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He gert [bam] blede, if þai war bolde,

For pare was slayne and wounded sore
Thretty thowsand trewly tolde,

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Of pitailed was þare mekill more;

Knightes war þare wele two score

Pat war new dubbed to pat dance; action
Helm and heuyd pai haue foffore,

Pan misliked Iohn of France.

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Franche men put þam to pine

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At Cressy, when þai brak pe brig, broke the bridge.

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Pat saw Edward with both his ine.
Pan likid him no langer to lig;'

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1 MS. ' misliling.'

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With brade ax and with bowes bent.

With bent bowes þai war ful bolde,
Forto fell of pe Frankisch men ;
Pai gert tham lig with cares colde,
Ful sari was sir Philip þen.
He saw þe toun o-ferrum bren,
And folk for ferd war fast fleand;
Pe teres he lete ful rathly ren qu
Out of his eghen, I vnderstand.

•Brehand Pan come Philip, ful redy dight,

Toward pe toun with all his rowty.
With him come mani a kumly knight,
And all vmset þe bare obout.

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Pe bare made pam ful law to lout, rel
And delt þam knokkes to paire mede; and

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'
pe bare pan durst þai noght habide.
pe king of Beme was cant and kene,
Bot þare he left both play and pride.

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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.

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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;

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& pus it bitide þat time as tellen oure bokes,

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þis cowherd comes on a time to kepen is bestes
Fast by-side pe borwz · þere pe barn was inne.
þe herd had with him an hound his hert to lizt,
forto bayte on his bestes wanne þai to brode went.
þe herd sat þan wip hound · azene þe hote sunne,

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clouztand kyndely his schon as to 1 here craft falles.
þat while was þe werwolf · went a-boute his praye,
what behoued to pe barn to bring as he mizt.
þe child pan darked in his den dernly him one,
& was a big bold barn & breme of his age,

For spakly speke it coupe tho⚫ & spedeliche to-wawe.
Louely lay it a-long · in his lonely denne,

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& buskede him out of pe buschys þat were blowed grene, & leued ful louely þat lent grete schade,

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what for melodye þat þei made in þe mey sesoun,

þat litel child listely · lorked out of his caue,

Faire floures forto fecche

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þat he bi-fore him seye,

& to gadere of þe grases · þat grene were & fayre.

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þe couherdes hound þat time as happe by-tidde, feld foute of pe child and fast þider fulwes;

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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.

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& wepte so wonder fast wite pou for sothe,

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þat he wist witerly it was · þe voys of a childe.

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þan ros he vp radely & ran þider swipe,

& drow him toward þe den by his dogges noyce.

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& euere pe dogge at þe hole · held it at a-baye.

& whan pe kouherd com pid [er]e1· he koured lowe
to bi-hold in at pe hole · whi his hound berkyd.
þanne of-saw he ful sone · þat semliche child,
þat so loueliche lay & wep in þat lopli caue,
cloped ful komly · for ani kud kinges sone,
In gode clopes of gold · a-greped ful riche,

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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,

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acoyed it to come to him & clepud hit oft,

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& foded it wip floures & wip faire by-hest,
& hit it hastely to haue what it wold 3erne,
appeles & alle pinges pat childern after wilnen.
so, forto seiz al þe sope · so faire þe cherl glosed,
þat þe child com of þe caue & his criynge stint.
pe cherl ful cherli þat child · tok in his armes,
& kest hit & clipped and oft crist ponkes,
þat hade him sent po

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sonde swiche prey to finde.

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and bi-tok it to his wif tiztly to kepe.

a gladere wommon vnder god • no mizt go on erpe,

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pan was pe wif wip pe child witow for sope.

1 Read 'thidere.'-Madden.

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