Anonymous: Historical Poems (Harley 2253) (4) (1 437 words)

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page 14


1

4. THE EXECUTION OF SIR SIMON FRASER (1306)


2

3Lystneþ, lordynges, a newe song ichulle bigynne
4of þe traytours of scotlond þat take beþ wyþ gynne.
5Mon þat loueþ falsnesse & nule neuer blynne,
6sore may him drede þe lyf þat he is ynne,
7Ich vnderstonde.
8Selde wes he glad,
9þat neuer nes a-sad
10of nyþe ant of onde.

11

12þat y sugge by þis scottes þat bueþ nou to-drawe -
13þe heuedes o londone brugge whose con y-knawe;
14he wenden han buen kynges, ant seiden so in sawe;
15betere hem were han y-be barouns ant libbe in godes lawe,
16wyþ loue.
17whose hateþ soth ant ryht,
18lutel he douteþ godes myht,
19þe heye kyng aboue.

20

21To warny alle þe gentilmen þat bueþ in scotlonde,
22þe waleis wos to-drawe, seþþe he wos an-honge,
23al quic biheueded, ys bowels y-brend,
24þe heued to londone brugge wos send
25To abyde.
26after simond frysel,
27þat wes traytour ant fykel,
28ant y-cud ful wyde.

29

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30Sire edward oure kyng, þat ful ys of piete,
31þe waleis quarters sende to is oune contre,
32on four half to honge, huere myrour to be,
33þer-opon to þenche, þat monie myhten se
34Ant drede.
35why nolden he be war
36of þe bataile of donbar,
37hou euele hem con spede?

38

39Bysshopes ant barouns come to þe kynges pes,
40ase men þat weren fals, fykel, ant les,
41oþes hue him sworen in stude þer he wes,
42to buen him hold ant trewe for alles cunnes res,
43þryes.
44þat hue ne shulden aȝeyn him go,
45so hue were temed þo.
46weht halt hit to lye?

47

48To þe kyng edward hii fasten huere fay;
49fals wes here foreward so forst is in may,
50þat sonne from þe southward wypeþ away:
51Moni proud scot þer-of mene may
52to ȝere.
53Nes neuer scot-lond
54wiþ dunt of monnes hond
55allinge aboht so duere.

56

57þe bisshop of glascou, ychot he was ylaht;
58þe bisshop of seint Andre, boþe, he beþ ycaht;
59þe abbot of scon wiþ þe kyng nis nouht saht;
60al here purpos ycome hit ys to naht,
61þurh ryhte.
62hii were vnwis,
63when hii þohte pris
64aȝeyn huere kyng to fyhte.

65

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66þourh consail of þes bisshopes y-nemned byfore,
67sire Robert þe bruycȝ furst kyng wes y-core.
68he mai eueruche day ys fon him se byfore;
69ȝef hee mowen him hente, ichot he biþ forlore,
70sauntȝ fayle.
71soht forte sugge,
72duere he shal abugge
73þat he bigon batayle.

74

75hii þat him crounede proude were ant bolde;
76hii maden kyng of somere, so hii ner ne sholde;
77hii setten on ys heued a croune of rede golde,
78Ant token a kyne-ȝerde (so me kyng sholde)
79to deme.
80þo he wes set in see,
81lutel god couþe he,
82kyne-riche to ȝeme.

83

84Nou kyng hobbe in þe mures ȝongeþ,
85forte come to toune nout him ne longeþ.
86þe barouns of engelond, myhte hue him gripe,
87he him wolde techen on englysshe to pype,
88þourh streynþe.
89Ne be he ner so stout,
90ȝet he biþ y-soht out
91o brede ant o leynþe.

92

93sire Edward of carnaruan - iesu him saue and see -
94sire Emer de valence, gentil knyht ant free,
95habbeþ y-suore huere oht þat par la grace dee
96hee wolleþ ous delyuren of þat false contre,
97ȝef hii conne.
98Muche haþ scotlond forlore,
99whet a-last, whet bifore,
100ant lutel pris wonne.

101

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102Nou ichulle fonge þer ich er let,
103ant tellen ou of frisel, ase ich ou by-het.
104In þe batayle of kyrkenclyf ffrysel was ytake -
105ys continaunce abatede eny bost to make
106biside striuelyn -
107knyhtes ant sweynes,
108ffremen ant þeynes,
109monye wiþ hym.

110

111so hii weren byset on eueruche halue,
112somme slaye were, ant somme dreynte hem-selue.
113sire Iohan of lyndeseye nolde nout abyde,
114he wod into þe water, his feren him bysyde,
115to adrenche.
116whi nolden hii be war?
117þer nis non aȝeyn star,
118why nolden hii hem by-þenche?

119

120þis wes byfore seint bartholomeus masse,
121þat ffrysel wes y-take, were hit more oþer lasse;
122To sire Thomas of Multone, gentil baroun ant fre,
123ant to sire Iohan Iose, by-take þo wes he
124to honde.
125he wes yfetered weel,
126boþe wiþ yrn ant wyþ steel,
127to bringen of scotlonde.

128

129Sone þer-after þe tydynge to þe kyng com.
130he him sende to londone wiþ mony armed grom;
131he com yn at newegate, y telle yt ou a-plyht,
132a gerland of leues on ys hed y-dyht
133of grene;
134ffor he shulde ben yknowe,
135boþe of heȝe ant of lowe,
136for treytour, y wene.

137

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138y-fetered were ys legges vnder his horse wombe;
139boþe wiþ yrn ant wiþ stel mankled were ys honde;
140A gerland of peruenke set on ys heued;
141Muche wes þe poer þat him wes byreyed
142In londe.
143so god me amende,
144lutel he wende
145so be broht in honde.

146

147sire herbert of Morham, feyr knyht ant bold,
148for þe loue of frysel ys lyf wes y-sold;
149a waiour he made, so hit wes y-told,
150ys heued of to smhyte ȝef me him brohte in hold,
151wat so bytyde.
152sory wos he þenne,
153þo he myhte him kenne
154þourh þe toun ryde.

155

156þenne seide ys scwyer a word anon ryht,
157"sire, we beþ ded, ne helpeþ hit no wyht!"
158(Thomas de boys þe scwyer wes to nome)
159"Nou ychot oure waiour turneþ ous to grome,
160so y bate."
161y do ou to wyte,
162here heued wes of smyte
163byfore þe tour gate.

164

165þis wes on oure leuedy euen, for sothe ych understonde,
166þe iustices seten for þe knyhtes of scotlonde:
167sire Thomas of Multone, an hendy knyht ant wys,
168ant sire Rauf of sondwych, þat muchel is told in pris,
169ant sire Iohan Abel,
170Mo y mihte telle by tale,
171boþe of grete ant of smale,
172ȝe knowen suyþe wel.

173

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174þenne saide þe iustice, þat gentil is ant fre,
175"sire simond ffrysel, þe kynges traytour hast þou be,
176In water ant in londe, þat monie myhten se.
177what sayst þou þareto? hou wolt þou quite þe?
178do say!"
179so foul he him wiste,
180nede waron truste,
181forto segge nay.

182

183þer he wes ydemed, so hit wes londes lawe,
184for þat he wes lord-swyke; furst, he wes to-drawe;
185vpon a reþeres hude forþ he wes ytuht,
186sum while in ys time he wes a modi knyht
187In huerte.
188wickednesse & sunne -
189hit is lutel wunne
190þat makeþ þe body smerte.

191

192ffor al is grete poer, ȝet he wes ylaht;
193ffalsnesse & swykedom al hit geþ to naht.
194þo he wes in scotlond, lutel wes ys þoht
195of þe harde iugement þat him wes bysoht
196In stounde.
197he wes four siþe for-swore
198to þe kyng þer bifore,
199& þat him brohte to grounde.

200

201wiþ feteres & wiþ gyues ichot he wes to-drowe,
202ffrom þe tour of londone, þat monie myhte knowe,
203In a curtel of burel a selkeþe wyse,
204ant a gerland on ys heued of þe newe guyse,
205þurh cheepe.
206Moni mon of engelond
207forto se symond
208þideward con lepe.

209

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210þo he com to galewes, furst he wes an-honge
211al quic byheueded, þah him þohte longe.
212seþþe he wes y-opened, is boweles ybrend;
213þe heued to londone brugge wes send
214to shonde.
215so ich euer mote þe,
216sum while wende he
217þer lutel to stonde.

218

219he rideþ þourh þe site, as y telle may,
220wiþ gomen & wyþ solas, þat wes here play;
221to londone brugge hee nome þe way -
222Moni wes þe wyues chil þat þer-on lokeþ a day,
223Ant seide alas,
224þat he wes ibore
225& so villiche forlore,
226so feir mon ase he was.

227

228Nou stont þe heued aboue þe tubrugge,
229ffaste bi waleis, soþ forte sugge;
230after socour of scotlond longe he mowe prye,
231ant after help of fraunce wet halt hit to lye,
232Ich wene.
233betere him were in scotlond
234wiþ is ax in ys hond,
235to pleyen o þe grene.

236

237Ant þe body hongeþ at þe galewes faste,
238wiþ yrnene claspes longe to laste;
239fforte wyte wel þe body, & scottysh to gaste,
240foure ant tuenti þer beoþ to soþe ate laste
241by nyhte,
242ȝef eny were so hardi
243þe body to remuy,
244also to dyhte.

245

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246were sire robert þe bruycȝ y-come to þis londe,
247ant þe erl of asseles, þat harde is an honde,
248alle þe oþer pouraille, forsoþe ich vnderstonde,
249mihten be ful blyþe ant þonke godes sonde
250wyþ ryhte.
251þenne myhte vch mon
252boþ riden & gon
253in pes wiþ-oute vyhte.

254

255þe traytours of scotlond token hem to rede,
256þe barouns of engelond to brynge to dede;
257Charles of fraunce, so moni mon tolde,
258wiþ myht & streynþe hem helpe wolde,
259his þonkes!
260Tprot, scot, for þi strif!
261hand vp þyn hachet ant þi knyf,
262whil him lasteþ þe lyf
263wiþ þe longe shonkes.