Part 51 (1/2)
Alrick his brother, when hee this perceevd, He drewe his swerde, his lefte hande helde a speere, Towards the duke he turnd his prauncyng steede, And to the G.o.dde of heaven he sent a prayre; Then sent his lethale javlyn in the ayre, 295 On Hue de Beaumontes backe the javelyn came, Thro his redde armour to hys harte it tare, He felle and thondred on the place of fame; Next with his swerde he 'sayld the Seiur de Roe, And braste his sylver helme, so furyous was the blowe. 300
But w.i.l.l.yam, who had seen hys prowesse great, And feered muche how farre his bronde might goe, Tooke a strong arblaster, and bigge with fate From tw.a.n.gynge iron sente the fleetynge floe.
As Alric hoistes hys arme for dedlie blowe, 305 Which, han it came, had been Du Roees laste, The swyfte-wyngd messenger from w.i.l.l.yams bowe Quite throwe his arme into his syde ypaste; His eyne shotte fyre, lyke blazyng starre at nyghte, He grypd his swerde, and felle upon the place of fyghte. 310
O Alfwolde, saie, how shalle I synge of thee Or telle how manie dyd benethe thee falle; Not Haroldes self more Normanne knyghtes did slee, Not Haroldes self did for more praises call; How shall a penne like myne then shew it all? 315 Lyke thee their leader, eche Bristowyanne foughte; Lyke thee, their blaze must be canonical, Fore theie, like thee, that daie bewrecke yroughte: Did thirtie Normannes fall upon the grounde, Full half a score from thee and theie receive their fatale wounde. 320
First Fytz Chivelloys felt thie direful force; Nete did hys helde out brazen sheelde availe; Eftsoones throwe that thie drivynge speare did peerce Nor was ytte stopped by his coate of mayle; Into his breaste it quicklie did a.s.sayle; 325 Out ran the bloude, like hygra of the tyde; With purple stayned all hys adventayle; In scarlet was his cuishe of sylver dyde: Upon the bloudie carnage house he laie, Whylst hys longe sheelde dyd gleem with the sun's rysing ray. 330
Next Fescampe felle; O Chrieste, howe harde his fate To die the leckedst knyghte of all the thronge!
His sprite was made of malice deslavate, Ne shoulden find a place in anie songe.
The broch'd keene javlyn hurld from honde so stronge 335 As thine came thundrynge on his crysted beave; Ah! neete avayld the bra.s.s or iron thonge, With mightie force his skulle in twoe dyd cleave; Fallyng he shooken out his smokyng braine, As witherd oakes or elmes are hewne from off the playne. 340
For, Norcie, could thie myghte and skilfulle lore Preserve thee from the doom of Alfwold's speere; Couldste thou not kenne, most skyll'd Astrelagoure.
How in the battle it would wythe thee fare?
When Alfwolds javelyn, rattlynge in the ayre, 345 From hande dyvine on thie habergeon came, Oute at thy backe it dyd thie hartes bloude bear, It gave thee death and everlastynge fame; Thy deathe could onlie come from Alfwolde arme, As diamondes onlie can its fellow diamonds harme. 350
Next Sire du Mouline fell upon the grounde, Quite throughe his throte the lethal javlyn preste, His soule and bloude came roushynge from the wounde; He closd his eyen, and opd them with the blest.
It can ne be I should behight the rest, 355 That by the myghtie arme of Alfwolde felle, Paste bie a penne to be counte or expreste, How manie Alfwolde sent to heaven or h.e.l.le; As leaves from trees shook by derne Autumns hand, So laie the Normannes slain by Alfwold on the strand. 360
As when a drove of wolves withe dreary yelles a.s.sayle some flocke, ne care if shepster ken't, Besprenge destructione oer the woodes and delles; The shepster swaynes in vayne theyr lees lement; So foughte the Brystowe menne; ne one crevent, 365 Ne onne abashd enthoughten for to flee; With fallen Normans all the playne besprent, And like theyr leaders every man did flee; In vayne on every syde the arrowes fled; The Brystowe menne styll ragd, for Alfwold was not dead. 370
Manie meanwhile by Haroldes arm did falle, And Leofwyne and Gyrthe encreasd the slayne; 'Twould take a Nestor's age to synge them all, Or telle how manie Normannes preste the playne; But of the erles, whom recorde nete hath slayne, 375 O Truthe! for good of after-tymes relate, That, thowe they're deade, theyr names may lyve agayne, And be in deathe, as they in life were, greate; So after-ages maie theyr actions see, And like to them aeternal alwaie stryve to be. 380
Adhelm, a knyghte, whose holie deathless fire For ever bended to St. Cuthbert's shryne, Whose breast for ever burnd with sacred fyre.
And een on erthe he myghte be calld dyvine; To Cuthbert's church he dyd his goodes resygne, 385 And lefte hys son his G.o.d's and fortunes knyghte; His son the Saincte behelde with looke adigne, Made him in gemot wyse, and greate in fyghte; Saincte Cuthberte dyd him ayde in all hys deedes, His friends he lets to live, and all his fomen bleedes. 390
He married was to Kenewalchae faire, The fynest dame the sun or moone adave; She was the myghtie Aderedus heyre, Who was alreadie hastynge to the grave; As the blue Bruton, rysinge from the wave, 395 Like sea-G.o.ds seeme in most majestic guise.
And rounde aboute the risynge waters lave, And their longe hayre arounde their bodie flies, Such majestic was in her porte displaid, To be excelld bie none but Homer's martial maid. 400
White as the chaulkie clyffes of Brittaines isle, Red as the highest colour'd Gallic wine, Gaie as all nature at the mornynge smile, Those hues with pleasaunce on her lippes combine, Her lippes more redde than summer evenynge skyne, 405 Or Phoebus rysinge in a frostie morne, Her breste more white than snow in feeldes that lyene, Or lillie lambes that never have been shorne, Swellynge like bubbles in a boillynge welle, Or new-braste brooklettes gently whyspringe in the delle. 410
Browne as the fylberte droppyng from the sh.e.l.le, Browne as the nappy ale at Hocktyde game, So browne the crokyde rynges, that featlie fell Over the neck of the all-beauteous dame.
Greie as the morne before the ruddie flame 415 Of Phoebus charyotte rollynge thro the skie, Greie as the steel-horn'd goats Conyan made tame, So greie appeard her featly sparklyng eye; Those eyne, that did oft mickle pleased look On Adhelm valyaunt man, the virtues doomsday book. 420
Majestic as the grove of okes that stoode Before the abbie buylt by Oswald kynge; Majestic as Hybernies holie woode, Where sainctes and soules departed ma.s.ses synge; Such awe from her sweete looke forth issuynge 425 At once for reveraunce and love did calle; Sweet as the voice of thraslarkes in the Spring, So sweet the wordes that from her lippes did falle; None fell in vayne; all shewed some entent; Her wordies did displaie her great entendement. 430
Tapre as candles layde at Cuthberts shryne, Tapre as elmes that Goodrickes abbie shrove, Tapre as silver chalices for wine, So tapre was her armes and shape ygrove.
As skyllful mynemenne by the stones above 435 Can ken what metalle is ylach'd belowe, So Kennewalcha's face, ymade for love, The lovelie ymage of her soule did shewe; Thus was she outward form'd; the sun her mind Did guilde her mortal shape and all her charms refin'd. 440
What blazours then, what glorie shall he clayme, What doughtie Homere shall hys praises synge, That lefte the bosome of so fayre a dame Uncall'd, unaskt, to serve his lorde the kynge?
To his fayre shrine goode subjects oughte to bringe 445 The armes, the helmets, all the spoyles of warre, Throwe everie reaulm the poets blaze the thynge, And travelling merchants spredde hys name to farre; The stoute Norwegians had his anlace felte, And nowe amonge his foes dethe-doynge blowes he delte. 450
As when a wolfyn gettynge in the meedes He rageth sore, and doth about hym slee, Nowe here a talbot, there a lambkin bleeds, And alle the gra.s.se with clotted gore doth stree; As when a rivlette rolles impetuouslie, 455 And breaks the bankes that would its force restrayne, Alonge the playne in fomynge rynges doth flee, Gaynste walles and hedges doth its course maintayne; As when a manne doth in a corn-fielde mowe, With ease at one felle stroke full manie is laide lowe. 460
So manie, with such force, and with such ease, Did Adhelm slaughtre on the bloudie playne; Before hym manie dyd theyr hearts bloude lease, Ofttymes he foughte on towres of smokynge slayne.
Angillian felte his force, nor felte in vayne; 465 He cutte hym with his swerde athur the breaste; Out ran the bloude, and did hys armoure stayne, He clos'd his eyen in aeternal reste; Lyke a tall oke by tempeste borne awaie, Stretchd in the armes of dethe upon the plaine he laie. 470
Next thro the ayre he sent his javlyn feerce, That on De Clearmoundes buckler did alyghte, Throwe the vaste orbe the sharpe pheone did peerce, Rang on his coate of mayle and spente its mighte.