Classic Poem

Hee that made w i th his hand
both winde, water, and lande,
giue them all good ending
tha t will Listen to my talking!
& I shall you informe
how Merlyn was gotten & borne,
& of his wisdome alsoe,
& other happs many mooe
w hi ch then befell in England.
he tha t will this vnderstand:
In England there was a K ing ,
a Noble man in all thinge,
In warr he was ware & wight,
Constantine forsooth he hight;
a doughtye man he was of deed,
& right wise he was of reede;
K ing he was of great honor,
& holden prince & Emperour
for K ing Anguish of Denmarke,
& many a Sarazen stoute & starke,
warred on him w i thouten fayle,
& he ou er came them in battaile
tha t they durst him not abyde,
& droue them out of feild tha t tyde.
then had The Kinge sonnes 3,
the fairest children tha t might bee;
the eledest sonne, tha t shold be K ing ,
was called Moyne, w i th[out] Leasing
the othe[r] were of great renowne,
both Vther & Pendragon
in tha t time (wee find in booke)
a great sicknesse the K ing tooke,
tha t out of this world he must wende;
& after his Barrons he did send;
& wen they were comen eu er echeone,
the K ing said to them anon,
" Lords, " he said to them anon,
" out of this world must I gon:
for gods loue & Charitye,
& for the loue you owe to me,
when I am dead & locked in clay,
helpe my Children in what you may,
& take Moyne my Eldest sonne,
& make him K ing , & giue him crowne;
hold him for yo u r Lord, " said hee.
all they granted itt shold soe bee.
then had the K ing a steward fayre
tha t was called S i r Vortiger;
his truth to the K ing he plight
to helpe his children w i th all his might;
but soone the traytor was forsworne,
& brake troth he had made beforne.
for the K ing out of this world went,
& faire was buryed verament;
att winchester, w i thout Leasinge,
there was made his buryinge
Erles & Barons soone anon
tooke them together eu er echone;
w i th-out any more dwellinge
they made Moyne Lord & K ing ;
but the Steward, S i r Vortiger,
was full wrath, as you may heere,
& stoode there againe w i th all his might
both by day & eke by night,
for he thought himselfe w i th treason
to be Lo rd & K ing w i th Crowne.
as soone as Moyne was chosen K ing ,
into denmarke the word can springe:
K ing Anguis hard it then,
& therof was both glad & faine;
soone Messengers in tha t ilke tyde
he sent ou er all the land wyde,
after many sarazens stout & starke,
& of Saxons, & of Denmarke
a 100 thousand, & yett moe,
on horss backe & on foote alsoe.
then wold they noe longer abyde;
but dight them to shipp tha t tyde,
& brought into England, I saine,
many a doughtye Sarazen.
but England was called then
Mikle Brittaine of euery man.
Then the word wyde sprange
how the Danish K ing w i th wronge
wrought in England Mickle woe.
K ing Moyne heard tha t it was soe;
he went vnto S i r Vortiger,
& prayed him w i th lowlye cheere,
& besought him of his honor
for to be his gou er nor
against his foemen to fight
he answered him anon-right,
& fained himselfe sicke, as traytor strong,
& said w i th wright & not w i th wrong,
" he wold neu er come in battaile
when his strenght began to faile; "
for all this he said aforehand,
for he thought to be K ing of tha t Land.
the K ing , he wold him noe more pray,
but tooke his leaue & went his way.
Messengers he sent tha t tyde
to all the Lands on euery side,
for Erles, Barons, & K nigh ts,
to come & helpe him in his fights.
& when they were all come,
& their armes done vpon,
the pricked forth w i thout fayle
to giue the Danes K ing battaille.
there was clouen many a sheeld,
& many k nigh t fallen in feild.
all tha t they mett in strond,
horsse & man fell to the ground.
soone the English men, the sooth to say,
were discomffitt & fled awaye;
to Winchester the ffledden thoe
w i th much sorrow, care, & woe.
but the Danish K in g before,
much of his ffolke he had forlore;
& then forthe he sent his sond
sone into his owne Land,
to all tha t might weapons beare,
shold come & helpe him in this warre;
of warre wold he neu er blinne,
Cytyes & castles for to winne:
in England he warrd full sore
halfe a yeare & some deale more.
all the Barons in England
took them together in tha t stond,
what was best for them to done
for to avenge them of their fone.
when they were comen all arright,
Erles & Barrons, Lords & Knights,
the said Moyne their young K ing
was but a Brotherlinge,
& said " if Vortiger K ing were,
he wold bring them out of care; "
they said anon, both old & younge,
tha t Vortiger shold be their K ing .
& when they had spoken all this,
12 Barrons they send Iwis
to S i r Vortiger the bold,
to witt whether he nay wold
against their foemen to stand,
to driue them out of England.
& when the Barrons all in fere
were come to S i r Vortiger,
well & hendlye they him greete,
& on they d[e]ske by him they seete;
& bade them w i th words still
for to say what was their will.
& the answered ffayre againe,
& bade tha t he shold them saine
why he wold not w i th them gone
ffor to avenge them of their fone,
& sayden, " sith Constantine was dead
wee haue had a sorry read; "
& bade tha t he shold take in hand
to warre them out of England.
then answered S i r Vortiger
as a man of great power,
" I was yett neu er yo u r K ing ;
why pray you me of such a thinge?
nor yett neu er here beforne,
nor to you was neu er sworne
for to helpe you att yo u r neede;
& therfore, soe god me speede,
wend home vnto yo u r K ing ,
& pray him in all thing
to helpe you against yo u r fone,
for helpe of me gett you none. "
then answered a bold Barron,
" our K ing is but a younge one;
for when he seeth a sword drawne,
he weeneth to bee slowen;
hee doth vs noe other good,
but flyeth away as he were wood.
had thou beene amongst vs all,
tha t chance had neu er beffalle;
thus saine all our Peeres. "
" I trow well, " said Vortiger;
" certaine it was great dole
to make a kinge of such a foole;
had you made a Man yo u r K ing ,
he had saved you in all thinge;
but sithen siker you bee,
helpe gett you none of mee.
but if yo u r K ing were dead aplight,
I wold helpe you w i th all my Might, "
then said the Barrons eche one,
" will yee tha t wee our K ing slowen? "
" Nay, " he sayd, " w i th-outen strife
while yo u r younge K ing is aliue,
helpe gett you None I-wis "
the Barrons tooke leaue w i th this;
to winchester they went all
there the K ing was in halle;
& as he sate att Meate
they run to him in great heate;
& as he sate att the bord,
or eu er he spake any word,
the run all to him anon
& smitten of his head full soone.
& when the K ing was thus slowe,
Ereles, Barrons, hye & lowe,
tooken them all to reede
tha t a K ing they must haue need,
all England for to warre
against them tha t will or darre.
then had Moyne brethren tow,
younge Children they were alsoe,
the one hight Vther, the other Pendragon.
then saiden the Barrons eu er ye one,
" tha t they shold neu er speede
but if a doughtye man of deede
were chosen to be their K ing in fere; "
& sweren tha t S i r Vortiger
was a doughtye man of deede,
stout & stale-worth of a steede:
the swearen then together eche one,
tha t other K ing they wold haue none.
then was there neither K nigh t nor swaine
tha t durst speake them againe,
but granted it, both old & younge,
to make S i r Vortiger their K ing .
soe in the time of Aprill, as yee may heere,
the 12 Barrons came to Vortiger,
And said tha t Englands right
was lorne thorrow their K ing a-plight,
& he was dead w i thout Leasing,
& his 2 brothers were to young
to hold the Kingdome in hand,
" therfore the com m ons of the Land
haue you chosen with Hono u r
for to be their Emperour. "
blithe & glad was Vortyger,
& anon was K ing w i thout danger.