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And gude it is for many thynges, For to here be dedis of kynges, Whilk were foles & whilk were wyse, & whilk of pam couth mast quantýse; And whilk did wrong & whilk rýght, & whilk mayntend pes & fÿght. Of þare dedes salle be my sawe, In what tyme & of what lawe, I salle gow schewe fro gre to gre,

Sen þe tyme of sir Noe,

Fro Noe vnto Eneas,

& what betwix þam was,

And fro Eneas tille Brutus tyme, þat kynde he telles in þis ryme. Fro Brutus tille Cadwaladres, þe last Bryton þat þis lande lees. Alle þát kynde & alle the frute, þat come of Brutus pat is þe Brute; And be ryght Brute is told nomore, þan the Brytons tyme wore. After þe Bretons þe Inglis camen, þe lordschip of his lande þai namen ; South & North, West & Est,

þat calle men now þe Inglis gest. When þai first amang þe Bretons, þat now ere Inglis pan were Saxons, Saxons Inglis hight alle oliche.

þai aryued vp at Sandwyche,

In þe kynge's tyme Vortogerne,

þat þe lande walde þam not werne.
þat were maysters of alle be topire,
Hengist he hight & Hors his bropire.
þes were hede, als we fÿnde,

Where of is comen oure Inglis kynde.
A hundrethe & fifty gere þai com,
Or þat receyued Cristendom

So lang woned pai þis lande in,
Or pa herde out of Saynt Austyn,
Amang pe Bretons with mykelle wo,
In sclaundire, in threte & in thro.
pes Inglis dedes ze may here,

As Pers telles alle þe manere.

One mayster Wace pe Frankes telles,
þe Brute alle þat þe Latyn spelles,
Fro Eneas tille Cadwaladre,

þis mayster Wace per leues he.
And ryght as mayster Wace says,
I telle myn Inglis þe same ways.
For mayster Wace pe Latyn alle rymes,
at Pers ouerhippis many týmes.
Mayster Wace pe Brute alle redes,
& Pers tellis alle pe Inglis dedes.

þer mayster Wace of pe Brute left,
Ryght begynnes Pers eft,

And tellis forth be Inglis story, & as he says, pan say I.

Als

Als pai haf wryten & sayd,
Haf I alle in myn Inglis layd,

In symple speche as I couthe, io!!
þat is lightest in manne's mouthe...
I mad noght for no disours,

Ne for no seggers no harpours,
Bot for þe luf of symple men,
þat strange Inglis can not ken.
For many it ere pat strange Inglis...
In rýme wate neuer what it is,
And bot pai wist what it mente,
Ellis me thoght it were alle schente.
I made it not forto be praysed,..
Bot at þe lewed men were aysed.
If it were made in ryme couwee,
Or in strangere or enterlace,

þat rede Inglis it ere inowe, A.
þat couthe not haf coppled a kowe,
pat outhere in couwee or in baston
Som suld haf ben fordon,

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Ouer all þat is or was,

If men it sayd as made Thomas.
Bot I here it no man so say,

þat of som copple som is away.

So þare fayre saying here beforne,
Is þare trauayle nere forlorne.
þai sayd it for pride & nobleÿe,
þat non were suŷlk as þei,

And alle þat þai wild ouerwhere,
Alle þat ilk wille now forfare,
þai sayd in so quainte Inglis,
þat manyone wate not what it is,
perfore heuyed wele pe more

In strange ryme to trauayle sore,
And my witte was oure thynne,
So strange speche to trauayle in,
And forsoth I couth noght

So strange Inglis as pai wroght,
And men besoght me many a týme,

To turne it bot in light ryme,
þai sayd, if I in strange it turne,
To here it manyon suld skurne.
For it ere names fulle selcouthe,

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To telle þam þe chaunces bolde,
þat here before was don & tolde,
For þis making I wille no mede,

Bot gude prayere, when ge it rede.
зе
perfore, ze lordes lewed,

For wham I haf þis Inglis schewed,
Prayes to God he gỳf me grace,
I trauayled for gour solace.

Of Brunne I am, if any me blame,

Robert Mannyng is my name.

1

Blissed be he of God of heuene,
þat me Robert with gude wille neuene.
In be thrid Edwarde's tyme was 1,
When I wrote alle pis story.

In be hous of Sixille I was a throwe,
Danz Robert of Maltone þat ge know
Did it wryte for felawes sake,
When pai wild solace make.

Num. VI. Vide Præf. §. x, XIX. Extract of a Letter, relating to Robert of Brunne and Peter de Langtoft, written from London to the Publisher by the late learned John Bridges, Esq;. Nov. 28. 1723.

This day, by Godfrey the Oxford Carrier, there goes a Packett, directed to Willmott the Bookseller, in which there is the MS. of Robert of Brunne. It belongs to the Inner h 2 Temple

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