f. 3.

whos name was Robert de Barrye, that troghe 30nge blod ys hete and for his boldnesse rozt not to lesse the lyff. As he wolde with the frust passe over the walle, he hade a stroke with a gret stone uppone the hede al with the sallet, that he felde downe to the ground of the diche, and unethis he was uprerid throgh his flawis, that mich put thar liff yn adventure for to sawe his lyff. The cry was well gret on every side for this knyzt that thus was hurt. They withdrow thame al frome the wallis, and wentte to the strone, and al the schippis that thay ther found they setten a fire. And oo chipe ther was that was y come out Bryttayne after cheffar, and was y chargyd with whet and with wynes, and laye y ancred in the hawyne.

The best parte of the Englishmen wentene with bottis and tok the chipe. The chippmen weryne many, and sawe that they weryn but a fewe Englishmen in the chipe, and the wynde was on the lande side. They cute the cabblis of the ancre, and the wynde bare the chipe towarde the see. Ther felowis saw this, and wentene after with botis, and unnethe with rowyng and with grette peryll of al thar lywes thay come agayne to lande.

McMorzow sawe this, and was sore aferde for thay wene never mor that one of thame shold have come to londe aly[we.] The saute was left al that day. Amorowe, when mass was herde, al the oste the[n] wenten to the assaute wyslyer and warer than thay dydden the day tofore, and trustene as wel to sleght as to strenyght. The men of the toune sawe thame commyng, and were ryght sore a ferde that thay ne shold not with stonde the assaut, and undirstodyne also that with wronge thay heldene a zeyne ther Lorde, thay tokyne thame to consaille, and besozten pees; and throghe beseching of two bischopis that that tyme weryne withyne the toune, and othir pesibile mene also with thame, thay goldene thame al to McMorzowe, and four hostagis, the best that he woulde ches, delyvered unto hyme for the pees and trevly with hime to holde from that tyme forvarde for thare trew lorde. McM, as wisse and ware, for caus that he wold that the strangeris schold have the better hert and wyll hime for to helpe, he bethoght hime that of the frust goode adventur that to hime was fall, thay that best weryne worthi thay shold have therof parte and the heghest. All the toun of Wexforde with two cantredes alther next he 3aff to Robert Stevnes sone and to Moryche Fiz Geraude, as the promes to for was made. Othir two cantredes he yaff to Hervy of Montmvrihi.* Next to thay two one the side towarde Waterforde a knyght that come in that flitte hime thirdsum of knyghtes, ande come throgh the Erle Ric[hard] more for to spy the londe than to fizt.

f. 3. b.

Capitulum Quintum.

Whane this was thus done al aftir thar wyll, thay toke with thame the pepylle of Wexford, and wenten hame toward Ossory, with oste as myght be with 3,000 men. And was than Prince of Ossory McDonvuylle, a mane that was niche behatyd of Mc M. for myche shame that thay hade hyme done. At the begynnynge, as thay come into the contrey in narowe weyes throghe woddis and moris, thay founden the men of the contrey bold for to defend thar lande, and myche sorowe hame dyde ar thay myght take the playne, and whan thay come to the playne thay folowyd tham full fersly. The horsmen saw this, and turned boldely uppon tham, and anone slowyn ryght many of tham, and disconfited tham everychone. And thay that the horsmen keste to ground, with speris and with swerdis, the Iryche fotmen smoten of the hedis. When the slaught was al done and thar enemyes al overcome, thay broghten well 300 hedis and kesten at McM. ys fete. He byheld thame, and turned every of thame by hymsylf for to knowe thame, and held upe his handis and thankid al myghty God ful inwardely. Oone hede ther was among the othir of a man that he gretly dreddyd and miche hatyd. He toke hit by the heere and by the eris, and grymly hitt bytte, as no man shold have done, with his tethe, and cut of his noos and both lippis.

Ther aftyr they wenten fourdir into the contrey, kylden and robdyn and branttyn ful boldely al that tham withstodyne, into the tyme the Prince of Ossory by consayll of his men sent to tham, and besoght pees. The pees was graunted. Whane he hit besoght uppon good ostagis and othis sworne that he to his Lord McM. shold be trewe and trowth holde and trewly serwe fro that tyme forth. In this fightes as in many othir, thoght yn the Engliche hoste none wer but goode and bolde, Robert de Barry and Meyller Fiz Henry weryn thay that best didden. They were bothe yong knyghtes and Robert Stevnes sones, emys bothe, the one his brother sone, the othir suster sone, of dyvers manneris, but of hardynes and boldnes mostedele al y lyke; for Meyler was a man that gretly desyryd to be praysyd, and that men shold miche speke of his boldnes and preysyn hime. Robert was kyndly hardy and bolde, and ever withe the fryst in every fi3t and in every pereyll, but he haetyd nothing so miche as that a man sholde speke of his boldnes ne hime preys.

The whyll the oste was thus in Ossory befell that thay weryne a nyght y loggyd in an old castel and a boute. And this two as thay wer wonnyd weryn in one place to giddir. Fer within nyght come an hoste uppon thame of so miche pepille as thay were many thowsandis on every syde, smytyng upe the ost, as thay woldden in woode raas over sayle tham al wythe wepyn, ryngyng speris and sparis rutlyng to gyddyr, with cryying so grymly that none ende was; of elf fare, as oft tymes was woned to befale in ostyngis in Irland. Of which ferde the

f. 4.

most part of the oste was so a dred that thay flowe and hiddin tham some yn woddis, some in moris. This two bolde men tokyn thar wepyn and lepe to hors and wenten anone to Robert Stevnes sone and cryed on thar felawis that thay sholden unstondyn and take hert to thame and defend thame selfis. But fewe were that so diddin tyll thay sawe that this cry and this noysse was all cessid, and nas but a fantasy. Whane the hoste them gaddryde a yeyn to gyddir they were fulsore a shamyd that thay so feyntly put thems* to flyght, and miche speche was amonge thame. And a many haddyn gret envy and miche wondir thoght of Robert de Bary, that whan the oste was in so gret ferde, he was that man that most stydfastly hym held and most them styryd to withstond and fyght. And among al the goode dedes that in hyme weryn, this pryncypaly is of hym told, that for no vyolence ne ferly adventur that to hym chanssyd he was never in wanhope sett, ne agaste, ne aferde, ne a basshide of herte, ne shamfully dyde hym to flyght, but ever more he was lyke redy to wepyne and to defend hyme sylff, and to helpyn al othir. He was the frust knyght that yn this conquest of Irland frust recewide stroke and hurte in battayle. A wondir was of that fantasy amorowe whane hit was day. In the playn ther this pepill y seye smytten uppon tham, the wedis and the grasse that stodyne alewy upryght thay laye al y throwe down and cast to grownde.

Capitulum VI.

As this was thus done the tythingis sprong into al Irland howe McM. conquerid his land uppon his men, and that no man myght him wythstond for strange men that he lade with hyme. Roryke Oconghonr of Connaght, that was that tyme kyng of al Irland, undirstode bym, and thoght in his heret the grett pereylle that myght befall hyme and al the lande pepyle throgh the strangeris that was thus in the lande commen. He send his messingeris to al the lordis of the lande, and yn a lytyl while gadired thame to gyddyr to parlement, and tok tham to consayl, that every one his side shold gaddir al the pepile, that thay myght, for to were uppon McM. And as hit was purveyed so hit was done. Thay ensemblyd so many hostis and so muche pepyle on every syde that thay were unnoumerabill, and commene to Okensely for to were uppon Mc.M. Whan this hostis weryn thus assemblid, the most part of McM. ys men, ayene thar trowthe and thar othis, some prively withdrowe thame, that thay nolde not to hyme come, some al opynly leften hym and wenten to his ennemyes ayene hyme, so that yn his most nede trewe frendis found he none, sawe Robert Stevnes sone and his wythe the lytyl pepile that thay haddyn. Thay wenten ynto a place not far from Fernes, a

f. 4. b.

playne place beset aboute wythe montaynes and woddis, wateris, and mori, every syde, yl to come to. The entrees that ther weryne by Robert ys devysse thay setten mene for to stoppyn in some place with trees i caste doune, and yn othir placis depe dichis y caste. Thegh the place were stronge of kynde thay madyne hit mich strongir with engyne, so that hit was sure recette for tham to thame, and to thar enemyes stronge to come to. And with lytyle pepyle hit myght be kepte, and erthewayes thay hade made to thamself, out to goo and azen ynto come, when them plessid.

Whane the Kyng of Connaght with so many ostis was to tham come, he send to Robert by messingeris and presentyd hyme with ryche yeftis and miche more promeysid hyme, and gretly hym besoght that out of the contrey whiche no ryght he hade therto, ne no chalange ne myght sette uppon, he and his with pees and lowe shold depart. Muche thay spoke of this and lityll thay spede. Ther after the messingeris turned to McM. and besoghten hyme on the Kyngis behalf, Oconghour, that he forth with tham shold turne uppon the strangeris and tham kyll and undo. And yef he so wolde thay wolde deliver hyme al Leynester and stydfast pees and frendshupe mak hyme have of the Kynge and of al othir. Many reysownes thay shewyde bothe for the londe and for the londe pepyll, but nothing thay ne spede, ne non answer hade that tham plessyd. Oconghour sawe and herde of his messingeris that he ne myght not in suche manner spede, and that he must with streynth do that, that he myght not with fayr speche. He tok his wepyn grymly and stode up among his pepyll, and thus sayd unto tham: "Myghty men and bold yn fyght for to defend your lande and your fredome; undirstandith ayeyn whiche pepyll and for what cause ye shold this battayll take on honde. Al our enemy that afor this was out of lond y drywe for his wykkydnesse, in commyn confucione of us all, all be tak with strangeris and wepned pepyll, is a yene commen for enmy and haryme of us, and hath broght strange pepyll uppon us, that the harme which he hade no power to done us hym self, throgh helpe of them and mayntenuaunce the better myghte brynge to ende, and hath dyght hym to shedyn his venym so wyd that he takith no fors to dye but that we all have our wylle throgh hym. And for none sholde be sparyd and he ne sparythe hyme selff, therfor we wyll withstond the begynnyng and the pereyll whil hit ys commyn ar hit be rotyde. For harme wexeth ever with long abyding. Our londe and our fredome defend we maye manly, so that the slaght of this fewe be ferde to manny, and, by ensampill of thees, al othir strangeris shold be a ferde such folies to begynn, and the mynde of us wytheout ende to abyde."

Capitulum VII.

McMorghoue on his syd beheld hys men, and sawe tham sore abashyd. With wordis that he myghte he comfortyd tham on this manner:

"Men of Leynester which trusty trouth and stydfast kynde in al adventuris us hath fellowis y made without anny partyng! Arrere we upe oour hertis us to defend. The Mayster of wreth and of covetysse that with streynth wold us bryng undir fote and us ayeyne drywe out of londe, othir that wors ys, in the same lande purposith us to undo-that God forbede! behold here ys come upon our hede of miche gaddryng of pepyle proute and hauteyn. Be ye wele undirstond that not wyth manny men, ne with gret streynth, but by ryght and trouth, that man hath wyth hyme, batayllis dothe overcome. We have for us ayeyn thar pride, mekenys, ayeyn thar unryght, ryght and trouth, ayeynes thar boldnes and over trust mekenes and manner. They fyghten for covetysse, for to get good, and we to shonne micheff. Wyth al this we ben in strong place and wele warnyd. The more that here commyth the more encombirment we shall do thame; by lytyl folke tham to overcome so that we be of one herte and stiffly wythstonde.”

Capitulum VIII.

When McM. hade his tale y-endid in his speche, Robert Stevnes Sone spak to his felawis and to them yn this manner sayde:

"Fighten feris and yonglyngis, y knowe that so manny pereyllis have to gaddire soffiryd and ever yn al adventuris and of hy herte bene! Jef we inwardly wndirstond what men we bene, with what lodisman and for what thyng we this pereyle undirtok, with boldnes, as we were wonnyd, we shall overcome, and the grace that we have hade ar this of God ne shal us not forsak. Of the folk of Troy we bene kyndly come on that one syde, fro the frust begynnyng of Fraunce we have kynde one the othir halff. Trogh the kynd of Troy we shold be bold, throgh kynd of Fraunce we bene usid yn wepyn, and so as we ben of dowbile manner kyndely of good herte, and wel wepned, and wele lernyd yn wepyn, ne dout no man that such unwepnyd rescayle anny power have us to withstond. One that over side we come not ynto this lande as wagyd men, ne for no covetyce of gold ne sylver, galyotz, ne robis, but for to helpe this goode man that ys so noble and so fre, and with his owyn men wykkydly was out of his lande drywe. We have pitte of his harme, and helpith upe that adowne was cast; to his kynd statt bryngyth hyme, that unkyndly was therof i banyschid. And he as a large man and good prince hath us gewyn wyde landis and ryche tounes, and our lande pepyle wele setten and plantet stydfastly yn this lande nowe and ever. Wherfor men, ful of streynth and of boldnes, such thyngis ymagineth today hertly to do, that our kynred go not out of