f. 27 b. syde hyr, and the wolff spak to hyme, and confessyd hyr to Capitulum LV. Not long ther aftir the yonge Kyng Henry the old Kyng Henryess sone, and his brothir Geffrey the Erle of Bryttayne with othir many hy mene of this halve the see, and yen halft that ham weryn an helpe and consayle, the third tyme agayn his fadir begane to arysse; but sone ther aftir, as hit wer throgh sentence of God, thay bothe dyed, the one about Mydsommer at Marcell, and that was the yong Kyng, and the Erle sone ther aftyr dyed also at Pariis, and thus the Kyngis wer agayns his sonnys. Capitulum LVI. Undyr this Lauraunce Archebyshope of Deulyn was endyde. At the consayle of Latran hade i be and, as thay sayde, ther he hade purchasyd a gayns the Kyng for love of his lond pepyle, wharof the Kyng hade grett artrowe uppon hym, wherfor he lett hyme of his passage into Irland, the 18 kl. of Decembir, [he] died at Oye yn Normandy, a good man and a holy, and that God Almighty shewyd many myraclis for that he oppynly doth for hym. We rede also of hym that he was seke III. dayes as he thaddir came. And whan he sawe our Ladyes churche, that ys the modir church of the toune, he sayd this versse of the sawter as prophesy throwe the Holy Gost: Hec requies mea in seculum seculi, hic habitabo quoniam elegi eam; ande ys as mich to say yn Englich, "This is my rest world without ende. Here y wyle dwell for y hit have chosse." Aftyr hym was Archbyshope of Deulyn, John Comyn, a man of England borne, and yn England at Evesham of the clergy of Deulyne by conueyntyss and procurment of the Kyng by one a corde chosse, and the Poppe Lucye, at the citte of Wellet, ther aftyr y hodyd and y sacryd, a man good clerk and ryghtfull, and by his myght myche ryght takyd the state of holy church yn Irlande. Capitulum LVII. The Kyng Henry as he thertofor hade thoght yave the lande of Irland to his yongyst son, John by name. And *Sic. query, myche lyckynnys? f. 28. Notandum de adv[en]tu filii Jo. regis in Hibernia. Notandum titulum re[gis] ad Hiberni [am]. f. 28 b. whan he hade hytt hyme yewe he send the Archbishope of Deulyn of these to ordeyn a gayn his commyng. And sone aftir that Hugo De Lacy was send aftir ynto England, and come ynto Irland, Phylype of Vircestre, procurator of the lond with 40 knyghtis, a man that was good knyght, curteys and goode mete yever, but othir good ne dyde he none, save that he went frome contray to contray and askyd, and with streynth toke both of leryd and lewyde, the cursyde tollagis of golde and sylvyr. And y undirstond that he never good dyde therwith, ne never man shale that so goode gaddryth; for many crystis curs: and trewe manys and womanys, pouer and riche, thay gaddryde also therwith, and wel unsur may a mane to be to do his lyff yn adventur with them that so good doth gette. Capitulum LVIII. 58. Whane the Kyngis sone hade arayed al thyng that nede was for to come ynto Irlande, he put hym, to sayll at Mylford the III. day after Estir. He hade good wynde and weddyr, and amorow landid at Watirford with 300 knyghtis and othir on hors and on foote ful many. He londyde the yer of his age 22, of his fadir ys commyng ynto Irland 13, othe Erlis comyng 14, of Robert ys commyng FizStevyn 15, the yer of our Lordis Incarnacion 1185. Stevnes sone was the frust man, and oppyn the way to the Erle, the Erle to the Kyng, the Kyng to his sone. And gretly he ys to praysse and gret thyng begane that frust ynto Irlande so boldly come the thyng to begyne; gretly also he ys to preysse that aftir the begynnyng so nobly come for to execute the thyng tha was begone, and most of al he ys to preysse that al thyng ful endyde and the lordschip clenly conquesyde over al othir. Her men mouvyn well vndirstond that the Englyschemen came not with so myche unryght into Irland as many pepyle venythe. For Robert Stevnes sone and the Erle come to McMurgho into Leynister, that oon ys his trouthe for to hold hym, and hym for to helpe, that other for lowe of his doghtir. Natheles of Watirford, ne of Mythe, nethir of Desmond which the Erle at the begynnyng toke to hym and conqueryd out of Leynyster, I sey not that he hade ful ryght therto, but of the frist part of the londe that was the Erlis by his wyff. The lordchipe clenly he yaue to the Kyng. And al the princis of the lond ther aftir, by har good wyll, yoldyn ham to the Kyng to be ever mor subiecte to hym and to his. Uppon al this the Pope of Rome that ys hede of al Cristendome, and that hath a specyal ryght of alle the londis of Cristendome, as wyde as the world ys, he yaue plenery and confermyd to the Kyng the lordchipe of Irlande, as hit ys a fore told; and of yldir ryght we fyndyth also y wryte that the Kyng of England have to Irland of Gormon, Belynes sone, Kyng of Brytaygne, that ys nowe England. He come ynto Irland, and toke the lande, and many a yer Irishmen [be]n] false of [m]ynde. f. 29. thay bare hyme truage, and othir aftyr hyme ynto Brytaygne. Ther aftir also Kyng Arthure hade truage out of Irland. And Gylmore, the Kyng, that that tyme was with othir Kyngis of the ylondis was with hym at the grete feste that he held at Karlyon. On othir halue the pepyle of Irland come frust out of Bascles and out of Bayone, that longith nowe to Gascoyne, whereof the Kyngis of England ben lordis. And thus we may well undirstond that bothe by olde ryght and by newe the Kynges of England owene well to have the lordchipe of Irland; and thegh the folk of the londe never hadde be subiecte therby-for, hit oght be y nowe that thay al by goode wyl yaue hame to the Kyng Henry by othis and hostagis, and by al manner surte that he desyryd. And the poppis that theraftir hym grauntyd and confermyd the lordchipe of the lond, and acursyd al them that yn anny tyme this agayns come. And theghe thay by kynde falsnys ande vnstabilnesse, that yne ham ys, lytell tell of othis and of mansyng natheles thay wer never by noo man, that power hade therof, assoylyd ne vnbounde. But a man may bynde hym selff wythe suche thynge but not so lyght vnbynde. Capitulum LIX. 59. Mayster Geraud ne tellith no ferdir of the Conquest. But of the lette wherfor the land was clenliche i conqueryd, ne the pepyl fully broght yn theudome, he tellith suche resonys. Thay that fruste come haddyn fullwell y spede, without any lette, yef the Kyng ne hade so hastly y send and commandyd that no mane shold to hame come, and thay that wer ynto the lond y come shold the lond lewe and turne agayn, othir to lesse al that thay haddyn of the Kyng yn othir londis. And whan the Kynge was ynto the lande hym selff y come, with so mych power, hit hade y be well ynow nar that he hade so sone turnyd agayn throgh the Poppis commandment and the Cardynalis, and also the vickydnys that his sonnys haddyn y purveyed to done hymn, the whyll that he was out of londe. For the pepyl, that at the begynnyng of so soddeyn commyng, was so gretly a ferde and agrisyd [of] weppnyd men boldenys and of the cruell woundyng of arowys, threw longe abydyng and sleth of maysterys, that no boldnys ne sickirnes was wyth, by lytyle and lytyle lernyd weppyne to ber, arrowes to shote, and soo well vsed ham therto, that many tymes ham byfell wondyrly goode yne fyght happis uppon Englychmen; and on this manner that at the begynnyng lyghtly myght be shente and broght vnderfoote weryn bold and hardy to withstond and defend tham selff. We may rede and overseth the Boke of Kyngis, the Prophetis, al the Olde Rede fro ende to othir, and othir tymes that tofor have y be, we shall never fynde that wer ne hate came uppon pepyle but for thar synnes. And so hit may welbe of the pepyll of Irland, that ofte serued wel for har synnes to have wer and wrake of other strange comen men. Natheles God Almighty was not ham so vengabyle wroth that f. 29 b. he wold ham fully put out of londe, nethir al to bene vndone, ne fully broght ynto thraldome, nethir thay clenly forllorne grace. Nethir ne othir hade not fully grace the maystry to have, and hame fully and pessably yn thraldome to holde. We fyndithe that the Irychemen haddyne iiii. prophets every yn this tyme, Patryke, Molyng, Brakane and Colomkyle, whos bokis ben withe ham yn Iryche wryte. Every of ham spekith of the fyght of this conqueste, and sayne that longe stryff and of fyghtyng shal be for this londe, and ofte the lande shal be defoulyd and y steynyd wythe gret slaght of men; but vnneth thay grauntith to the Englyche pepyle fully the mastri a lityl ar the day of dome, and that the lande shall frome see to see be castelyd and fully enhabytyde; but the Englyche shal oft ar that febyl be, and mych mysaysse have yn the lond. So Brakan saith that throgh a kyng that shal come of the wyld montaynys of Seyns Patrikis, that ys callyde Selco, and one a sone nyghtt a castell in the wode contreis of Ofoland shall brek moste what al the Englychemen of Irland shall be strobbyd. Capitulum LX. Nowe and for whiche thynge hit was that the Kyngis sonis travayle and his gret costes at this tyme sped nogh as tham thoght, hyt none harme theghe y rehersse, for to speke of thyng that ys past ys none remedy. Neverthelasse of thyng that ys to come, we may bewar by ensampyll of hare dedis. Whan the Kyngis sone was come to lond at Watirford thedyr come to hym Irychmen of the contray Irichmen and of trewe pees hym besoght, and made hym gret gladnys as har Lord, and i proferyd to kysse hym. Thane a noone ryght of two newe men,‡ and namly of the Normanys, weryn shamfully rescewyd, and lewydly pullyde ham by the berdis, which in the manner of the contray thay haddyn grett and longe. Some of tham weryn shamfully shaken and y drawen. As sone as they commen to har owyne, with al that thay hade thay wythdrowyne hame, and lefte the contray, and wente to the Kyng of Tomonde, and told hyme, and also the Kyng of Desmond, and the Kyng of Connaghte, what thay hade rescewyd and founde with the Kyngis sone, a yonglynge al with yonglyngis governyd, and by the yong men consayle al dyde; and no wytte, nothir boldnys, wyche was found,§ ne surte, ne trouth to Iryche mene thay couthe nott promysse. Whan tithyngis hereof was spronge thay iii. capteynyis of Irland, that was that tyme redy to come to the Kynges, and yold hame to hyme and to do hym homage, thay thoztyn that aftir thay small harmys wold mor. And whan thay such thyng dyde to good men and meke, well wors thay wold to the prute and the vnbuxum. Thay toke ham to consayl and swar togaddyr that thay woldyn uppon har lywis withstond † MS. a sone might. *MS. that. f. 30. the rightis of har old fredomys and defend tyll thay wer al hewyd. And for thay shold this thyng the bettyr bryng to ende thay send about ynto al the londe, and allyed ham togaddrys and madyn frendis of ham that wer enemys. And thus throw ham, that thay at the begynnyng, but throw pride from them both, thay and al othiris, for the mor parte was from tham styrryd. This pepyle, as every othir wyld pepyle, thegh thay no wirchipe kouth not, natheles thay wold that hy shold do ham wirchipe and manshippe. And pez thay be not aferde ne ashamyd to be found with falssnes, natheles thay shonnyth that anny othir shold do hame any falshed, and thay louith trouthe. And thus good, that thay lowith in othirys, thay thynk no fors howe lytyll be found yn ham selff. Therfor every wys mane vndirstond hym by Roboam, Salamonys sone, howe myche harym fallith of pryde. Whane he aftir his fadir was inade Kyng of Israell the pepyl come to hym, and besoght hym that he shold hame sumwhat allege of the servyces that thay wer wonnyd to do to his fadir. He was yong, and by yong mens consayle answeryd, and sayde: "My fynger ys more than my fadirys bake bone, and yef he bette youe with yardis, y wyll bette you with breris." And for that answer al the x. kynredis lefte hym and made ham a Kynge of Jeroboam and never after weryn undir hyme ne noon of his. Of the pepyll of Israele noone withe hyme abode but two kynredis. Uppon this the Irychmen londis, that fro the tyme that Robert Stevnes sone come fyrste into the londe, trewly with Englyychemen haddyne, wer take fro tham and gewyn to two newe mene. And thay anoon turnyd to the Irychemen and aspyed al the harme that thay myght doo to the Engliche. And wer so myche harme dyde that thay wer so prive with hame thertofor. Capitulum LXI. The townes uppon the sea, and the castelis with the londis that to ham partenyd, and the truagis and the rentis, that shold be y spend yn the profyte of the londe, and* yave hit to rebellis and to suche that well fayne gaderyde gold and syllver wythyn woddis ettyne well and dronken, and laddyn yll lyffis, and al thyng unprofytably wastyne to grete harme of pees men and noght to enemys. Amonge al othir harmys befell yet mor that yn the londe so smyrte and so kene, and pepyll so weyward and so vnredy and so mych harme doynge, the kepyng, and the men that was maysterys to kepe the lond, he hade lewyr his ryche clothis to wer than wepyn to ber, and lowid better to syte at tabyle than hoste to lede; and mor redyer to fle than to fight, lever to hold a fayr mayd by the wombe, than sper othir sheld to ber an hond. And also thay wer not trewe to har subiectis, ne redful to har enemys. Thay hade not that good herte, ne of good kynde hit come to hame, forto spar the meke and wrek ham one the proute, but al the contrary thay * Sic. ; qu., thay? |