He gert [bam] blede, if þai war bolde, For pare was slayne and wounded sore Of pitailed was þare mekill more; Knightes war þare wele two score Pat war new dubbed to pat dance; action Pan misliked Iohn of France. Franche men put þam to pine At Cressy, when þai brak pe brig, broke the bridge. M Pat saw Edward with both his ine. 1 MS. ' misliling.' 80 With brade ax and with bowes bent. With bent bowes þai war ful bolde, •Brehand Pan come Philip, ful redy dight, Toward pe toun with all his rowty. 11 Pe bare made pam ful law to lout, rel He gert þam stumbill þat war stout; pare helpid nowper staf ne stede. remained Stedes strong bileuid still Biside Cressy opon þe grene. Sir Philip wanted all his will, Pat was wele on his sembland sene. With spere and schelde and helmis schene, l' XII. THE ROMANCE OF WILLIAM OF PALERNE, OR, WILLIAM AND THE WERWOLF. A.D. 1350-1360. ALL that is known concerning the author of the English romance of 'William of Palerne,' or 'William and the Werwolf,' is that his Christian name was William, and that he translated his work (with frequent additions of his own) from the French romance of ‘Guillaume de Palerne' (William of Palermo) at the command of Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, nephew to King Edward II, who died A.D. 1361. · The poem in its English form is supposed by Sir F. Madden to have been written about the year 1350. The dialect is Midland (possibly Shropshire). The same author translated from the Latin a portion of the 'Romance of Alexander,' of which only a fragment is extant. The poem was first edited by Sir F. Madden for the Roxburghe Club, London, 1832; and re-edited in 1867 for the Early English Text Society (together with the 'Alexander' fragment) by the Rev. W. W. Skeat, with Sir F. Madden's assistance, from the unique MS. (No. 13) in the library of King's College, Cambridge. Hit bi-fel in pat forest · þere fast by-side, þer woned a wel old cherl · þat was a couherde, þat fele winterres in þat forest fayre had kepud Mennes ken of pe cuntre as a comen herde; 5 & pus it bitide þat time as tellen oure bokes, þis cowherd comes on a time to kepen is bestes clouztand kyndely his schon as to 1 here craft falles. For spakly speke it coupe tho⚫ & spedeliche to-wawe. 10 15 20 & buskede him out of pe buschys þat were blowed grene, & leued ful louely þat lent grete schade, what for melodye þat þei made in þe mey sesoun, þat litel child listely · lorked out of his caue, Faire floures forto fecche 25 þat he bi-fore him seye, & to gadere of þe grases · þat grene were & fayre. þe couherdes hound þat time as happe by-tidde, feld foute of pe child and fast þider fulwes; 30 þat it wax neiz of his witt wod for fere, and comsed pan to crye · so kenly and schille, 1 MS.' afto.' Read that it ferde,' or 'be ferde.'-Sir F. Madden. & wepte so wonder fast wite pou for sothe, 40 þat he wist witerly it was · þe voys of a childe. þan ros he vp radely & ran þider swipe, & drow him toward þe den by his dogges noyce. & euere pe dogge at þe hole · held it at a-baye. & whan pe kouherd com pid [er]e1· he koured lowe wip perrey & pellure pertelyche to pe risttes. þe cherl wondred of þat chaunce · & chastised his dogge, bad him blinne of his berking & to pe barn talked, acoyed it to come to him & clepud hit oft, & foded it wip floures & wip faire by-hest, sonde swiche prey to finde. and bi-tok it to his wif tiztly to kepe. a gladere wommon vnder god • no mizt go on erpe, pan was pe wif wip pe child witow for sope. 1 Read 'thidere.'-Madden. 45 50 55 60 65 |