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Descriptio Maurcii
Fitz Geretæ.

f. 15. b.

England theraftyr to the Kynge hit send and al his men into al the felddis dide discomfyd and slayed ful many. Rolff Robertis sone FizStevvyn was the othir boldist that day yn the feld.

Capitulum XXXI.

Moryce was mane ful wirchupfule and shamfast, vysage well colowryd, becomlich, lityle of body, sume what mor than lytyll and lasse than metlyche, of herte and body well shewed, no thyng covetyng, of kyndly goodnesse. He was good and lew hit was to hyme to be good than to be sayd good. His manner was ever mor to hold hym metlyche. Man of short speche and lityle, but of fayr wordis, as he that mor hade yn hert than yn mouth, more of wytt and reyson than of speche, nat for thy whan tyme was and nede to spekyn, to good reyson froth bryng, as lettiryd as he was, as witty he was. In thyng that befell to battayle swith hardy. But as he was thus of purveyaunce thyng to begyne, also he [was] strong and stydfast in thyng whan he hitt hade begone. He was sobir and well condicionyd and chast, lawful and stydfast, without blame.

Capitulum XXXII.

In the nexte Aprell theraftyr the yongir Kyng Henry the Kyngis sone, the wikkydness that he hade thoght to his fadir doone, nole no longyre helle with his two brethren, that ys to say, the Erle of Peytoue and the Erle of Bryttayn, wentyn to the Kyng of Fraunce, whosse doghtir he hade spousid and purchasid helpe of hym for to wer uppon his fadyr. The encheyson wherefor hit was, Mayster Geraud ne tellith not, ne y ne cane not say, but many hy men he hade to consayl and to helpe bothe of England and of beyonte see, many opynly and well falthir privelye. The old Kyng, the yongir Kyngis fadir, for the fortune that to hym was fall on every syde so unwittyngly was full sorrofull; never the lasse by grette suttilte and hey herte he made fayr semblant and tristyd to God, and on evry syde that he might in al manner besoght helpe. He send messagres ynto Irland and made com over to hym the moste part of the knyghtes and of the goode menye that he ther left. Thay come to hym at the citte of Ruen and he bethoght hym that hit was peryle to leve har land unkepte. Ther he betoke the Erle Richard al the lande to kepe, and set to hym Reymond as his othir hande; for the Erle forsoke out and oute that he that kepyng wold not rescewe but yef he hade Reymond with hym hym for to helpe.

Capitulum XXXIII.

The Erle and Reymond with har men wentyn ynto Irland, and for the pepyll of Irland hade herd of the grett

f. 16.

f. 16. b.

stryff that was betwen the Kynge and his sonnes beyount the
see, as pepill that stydfast ys yn unstydfastness, and lawfully
hame hold to unlawfulnes; the most part of the princes of the
londe agayn har trouth, y sone thay turnyd agayn the Kyng.
The Erie had spendithe tresour that he broght over with hym,
and whan the felawchipe lackyd spendynge, and not speedyne
in paes takyng undir Hervy, that was constabyle over the
menny, and ever hade envy to Remond, thay wenten hame to
the Erle comynly by oon acord, and sayd to hym welle, but that
he wold sett Remond over ham they wold lewe hym every
chone and wend into England, othir that well wors was thay wold
turne to har enemys agaynst ham. And as the menny desiryd
Reymond was sette over tham. Thay tok then herte unto
tham and wentyn uppon the Ofolanys in the Deeses, and took
grett prayes and arayed tham nobilly with hors and wepyne.
From thens they wentyn to Lesmore, and the citte and the
contre about robbyden and preydyn, and by the see way sendyne
many grett prayes to Watirford, and of pylffyr and of thyng
that thay tok thay fillyd 13 far costes, that weryn come fro
Watirford into the havyn of Dourgarvane. As thay wer wynd
abydyng ther come the men of Cork fro by west by the see, in
30 schippis, and many men ther yn for to take the othir. Ther
was the fyght ferssely yevyn of this two flittis in the see.
That one assayd that othir grymly withe stonis and with sparris,
the othir wer well wepyned and withstood styffly with arblastis
and with bowis. At the ende thay of Corke weryn discomfyted
and overcome, her shippis take, her men slayn and cast into
the see.
Adam de Herford and Phylype the Welsse that weryn
sete over thay yonglyngis, with mo shippis and grett begetes of
wepyn and of pilfir to Watirford with grett joy wenten.
Reymond herd spek of this fyght and tithingis to hym come.
He tok with him 20 knyghtis and an hundred bowen and
went by the see way thedirward. Thane come to hym
tithyngis that Dermott the Prince of Desmontt was with myche
hostes comyn to Lesmore to helpe hame of Cork. Reymond
wentyn hym thedirward; the prince that herd, and turnyd
agayn, and durst not abyde. And Reymond went ferdir into
the contray and robbyd and prayed soo that he hade with
hym at his turnyng agayn toward Watirforde 4,000 kyne.
And as they were commyng by Narrowis with har praye, come
the Irychmen of the contrey and tokyn a party of har kyne
and wentyn al quyte with ham to woode. The cry arosse, and
Reymond, as mane that ever was formyst redy, went aftir with
one privisant mane an hors; with hyme coome to the woodis syd
ther the thewis wer hydyng. Whane he hade falyd of the pray,
and wold have turne agayne, his felawes follyly entycid him for
to wend into the woode, and he so dyde. Whane they wer withyn
the Irychmen rosse to hame on every halve, and leyde oone
tham, and a noone the yong man was al to hackyd tofer hyme.
He rane for to socour hym and was assaylyd on every syd, and

f. 17.

he as mane toke out his swerd and leyd on aboute hym and smote of that man the hand, that othir the aryme, the third the hed by the shuldris. Thus he oppyned the wey and come out to his men, and broght two sparris faste yn his sheld and three on his hors. But al hole and sound and harymles he escapid.

Capitulum XXXIV.

Whan this was doone and the meny was nobly arayed bothe by lond and also by watir, come tithyngis to Reymond that his fadyr Wyllyam Fiz Geraud was deede. Reymond went ower ynto Walis to take seysyne in his fadir landis; and Hervey that tyme was made constabile of the meny. He wold fayne entirmytte hym to done sum thyng the whyll that Reymond was out of londe, and made the Erle and meny wend to Casshele to for to werryn in Monyster. He send alsoo aftyr the meny of Deulyn to come to ham, and as thay come throght Ossory and lay a nyght in a place thar they demyd to be al sur, Obren, the King of Thomond, was sur and awaytyd har commyng by good spyes. He arosse wythe myche pepyll uppon hame erly a day in the mornyng, and smote uppon hame unwittyngly and kyllyd 4 knightes that weryn over hame and 400 men. Whan the tithyngis herof come to the Erle, he turnyde agayne to Watirforde with myche shame, and held hym ther as mane that was besegyd, that he came not fro thens. And for this adventur the pepill of Irland withe oon herte al to gaddyr aryssen uppon the Engliche and slowe ham yn al placis that thay ham myght fynd. The Kynge of Connaght come also over the Shynnyn ynto Mythe and found ale the castelis waste and woyd He brant and kest tham down to grond tyl he come ryght to Deulyn. The Erle sawe that he was narowe bilade, by consayl of his men, as the last remedy of lyff, he send his lettr's to Reymond over into Walis in thes words: "As rathe as ye have sey these lettres ne lett not to come socour us with good myght, and your desyr of Bassyle, my sustyr, lawfully for to spous, anone at your commyng without faylle ye shale have." Whan Remond hade this herd bothe for the maydes lowe and that he so long hade desyryd, and for to prowe his myght and socour his lord yn his mychele nede, with Meyler his emys sone he dyght hyme, al that he myght, yn suche hast so that he myght have and hade 30 knyghtes of his owyn kyne, and 300 bowmen the choysse of al Walis, he pute hym to sayle and arryved at Wexford in 15 schippis, that same tyme the men, of Wexford hade purveyd ham to undo al the Englichmen, wherso thay myght ham fynd. Whan thay sawe the chippis commyng into the hawyne and baneris that thay well knewe, throwe that commyng so fersly that trayson was left; and a none Reymond went with his men to Watirford and broght thens the Erle

f. 17. b.

boldly to Wexford. Fressele, that was keper of Watirford, went by the watyr of Sur in botis with his men; and as thay wer yn the watyr, the lyddyr gydis that hym shold lede slayn hym and al his men, and turnyd a gayn to the citte, and gadryd ham to gyddyr al the Irychmen, and smytte uppon the Englychmen, and slayne al that thay myght fynd yn hous, in wey, men and women, yong and old, with out any sparyng, sawe thay that escapyd ynto Raynyldis tour, and throgh hame was the toune sawyd, tyll the traytouris ther aftir come to pees, and ever ther aftir the lasse belewyd and lowyd. Remond whan he thus hade y sawyd the Erle he manyed hym of his promisse. The Erle send a noon to Dewlyn aftir his sustre, and went never from Wexford tyll that she was withe myche wirchipe spousyd to Remond. Whan he was spousyd and al the day was hold in joy and gladnysse and miche plente of mett and drynk, and the nyght aftir in delytis of chambir, as ham best plessyd, came thithyngis that Oconghour Kyng of Connaght hade destruyd al Myth; and was come with grett hoste ynto the contre of Deulyn. Reymond was not slowe, ne for lowe of his fayr wyff, ne for the myche feste, but a morowe he toke his men with hym and went toward Deulyne. Oconghour had thetofor assayed his meny, and dowtyd hym the mor he wold not a byde hym, but was glad to tak homward. Remond lette restor and arere that was destruyd by the wer. And fale[n] castelis dyght upe, and broght into raddyr state; and for dred of hym the land waxe in pees a good whyll, that none Irychmane ne durst hym styr wer to begine.

Capitulum XXXV.

This whyll the Kyng was yn gret stryff wel twoyer agayn his sonnes and har alyence both yn England, and yn Normandy and Gascoyne; and so was peyned with travayle in weppyn nyght and day, that no mane ne myght mor. But for no wors enemy may none be thane thay that man trustith most to. O thyng was that most angyr hym dyde that the knyghtes, that he Fade chosse his body to kepe, in whos handis his lyff and dethe betok, for the mor party every nyght wenten to his sonnys prively, so that whan the Kyng oft tymes askyd aftir hame thay wer not found. Nathelese the battayle that was of so doutous begynnyng hade so good endyng that for the unryght that his sonys hym dyde, so unkyndly, hit semyde the bettir that he foght, by power of God than by erthly power. For in al placis the over hand was his. And as hit semyd fryst that hit was for wrethe of Seynt Tomas ys dethe, that that unhappe hym befell, also hit semyd ther aftir, whan he hade done a sethe to holy Church, and pees made with the holy Martyr with teris ande repentaunce of herte, al his tene by Godis helpe hym turnyd to gladnesse. For aftir the myche tene and trayson that he had suffryde al two yer, at the last was the battayl

Descriptio Henrici Tertii. f. 18.

smytten at thewhiche betwen the two hostis ther were the Kyngis sones discomfite by Ralff de Glandvyle, that was maystir of the Kyngis hoste. Ther was tak the Kyng of Scotland, and the Erle of Chestir, and the Erle of Leycestir, and so many gret mene, bothe of England and of be younte see, that unneth thay found prisonis to hame. Ther aftir al the travayle that the Kyng hade, and the envy and the costis al two yer, come the sonnes to the fadiris pees, and madyne a sethe falssly, as hit was ther aftir wele showyd yn dede. Of this untrouth spak Merlyng in his prophesies and sayd: "Thesonnes shulyn a gylte the fadyr for his gyltis, and the radyr glitte* shall be encheyson of the gyltis that aftir shullyn come. The sones shal arysse uppon the fadir, and forto awreke his felony agayn the wombe the tharmes shale swer ham to gaddyr. In the man of blod blode schal arysse, and man hoperly shal his pynsyng be tyle, that Scotland the pennawnce of hys pillgrimage bewepe."

Capitulum XXXVI.

The Kyng Henry, the othir, was a man same rede, round hed and round grey eyghyn, rowelokyng, and rede in wrethe, visage red brennyng, greth speche, neke sondel short of the sholdris, brest thyk, of flechy body, and mor of kynd than of glotony, gret of wombe, for he was, as to prynce belongith, of mete and of drynk ful meen and forberryng, and for to a quenche that gretnesse he put hymselff to ful my che travayle, that unneth he lett his body have enny reste, othir by day, othir by nyght. For wyntir and sommer he a rosse most part in the dawnyng, and herd frust his service of holy Churche, ther aftir most part he wold be out, othir with hondis, othir with hawkis, for in thay two thyngis be delytyd gretly withal, and unnethe he wold ryde any hamlyng hors, but myche trottyng hors, for to travayle his body the mor. Aftir al his travayl a day unneth he lett his body have a litile rest, for to site to his mett. The whyll that he ette, and a noone aftir mete, and namly aftir supper, a noone he wold arysse and stond, and so forthe drywe away the most part of the nyght. So that al the courte was oft wery of his wakyne. The man that he onys yn liche he beheld ever he hade knoleche of hym, and thyng that he hade onys herd ever aftyr he wold hit undirstond. The man that he onys hade hatyd unnethis he wold lowe aftir, and man that he onys lowyde unnethe he wold ever aftir hatte. Whan any unhappis hym befelle no mane mekyr. Whan he was in sikkirness no man sternyr. Smyrte* a gayne the bold. Mek with ham that weryn undir broght, harde among his owyn, and privelly large, among strange men. And opynly meknesse and debonerte he lowyd, pride and hautynesse he hatyd and wold bryng undirfote.

*Sic.

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