all, A ii. 81.
OE. ealra, gen. pl. of eall.
All, adv. quite, altogether, i. 37,
Forms marked with an asterisk are
39, X. 30. All-if, conj. even
though, i. 85.
Allane, adj. alone, ix. 65.
Als, conj. as, i. 5, &c.; adv. also,
i. 51, &c. alls, also, i. 6o.
also, iii. 51.
Alway, adv. ever, vii. 62.
Alweldand, adj. all-ruling, vii. 26.
Ande, s. breath, A ii. 50, 87.
OWScand. andi, breath; OÈ.
anda, hate.
Ane, one, iii. 94. a, ix. 53.
Ankers, pl. anchors, x. 14. OE.
ancor. L. ancora.
Are, adv. formerly, before, vii.
128, ix. 58, A ii. 178. OE. ær.
Are, s. mercy, possibly the right
explanation in viii. 62. OE. ar.
Aren, s. eagle, A ii. 138. arne,
A ii. 202. OE. earn.
Armure, s. armour, mail, vii. 155.
OF. armeüre, armure. L. armātūra. The termination is the
same as in vesteüre, from vestitura.
Arne, see Aren.
Ascry, s. report of scouts who
have discovered the enemy, iv.
40. See Skelton, ii. 152. OF.
escrier. Anglo-F. *ascrier, from
L. exquiritare.

Assoyl, v. absolve, grant pardon,
ix. 30; pr. s. subj. iii. 115, vii.
33. assoyle, v. 88.
OF. assoldre. L. absoluĕre.
At, prep. to, with gerundial infini-
|tive, i. 21, v. 58, ix. 17. at, on,
vi. 22.
Availe, v. profit, help, iii. 46.
Avance, v. advance, promote the
cause of, ix. 5. avaunce, i. 70.
OF. avancier. L. *abantiare.
Ax, s. axe, vii. 84.
Ay, adv. always, i. 63, iii. 124.
ay whils, conj. although, i. 28.
B.
Bachilere, s. knight (strictly, one
who is not yet a banneret), v.
48. OF. bacheler. LL. *baccalărem.
Bad, see Bid.
Bade, see Bede.
The
Baken, pp. baked, ix. 51.
strong form is still in use in
Northern dialects.
Balde, see Bold.
Baldely, adv. bravely, v. 55.
baldly, iii. 96, vii. 83.
Bale, s. woe, mischief, i. 4, ii. 28,
29, vi. 62, vii. 16, viii. 20, x. 22.
Ban, v. curse, viii. 94. OE. bannan.
Band, s. bonds, vi. 47. bandes,
pl. v. 73.
Baner, s. banner, flag, i. 61, ii. 8.
OF. banere. L. *bandaria.
Bankes, pl. banks, slopes, vii. 21,
viii. 20.
Bare, s. boar, vi. 53, &c. bore,
vi. 3, vii. 21, xi. 34. bere,
A ii. 117.
Bare, adj. stripped, ruined, ii. 20,
vii. 123, x. 26; on bankes bare,
in open country unfortified by
natural difficulties (comp. iv.
61 note), vii. 21, viii. 20; bare
of, deprived of, vi. 24, 25.
Bare, pt. pl. bore, iii. 124.
Barely, adv. utterly, or perhaps,
openly, clearly, viii. 94.
Bargan, s. bargain, purchase, vii.
64. OF. bargaine, as if from
L. *barcaneum, derivative of L.
barca.
Barounes, pl. barons, iii. 43.
barons, v. 26.
Batail, s. army,
battle, vii. 83.
v. 83, xi. 35.
bataille, army,
v. 40, ii. T. 2.
OF. bataile.
LL. barōnem.
vii. 22, viii. 52;
bataile, i. T. 2,
bataill, viii. 31.
ix. 8. batayl,
batayle, iv. 78.
LL. battualia.
batale, v. to fight, iv. 33.
Be, v. be, i. 43; pr. s. subj. vii.
113. bene, pp. iv. 13. ert, 2.
pr. s. art, i. 4.
ertou, art thou,
vii. 124, 125. es, pr. s. i. 17;
pr. pl. i. 55, v. 36 (?). er, 2 pr.
pl. ii. 6, vi. II. er, pr. pl. i. 39.
are, viii. 62 (?). was, pt. s. i.
59. 2 pt. s. vii. 133. war, pt.
pl. i. 13, 28, 30, 40; was, i. 47,
v. 30. were, iv. 39. ware, iv.
87, viii. 93. war, pt. s. subj. ii.
32, v. 5; pt. pl. subj. i. 48.
Bede, v. offer, ii. 9, xi. 35, A ii.
233; mixed in meaning with
bide, v. 40. bade, pt. pl. offered,
v. 55. OE. beodan.
Bedene, see Bidene.
Bekes, pl. becks, brooks, A ii.
53. OWScand. bekkr.
Beld, s. protection, help, vii. 27.
OE. bieldo. Goth. balpei, boldness.
Bende, v. bend, vi. 23. bent, pp.
vii. 84, 85.
Berd, s. beard, iv. 30, x. 19.
berde, iv. 96.
Bere, s. bier, vi. 48, 49.
Bere, see Bare.
Berebag, s. bag bearer, ii. 20, ix.
23. See note on ii. 20.
Bestes, pl. beasts, i. 6.
Besy, adj. zealous, eager, i. 30.
Bet, adv. better, iii. 40 (conjecture).
K 2

Bifall, v. befall, iii. 26.
Bifor, prep. before, vii. 22, 49,
168, &c. bifore, adv. formerly,
i. 40, 90, iv. 14, x. 18. biforn
(in rhyme), adv. iii. 110, A ii.
159. byfor, prep. v. 27.
Big, adj. strong, doughty, vii. 83.
Comp. Norw. dialectic bugge
(Björkman, 157).
Big, v. to build, viii. 26. bigges,
pr. s. viii. 24. bigged, pp. vii.
168. OWScand. byggia, to inhabit.
Bigile, v. beguile, viii. 44.
Bigin, v. begin, iv. 78, vii. 13, 20,
30, &c. bigyn, ix. 29. bigins,
pr. s. viii. 25. bigon, pt. s. ix.
49. bygun, pp. vii. 149.
Biging, s. house, dwelling, ii.
20, vii. 123. biginges, pl. vi.
35.
Bihalding, s. looks, countenance,
A ii. 145.
Biker, v. fight, v. 55, xi. 34.
Bileuid, pt. s. remained, iii. 66;
pt. pl. vii. 101. Represents OE.
belafan, to leave behind, but
with meaning of OE. belifan, to
remain. In Lazamon, bilaeuen
has both meanings.
Biside, prep. beside, near, vii. 102,
viii. 25, 28.
Bisschoppes, pl. bishops, iii. 17,
vii. 137.
Bithoght, pt. pl. purposed, iii. 47 ;
pp. es bithoght, is minded, vi.
55; suld be bithoght, should
have weighed the matter, vii.
III. OE. bepencan.
Bitid, pp. happened, i. 73. bityde,
pr. s. subj. befall, ii. 12. Comp.
OE. getidan.
Bitwixen, prep. between, vii. 134.
Bityde, see Bitid.
Bi tymẹ, adv. in good time, soon,
viii. 27.
Blac, adj. black, x. 19.
Blan, see Blin.
Blaw, v. blow, iv. 80.
Blede, v. bleed, vii. 52, 53.
Blin, v. cease, v. 86, vi. 72, ix. 31;
2. pr. subj. x. 19. blinned, pt.
S. v. 87. blan, vii. T. 2. OE.
blinnan.
Blis, s. place of bliss, iii. 114;
pleasure, joy, vi. 24, 25, vii. 167,
viii. 19.
Blis, pr. s. subj. bless, iii. 126.
OE. blissian, to rejoice, but with
meaning of bledsian.
Blith, adj. merry, vii. 128; rejoiced, viii. 49.
Boght, pp. in dere boght, dearly
atoned for, i. 43, iii. 119; pt.
pl. vii. 64. For abought, OE.
abycgan, to pay for.
Bokes, pl. books, vii. 3, 6.
Bold, adj. daring, v. 40, 54.
bolde, iv. 68, 76, vii. 53, 85.
balde, xi. 13.
Bone, s. prayer, i. 3, iv. 46.
OWScand. bón.
Bore, see Bare.

orn, pp. borne, i. 61.
ost, s. boast, brag, iv. 66, v. 50,
51, vi. 26. boste, i. 18, 62, ii.
8, 20, v. 86, 87, viii. 85.
Bosting, s. boasting, bragging,
ii. 9.
sot, conj. i. 47, ii. 36, &c.; prep.
except, ii. 18; adv. only, viii. 45.
Bote, s. remedy, benefit, iv. 58,
vi. 26. bute, i. 4, v. 6. OE.
bōt.
3ote, s. boat, xi. 20.
botes, pl.
iii. 82.
3oun, adj. ready, prepared, xi. 34.
boune, i. 63, ii. 9. OWScand.
búinn, pp. of búa, to make
ready.
Boure, s. bower, room, viii. 26.
OE. bür.
Bowes, pl. bows, v. 54, vi. 23,
vii. 84, 85.
Brade, adj. broad, v. 54, vii. 84.
Brandes, pl. brands, vii. 70.
Brede, s. bread, ix. 51.
Breke, v. break, vi. 36. brak,
pt. pl. vii. 78.
Bren, v. burn, vii. 89.
brene, v.
vi. 35. brin, v. iii. 55, v. 10.
brend, pt. pl. burned, iii. 61.
Brenis, pl. shirts of ring mail, vi.
3. OWScand. brynja. Goth.
brunjô.
Brere, s. briar, bush, vii. 128.
OE. brēr.
Brest, s. breast, vii. 22.
Brid, s. woman, wife, i. 79. OE.
bryd. Goth. brûps.
Brid, s. bird, vii. 128. briddes,
pl. i. 6 (conjecture). OE. brid.
Brig, s. bridge, vii. 78. OE.
brycg.
Brim, s. sea, flood, v. 57. OE.
brim.
Brin, see Bren.
Broght, pt. s. brought, iv. 37,
viii. 52, &c.; pt. pl. ii. 36; pp.
iv. 66.
Brwed, pt. s. brewed, contrived,
vi. 62.
Bud, pt. s. behoved (used impersonally), v. 52, ix. 28. Contracted from bihofed or bihoved.
OE. behōfian.
Bukler, s. shield. to play at
buckler, to fence with broad
sword and buckler, v. 34.
Burgase, pl. (but same form as
singular) burgesses, townsmen,
viii. 65. buriase, pl. v. 15.
L. burgensis.
Burne, s. man, v. 40 (conjecture).
Busk, imp. s. hasten, ii. 22.
OWScand. búask, to prepare
oneself, reflexive of búa, to preþare.
Bute, see Bote.
Bydene, see Bidene.
Byfor, see Bifor.
Bygun, see Bigin.
C.
Caitefes, pl. wretches, i. 75:
kaitefs, v. 58. OF. caitif,
cheitif from L. *cactivum.
Cant, adj. bold, brisk, eager, vii.
107. Comp. Du. kant, edge.
Cantly, adv. keenly, eagerly, v. 64.
Cardinales, pl. cardinals, viii. 40.
Care, s. anxiety, i. 11, v. 7, &c.;
affliction, distress, ii. 10, 19, &c.
cares, pl. iv. 67.
Cast, pp. thrown, v. 7. kast, ix.
60. casten, v. 57. OWScand.
kasta.
Castell, see Kastell.
Cataile, s. goods, chattels, ix. 26.
catell, vii. 124, 126. Anglo-F.
cateil. LL. capitalem.
Chance, s. fortune, hap, i. 72.
Chaunce, i. 73.
Chere, s. looks, mien, iv. 45. OF.
chiere from L. caram. Gk. kápa,
head.
Childe, s. child, iii. 56.
Clene, adv. completely, viii. 77.
Clere, adj. bright, unclouded, iv.
48.

Clerk, s. scholar, vii. 2. clerkes,
vii. 4, ix. 14.
Clip, v. embrace, clasp, vi. 29.
OE. clyppan.
Colde, adj. in cares colde, chilling, disheartening, iv. 67, vii. 87.
Come, Comen, see Cum.
Comun, adj. common, viii. 67.
Confort, s. comfort, strengthening, i. 83, iv. 47; v. to cheer,
iv. 18, v. 79.
Conig, s. rabbit, viii. 75.
Comp.
LL. cuniculus.
Coste, s. coast, country, vii. 38,
X. 22.
Counsail, s. counsel, advice, vii.
112, viii. 43. counsaile, iii. 45.
Couaitise, s. greed, ix. 26. OF.
coveitise. LL. cupiditia. In F.
convoitise the n is not original.
Craft, s. trade, business, v. 69.
Crak, v. crack, ii. 10. crakked,
pp. i. 59, ii. II.
Crede, s. creed, in phrase, ken
one one's crede, to teach an
elementary lesson to one,
viii. 4,
ix. 38, xi. 14.
Cri, pr. pl. with on, appeal to, i.
69.
Cros, s. cross, ix. 28, 64.
Crowne, s. top of the head, head,
i. 59, ii. 10. croune, ii. 11.
croune, S. crown, vii. 170.
coroun, ix. 46.
Cum, v. come, iv. 42, vii. 9; pr.
pl. viii. 91; 2 s. subj. pr. x. 22.
cumes, pr. s. vi. 50; pr. pl. vi.
43. come, pt. s. iii. T. 1, 86,
107, &c.; pt. pl. iii. 21, 60, v. 27,
&c. comen,pp.v.64. cumen,
iii. II, iv. 29, &c.
Cumand, pt.s. commanded, iii. 53.
Cumandment, s. orders, iii. 50.
Cumberd, pp. burdened, imperilled, vii. 120. OF. combrer,
LL. combrus (= cumulus), an
abbatis, that is, felled timber
used as a fortification.
combra means a weir.
LL.
Cumen, see Cum.
Cumly, adj. comely, iv. 1, 3.
Kumly, vii. 95.
Cumpany, s. company, train, iv.
21. L. *compania.
Cuntre, s. country, iv. 28.
Custom, s. tribute, tax, x. 25.
D.
Dais, pl. days, vii. 171. dayes,
iv. 32.
Dale, s. world below, i. 8, 9; E
earth, grave, x. 3.
Dance, s. vii. 58, viii. 72. daunce,
i. 66, &c.; v. ix. 3. daunced,
pt. pl. v. 29.
Dar, pr. s. dare, viii. 31, xi. 34, 35.
durst, pt. pl. i. 23.
Dare, I pr. s. to be dismayed, to
lie motionless as if mased, i. 9.
dareand, pres. p. i. 39. Comp.
Low German bedaren (Franck).
Dayes, see Dais.
Ded, adj. dead, x. 3.
Ded, s, deed, act, viii. 15. dede,
i. 23, 52, &c. dedes, pl. i. 8, 10.
Ded, s. death, A ii. 267. dede,
vi. 68. dedes, gen. s. of death,
i. 26.
Defendes, pr. s. defends, iii. 7.
Dele, s. portion, deal, iii. 38.
Delid, pt. pl. dealt, distributed,
vii. 141. delt, pt. s. vii. 98.
Depe, s. sea, x. 24.
Dere, v. to injure, i. 52, viii. 10,
A ii. 55. OE. derian. OHG.
terjan.
Dere, s. injury, i. 10.
Dere, adv. dearly, i. 43, iii. 119,
vii. 64.
Dere, adj. dear, vii. 126.
Dern, adj. secret, i. 10. OE.
dierne.
Derue, adj. terrible, bold, i. 10
(conjecture).
Despite, s. scorn, mockery, insult,
vii. 122.
OF. despit. L. *dēspěctum.

Dight, pp. appointed, i. 8o, vi. 7;
prepared, ready, v. 25, 41, vii.
93, viii. 34, xi. 22. dightes,
pr. s. prepares, vii. 36.
dihtan, L. dictare.
Dik, s. bank, ridge, A ii. 102.
Din, s. noise, v. 84.
OE.
Diner, s. dinner, xi. 22. OF. infinitive, disner. L. disjunare.
Dint, s. stroke, i. 26, vii. 141.
dintes, pl. vi. 34.
Distaunce, s. distance, ix. I.
Do, v. cause, x. 24.
viii. 21; pr. pl. i. 10 (conjecture). did, pt. pl. v. 45, 56.
done, pt. pl. i. 10. done, pp.
at an end, i. 66, ii. 24. done,
V. A ii. 26.
dose, pr. s.
Doghty, adj. doughty, brave, iii.
92, iv. 53, 77. dughty, ix. 39.
OE. dohtig.
Dole, s. grief, sorrow, i. 8o, viii.
10, A ii. 98.
Dole, s. share, portion, what is
dealt out, vii. 140.
Domes day, s. day of judgement,
vi. 7.
Domp, v. plunge, sink, x. 24.
OW Scand. dumpa. Dan. dumpe.
Done, see Do.
Dongen, pp. hurled, thrown, vii.
74. Scotch ding. Comp. OSwed.
diunga.
Dose, see Do.
Doun, adv. down, vii. 74, 159.
doune, i. 61, ii. 8, iv. 66.
Dout, s. fear, doubt, i. 26, ii. 14,
´iv. 88, ix. 63, A ii. 168.
Dowt, v. to stand in fear, vi. 34.
douted, pt. pl. i. 86.
Dray, s. tumult, viii. 34. Usually
deray. OF. desrei, disorder,
confusion. L. disrēdum, order
(Foerster).
Dred, s. dread, xi. 17. Drede, i.
39, ix. 36, xi. 16, 36.
Dresce, imp. s. guide, direct, i. 8.
OF. drescer, drecier. L. *directiare, from directus.
Drewris, pl. delights, things of
price, vii. 126. OF. druerie
as if from L. *druaria. It.
druderie. OHG. drût (Otfrid),
trût.
Driue, v. dash òn, rush, v. 41.
Droupe, I pr. s. to hang down
the head, to be dispirited, i. 9.
OWScand. drúpa. See note.
Dubbed, pp. created knights, vii.
58.
Duc, s. duke, iv. 22, v. 41. duke,
iii. 25.
Duche, adj. German, iii. 20.
Dughty, see Doghty.
Dwell, v. remain, v. 21; abide, i.
80, xi. 23; remain dead on the
field, ix. 8; await battle, iv. 56.
dwelled, pt. s. remained, i. 81,
vii. 37.
Dy, v. die, iv. 24. dye, x. 24.
E.
Eb, s. ebb, v. 33.
Efter, prep. for, in search of, xi.
33; adv. iii. 49; adj. following,
v. 31.
Eghen, pl. eyes, vii. 92. ine, vii.
79. OE. eagan, pl. of eage.
Els, adv. else, vii. 115.
End, s. district, ix. 3. OE. ende.
End, adj. for endur, former, A ii.
184. OWScand. ender.
Engines, pl. machines, xi. T. 1.
OF. engin. L. ingenium.
Enmys, pl. enemies, i. 46. OF.
enemi. L. inimicus.
Entred, pp. entered, vii. 35.
Ere, s. ear, iii. 86.
Erle, s. earl, i. 42, v. 37, 53.
Erles, pl. v. 26.
Ersbisschop, s. archbishop, ix.
29.
OE. ercebisceop.
Ertou, see Be.
Espe, s. aspen, A ii. 240. OE.
asp.
Eth, adj. easy, v. 47. OE. eaðe.
Etin, pp. eaten, viii. 74, 76, 77.

Euerilka, adj. every, xi. 37.
Euermare, s. evermore, viii. 64.
euermore, vii. 154.
euil, xi.
Euill, adv. ill, x. 27.
38. euyll, ix. 59.
Euyn, adv. just, even, i. 68.
F.
Faght, pt. s. fought, v. 78, viii.
48; pt. pl. iii. 103. foghten,
pp. v. 62. fight, v. i. 25.
Faile, s. failure, A ii. 61.
Fain, adj. glad, pleased, vi. 58.
faine, xi. 18, 21.
Faire, adj. fair, vi. 6, viii. 73, ix.
6, 40, 46; honourable, vii. 116;
adv. iv. 71, v. 60, 78, ix. 16.
Fall, v. befall, happen, v. 78.
fell, pt. s. v. 83.
Fals, adj. false, i. 74, v. 23, vii.
62, &c.
Falshede, s. treachery, falseness,
ix. 61.
Famen, pl. foemen, vi. 73, vii. 39.
fomen, ix. 17.
Fand, see Findes.
Fande, v. experience, vi. 45.
fonde, ix. 9. OE. fandian, to
try.
Fare, s. way of behaving, manners,
especially assumption of supe
riority, brag, i. 24, 25, vi. 20,
vii. 118, x. 5, xi. 18.
Fare, v. go, i. 13, ii. 21, iii. 53,
iv. 17, &c. ferd, pt. s. iv. 19;
pt. pl. v. 13. fare, v. speed,
prosper, ix. 59, xi. 25. fars,
pr. s. iii. 40.
Fast, adv. earnestly, i. 69, ii. 27;
vigorously, iii. 7, 61, 103;
rapidly, iv. 17, 27.
Fayled, pt. s. was a defaulter, did
not come, ix. 54.
Fede, v. feed, x. 4; pr. pl. x. 5.
Felaws, pl. companions, partners,
vii. 135. OWScand. félagi.
Feld, s. field, plain, iii. 29; battlefield, iv. 56. felde, iv. 49, 74.
Feld, see Fell.
Fele, adj. many, iii. 17, X. 5.
OE. fela. OHG. filu. G. viel.
Felhede, s. fierceness, savagery,
A ii. 38.
Felid, pp. hid, iv. 71 (conjecture).
Fell, adj. cruel, fierce, i. 74, v. 23,
vii. 39, viii. 33, ix. 7.
Fell, see Fall.
Fell, v. lay low, vii. 86. feld,
pp. vii. 164, iv. 71 (?).
Felony, s. malice, wickedness, vii.
40.
Fer, adv. far, i. 56, v. 52, &c.
ferr, comp. adv. farther, x. 16.
fer, x. 17. fer, adj. iii. 73.
Ferd, see Fare.
Fere, v. to terrify, vii. 69. ferd,
pp. as adj. afraid, iv. 61, viii.
93; pp. as s. fear, iv. 93, vii. 90.
ferde, iv. 27 (always preceded
by for).
Fere, s. companion, partner, vi,
46. OE. gefēra.
Ferene, s. fern, bracken, iv. 71.
Ferlys, pl. wonders, marvels,
A ii. 2. OE. adj. færlic, sudden.
Fers, adj. fierce, viii. 33, ix. 7.
OF. fiers. L. fěrus.
File, s. vile person, coward, vii.
139, viii. 47.
Fill, s. as much as satisfies, v. 62,
X. 20.
Findes, pr. s. finds, ii. 28. fand,
pt. s. found, vii. 39, 49, ix. 20,
xi. 16, 17; pt. pl. iii. 93, xi. 21.
fun, pp. viii. 93. funden, viii.
47, 50.
Fine, v. come to an end, die, x.
17. fyne, come to terms, or
perhaps, cease fighting, xi. 21.
Fissches, pl. fishes, x. 4, 5.
Flay, v. terrify, ix. 17. Comp.
OWScand. fleyja.
Fle, v. flee, escape, iii. 70, iv. 60.
fled, pt. s. iv. 27, 93; pt. pl. i.
23. fleand, pr. p. vii. 90. fled,
pp. viii. 80.

Flemid, pp. exiled, i. 44. OE.
flieman, to put to flight.
Flesch, s. flesh, i. 20.
Flit, v. remove, get away, x. 17.
OWScand. flytja.
Flode, s. sea, iii. 83, 121, v. 46.
flude, iii. 76, v. 78.
Floure (de lice), s. fleur-de-lis,
lily flower, iv. 25. flowre, iv.
91. flowres, pl. ix. 6. floures,
ix. 7.
Flude, see Flode.
Flye, s. fly, i. 24.
Flye, v. fly, vii. 70.
Fode, s. person, vi. 71.
foda, food.
Foghten, see Faght.
OE.
Fold, s. earth, land, viii. 18. OE.
folde.
Fomen, see Famen.
Fonde, see Fande.
Fone, adj. few, ii. 28, v. 45. fune,
ii. 29.
For, prep. in spite of, iii. 26, vi.
20, xi. 18; on account of, iii.
54, vii. 23. for to, with infin.
of purpose, i. 22, iii. 24, iv. 72,
84, &c.
·
Forbere, v. spare, forbear, viii.
12.
•
Forgat, pt. pl. forgot, vii. 67.
Forgone, pp. parted with, ix. 46.
Forlore, pp. lost, vii. 59. From
ME. forlesen. OE. forleosan.
Forsaid, pp. aforesaid, before
mentioned, i. 57.
Forsworn, adj. i. 21.
Forpi, adv. on that account, vii.
75. þi, instrumental case of se,
that.
Forward, s. compact, agreement,
ix. 53, 58, 59. LWS. foreweard,
previous security.
Fote, dat. pl. feet, iv. 59, vi.
30.
Founded, pt. s. prepared to go,
betook himself to, i. 12. OE.
fundian, to hasten, to make for.
Fowles, pl. birds, i. 6.
Fra, prep. from, i. 44. OWScand.
frá.
Franceis, s. Frenchman, vii. 133.
Franche, adj. French, i. 13, vii.
77, 118, xi. 24.
Frankis, adj. French, vi. 20.
frankisch, vii. 86.
Fre, adj. noble, courteous, iv. 10,
29, A ii. 96.
Frek, adj. eager, keen, i. 13, iv.
54, 84. Comp. Fryke or craske,
or yn grete helthe,' Prompt.
Parv. p. 179. OE. frec. Goth.
-friks.
Frely, adj. noble, courteous, vi,
71. OE. freolic.
Frend, s. friend, vii. 161. frende,
vi. 19. frendes, pl. ii. 28, vii.
75.
Frendschip, s. friendship, vi. 45,
vii. 115.
Frere, s. friar, vii. 131.
Frith, s. forest, wooded country
(properly, an enclosed huntingground), iii. 29. OE. zefyrhoe,
affected in meaning by, frip,
peace, protection. Comp. 'the
foreste wele frythede,' fenced
in, Awntyrs of Arthure, 7,
and Catholicon Anglicum,
p. 143.
Fro, prep. from, i. 56, &c.
Ful, adv. ii. 31, iii. 61, &c. full,
iii. 87, v. 76, vii. 162.
Ful, adj. full, i. 76, ii. 6, vii. 22,
40. full, ii. 12.
Fun, Funden, see Findes.
Fune, see Fone.
Furth, adv. forth, iv. 19, ix. 25,
47, X. 7.
Fyne, see Fine.
Gaf, see Gif.
G.
Gai, adj. gay, i. 41. gay, i.
40.
Gaylayes, pl. galleys, iii. 60.
galays, iii. 79.

Galay men, pl. galley-men, iii. 57,
71, 93, 105, 120. galaies men,
iii. 51, 97. galayes men, iii.
78.
Gale, s. wrong, mischief, vi. 66
(see note).
Galiotes, pl. vessels of the galley
type but smaller than galleys,
iii. 81.
Gamed, pt. s. pleased, iv. 57 (conjecture).

Gan, pt. s. began, but used as
auxiliary did, vii. 69, ix. 16;
pt. pl. i. 22, iii. 113, ix. 64, x.
IO. OE. ginnan.
Gapin, pr. pl. gape, vii. 135.
Gase, pr. pl. goes, ii. 25.
Gat, pt. pl. got, v. 70. get, pr.
pl. viii. 3.
Gate, s. way, vi. 54, vii. 48, xi.
28. OWScand. gata, way.
Gaudes, pl. tricks, wiles, i. 87, ii.
18, 30. L. gaudium.
Gayned, pt. s. availed, benefited,
iv. 57. OWScand. gegna.
Gayt, s. goat, A ii. 39.
Geder, v. come together, xi. 3.
Gentill, adj. gentle, vii. 142;
noble, xi. T. i. 13.
Ger, v. make, cause, vii. 42. gert,
pt. s. iii. 43, vi. 66, vii. 99; pt.
pl. iv. 80, v. 86, vii. 87, x. 16.
gert, pp. vii. 52.
OWScand.
ger(v)a.
Gestes, pl. guests, xi. 29.
Get, imp. pl. be on guard, ii. 36.
OW Scand. gæta.
Gif, pr. s. subj. give, v. 39, 81, vii.
29. giff, iv. 90. gaf, pt. s.
gave, i. 83; pt. pl. iv. 85, v. 70.
gifen, pp. viii. 88.
Giftes, pl. gifts, vi. 64.
Gile, s. guile, i. 86, ii. 6, 12, vii.
136, &c.
Glade, v. cheer, gladden, v. 53.
Gle, s. device, shift, 'game,' iii.
69, iv. 57. OE. gleo.
Goddes, gen. s. God's, iii. 10.
Gode, adj. vi. 80, A ii. 19. gude,
i. 83, ii. 14, &c. gode, s. pro
perty, wealth, iii. 84. gude
iii. 122, v. 70. gudes, pl. viii
II, 14, X. IO.
Grame, s. hurt, injury, v. 18. OE
grama.
Graunt, v. grant, vi. 59. grante
viii. 46; pr. s. subj. iii. 4, 8, vi
80.
Graythest, adj. directest, vii. 48.
Superlative of graip, exact,
direct. OWScand. greiðr.
Grene, s. common, battle-field,
vi. 4, vii. 102, xi. 3. grene, s,
green-coloured cloth, x. 12.
Grete, adj. great, i. 6, 11, iii. 21,
&c.; pl. great men, v. 80.
Grete, imp. s. greet, xi. 28.
gretes, xi. 29.
Gude, Gudes, see Gode.
Gudely, adv. kindly, v. 80, 81.
Gyn, s. device, vii. 150. OF.
engin. L. ingenium.
H.
Habide, Habyde, see Abide.
Hald, v. hold, iii. 24; pr. s. subj.
xi. 10. haldes, pr. s. vi. 51.
held, pt. s. iv. 36, vii. 171; pt..
pl. iii. 32.
Halely, adv. completely, iv. 92.
Haly, adj. holy, i. 78, iii. 126.
Haly Gaste, Holy Spirit, iv. 8,
vii. 28, 29.
Hame, adv. home, iv. 89. home,
s. ix. 18.
Hand, s. hand, i. 21, iii. 126, vi.
43. handes, pl. iii. 57, v. 72.
hend, pl. iii. 32.
Harmes, pl. injuries, ii. 26, vi. 15,
43.
Hasted, pt. s. hastened, iv. 60, v.
22.
Hastily, adv. speedily, vii. 66.
hastly, vi. 44.
Hat, pr. s. is called, iv. 74. hight,
pt. s. was called, vii. 2. The
latter answers to OE. heht, past

of hatan, to call, the former represents a passive form of hatan.
See Zupitza, Guy of Warwick,
ii. p. 348. hetes, pr. s. promises,
ii. 26, vi. 51, a pres. with the
vowel of the past.
Hattes, pl. hats, viii. 41.
Haue, v. have, i. 29; pr. pl. i. 38.
has, pr. s. ii. 4. haues, ix. 46,
xi. 36; 2 pr. pl. ix. 60. had, pt.
s. i. II; pt. pl. i. 26. haued,
pt. s. ix. 36, 40, xi. 16; pt. pl.
ix. 63.
Hele, v. hide, vi. 16. helis, imp.
pl. vi. 17. OE. helan. L. celare.
Hele, s. health, well-being, xi. 10,
A ii. 156. OE. hæl.
Helmis, pl. helmets, vii. 105.
Help, v. i. 22; 2. s. imp. i. 92;
pr. s. subj. i. 31. helpid, pt. s.
helped,
helped, availed, v. 35, 37, vii.
100.
Hend, see Hand.
Hende, adv. quickly, vi. 17 (see
note); adj. gracious, vii. 34.
hinde, dexterous, ix. 37.
Hent, pt. pl. seized, ix. 24; pp.
received, vi. 15. OE. hentan.
Hepe, s. heap, v. 46.
Here, v. hear, iii. 50, vi. 44; I
pr. s. i. 65. heres, imp. pl. vii.
169. herd, pt. s. iii. 41, iv. 40,
55; pt. pl. v. 19, viii. 35.
Here, adv. comp. of heah, high,
but on here seems to mean
simply, on high, x. 14. Perhaps
it is herre, OE. heorr, hinge.
Hereof, adv. of this, v. 19.
Heried, pt. s. harrowed, plundered, vii. 34. OE. hergian;
Goth. harjis, army.
Herkins, imp. pl. listen, vi. T. 1.
Hernes, pl. brains, iii. 68, A ii.
174. hærnes, A. S. Chronicle,
A. D. 1137. L. cerebrum.
Hert, s. heart, i. 11, 21, vi. 52, 69,
vii. 127, xi. 17. hertes, pl. iii.
78, v. 30.
Heuidles, adj. headless, iii. 100.
Heuyd, s. head, iii. 65, vii. 59.
heuiddes, pl. iv. 72.
Heuyn, s. heaven, i. 35. heuin,
xi. 40.
Hide, v. hide, i. 21, vi. 16. hides,
imp. pl. vi. 17. hid, pp. killed (?),
i. 77. hided, pt. pl. x. II.
Hied, see Hye.
Hight, see Hat.
Hight, s. high, A ii. 236.
Hire, s. reward, pay, iii. 100, vii.
66, viii. 66. hure, A i. 50.
Holl, s. hold of ship, x. 10, II.
OE. hol.
Honowre, s. honour, iii. 21, iv.
92, ix. 42.
Hors, s. horse, iv. 59.
Houed, pt. pl. cruised, awaited in
readiness, iii. 83, 121.
houen.
ME.
Hund, s. dog, viii. 21. hundes,
pl. viii. 76.
Hundereth, hundred, iii. 94.
hundreth, iii. IIO, V. 71.
OWScand. hundrað.
Hurdis, s. bulwark, wooden rampart, x. 14 (see note). OF.
hourdeis. Gothic haúrds.
Hure, see Hire.
Hye, v. hie, hasten, i. 22. hied,
pt. s. iv. 89.
I.
Iapes, pl. tricks, iv. 15.
japer, to bark.
OF.
Ilk, adj. each, iii. 89, vii. 81. OE.
ælc.
Ilka, adj. every, i. 19, vi. 12.
Shortened from ilkan.
Ilkone, pron. every one, viii. 74.
OE. ic and ăn.
Ill, adv. ii. 31.
In, prep. on, i. I.
Ine, see Eghen.
Ines, pl. dwelling, viii. 27, ix. 52.
OE. inn, a dwelling. Comp.
for plural, Syne till his Innys
can he ga,' Bruce, xx. 354.

Inglis, adj. English, ii. 26, iii.
94, 101, 106, vii. 65, 81. Ingliss,
iii. 112, vii. 122. Inglisch, v.
T. 2.
Inogh, adj. enough, v. 9, vii. 153.
Iornay, s. expedition, iii. 40;
business, A ii. 163. OF. jornée.
L. *diurnatam.
Iwis, adv. truly, certainly, iii. 42,
&c. Always I wis in MS.
OE. gewis, certain.
K.
Kaies, see Kayes.
Kaitefs, see Caitefes.
Kast, see Cast.
Kastell, s. castle, xi. 11, 30.
castell, xi. 15.
Kayes, pl. keys, ii. 36, viii. 88.
kaies, viii. 89.
Kayser, s. emperor, iii. 13.
Ken, v. know, viii. 8; teach, vi.
39, viii. 4, xi. 14; 1 pr. pl. v.
87. kend, pt. s. taught, ix. 38;
pp. known, viii. 9. OE. cennan.
OWScand. kenna, teach, know.
Kene, adj. eager, bold, fierce, ii.
2, iii. 78, iv. 52, &c.; adv. v.
64.
Kepe, v. keep, retain, viii. 90, xi.
II, encounter to stop, X. 23.
keped, pt. s. encountered, iv. 96.
Kid, see Kith.
Kinde, s. people, race, A ii. 277.
Kindel, v. light up, originate, ii.
10. kindels, pr. s. ii. 19, x. 23.
kindeld, pp. xi. 26. OWScand.
kynda.
King, s. i. 1, 81. kinges, gen. s.
king's, iii. 24, 50; pl. vii. 112.
Kirk, s. church, i. 78.
Kirtell, s. kirtle, shirt, viii. 61.
OE. cyrtel. OWScand. kyrtill.
See Planche, Cyclopaedia of
Costume, i. p. 320.
Kith, v. display, show, v. 69. kid,
pp. made known, i. 75. OE.
[OCR gap: OE. etymon illegible in scan].
Knaw, v. know, v. 47; 1 pr. pl.
vii. 125.
Knele, v. kneel, ix. 28.
Knight, pl. knights,
V. 26
Knyght, A ii. 75. knightes
pl. iv. 29, 52, vii. 57, viii.
59.
Knok, v. knock, strike, vii. 130.
knoked, pp. iii. 68. knokked,
iii. 65.
Knokkes, pl. blows, vii. 98.
Kogges, pl. cogs, v. 73 (see note
on iii. 79). Comp. OWScand.
kuggr.
Kouth, see Kun.
Kumly, see Cumly.
Kun, pr. s. knows how, is able,
viii. 90. kouth, pt. s. knew, v.
69. OE. cunnan.
Kynrik, s. kingdom, A ii, 25..
OE. cynerice.
Kys, v. kiss, vi. 28.
L.
Land, s. earth, vi. 41. londe,
country, ix. 12.
Lang, adv. long, iii. 104; adj. xi.
19.
langer, adv. longer, iv.
16, 35, 65, v. 21, vi. 63, vii. 80.
lenger, adj. iv. 35. leng, comp.
adj. and adv. (conjecture) iv. 35,
vii. 80.
Lare, s. teaching, lesson, v. 9, vi.
22, X. 28, 29.
Lat, v. let, vii. 115; imp. viii. 90.
lete, pt. s. vii. 91.
Lates, pl. doings, behaviour, A ii.
172. OWScand. lát.
Law, adv. low, vii. 97, 127, ix.
64, 65.
Laykes, pl. games, sports, iii. 64.
OWScand. leikr.
Layne, see Lig.
Ledderr, s. ladder, xi. 19.
Lede, v. guide, i. 35, xi. 39.
Ledeing, s. command, viii. 54.
Leders, pl. guides, commanders,
viii. 94.

Lele, adj. true, not counterfeit,
iii. 37.
Lely, s. lily, iv. 91, xi. 3.
Lely, adv. verily, vii. 73.
Len, pr. s. subj. grant, xi. 39.
OE. lænan.
Lend, pt. pl. contracted, dwelt, remained, iii. 31. lended, pt. pl.
remained, viii. 45. OE. lendan,
properly, to land, to arrive.
Leng, Lenger, see Lang.
Lepe, v. leap, v. 45; imp. s. xi.
27.
Lepes, pl. lips, A ii. 16.
Lere, v. teach, v. 58, vi. 42 ; learn,
viii. 57, x. 28, 29. lered, pt.
pl. taught, v. 14, 34.
Lese, s. falsehood, deceit, A ii.
185. OE. leas. Goth. laus.
Let, v. hinder, stop, ix. 18. letes,
pr. s. ix. 19. lett, pt. pl. iii. 64.
OE. lettan.
Lete, see Lat.
Letherin, adj. leathern, xi. 19.
Leue, v. believe, v. 9; 2 pr. pl.
vi. 22. leues, imp. pl. iii. 117,
iv. 73. OE. (ge)liefan.
Leue, s. leave, vi. 61.
Leued, pt. pl. remained, ix. 65
(aphetic for bileued). left, pt.
s. iii. 38. leuid, pp. left, i. 55,
viii. 78. left, pt. pl. i. 89. See
bileuid.
Lewte, s. truthfulness, A ii. 149.
Anglo-F. leute. OF. loialté
loial-tatem.
Lien, see Lig.
Lif, v. live, iv. 24. lifes, pr. pl.
iii. 118.
Lig, v. lie, remain, vii. 80, 87.
ligges, pr. pl. iii. 99. lien, vii
135. lye, pt. pl. vii. 73. ligand, pres. p. viii. 71. layne,
pp. laid, A i. 7. ME. liggen.
Likid, pt. s. it pleased, vii. 80.
Line, s. rope, xi. 19.
Lipard, s. leopard, xi. 3. What
are now lions in the English
shield were then leopards.
List, pt. s. contracted, it pleased,
i. 71. OE. lystan.
List, s. skill, cunning, vi. 42. OE.
list, wisdom.
Listens, imp. pl. listen, iii. 117.
lystens, viii. 57.
Litell, s. little way, i. 57; adj.
little, i. 82. litill, iv. 26, viii.
45.
Lithes, imp. pl. listen, i. T. 1, v.
T. I. OWScand. hlýða.
Liue, s. life, i. 89. liues, pl. vii.
143.
Londe, see Land.
Lordes, pl. lords, iii. 31, 44, iv. 52.
Lorn, pp. lost, iv. 92. lorne, A
ii. 8. OE. (for) leosan with pp.
loren.
Loud or still, under all circumstances, viii. 54.
Loued, pp. praised, i. 53. OE.
lofian.
Lout, v. bow low to, vi. 40, 41,
vii. 97, ix. 64, x. 29. louted,
pt. pl. ix. 65. OE. lutan, to
bow.
Luf, s. love, vii. 144.
Luked, pt. s. looked, ix. 47.
Lyde, s. people, nation, A ii. 51
(conjecture). OWScand. lýðr.
Lye, see Lig.
Lye, s. lie, falsehood, iv. 73.
Lystens, see Listens.
M.
Ma, adj. more (in number), i. 42,
48, 49. mo, adj. iii. 16, 79, v.
71.
Mai, 2 pr. pl. may, viii. 1. moght,
pt. s. might, vi. 58; 2 pt. s. vii.
121. might, pt. pl. could, i. 87.
Main, s. might, ability, vi. 77.
maine, i. 85. OE. magen.
Maintene, v. maintain, i. 36, vii.
114. F. maintenir. L. manutenere.
Maistri, s. superiority, show of
superiority, iii. 113, vii. 41.

Mak, v. make, i. 62, v. 10, &c.
make, v. I. makes, pr. pl. v. 3.
mase, makes, viii. 34. maked,
pp. i. 49. makked, vii. 41.
made, 2 pt. s. i. 5 ; pt. pl. v. 84.
Manasinges, pl. threats, menaces,
i. 49.
Present participle of
manase. OF. menacer. L.
*mināciăre minatias facere.
Mane, see Mone.
Manere, s. way, fashion, vii. 116,
ix. 55.
Mani, adj. many, iii. 5, iv. 3, v.
48, &c.
many, i. 59, iii. 105,
v. 18, &c.
Manikyn, adj. many kinds of,
A ii. 1. Comp. monies kunnes,
Lazamon, 1710.
Mans, gen. s. man's, xi. 9. men,
pl. v. 34, 46, &c. mens, gen.
pl. iii. 84, v. 2.
Marchandes, pl. merchants, x.
26. OF. marchant. L. *mercantem.
Marche, s. boundary, district, A
ii. 78.
Mare, adj. more, viii. 3.
Mase, see Mak.
Maste, adj. most, iv. 7, vii. 26.
mast, adv. A ii. 81.
Mater, s. subject, vii. 17.
Mawgre, s. misfortune, what is
displeasing, i. 50. F. mal gré.
L. malum gratum.
Mede, s. reward, i. 50, v. 39, 81, &c.
Mekill, adj. much, great, i. 85,
iii. 18, 38, 62, &c. mekil, v.
51, xi. 27. OE. micel.
Mend, pp. behaved, acted, i. 29.
Aphetic for demeaned.
Mend, imp. pl. amend, viii. 7.
Mene, I pr. s. signify, intend, xi. 4,
5. menid, pp. v. 1. ment, v. 24.
Mens, see Mans.
Menȝe, s. army, followers, i. 82,
iv. 11, x. T. 1. OF. meyné.
L. *manionata for *mansionata,
household.
Mere, s. mother, A ii. 8o.
Meri, adj. merry, v. 32.
Merkes, pl. mark, object, ix. 13.
Mete, s. meat, iv. 85.
Mete, v. meet, v. 23. metes, pr.
s. ii. 27. met, pt. pl. vii. 63mett, pp. iii. 63. met, ix. 4.
Mi, adj. my, v. 4, 5.
Middes, s. midst, v. 56.
Midelerd, s. the earth, i. 5.
Might, s. power, might, iii. 8,
vii. 31, 43. myght, iii. 112.
mightes, pl. iv. 7, vii. 26.
Minde, s. remembrance, thought,
xi. 4.
Mirthes, pl. joy, vi. 27.
Mis, v. want, feel the want of, iii.
113, vi. 27. mys, vii. 119.
missed, pt. s. ix. 13.
Misbyde, v. to injure, A ii. 52.
OE. misbeodan.
Mischance, s. misfortune, iv. 20,
viii. 30, ix. 4.
Misdede, s. misdeed, viii. 7.
Misfare, pr. s. subj. fare badly, x.
27.
Misliked, pt. s. it displeased, vii.
60.
Misliking, s. displeasure, vii. 61.
Mo, see Ma.
Mode, s. mood, mind, vi. 77.
Moder, s. mother, iv. 10.
Mody, adj. courageous, proud, v.
42. OE. modig. Goth. môdags.
Moght, see Mai.
Mold, s. earth, viii. 3.
Moldwerp, s. mole, A ii. 213.
ME. molde, earth, and werpen,
to cast.
Mone, s. moon, i. 5.
Mone, s. complaint, ii. 27, ix. 45,
xi. 5. mane, iii. 108.
Mone, s. money, iii. 35, 37.
More, s. moor, ix. 4.
Moste, adv. most, iii. 46.
Mot, pr. s. subj. may, i. 33, 35, V.
53, xi. 38; may it, v. 78; 2 pr.
s. subj. ix. 59; pr. pl. subj. i. 50.
mote, A i. 9. most, pt. pl.
must, i. 67, So, iii. 72, x. 17, 18.

Mote, v. discuss the point, vi. 28.
Literally, to plead a law-case.
OE. mōtian; mōt-hus, place for
discussion.
Mowth, s. mouth, v. 1, vii. 7.
Mun, pr. s. shall, iii. 119; pr. pl.
i. 48; 2 pr. pl. vi. 27, viii. 2.
OW Scand. monu later munu.
Murning, s. mourning, sorrow,
vii. 119, viii. 2.
Myght, see Might.
Myle, s. the time it takes to walk
a mile, i. 84. Comp. G. stunde,
hour, and hence hour's walk.
myle, pl. miles, viii. 42.
Mys, see Mis.
Myst, s. mist, iv. 43.
N.
Nakers, pl. kettledrums, iv. 80,
A i. 35. See Prompt. Parvulorum, p. 350. OF. nacaire.
LL. nacăra, from Arab. naqāra,
drum.
Nane, pron. none, iii. 107.
Ne, conj. nor, iii. 110, viii. 75,
78; adv. not, iv. 36, v. 15, viii.
76.
Nede, s. need, time of need, v. 37,
xi. 37. nedes, adv. of necessity,
iii. 72, ix. 28.
Neghed, pt. pl. approached, x. 15.
Nere, adv. near, iv. 41, 42. nerr,
comp. adv. nearer, x. 15.
Neuen, v. name, A ii. 93
Neuer, adv. never, ix. 31. neuer
þe les, adv. nevertheless, i. 63.
Nightes, pl. nights, i. 51, vii. 171.
Nobill, adj. noble, iv. 22, vii. 18,
viii. 65.
Nobillay, s. renown, fame, A ii.
156. Anglo-F. noblee (Chardry),
from nobleier, to excel. L.
nobilitare.
Noght, adv. not, i. 16, 21, &c.;
s. nothing, i. 47, iii. 48, viii. 55,
X. 21.
Nokes, pl. nooks, vii. 5.
Nomen, pt. pl. took, ix. 53. OE.
niman.
No thing, adv. not at all, vii. 146.
Noumber, s. number, iii. 82.
Nowper, conj. neither, vii. 100,
viii. 75. nowther, viii. 78.
O.
Obout, adv. approximately, i. 84;
around, ii. 15, vi. 36, vii. 96;
employed on, i. 30, ix. 61 ; prep.
round, iv. 63, viii. 68.
Of, prep. on account of, iii. 58.
O-ferrum, adv. afar, at a distance,
vii. 70, 89. For on ferrum as
though dative of OE. feor, but
really arising out of ÓE. feorran, adv.
Ogayn, adv. back, i. 15. ogaines,
prep. against, i. 14. ogaynes,
iii. 94, 98. oganis, iv. 38.
Okes, pl. oaks, iv. 62.
Oliue, adj. alive, v. 44, 45. OE.
on life (dat.), but of lyue with
same meaning in Horstmann,
A. L., ii. 353/354, and oliue
meaning dead, id. 229/128.
Omang, prep. among, vii. 110,
142.
On, prep. by, vii. 104, viii. 79;
against, x. 21.
One, adj. alone, only, viii. 61.
Opon, prep. upon, i. 56, iii. 76, &c.
Or, conj. before, iii. 63, vi. 48, vii.
130, 164. OE. är.
Ordanis, pr. s. determines, iv. 5.
OF. ordener. L. ordinare.
Oper, adj. i. 42. opers, adj. gen.
of the other, vii. 81.
Oure, adj. our, i. 81, iii. 11, vii.
170.
Outen, adj. foreign, A ii. 181.
Outraid, pt. s. squandered, threw
away, A ii. 124. F. outrage.
L. *ultra-áticum.
Oway, adj. gone, worthless, v. 36,
away, vii. 117, xi. 1 ; adv. away,
vii. 116.

P.
OF.
Palays, s. palace, vii. 166.
Palet, s. head, vii. 130.
palet, sort of head-piece. See
Prompt. Parvulorum, p. 378.
Pall, s. robe, stately dress, vii. 110.
OE. pall from L. pallium.
Pas, v. escape, iii. 56; 2 pr. s.
subj. vii. 130.
Pauilyoune, s. tent, iv. 63. pauiliownes, pl. flags, xi. 32. OF.
pavillon. L. papiliōnem.
Pay, s. satisfaction, iii. 10. OF.
paie. L. pacare.
Pelers, pl. plunderers, thieves, ii.
15.
Pencell, s. pennon, little banner,
vii. 46. OF. penoncel (through
penocel). L. *pennionem-ic-illum.
Pere, s. peer, equal, iii. 14.
Pere, s. pear, i. 16, 17.
Pese, s. peace, i. 92.
Pine, s. trouble, vii. 77, xi. 20.
pin (A.S. Chronicle, A. D. 1137)
from L. poena.
Pitaile, s. infantry, vii. 56. OF.
pietaille. L. *pědālia.
Plaine, s. field of battle, i. 83.
Plate, s. plate armour, vii. 46.
Play, s. pleasure, vii. 108.
Playne, adj. of full value, iii. 35.
F. plein. L. plēnus.
Pleyn, v. complain, vii. 76.
plaindre. L. plangere.
OF.
Pointes, pl. plans, iii. 46.
Polled, pp. cropped, vii. 131.
Pople, s. people, iii. 19. puple,
viii. 67.
Pouer, adj. poor, iii. 122.
Prais, I pr. s. praise, vii. 109, 146.
prays, v. 59.
Pray, s. prey, i. 38.
Prelates, Church clergy, pl. iii.
17.
Prese, s. throng (of battle), i.
90,
vii. 45; throng (of courtiers),
vii. 109.
Prest, adj. ready, v. 61, vii. 25
viii. 67, A ii. 231. OF. prest
L. *praestum.
Priked, pp. spurred, ridden hard,
ii. 15.
Prise, s. value, i. 17; fame, glory,
iv. 26. OF. pris. L. pretium
Priue, adj. secret, privy, vii. 5.
Proferd, pt. pl. offered, iii. 23.
Proper, adj. fit, fine, vii. 25.
Proue, v. test, try the value of, iv
15, v. 61. proued, pt. pl. tried
vii. 42.
Prowd, adj. proud, vii. 110.
Puple, see Pople.
Purchas, s. gain, A i. 55. OF.
purchacier. L. *procapt-iare.
Purpos, s. intention, purpose, viii.
39. purpose, xi. 23.
Puruay, v. provide for, iv. 34.
OF. pourveoir. L. providere.
Puruiance, s. provision, management, vii. 146.
Puttes, imp. pl. put, xi. 32. put,
pt. pl. iii. 95, vii. 77.
Q.
Quell, v. kill, v. 24. qwell, i.
78.
Quit, pt. pl. paid, vii. 66. See
next word.
Quite, adj. deprived of, vii. 124,
125. OF. quite. L. *quitum.
Rade, see Ride.
R.
Railed, pp. set in order, iv. 83.
OF. reiller. L. regulare: comp.
OHG. rigil.
Rapes, pl. ropes, viii. 68.
Rapely, adv. quickly, hastily, vi.
67. OWScand. hrapa, to hasten.
Rathly, adv. quickly, vii. 91, viii.
6. OE. hrade.
Raw, s. line or order (of battle),
iv. 79, v. 48. row, line, iv. 83.
Reche, v. reach, vii. 15.

Rede, v. read, vii. 1.
Rede, s. advice, counsel, iii. 23.
Rede, I pr. s. advise, x. 19.
rædan.
OE.
Rede, adj. red, viii. 41, A ii.
30.
Redles, adj. without counsel, without resource, vi. 14, 37.
Redy, adj. prepared, i. 32, 33,
&c.; prompt, ix. 43.
Reght, see Right.
Ren, v. run, vi. 37, vii. 91, viii. 6.
Reng, v. reign, A ii. 6.
Renowne, s. reputation, fame,
viii. 81. OF. renon. L. renomen.
Rent, s. income, revenue, vi. 13.
Rese, s. haste, vii. 47. OE. rās,
rush, race.
Reson, s. reason, x. 27.
Rest, pt. s. rested, remained, vi.
75.
Reued, pt. pl. reaved, carried off,
iii. 122, ix. 24, x. 18. OE.
réafian.
Rewfull, adj. pitiful, vi. 13.
rewful, vi. 38.
Riche, adj. splendid, iv. 25, 79.
Ride, v. ride, vi. 14. rade, pt. s.
vii. T. 2, 47, ix. 2.
Rifild, pt. s. robbed, plundered,
ii. 16; pp. ii. 17. F. rifler.
Rig, s. back, vii. 81. OE. hrycg.
Right, adj. true, rightful, iv. 28;
direct, vi. 54; adv. truly, exactly,
vii. I, II; reght, s. claim, what
is due, vi. 78.
Rightwis, adj. rightful, vii. 113.
OE. rihtwis.
Riueling, s. rough boot made of
raw hide, brogue, here a nickname for the Scotch, ii. 19. OE.
*gerifjan, to wrinkle. rifelingas, gloss. on obstrigelli, Wright-
Wülker, Vocabularies, 125/53.
rifelede, gloss on rugosus, Napier, Altenglische Glossen, in
Engl. Stud., xi. p. 66. Comp.
MHG. ribbalîn.
Rode, s. rood, cross, vi. 75, xi. 9.
OE. rōd.
Row, see Raw.
Rowt, s. company, i. 32, vii. 94.
rout, i. 33, ii. 16, 17, &c. OF.
route. L. *rupta.
Rughfute, adj. rough-footed, ii.
19.
S.
Sad, adj. serious, earnest, v. 2.
Saine, v. say, i. 81. say, i. 65,
iii. 36, 71, ix. 15; imp. s. xi. 25.
sai, I pr. s. vii. 73. say, v.
31. sais, pr. s. vii. 169, pr. pl.
v. 88. said, pt. s. i. 46, pt. pl.
i. 43.
Saite, s. silk, A ii. 84. ? For say,
OF. seie. Comp. G. seide. But
perhaps and saite is a corruption
of unsete, unbearable, huge.
Sakles, adj. innocent, ii. 3. OE.
sacleas. Comp. OWScand. saklauss.
Sal, shall, pr. s. v. 6, pr. pl. vi.
33. sall, I pr. s. i. T. 1; pr. s.
ii. 34, vi. 21, x. 22; pr. pl. iii.
118. sale, pr. s. vii. 15. suld,
pt. s. would, i. 43, 46, pt. pl. iii.
53.
Saltou, 2 pr. s. wilt thou, ii. 23,
X. 21, xỉ. 25.
Salue, v. salute, greet, v. 4. F.
saluer. L. salutare.
Samyn, adv. together, A ii. 236.
samyn, v. to gather, A ii. 243.
OE. æt-somne, samnian.
Sandes, pl. sands, v. 71.
Sare, adj. sore, i. 15; adv. sorely,
bitterly, v. 12, 13, viii. 60. sore,
vii. 156.
Sari, adj. sorry, vii. 88.
wretched, i. 72, 73, v. 28.
Satt, see Sittes.
sary,
Saul, s. soul, iii. 3. saules, pl.
iii. 114. sawls, v. 88.
Sawes, pl. sayings, v. 2,
ix. 56.
OE. sagu.
Sayland, pres. p. sailing, v. 60.
1692
L

Schac, v. shake, iv. 30.
Schame, s. shame, i. 64, ii. 12,
&c. shame, i. 65.
Schawes, pl. thickets, shaws, xi.
2. OE. scaga.
Scheld, s. shield, i. 14. schelde,
iv. 50, vii. 105.
Scheltron, s. squadron, v. 63.
schilterouns, pl. vi. 6. OE.
scieldtruma, shield troop. Mod.
Eng. shelter. Comp. 'Þey hadde
to holde stout scheldes trome,'
Octavian, 50/1595, and see Barbour, Bruce, xii. 429 note.
Schende, v. disgrace, confound,
vi. 21. schent, pp. ix. 26, 27.
Schene, adj. bright, glittering, v.
63, vi. 6, vii. 105, xi. 2.
Schent, see Schende.
Schew, v. show, vii. 12, xi. 2.
Schilterouns, see Scheltron.
Schipherdstaues, pl. shepherds'
staves, ix. 20.
Schipmen, pl. sailors, iii. 49, v.
67.
Schippes, pl. ships, i. 19, iii. 91,
v. 71.
Schope, pt. s. created, iii. I.
Schoting, s. shooting, v. 49.
Schowre, s. abundance, ix. 43.
OE. scür.
Schrewes, pl. rascals, malicious
persons, ix. 26, 27. OE. screawa,
shrewmouse.
Schriue, v. confess, x. 20.
Scomfiting, s. discomfiting, A i.
26.
Se, s. sea, iii. 1, vii. 9, 11, 15.
Se, pr. pl. see, vii. 70 (perhaps, pt.
pl.). saw, pt. s. vii. 79. sene,
adj. ii. 3, iv. 14, vii. 104, viii.
79. OE. gesiene, adj.
See-gronde, s. bottom of the sea,
X. 4. OE. sæ-grund.
Sege, s. siege, vii. 171, viii. T. 2.
OF. sege. L. *sědicum.
Seke, pl. sick people, A ii. 146.
Sembland, s. mien, appearance,
vii. 104, viii. 79. OF. samblant, semblant. L. *similantem.
Sembled, pt. s. assembled, iii. 87.
Semely, adj. becoming, handsome, vi. 5. semly, viii. 28.
OWScand. sémiligr.
Semid, pt. s. seemed, iv. 61, v. 49.
Sen, conj. since, i. 72; prep. iii.
109. Contracted ME. sippen.
OE. siððan, after that.
Send, imp. s. send, i. 7. sendes,
imp. pl. xi. 33. sent, pt. pl. i.
19; pp. iii. 49.
Sere, adj. several, ix. 56. OWScand.
sér, dative of reflexive pronoun,
for oneself.
Sergantes, pl. sergeants, soldiers,
V. 22. segantes, viii. 28.
Seruis, s. service, attendance, ix.
43.
Set, 2 pr. s. subj. betake, apply,
X. 20. sett, pt. pl. set, vii. 68.
Sepin, adv. afterwards, ix. 44
(conjecture). sithen, A ii. 57.
OE. sidðan.
Seuyn, seven, iv. 38.
Sexty, sixty, iii. 98.
Site, s. sorrow, vii. 65. OWScand.
*sýt, sút, sorrow; sýta, to wail.
The phrase sorrow and site
(soght) is corrupted into sorrow
unsoght as in York Plays, 103/44.
Sittes, 2 pr. s. sittest, i. I. satt,
pt. s. ix. 35.
Sithen, see sepin.
1.
Skarlet, s. scarlet cloth, x. 12.
Skot, s. Scot, ii. 33. Skotte (conjecture), ii. 25. Skottes, pl. ii.
Scottes, ix. 61. Skottes,
gen. pl. i. 87.
Skottis, adj. Scotch, i. 79.
Skrith, v. slip away, escape, v.
68. Comp. Cath. Angl. scrythe,
labi, labare, lapsare. ŎWScand.
skrida, to creep, crawl, slide.
OE. scríðan, to go, to wander.
Sla, v. slay, i. 46. slogh, 2 pt. pl.
ii. 3; pt. pl. iii. 61, 97. slayne,
pp. vii. 54. slaine, vii. 156.

Slake, v. grow less, disappear, v.
4. slaked, pp. lessened, i. 53,
v. 5. OE. slacian.
Slaken, v. diminish, ix. 49.
slokening, pres. p. as s. slaking,
extinguishing, A ii. 147. Comp.
slokyn, extinguere, Cath. Angl.
Slayne, see Sla.
Slike, adj. such, i. 26, 62, viii. 35.
OWScand. slíkr.
Slogh, see Sla.
Smale, adj. small, i. 6, iii. 82, vi.
64. small, v. 80, xi. 20.
Smerted, pt. s. smarted, pained,
v. 13.
Snaper, v. stumble, x. 16.
Snaw, s. snow, v. 49.
Snell, adj. quick, v. 22. OE.
snell.
Socore, s. help, i. 7. socoure,
v. to help, iii. 22.
Sogat, adv. thus, in such a way,
iv. 93, viii. 96. ME. gate, way.
Similar accusative adverbs are,
pusgat, Cursor, 1242, hugat, id.
4629, algat, and ell (usually
elles), Ratis Raving, 19/633.
Soght, pt. s. sought, v. 33, vi.
53; pt. pl. made for, iii. 73,
sought, iii. 107; attacked, vii.
65; pp. sought, viii. 50.
Somer, s. summer, xi. 2. somers,
gen. s. of summer, x. 7.
Sone, adv. soon, i. 7, iii. 49, 64,
&c.
sune, v. 5, 25.
Songen, pt. pl. sang, vii. 138.
Sorow, s. sorrow, i. 64, v. 4, 5,
vi. 12.
sorow of, grief for, x.
20.
Sowed, pt. s. smarted, v. 12 (said
especially of a tingling or stinging sensation, Jamieson). Comp.
OW Scand. sviða. OSwed. svipa.
Sowre, s. bitter, ix. 44.
Sowth, s. south, vii. 7.
Spac, see Speke.
Space, s. room, place, vii. 31.
Spare, v. refrain from, iv. 16, vii.
23, 121, viii. 23, x. I.
Speche, s. speaking, talk, vii. 121,
viii. 23.
Spede, v. cause to prosper, i. 33;
to succeed, x. i, xi. 38. OE.
spēdan.
Speke, v. speak, vii. 122, X. I.
spekes, pr. s. ii. 31. spac, pt.
pl. iii. 20.
Spere, s. spear, i. 14, iii. 96, &c.
Spill, v. waste, ii. 33.
Sprede, v. disperse, i. 37.
Staf, s. staff, vii. 100.
Stalworthly, adv. stoutly, v. 43,
viii. 86. stalwortly, iv. 50.
Stand, v. stand, xi. 33. standes,
pr. s. stands, v. 74. stonde, v.
ix. II. stode, pt. s. iii. 75, pt.
pl. v. 75: 2 pt. pl. x. 30.
Stane-still, adj. still as stone, ii.
32.
Stareand, pres. p. staring, iii.
67.
Starkly, adv. exceedingly, A i. 7.
OE. stearclice.
Sted, pp. bested, in straytly sted,
hard pressed, A ii. 242.
Stede, s. steed, i. 54, iii. 24, &c.
stedes, pl. vii. 101, ix. II.
Stede, s. place, or perhaps stead,
conjuncture (comp. Sir Gowther,
489), viii. 43. OE. stede.
Stele, s. steal, iii. 84, viii. 14.
Stele, s. steel, iii. 102.
Steren, adj. stern, ii. 13.
Sternes, pl. stars,
OWScand. stiarna.
iii. 67.
Stif, adj. strong, stout, iv. 76, vii.
50.
Stik, v. stab, viii. 14.
Still, adv. quietly, iii. 87, iv. 94,
vi. 57; adj. quiet, v. 75, vii.
101.
Stint, pt. s. stopped, ended, v. 43.
OSwed. stynta, to shorten. OE.
styntan, to stupefy.
Stirt, pt. s. hastened, xi. 15.
Stode, see Stand.
Stole, s. stole, vii. 138. L. stola.
Stonde, see Stand.
L 2

Stound, s. time, short time, v. 75.
stcunde, A i. 16. stond, A ii.
31. OE. stund.
Stout, adj. proud, haughty, i. 40,
x. 30.
Stowre, s. conflict, i. 89. OF.
estor, estoure, from OHG. sturm.
Strate, s. narrow way, pass, vi.
56. OF. estroit. L. *strictum.
But Björkman, 97, takes it as
road, way.
OWScand. stræti.
Streme, s. stream, river, v. 74.
stremis, pl. iii. 73.
Stremers, pl. long and narrow
flags, v. 75.
Strenkith, imp. s. strengthen, vi.
77; s. strength, x. 30.
Stretes, pl. streets, ii. 25.
Streuyn, pp. struggled, fought,
viii. 86.
Strif, s. dispute, iii. 4. striue, s.
conflict, v. 43.
Stroy, v. destroy, iii. 48.
Stumbill, v. stumble, vii. 99.
stumbilde, pt. pl. i. 88.
Suld, see Sal.
Sum, adj. some, i. 17, ii. 32, iii.
62, &c.; pron. iii. 65, 67, 68,
99.
Sun, s. son, vii. 28, viii. 70, 92.
sons, pl. iii. 15.
Suth, s. truth, i. 76, 81, iii.
71, &c.; adj. true, v. 2. OE.
soð.
Suthwest, s. south-west, v. 60.
Swelt, pt. s. died, xi. 9. OE.
sweltan.
Swerd, s. sword, viii. 13, 61.
Swete, s. sweet, ix. 44.
Swink, v. toil, work, iv. 86. OE.
swincan.
OE.
Swire, s. neck, viii. 68.
swēora, swira.
Swith, adv. quickly, v. 67, viii.
51, ix. 43; very, A ii. 215. OE.
swið, strong.
Syde, s. coast, iii. 74; side, vi.
12, xi. 33. side, i. 19, vi. 65.
sides, pl. i. 15, vii. 52.
Syn, s. sin, iv. 12, vi. 76, &c.
sins, pl. vi. 81.
Syr, s. sir, xi. 6. syre, s. lord,
viii. 69.
T.
small
Taburns, pl. tabours,
drums, x. 8. OF. tabourin,
diminutive of tabour from Span.
atambor of Arabic origin.
Taile, s. tail, vii. 15.
Tak, v. take, vii. 24, 140. toke,
pt. s. iii. T. 2, 33. tuke, vi. 61.
toke, pt. pl. iii. 45, viii. 43;
2 pt. pl. viii. II. tok, pt. pl. v.
18. tane, pp. ix. 66. taken,
ix. 34.
OF.
Tame, adj. civilized, i. 60.
Tarettes, pl. transport vessels of
the galley type, iii. So.
taride, of Arabic origin.
Teched, pt. s. taught, ix. 3.
Tene, s. sorrow, trouble, v. 65, vi.
2, A ii. 135. OE. tēona, injury.
Teres, pl. tears, vii. 91.
þa, pron. pl. those, v. 61. Comp.
Cursor, 11537. þo, iv. 32, v.
57. þa, the, or that, vii. 166.
þai, pron. they, i. 15. þam, them,
i. 29; to them, i. 73. þaire,
their, i. 16, 19, 24, 25, 38.
þayre, gen. pl. of them, iii. 23.
OE. pára.
þan, adv. then, iii. 14, 33, &c.;
conj. than, i. 18, iii. 112.
Thar, pr. s. it needs, vi. 23. OE.
he dearf from *ðurfan.
þarat, adv. thereat, at that, iii. 42.
barby, adv. near that place, iv.
41, xi. 20.
þare, adv. there, i. 59, ii. 22, 23, 1
&c. þar, iv. 87. þaire, ix. 65.
þarein, adv. in it, ví. 74, vii. 14,
xi. 10, II.
þareobout, adv. about that, i. 30.
þare-ogayne, adv. against it, iii. I
36.
þarfore, adv. therefore, i. 79, vii.
127, ix. 64.

þarto, adv. for that purpose,
thereto, iii. 8, 32.
þayre, see þai.
þeder, adv. thither, iii. 77.
þen, adv. thence, A i. 60.
þi, adj. thy, i. 7.
Thik, adj. thick, vii. 155.
Thing, s. anything, iii. 26.
Think, pr. s. sees fit, iv. 6.
þir, pron, these, iii. 38, 120, vii.
4, ix. 56.
þise, these, ii. 26.
Thoght, pt. s. thought, v. 42; pt.
pl. i. 41, iv. 51; pp. iv. 33, viii.
53.
Thowsand, thousand, vii. 50, 55.
Thre, three, viii. 42.
Thretes, pr. s. threatens, ii. 31.
Threting, s. threatening, ii. 30.
Thretty, thirty, vii. 50, 55.
Thriue, v. prosper, v. 42.
Thurgh, prep. through, i. 68, vii.
43, 155, ix. 10, 17.
Tide, pt. s. happened, i. 72. For
bitid.
Tide, s. time, season, vi. 61, xi.
31, A ii. 225. tyde, i. 17, viii.
26, x. 7.
Tight, pp. purposed,, determined,
vi. I.
Til, conj. till, v. 76. till, v. 62.
Till, prep. to, iii. 54, iv. 95, &c.
tyll, i. T. 1.
Timber, v. build, hence make, set
up, vi. 2.
AS. timbran.
Tint, see Tyne.
Tipandes, pl. tidings, news, iii.
58. OWScand. tíðindi. OSwed.
tipande.
Tithe, s. tenth part, v. 70.
To, prep. against, iii. 5; until,
iv. 6.
To, adv. too, vi. 50, vii. 51, viii.
91.
To-dongyn, pp. utterly beaten,
thrashed, vii. 148. to, intensitive
prefix. OSwed, diunga, to strike;
comp. OWScand. dengja, Björkman, 207.
Tok, toke, see Tak.
Tolde, pp. held, considered, iv.
77; counted, vii. 55.
Toun, s. town, iii. 29, vii. 68, 89,
94. toune, i. 57, ii. 7, &c.
tounes, pl. iii. 44.
Towre, s. tower, ix. 40, 41, 52,
66.
To-ȝere, adv. this year, lit. for the
(present) year, vii. 129, ix. 58.
Trais, v. deceive, vii. 150. Aphetic
for betraiss (Barbour, Bruce,
Glossary), an alternative form
of betray, due to influence of
OF. traïson.
Traisted, pt. s. with of, trusted in,
OWScand.
expected, iv. 58.
treysta.
Treget, s. magic, vii. 136. OF.
tresgiet. L. tra(ns) jactus.
Treson, s. treason, i. 76, vii. 62,
OF.
149, viii. 38, xi. 24.
traïson, L. *traditionem.
Trest, s. trust, vii. 160.
Trew, adj. true, just, i. I.
Trewly, adv. truly, iii. 11 (trely,
MS.), iv. 4, vii. 55.
Trey, s. affliction, sorrow, vi. 2,
A ii. 135. AS. trega, tribulation.
Trip, s. stumble, vii. 159 (see
note).
Trompes, see Trumpes.
Trone, s. throne, i. 1.
Trow, v. believe, vi. 60. trowed
pt. s. looked for, iv. 95. truande
pres. p. confiding, trusting, A ii
23. OE. trēowian, truwian.
Trumped, pt. pl. blew trumpets,
v. 29.
Trumpes, pl. trumpets, iv. So.
trompes, x. 8.
Trumping, s. trumpeting, v. 65.
Trus, imp. pl. make ready, lit.
pack up for departure, xi. 31.
OF. trosser, formed from torsée.
LL. torsata.
Tuke, see Tak.
Tung, s. language, iii. 20.

Tyde, see Tide.
Tyll, see Till.
Tyme, s. time, ii. 32, vii. 152, ix.
34.
Tyne, v. lose, x. 18. tint, pt. pl.
vii. 143. OWScand. týna.
U, V.
Umlap, v. embrace, surround, A
AS. ymb, about; so in
ii. 45.
next two words.
Vmset, pt. s. beset, vii. 96.
Vmstride, v. bestride, iv. 69.
Vncurtayse, adj. uncourteous,
unknightly, vii. 145.
Vnder, adj. beaten, defeated, ii.
18.
Vnderlout, v. bow in submission,
A ii. 181. OE. underlutan, to
stoop under. OWScand. lúta,
to bow down.
Vngayne, adj. harmful, A ii. 69.
OWScand. gegn, serviceable,
kindly.
Vnhale, adj. unsound, dishonest,
vi. 69.
Vnkind, adj. unnatural, v. 11, vii.
145.
Vnkouthe, adj. unknown, strange,
A ii. 24.
Vnsele, adv. unhappily, ix. 27.
OE. unsæl. Orm's usell is
OWScand. úsæll.
Vntill, prep. unto, iii. 39, 114.
Vnto, prep. to, v. 25, vii. 48.
W.
Wailoway, interj. alas! A ii. 81.
OE. weilawei.
Wait, v. to watch for an opportunity to harm, to injure, i. 64.
Comp. OF. guetier. F.guetter.
Waite, see Wit.
Wake, v. to watch, to be anxious,
V. 3. waked, pp. watched, i.
51. waken, wakened, ix. 33;
in trouble, ix. 50.
ere, s
Wakkins, pr. s. awakens, 1ere, s
aroused, vi. 10. wakkind,
s. roused, stirred, ix. 50.
Wald, see Will.
Walkes, pr. s. travels, spreads
viii. 29. walked, pt. s. x. 9.;
Wall, s. choice, v. 77. OWScander
val.
Walles, pl. walls, vi. 32, 36.
Wan, see Win.
Wandreth, s. peril, trouble, A ii.
264. OWScand. vandræði, difficulty.
Wane, see Wone.
ere,
erem
werkn
erlde
Terlal
Wery,
erg
Mery
Waniand, s. lit. waning (moon), ex
v. 30, ix. 25, x. 6. See ix. 25
note.
Wanted, pt. s. failed to get,
103.
ham
vii.
hare
Wapin, s. weapon, v. 36, vii. 133, Thete
viii. 15, X. 2. wappen, ix. 32. Thi
Wapnid, pp. armed, iv. 39.
War, imp. pl. beware, ii. 6.
War,
adj. wary, cautious, vi. 8.
Wardaine, s. warden, viii. 83.
We, interj. alas! A ii. 23. OE.
wx.
hide
While
Whil
Whils
62.
Wede, s. armour, v. 38, viii. 5, ix. Whil
37, x. 2. OE. wad, garment. Thor
Weder, s. weather, iv. 48.
Wele, adv. well, ii. 5, iii. 101, Wide
Whot
VIII.
Wikk
diffi
153.
stor
Will
&c.; quite, vii. 57, viii. 42;
reasonably, i. 36; highly, i. 41. Wigh
Wele, s. weal, success, iii. 18, 52,
vi. 9, vii. 117, viii. 16. OE.
wela.
Weleful, adj. prosperous, viii. 17. Wild
Welth, S. riches, vii.
welthes, pl. x. 11.
Wend, v. turn back, i. 67.
wonde, ix. 10. wende, go,
ix. 19. wendes, imp. s. xi. 29.
went, pp. gone, vi. 9, vii. 82.
Wene, 1 pr. s. believe, ii. 4, 5,
v. 66, vi. 8.
wend, pt. pl.
imagined, supposed, iii. 62.
wened, iii. 63.
Wepe, v. weep, xi. 12. wepeand,
pres. p. viii. 60.
2 p
Win.
5. W
vii.
IX.
95-

Were, s. doubt, perplexity, A ii.
56, 79, iii. 95 (?).
Were, s. war, vi. 31, vii. 71, viii.
15, A ii. 27, &c.
Were, v. make war, i. 12, iii.
95 (?); 2 pr. subj. s. x. 21.
Weremen, pl. warriors, x. 9 (MS.
werkmen).
Werldes, gen. s. world's, viii. 16.
Werldly, adj. worldly, iii. 18.
*Wery, v. curse, ii. 23. weried,
pp. accursed, A ii. 214. OE.
wiergan.
e Wery, adj. weary, iii. 106.
Wex, pt. s. grew, iv. 48; pt. pl.
iii. 106.
Wham, pron. whom, xi. 4.
Whare, adv. where, ii. 7, iii. 34,
75, &c.
Whete, s. wheat, i. 20.
Whi, adv. why, vi. 22.
Whider, adv. whither, ii. 21.
While, s. time, i. 82, ii. 5, vii.
137.
Whilk, adj. which, iii. 46.
Whils, adv. while, iii. 112, ix. 12,
62.
Whilum, adv. formerly, viii. 5.
Whore, adv. where, ix. 19.
Whote, see Wit.
Wide, adv. widely, i. 37, vi. 10,
viii. 29, X. 9.
Wight, adj. active, stout, iv. 87,
viii. 5, ix. 37, X. 2, 13, 15.
Wikked, adj. wicked, xi. 6;
difficult, xi. 8; fierce, A ii. 116.
Wild, adj. savage, i. 60. wilde,
stormy, v. 30.
Will, I pr. s. will, xi. 7. wiltou,
2 pr. s. wilt thou, ii. 21. will,
pr. pl. i. 37. wald, pt. s. subj.
v. 4. walld, pt. s. iv. 56. wald,
I pt. s. v. 5; 2 pt. pl. viii. 12;
pt. pl. ix. 31.
Win, v. capture, xi. 8. wan, pt.
s. won, viii. 56, xi. T. 1 ; arrived,
vii. T. 1; pt. pl. won, viii. 96,
ix. 33.
95.
won, pp. v. 72, viii.
wun, vii. 151. wonen,
vii. 71, xi. 30. wcnnen, v. 36,
viii. 16.
Wirk, v. contrive, viii. 20.
Wirschip, s. honour, credit, ix.
32, 33.
Wise, s. manner, iii. 47, viii. 95.
Wit, v. inform, v. 20. witten, v.
know, ascertain, vii. 4. waite,
I pr. s. know, A ii. 98. whote,
2 pr. s. xi. 4. wote, I pr. pl.
xi. 8. wist, 1 pt. s. subj. knew,
x. I; pt. pl. iii. 52, iv. 44.
With, prep. against, ii. 6; among,
iii. 69; by, iii. 64. wit, with,
iv. 32.
Withouten, prep. without, vii.
47, 138. withowten, iii. 4,
100, iv. 35, xi. 15.
Wo, s. sorrow, misfortune, iii. 52,
V. II, &c.
Wode, adj. mad, vi. 73. OE. wōd.
Won, see Win.
Won, v. dwell, ii. 23.
wone, A
ii. 25. wonand, pres. p. vi. 74.
OE. wunian.
Wonde, see Wend.
Wonder, adv. strangely, i. 74.
Wone, s. plenty, abundance, iv.
37. wane, iii. 93. OWScand.
ván, chance. See Zupitza, Guy
of Warwick, 10329, note.
Woning, s. dwelling, iv. 2, xi. 8.
Won, Wonen, Wonnen, see
Win.
Wonyngstedes, pl. places of
abode, A ii. 45. OE. stede.
Word, s. fame, rumour, x. 9.
wordes, pl. words, i. 28, 45, &c.
Worth, pr. s. subj. become, be, ii.
II. wurth, ii. 5, 17, 29, 35.
OE. weorpan.
Worthli, adj. worthy, v. 38.
worthly, x. 2.
Wote, see Wit.
Woundes, pl. wounds, i. 91.
Wrath, see Wroth.
Wreke, 2 pr. s. subj. avenge, xi.
6. wroken, pp. ii. 4. wrokin,
ii. 5.

Wretche, s. wretch, outcast, ii.
21, 23. wreches, pl. v. 36.
wretches, v. 57.
Wreten, pp. written, vii. 3.
Wroght, pt. s. wrought, i. 45; pt.
pl. vii. 62; pp. iii. 120, vi. 31.
Wroken, Wrokin, see Wreke.
Wrote, v. root up, vi. 32, 33.
OE. wrōtan.
Wroth, adj. angry, iii. 5, 42, xi.
12. wrath, vii. 14.
Wurth, see Worth.
Wurth, adj. worth, i. 24.
Wurthi, adj. worthy, v. 77.
Y.
ȝate, s. gate, vii. 49, viii. 89.
zeme, v. guard, keep, A ii. 205,
210. 3emid, pp. A ii. 211.
OE. gieman.
zemer, s. keeper, A ii. 213. Comp.
OW Scand. geymari.
ȝere, see To-ȝere; pl. iii. 110.
3ern, adv. eagerly, A ii. 122. OE.
georn.
ȝit, adv. yet, still, i. 49, ii. 6, iii.
99, &c.
ȝolden, pp. given up, yielded, viii.
89.
ȝong, pl. young people, iii. 19.
ȝow, pron. you, i. T. 1, ii. Í. 1,
10, &c.; for you, vi. 1.
ȝowre, adj. your, ii. 7, vi. 4.
Yren, s. iron, iii. 102.
Yt, pron. it, iii. 10.

Index of Names

Abirdene, ii. 1.
Abuyle, vii. 134.
Aile, Iohn of, v. 63.
Andwerp, iii. 34.
Angus, A iv. 167.
Armouth, iii. 76.
Artayse, vii. 147.
Arwell, v. 20.
Aukland, A iv. 68.
Badding, Iohn, v. 59.
Baliolfe, Edward þe, ix. 2.
Banocburn, ii. T. 2; Bannok burn,
ii. 2.
Barbenoire, note on, x. 19.
Bauere, Lowis of, iii. 13.
Beme, the King of, iv. 67, vii. 107.
Bertram, A iv. 155.
Berwik opon Twede, i. 56; Berwik, ii. 1, 35; Berwike, A i. 33.
Beure parke, A iv. 63.
Blankebergh, v. 27.
Braband, þe duke of, iii. 25, iv.
22; a Braban, vi. 62.
Braband, iii. T. 1, 12, 38, iv. 2, 13.
Bretayne, x. 25.
Brug, ii. 22; Bruge, v. 15; Bruges,
v. 19; Burghes, ii. 25.
Bruse, Dauid þe, ix. I, 9, 34, 35;
Dauyd le Bruys, A iii. 1; Robert, id. 59.
Cagent, v. 64.
Calais, vii. 168, viii. T. 1, 59, 91,
95; Calays, vii. 172, viii. 1, 42,
53.
Cane, vii. 47, 68.
Carlele, ix. 31.
Charters, Thomas, A iv. 189.
Comyn, Sir Ion þe, i. 77.
Coupland, Iohn of, ix. 37, A iv.
212.
Cressy, vii. 78, 102, 134.
Cristofer, iii. 75; Cristofir, v. 74.
Cuthbert of Dorem, ix. 63.
Doncaster, Iohn of, xi. 13.
Donde, i. 66, ii. 24.
Dorem, ix. 31; Dureme, A iii. 27.
Dowglas, William þe, ix. 42, A iv.
33.
Duche, iii. 20.
Eurwick, A ii. 43.
Flandres, i. 68, iii. 6; Flandres
syde, iii. 74, v. 8, 10.
fflemangrye, iv. 74.
France, i. 68, &c.
France, Iohn of, vii. 23, 51, 60,
76, vi. 6, &c.
Franceis, vii. 133.
Gaunston, A ii. 142.
Geneuayse, vii. 142.
Glowceter, Erle of, v. 53.
Gines, xi. 14, 28; Gynes, xi. T. 2,
7, 26.
Halidon Hyll, i. T. 2; Halydon
hill, i. 58; Halidown hille, A i.
31; Halidoune hille, id. 46.
Hampton, iii. 59.
Henueres, A ii. 134.
Hogges, vii. T. 1, 39.
Ierusalem, A ii. 165.
Ipyre, v. 19.

Klinton, Sir Wiliam of, v. 47.
Knaresmire, A ii. 140.
Kyret, Sir Hugh, v. 8.
Lankaster, þe duc of, v. 41.
Ledel, A iv. 19, 37.
Londen, toure of, ix. 40, 52.
Loundres, A iii. 72.
Mawnay, Sir Walter þe, v. 39.
Merington, A iv. 74.
Merlin, vii. 2, 6, 7, A ii. 9.
Minot, v. 1; Laurence, vii. 20.
Morauia, Comes de, A iv. 193.
Morlay, Sir Robard out of, v.
32.
Morre, þe Erle, i. 42.
Moubray, A iii. 23, A iv. 177.
Nauerne, iv. 70.
Neuell, A iv. 89.
Neuil Cross, ix. T. 2, 28, A iii.
27.
Norhamton, þe Erle of, v. 37.
Normandes, v. 18, 23, 34; Normondes, v. 9. 28.
Normondye, i. 18. Normundy,
vii. 72.
Okyll, A iv. 178.
Ouse, A ii. 106.
Pariss, iii. 45.
Percy, A iii. 23, A iv. 96.
Saint Iohnes toune, ii. 7.
Saint Omers, xi. 31.
Seland syde, iii. 74.
Sluse, v. 17.
Sluys, v. 63.
Spaniardes, x. T. 2.
Striflin, ii. 13.
Swin, v. 12, 22, 33. X. 7.
Tems, A ii. 248.
Tournay, vi. T. 2; Towrenay, vi.
1; Turnay, vi. 54.
Trent, ix. 22.
Twede, ix. 22, A i. 38.
Valas, Filip, i. 69, &c.; Philippe
de Valoys, A iii. 2.
Viene, Iohn de, viii. 82.
Westminster hall, ix. II.
York, þe ersbisschop of, ix. 29, A iii. 21.

Words Explained in the Notes

All if, i. 85.
ay whils, i. 28.
Berebag, ii. 20.
Cog, iii. 79.
Dare, i. 9.
distance, ix. I.
dray, viii. 34.
droupe and dare, i. 9.
dwell, ix. 8.
Fode, vi. 71.
frankis fare, vi. 20.
pelers, ii. 15.
prese, vii. 45.
prise, iv. 26.
Raw, iv. 79.
rent, vi. 13.
riveling, ii. 19.
romance, vii. 1.
rughfute, ii. 19.
Soght, vii. 65.
sowed, v. 12.
syde, iii. 74.
Taret, iii. 79.
Gale, vi. 66.
galiot, iii. 79.
galley, iii. 79.
get, ii. 36.
Hende, vi. 17.
hendy, vi. 17.
hurdis, x. 14.
Mend, i. 29.
Pavesade, x. 14.
timber, vi. I.
Vnder, ii. 18.
Wait, i. 64.
wall, v. 77.
waniand, ix. 25.
wede, v. 38.
were, vi. 31.
with, ii. 6.
THE END