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 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
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 ANGLO-NORMAN POEM 
 
 ON THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND 
 
 BY HENRY THE SECOND 
 
 FROM A MANUSCRIPT 
 
 PRESERVED IN THE ARCHIEPISCOPAL LIHRARV 
 
 AT LAMBETH PALACE 
 
 EDITED BY FRANCISQUE MICHEL 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY ON THE HISTORY 
 
 OF THE AN'CiLO-NORMAN CONQUEST 
 
 OF IRELAND 
 
 HV THOMAS WRIGHT 
 
 LONDON 
 
 WILLIAM PICKERING 
 
 M l)CCC XXXVII
 
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 • • • f . WHIITIXrluM', TOOKScSorV^Vhan-CF.RY t.ANE. 
 
 • •• • <■ • 

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Th e poem which is here printed is taken 
 from a manuscript in the library of 
 Lambeth Palace, where it is marked 
 596.* The volume is written upon vel- 
 lum by a hand of the fourteenth cen- 
 tury, in double columns, and is unfor- 
 tunately mutilated both at beginning 
 and end. It belonged formerly to Sir 
 George Carew, who made a very incor- 
 rect analysis of it, which was printed 
 by Harris in his Hibernica.f 
 
 V 
 
 * It is described in^ Catalogue of the ArchiephcopaL 
 Manuscripts in the Library at Lambeth Palace, by the 
 Rev. Henry J. Todd. London, 1812, large folio, p. 94. 
 ^, + Hibernica ; or some Antient Pieces relating to 
 
 "^^^X Ireland (Never hitherto made publick) by 
 
 ^!^,,V^\V alter Harris.— Dublin ; Printed for William Wil- 
 
 'Y^ liamson, bookseller, at Mecaenas's Head in Bride 
 
 Street. MDCcLvn. folio, pp. 1—21. The same, Dub- 
 
 428050
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 Though this poem is faulty in its 
 style, and very corrupt in its language, 
 yet it affords extremely valuable infor- 
 mation on one of the most important 
 events of the reign of Henry the Second. 
 The author, who is anonymous and un- 
 known, had a good opportunity of 
 gathering details on the events he com- 
 memorates, for he learnt them from the 
 mouth of Morice Regan, interpreter to 
 King Dermod, as he declares in the 
 lines which at present begin his poem. 
 It appears, however, that this rhymer 
 did not confine himself to Regan's oral 
 account only, but that he made use of 
 the history, or geste, which Dermod's in- 
 terpreter shewed to him,* and of the 
 
 lin ; Printed for John IMilUken, (at No. 10) in Skin- 
 ner How. M.DCc.Lxx. 8vo. p. 9 — 4.5. See also Notes 
 to the second and third books of the History of King 
 Henry the Second, &c. by George Lord L)'ttelton. 
 The 2nd edit. Lend. 1767. 4to. p. 270. 
 
 • L. 7, 327, 106.5, 1309, 1779, 2403, 2598, 3003, 
 3134, 3177. He also calls the account which he fol-
 
 PREFACE. VU 
 
 reminiscences of "old men," and other 
 people.* This last circumstance clearly 
 indicates that our poet did not live far 
 from the epoch of which he relates the 
 events. We must add that the late 
 Abbe de la Rue has not mentioned him 
 in his last work on the bards, and the 
 Anglo-Norman gesters and trouveres. 
 
 In order to make this poem of more 
 utility to antiquaries and historians, I 
 have appended to the text a glossary of 
 the most difficult words, which are not 
 to be found in Roquefort's " Glossaire 
 de la Langue Romane ;" and the notes 
 and illustrations have been added by 
 my learned friend, Thomas Wright, Esq. 
 
 lows a song, viz, 1. 143, 456, and 1912 ; and perhaps 
 an old lay, viz. 1. 3221. Tliis seems to prove that 
 this song was nothing else than an historical poem, a 
 chanson de geste like his own, for he says that he sings, 
 viz. 1. 2064. 
 
 * L. 1500, 2437, 2584, 2594, 2678, 2686, 2822, 
 2955,3053,3171,3400.
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 whose name will ensure the attention of 
 all lovers of antiquarian lore. I am 
 indebted for more than one literary obli- 
 gation to this gentleman, who, since my 
 return to France, has constantly given 
 his kind assistance to my labours. 
 
 I must also return my respectful 
 thanks to his Grace the Lord Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, who graciously 
 permitted me to transcribe the poem 
 for the purpose of publication, also to 
 the Rev. Mr. Ogilvie, his lordship's li- 
 brarian ; and to M. Lewis, for the faci- 
 lities they kindly gave me whilst mak- 
 ing my transcript. 
 
 Paris, September 20, 1836.
 
 THE 
 
 CONQUEST OF IRELAND 
 
 BY THE ANGLO-NORMANS. 
 
 It has long been known that there existed, 
 among the manuscripts of the archiepiscopal 
 palace at Lambeth, a most valuable docu- 
 ment, though unfortunately imperfect, on the 
 English conquest of Ireland, written appa- 
 rently at the end of the twelfth or beginning 
 of the thirteenth century, and therefore not 
 long after the important event which it com- 
 memorates, in Norman-French verse, by a 
 poet or historian, — we may call him which 
 we will, — who had received the history from 
 the mouth of one who had himself been in- 
 timately engaged in the expedition ; and who 
 was no less a person than Maurice Regan, 
 interpreter to Dermod Mac Murrough, the 
 king of Leinster. 
 
 Bound up in the same volume with the 
 manuscript of which we speak, is a prose 
 abstract of this poem by Sir George Carew, 
 who was lord president of Munster in the 
 reign of Elizabeth, and who was himself a 
 descendant of the Robert Fitz-Stephen who 
 acts so prominent a part in the history. Of 
 
 b
 
 11 CONQUEST OF 
 
 the oiiiiinal manuscript, which is apparently 
 a somewhat later transcript of the poem, no 
 use has hithertoA^een made by our historians ; 
 probably, because it was difficult of access 
 and of translation. But Walter Harris, in 
 1747, published in his Hibernica the abstract 
 which had been made by Carew ; and this 
 has been ever since quoted in place of the 
 original, and all its errors and misrepresen- 
 tations repeated ; and no w-onder if it be full 
 of them, for we are sure that its author could 
 seldom translate the words of his original. 
 
 The story which our poet gives us confirms, 
 most remarkably, the relation of Giraldus, 
 which had been written previously ; although, 
 as independent histories, each contains many 
 circumstances not mentioned by the other. 
 We are inclined to suppose that Maurice Re- 
 gan was not the bard's sole authority, and it 
 is probable that from him the recital was 
 obtained in his old age ; for, in confirmation 
 of what he says, he commonly appeals to the 
 authority of the old people who witnessed it. 
 Thus, after speaking of the death of Robert 
 de Quency, he says : 
 
 " Une fiUe pur vers aveit 
 Robert, qui tant fjentils esteit, 
 De sa espuse veraiment, 
 Solum le anciene gent." 
 
 And again, speaking of the Irish barons 
 who, in their way through England to Nor-
 
 IRELAND. Ill 
 
 mandy, had joined in putting down the re- 
 bellion of the earl of Leicester with the Scots : 
 
 " Et (le Leycestre lors li qiiens, 
 Solum li (list des aiiciens, 
 Sur sun seignur esteit turne 
 Et Flemenges aveit meiie." 
 
 We should, probably, have known more 
 of the poet and of his authorities had we the 
 whole of his proeme, the earlier part of which 
 is unfortunately lost, with a leaf of the ma- 
 nuscript ; yet what remains is far from au- 
 thorizing the assertion of all those who have 
 quoted it through Sir George Carew's ab- 
 stract, that the history was originally written 
 by Maurice Regan himself. For the sake of 
 shewing; how ill Sir Georo;e read and inter- 
 preted his text, we will give the first eleven 
 lines as he has quoted and translated them 
 from the manuscript, and again as they ac- 
 tually stand in the manuscript itself, and as 
 they ought to be translated. We quote from 
 the octavo edition of Harris's Hibernica, 
 published in 1770. Perhaps some of the er- 
 rors in this instance must be laid to the 
 charge of the editor : * 
 
 * We will atld one instance of tlie utter incompe- 
 tency of Sir George Carew to give the sense even of 
 his original. We are told b)' the former that, " The 
 expedition of Ossory being determined, O'Brien re- 
 turned to Limerick, and the Erie to Femes, wher he 
 remained eight days ; in which time INIorrough
 
 IV CONQUEST OF 
 
 ■Sir George Carew's Text and Version, 
 
 " Parsoen demande Latinner 
 
 L'moi conta de sim historic 
 
 Dunt far ici la memorie. 
 
 -Morice Reu;an iret celui, 
 
 Buche a buche par la alui 
 
 Ri cest gest endita 
 
 Lestorie de lui me mostra. 
 
 .Teil Morice iret Latinner 
 
 Al rei re Murcher. 
 
 Ici lirrai del bacheller 
 
 Del rei Dermod, vous voil center. 
 
 At his own desire, the Interpreter 
 
 To nie related his histor)', 
 
 Which I here commit to memory. 
 
 Maurice llegan was the man. 
 
 Who face to face indited to me 
 
 These actions of the king, 
 
 And of liiniself shewed me this history. 
 
 This Maurice was interpreter 
 
 To the king, King Murcher. 
 
 These things this batchellor 
 
 Of King Dermod read to me : 
 
 'I'his is his storj'." 
 
 O'Byrne (who evermore had been a traitor unto king 
 Dermond) was brought prisoner unto hym, imme- 
 diately beheaded, and his body cast to the dogs ; and 
 with him a son nf Daniel Kevunn^h was eiecuted ;" on 
 which Harris, naturally enough, observes in a note, 
 " It does not aj)pear anywliere what the oifence of 
 Daniel Kavenagh's son was, that the loyalty and good 
 services of the father could not atone for him." In 
 fact the poem says as distinctly as possible that it was
 
 IRELAlfD. V 
 
 The Text from the MS., with our Versiim. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 " Par soen demeine latinier. 
 
 Que moi conta de lui lestorie, 
 
 Dunt faz ici la memorie. 
 
 Morice Regan iert celiii, 
 
 Buche a buche parla a lui, 
 
 Ki cest jest endita, 
 
 Lestorie de lui me mostra. 
 
 Icil IMorice iert latinier 
 
 Al rei Uermot, ke mult lout cher. 
 
 Ici lirrai del bacheler, 
 
 Del rei Dermod vus voil center. 
 
 * * » » 
 
 — By his own interpreter. 
 
 Who related to me the history of him, 
 
 Of which I here make memorial. 
 
 Maurice Regan was he, 
 
 I spoke mouth to mouth with him. 
 
 Who endited this history, 
 
 [Who] shewed me the history of him. 
 
 This Maurice was interpreter 
 
 To King Dermod, who loved him much. 
 
 Here I will read of the bachelor [i.e. the king] ; 
 
 Of King Dermod I will tell you." 
 
 We see at once in this translation how 
 arose the error that Regan had written the 
 history. We rejoice in being able to say, that 
 an edition of the original poem is now in the 
 press, to the accuracy of which we can bear 
 
 a son of Morrough who was taken and executed witli 
 liis father — 
 
 " E Dovenald Kevenath un sun fiz 
 Aveit al cunte mene e pris."
 
 VI CONQUEST OF 
 
 our own testimony, as we have been favoured 
 with the sheets. We rejoice, because the 
 publication of this document will throw light 
 on a most interesting- piece of history, and 
 one which has hitherto been peculiarly ill 
 treated by historians. Yet few events have 
 had the good fortune to be recorded by two 
 contemporaries so well fitted for the task as 
 Giraldus and Maurice Regan — one closely 
 related to the heroes (for heroes we may truly 
 call them) who performed the enterprize ; 
 the other, an immediate agent of the native 
 chieftain in whose aid it was performed. For 
 our own part, we feel an entire conviction of 
 the candour of the Welshman, in the use of 
 the materials he had collected for his history. 
 The testimony of the Irishman is delivered 
 with too much simplicity to allow us to sus- 
 pect him of intentional misrepresentation. 
 
 It happens, unfortunately, that the rolls of 
 the reign of the second Henry are nearly all 
 lost. In the reign of John they first begin 
 to be numerous, and they then throw great 
 light upon Irish history. The charter-rolls 
 of this reign contain the confirmations of 
 most of the grants of land made to the first 
 conquerors. 
 
 In spite of all which has been advanced to 
 the contrary, we shall still continue to look 
 upon the ancient Irish as a wild and barba- 
 rous people. Such were they found when
 
 IRELAND. Vll 
 
 the Romans entered Britain ; such were they 
 in the time of the Saxons ; and their cha- 
 racter was not changed for the better when 
 the Anglo-Normans succeeded in establish- 
 ing themselves in the isle. For ages they 
 had infested, by their piratical depredations, 
 the coasts of England and Wales ; when, 
 during the days of Saxon rule, a rebellious 
 noble had been defeated in his projects, he 
 fled immediately to Ireland to recruit his 
 strength ; and at its conquest at the end of 
 the twelfth century, the country was full of 
 English slaves, who had been purloined from 
 their homes. Such being the case, we need 
 not wonder if our kings sometimes contem- 
 plated the conquest of Ireland as a matter of 
 policy ; and it appears from the Saxon Chro- 
 nicle, that William the Conqueror had him- 
 self formed the design of reducing it to a de- 
 pendence upon the English crown. The pas- 
 sage, from its briefness, and from the late 
 and bad Saxon in which it is written, is ra- 
 ther obscure; the sense seems to be, that if 
 the king had lived two years longer he would 
 have subdued Ireland, and that by the re- 
 nown of his valour, without even striking a 
 blow (and gif he moste Jja gyt twa gear lib- 
 ban, he hajfde Yrlande mid his werscipe 
 gewunnon. and wi^-utan sclcon wsepnon). 
 An historian of the twelfth century charac- 
 terizes the Irish of his time as a people so
 
 Vlll cox Qf EST OF 
 
 little accustomed to peace and quiet, that 
 they only slackened in their depredations 
 upon others to pursue more inveterately their 
 internal dissensions. In the latter half of 
 this century, the petty king of Leinster was 
 Dermod Mac Murrough, who is described 
 by historians as a bold and valiant prince, 
 but proud and restless; as little liked by his 
 neighbours for his encroachments upon their 
 rights, as he was agreeable to his own sub- 
 jects by his overbearing tyranny. He had 
 reduced to the condition of tributaries seve- 
 ral of the petty kingdoms which bordered on 
 his own, among which was that of Meath ; 
 and in one of his wars he had carried with 
 him to Leinster, O'Karrel, the son of the 
 king of " Yriel." A district nearly adjoin- 
 ing to the kingdom of Dermod, which our 
 Anglo-Norman poem calls Leschoin, and 
 which Harris, in his Hibernica, explains by 
 Leitrim, and Giraldus by Meath, was govern- 
 ed during this same period by King O'Rourk, 
 whose residence appears to have been at 
 " Tirbrun," in a wild and woody district. 
 The wife of O'Rourk was the daughter of 
 Melaghlin Mac Coleman, the king of Meath, 
 who was herself amorous of the king of Lein- 
 ster. The love between the lady and Der- 
 mod seems to have been mutual, though our 
 poem insinuates that the object of the latter 
 in seducing O'Rourk's wife was to revenge
 
 IRELAKD. IX 
 
 the disgrace which his people had suffered at 
 " Lechunthe ;" where it would appear that 
 the people of O'Rourk had made an hostile 
 incursion into Leinster. At this uncivilized 
 period, when an Irishman left his home for 
 a short period, it appears to have been a com- 
 mon and necessary precaution to hide his 
 wife in some corner during his absence. 
 King O'Rourk selected for this purpose a 
 secret place, apparently not far from Tirbrun, 
 which Giraldus calls " insula quaedam Me- 
 diae" — a certain island in Meath ; but his 
 queen had already yielded to the importu- 
 nities of Dermod : she invited him to enter 
 " Lethcoin," with a sufficient force, during 
 the absence of her husband, and at Tirbrun 
 he was encountered by her messenger, with 
 information of the place of her concealment; 
 whence — " rapta," as Giraldus has it, " quia 
 et rapi voluit" — she was carried away by 
 Dermod to Ferns. 
 
 The first thought of O'Rourk, when he 
 received intelligence of the violence which 
 had been done to him by Dermod, was of 
 revenge. He carried his complaint to the 
 king of Connaught, who was then looked 
 upon as the superior monarch over all Ire- 
 land, and who immediately espoused his 
 cause; and by his instigation, all the chiefs 
 who were tributary to Dermod deserted their 
 superior lord. Among these were the king
 
 X CONQUEST OF 
 
 of Ossory, to whom was promised Dermod's 
 kingdom of Leinster, after the expulsion of 
 its present sovereign ; Melaghlin {Malath- 
 Ihi), the kingof Meath; Hasculf MacTurkil, 
 the Danish king of Dublin ; and Murrough 
 O'Brien (by Carew translated O'Byrne), 
 whom the author of our poem stigmatizes as 
 " un nial felun ;" or, as we might say in 
 simple English, a singulaijly great scoundrel. 
 It would appear, indeed, that the king of 
 Leinster had put more than ordinary confi- 
 dence in O'Brien : when all his other friends 
 had deserted him, he seems still to have clung 
 to the hope that he would return to his alle- 
 giance, and therefore he felt the more sen- 
 sibly his ingratitude and perfidy. Dermod 
 had taken refuge in the city of Ferns, where 
 was his paramour, and where he was har- 
 boured,wearetold,in an abbey of St. Mary's. 
 Here he resolved to make a last attempt to 
 obtain an interview with O'Brien, and for 
 that purpose had recourse to a stratagem. 
 Disguised in the long robe of a monk, which 
 he had borrowed of the abbot of St. Mary's, 
 and which concealed his head and body, and 
 even his feet, he made his way in safety to 
 O'Brien's residence : but here again the king 
 was unsuccessful : O'Brien refused to hold 
 any parley with him, loaded him with re- 
 proaches and threats, and retreated into the 
 woods.
 
 IRELAND. XI 
 
 Deserted by those in whom he put his 
 trust, his party at home too weak to make 
 head against his enemies, the kinc^ of Lein- 
 ster was driven to seek aid amongst stran- 
 gers. He left the harbour of " Corkeran," 
 attended by Awehf O'Kinad, and, accord- 
 ing to the recital of Maurice Regan (who, 
 we suspect, must have been guilty of exag- 
 geration, or the writer of the manuscript of 
 error), with more than sixty ships. With a 
 favourable wind he soon reached Bristol, 
 where with his followers, and, according to 
 the common report, with the wife of King 
 O'Rourk, he was lodged in the house of Ro- 
 bert Harding, at St. Austins. Thence, after 
 a short stay, he passed through Normandy, 
 into Aquitaine, where he found the king of 
 England, Henry H., who listened with at- 
 tention to his complaint, and promised him 
 assistance as soon as possible. Dermod re- 
 turned to Bristol with the royal letters to 
 Robert Harding, his former host, ordering 
 him to furnish the refugees with every ne- 
 cessary during their residence there; and, 
 according to Giraldus, with the king's let- 
 ters-patent, authorizing his subjects to assist 
 him in recovering his kingdom. At Bristol 
 he made a stay of nearly a month ; but at 
 length, despairing of any immed iate aid from 
 the king, and with the hope of alluring pri- 
 vate adventurers to join his standard, he pro-
 
 -Ml CONQUEST OF 
 
 claimed rewards of extensive possessions in 
 Ireland to all those who would be instru- 
 mental in the recovery of his lost territory. 
 The liberality of his promises quickly at- 
 tracted the attention of Richard Fitz- Gil- 
 bert, surnamed Strongbow, earl of Strigul. 
 Earl Richard was descended from a great 
 and noble family, being the son and heir of 
 Gilbert, earl of Pembroke, who was the 
 grandson of that Richard de Clare who had 
 distinguished himself so highly in the memo- 
 rable battle of Hastings. He is described as 
 a man liberal and courteous, ever ready to 
 listen to the counsel of his friends, cautious 
 in the cabinet, yet bold and resolute in the 
 field. In time of peace he was distinguished 
 by his gentle bearing, having more of the 
 freedom of the soldier than of the haughti- 
 ness of a chieftain ; but in war he shewed 
 more of the commander than of the soldier, 
 less of the indiscriminate daring of the latter 
 than of the firm and cool valour of the for- 
 mer. Such was Strongbow, if we believe his 
 contemporaries. By some means or other 
 he had lost, we are told, most of his paternal 
 possessions : to support his character and 
 rank, it would appear thathe had been obliged 
 to borrow, probably of the Jews, who in those 
 days were the grand usurers; and at the 
 time when Dermod was seeking private ad- 
 venturers for the invasion of Lcinster, Strong-
 
 IRELAND. XIII 
 
 bow was driven, as inurli by his own limited 
 fortune as by the clamorous importunities of 
 his creditors, to listen to his proposals. The 
 Irish king offered him his daughter in mar- 
 riage, and, with her, the kingdom after his 
 death ; and the earl promised to come to his 
 assistance at the first approach of spring. 
 
 From Bristol, Dermod passed over into 
 Wales, and was honourably received by the 
 Welsh king, Rhys ap Gruftydh, and by the 
 bishop of the see at St. David's, where he 
 stayed two or three days, until ships were 
 procured to carry him over to Ireland. At 
 St. David's, he became accidentally ac- 
 quainted with one who was to play an active 
 and prominent part in the events which fol- 
 lowed. This was Robert Fitz-Stephen, who 
 had been treacherously arrested and impri- 
 soned by his kinsman, the Welsh king, be- 
 cause he would not join the latter in rebel- 
 lion against his sovereign, the king of Eng- 
 land. At the intercession of Dermod and of 
 his half-brothers, the bishop of St. David's 
 and Maurice Fitz-Gerald, it was agreed that 
 he should be liberated, on condition of join- 
 ing in the Irish expedition in company with 
 Maurice ; and it was stijjulated that, in re- 
 turn for their services, Dermod should give 
 in fee to the two brothers the city of Wexford 
 with the two adjacent cantreds, or hundreds. 
 They, also, promised to sail for Ireland at the
 
 XIV CONQUEST OF 
 
 opening- of spring. The Irish king seems to 
 have liad still a tew faithful adherents in his 
 own country, and he was naturally anxious 
 to return thither as soon as he had secured 
 assistance from England. He accordingly 
 left St. David's in August 1 168, with a small 
 number of attendants, and arrived safely at 
 Ferns; where he was privately but honour- 
 ably received by the clergy of the place, and 
 where he remained during the winter. 
 
 According to the Norman rimer, Dermod 
 was attended in his voyage by a small party 
 of English, led by a Pembrokeshire knight, 
 Richard Fitz-Godobert ; but finding, per- 
 haps, on his arrival, his own party in Ireland 
 much w^eaker than he had expected, and 
 thinking that so small a body of foreigners 
 would be rather an impediment than an aid, 
 he seems to have dismissed them ; and he 
 sent to Wales his secretary, Maurice Regan, 
 to hasten the preparations of Fitz-Stephen, 
 and to allure others to his standard by offers 
 of lands and money. 
 
 We may well admire the circumstance of 
 one family, by the mother's side, having pro- 
 duced so many great and brave men as were 
 associated together in the first invasion of 
 Ireland. Nesta or Nest, the daughter of 
 GruflPydh ap Rhys, king of South Wales (the 
 father of the Rhys who was king when Der- 
 mod visited St. David's), became the concu-
 
 IRELAND. XV 
 
 bine of Henry I. of England, and by him 
 bore a son named Henry, whose sons were 
 Meiler Fitz-Henry and Robert Fitz- Henry. 
 She afterwards married Gerald of Windsor, 
 who was constable of Pembroke, and by him 
 she had three sons : William, who was the 
 father of Raymund le Gros ; Maurice Fitz- 
 Gerald ; and David, who was bishop of St. 
 David's. Her second husband was Stephen, 
 the constable of Aberteivi, or Cardigan, by 
 whom she had Robert Fitz-Stephen, A 
 daughter of this same Nesta married William 
 de Barri, of Pembrokeshire, by whom she had 
 four sons, Robert, Philip, Walter, and Girald, 
 the historian of the enterprize. 
 
 As the spring approached, Robert Fitz- 
 Stephen made himself ready for the voyage. 
 In the month of May, 11 69, his little arma- 
 ment of three ships arrived at the Banne ; 
 hi sarniy consisting of a hundred and thirty 
 knights, his own kinsmen and retainers, with 
 sixty other men of arms, and about three 
 hundred chosen W^elsh archers on foot. 
 Among the more eminent of his companions 
 in arms — the " chevalers de grant pris" of 
 the poem — were Meiler Fitz-Henry, Miles 
 Fitz-David, who was the son of the bishop 
 of St. David's, and Hervy de Montmaurice, 
 a soldier of fortune, who had come on the 
 part of Earl Strongbow, The day following, 
 at the same place, arrived Maurice de Pren-
 
 XVI CONQUEST OF 
 
 dergast, who had set sail from Milford Haven 
 in two ships, with ten knights and a consi- 
 derable body of archers. 
 
 In that part of Ireland which was first oc- 
 cupied by the English, the older Irish names 
 of places seem in many instances to have 
 been changed and forgotten ; and we have 
 now a difficulty in identifying the places 
 which are mentioned in the recitals of Gi- 
 raldus and of Maurice Regan. The place 
 where Fitz-Stephen's armament landed, then 
 called simply the Banne, is by tradition iden- 
 tified with the small peninsula on the coast 
 of Wexford, forming the promontory now 
 called Baganbun. The headland called Ba- 
 ganbun, consisting altogether of about thirty 
 acres, forms a bold projection towards the 
 Welsh coast. On one side of the greater 
 promontory is a lesser one, stretching out to 
 the east, about two hundred yards long and 
 seventy broad, accessible only at its extreme 
 point; beyond which rises a large, high, in- 
 sulated rock, which forms a breakwater to 
 the surf on the point, and which is imper- 
 fectly joined to the main-land by several 
 smaller rocks, which just appear above wa- 
 ter, and which are described as forming a 
 kind of causeway to the point of the pro- 
 montory itself. Here tradition says that Fitz- 
 Stephen ran in his ships, mooring them under 
 protection of the larger rock, and landing his
 
 IRELAND. XVII 
 
 men by means of the low ridge. The cut be- 
 tween the last of these rocks, across which 
 he is said to have sprung;, is now popularly 
 called Fitz-Stephen's Stride. The adven- 
 turers are supposed to have first occupied the 
 esplanade of the smaller peninsula, and there 
 still remain distinct traces of the hasty forti- 
 fications which are said to have been thrown 
 up. On the isthmus which connects the lesser 
 peninsula with the greater, a deep fosse, 
 about seventy yards long, extends from side 
 to side ; which was bounded on each edge 
 by high mounds of earth, and in the centre 
 covered by a half-moon bastion, twenty yards 
 in circumference. On each side of this bas- 
 tion may be traced passages through the 
 fosse, and the bastion itself is connected with 
 the esplanade by a mound of earth. This 
 bastion commanded the approaches, and 
 overlooked " all the ground in the vicinity." 
 Some few years ago, on turning up the soil 
 around the edge of the esplanade, were dis- 
 covered the remains of fires, at regular in- 
 tervals, on the edge of the precipices; which 
 are supposed to have been the watch-fires of 
 the videttes who were stationed around the 
 encampment. In the middle is an oblong- 
 hollow space, like the foundations of a house, 
 which is popularly called Fitz-Stephens 
 Tent. The neck, which joins the greater 
 promontory with the main-land, is also de- 
 
 c
 
 XVlll CONQUEST OF 
 
 fended by a double fosse, deep and broad, 
 stretching" across the whole breadth — a space 
 of two hundred and fifty yards.* 
 
 Such is the place pointed out by tradition 
 as the first Irish ground occupied by Fitz- 
 Stephen. Tradition, however, as we have our- 
 selves had too many reasons for knowing, 
 is but an erring monitor ; and, in the present 
 instance, we are not inclined to put much 
 faith in it. The position and form of the 
 promontory of Baganbun seems to answer 
 better to the description of the place of land- 
 ing of the gallant llaymund, and to the for- 
 tifications which he raised there ; and we 
 think it more probable that Fitz-Stephen 
 landed at Bannow, a point, certainly more 
 convenient for the intended expedition 
 against Wexford. Giraldus calls the place 
 Insula Bannensis (or, as the printed text has 
 it, Banuensis), and, as the sea has made 
 such changes on this spot as to have buried 
 a whole town, it may in his time have been 
 a peninsular promontory. 
 
 There is, indeed, no reason for supposing 
 that Fitz-Stephen took much trouble to for- 
 tify the place of his landing ; the Norman 
 poem tells us that he encamped on the sea- 
 shore, and Giraldus gives us clearly to un- 
 
 • The foregoing desciiption of the ])roinontory of 
 IJaganbun is taken chiefly from a paper by Dr. Walsh 
 in the Amulet.
 
 IRELAND. XIX 
 
 derstand that his position was by no means 
 strong:, though the insular form of the place 
 gave it a certain degree of security. Der- 
 mod was at Ferns, in expectation of their 
 arrival, the first intelligence of which raised 
 the hopes of his friends and caused them 
 openly to join his standard ; and, having 
 previously despatched his natural son, Do- 
 nald Kavenagh, to announce his approach, 
 he hastened to join and welcome the Eng- 
 lish adventurers, bringing with him about 
 five hundred men. The king rested that 
 night with Fitz-Stephen, in his encampment 
 on the beach, and the next morning they 
 marched with their little army towards Wex- 
 ford. 
 
 The people of Wexford, who prided them- 
 selves much upon their valour and former 
 exploits, boldly sallied forth to meet the 
 enemy. Their number was about two 
 thousand ; but they were unaccustomed to 
 the sight of knights mounted and clad in 
 armour, such as were the men who now 
 presented themselves to their view ; and, 
 having first burnt the suburbs, they hastily 
 retreated within their walls. The English 
 advanced directly to attack the town, which 
 was obstinately defended. Among the first 
 who mounted the walls was Robert de Barri, 
 the elder brother of the historian Giraldus ; 
 a large stone from the besieged struck him
 
 XX CONQUEST OF 
 
 Oil the helmet, he fell headlong into the 
 fosse, and was with difficulty dragged out 
 by his companions : many others of the as- 
 sailants were severely hurt, and Fitz-Ste- 
 plien was compelled to withdraw his men 
 ■with the loss of eighteen, whilst of the be- 
 sieged only three were killed. The English 
 hastened from the town to the harbour, 
 where they burnt the shipping ; and they 
 then prepared for a renewal of the attack 
 the next morning. But the people of Wex- 
 ford, although they had repelled the first 
 assault with little loss to themselves, were 
 fearful of the final result — they anticipated 
 a second by offers of capitulation ; and the 
 morning when this assault should have been 
 made, they gave their hostages and renewed 
 their allegiance to Dermod. The English 
 immediately entered the town, which, ac- 
 cording to previous agreement, was delivered, 
 with its territory to Fitz-Stephen ; and the 
 Irish king granted, at the same time, to 
 Hervy de Montmaurice the two cantreds 
 bordering on the sea between Wexford and 
 Waterford. 
 
 After a stay of three weeks at Ferns, Der- 
 mod, with his new allies, set out for the in- 
 vasion of Ossory ; whose king, Donald, or, 
 as he is called by the rimer, Mac Donthid 
 (perhaps, Mac Donald), was obnoxious to 
 him, no less for former injuries than for his
 
 IRELAND. XXI 
 
 late pretensions to the kinodom of Leinster. 
 The invasion of a district delended, like 
 Ossory, by its bogs, and woods, and hills, 
 was a bold undertaking; but the fall of 
 Wexford had strengthened the party of 
 Dermod : some turned to what appeared 
 suddenly to be a thriving cause ; the hope of 
 plunder attracted many; and, in addition 
 to his English associates, he was now ac- 
 companied by an army of three thousand 
 Irish. The king of Ossory, with five thou- 
 sand Irish, had occupied a difHcult pass, by 
 which it was necessary that Dermod should 
 enter his territory ; there he had stationed 
 his men behind strong entrenchments, con- 
 sisting of three large and deep fosses, with 
 a hedge behind them. When the army of 
 Dermod approached the defile, the English 
 rushed forwards to attack the entrenchments 
 of the Ossorians ; the struggle was prolonged 
 from morning till evening, when, after much 
 loss on both sides, the English knights burst 
 through the hedge and put their opponents 
 to flight, and Dermod's Irish spread them- 
 selves over the country to rob and destroy. 
 
 The king of Ossory and his army, after 
 their defeat, had taken shelter in the woods, 
 whence, on the return of the invaders, they 
 again assembled, to harass them in their 
 retreat. The Irish who were with Dermod, 
 and who appeared to have been chiefly the
 
 XXn CONQVEST OF 
 
 men of Hv-Kinsellagh, were placed under 
 the command of his natural son, Donald 
 Kavenagh ; and the king himself marched 
 with the English, who, as in entering the 
 hostile country they were in the advance, 
 now in leaving it held the rear. Donald 
 Kavenagh soon approached a dangerous de- 
 file — it was a place where, in his wars, with 
 the people of Ossory, Dermod had been 
 three times defeated ; and his Irish, expect- 
 ing now a similar disaster, fled precipitately 
 to the woods, leaving their leader with only 
 forty-three men to await the enemy. The 
 king of Ossory, taking advantage of this 
 sudden flight, hastened with seventeen hun- 
 dred Irish to attack the English, who were 
 not much more than three hundred men. 
 The latter were just passing the bottom of a 
 little vale, and they feared an attack from 
 the Irish in so critical a position ; the more 
 so, as they knew them to be " a people as 
 swift as the wind." Maurice de Prendergast 
 urged his companions to keep close toge- 
 ther, and pass firmly and deliberately the 
 vale, until, having reached better ground, 
 they might turn upon their pursuers ; and, 
 at his suggestion, a party of archers were 
 placed in ambush among the brushwood. 
 The Irish passed the ambush, but the archers, 
 terrified by their numbers, dared not shew 
 themselves. Soon, however, the English
 
 IRELAND, XXUI 
 
 reached better ground ; they shouted their 
 cry of" St. David !" and turned round upon 
 the Ossorians, who, not defended by armour 
 like their opponents, were quickly cut down 
 or put to flight. The prowess of Meiler Fitz- 
 Henry was everywhere conspicuous : Giral- 
 dus joins with his name that of Robert de 
 Barri. The historian often dwells upon the 
 ambitious valour of his cousin Meiler, and 
 the modest bravery of his brother Robert. 
 
 When the Irish of Dermod's party, who 
 had sought shelter in the woods on the first 
 approach of the enemy, saw the result of 
 the battle, they rushed from their places of 
 concealment, and fell upon the rear of the 
 fugitives. With their axes, the peculiar 
 weapon of these wild warriors, they cut off 
 the heads of those who had been slain by 
 the English or by themselves ; and more 
 than two hundred heads were thus laid at 
 thefeetof Dermod. Giraldus has preserved 
 an anecdote, strikingly characteristic of the 
 savage manners of the Irish of this period. 
 Among the heads which were thrown on the 
 ground before him, Dermod recognized one 
 as that of a person who had been peculiarly 
 obnoxious to him : as he danced exultingly 
 among the heads of his foes, he suddenly 
 seized upon this one, raised it by the ears to 
 his mouth, and, with a barbarous joy, bit 
 off the nose and part of the lips.
 
 XXIV CONQUEST OF 
 
 The victors proceeded the same night to 
 tlie town of Fethelin, to which there was a 
 good and direct road, carrying with them 
 their wounded ; and the day following they 
 returned to Ferns, where the Irish from 
 most of the districts which had been subject 
 to the king of Leinster, terrified by the re- 
 ports which were already spread abroad of 
 the valour of the English, came in and gave 
 hostages for their allegiance. The king of 
 Ossory, however, as well as Mac Kelan,the 
 king of Ofielan, or the district about Naas, 
 and Hasculf Mac Turkil, the king of Dublin, 
 were not among the number. The next ex- 
 pedition of Dermod and his English was 
 against Mac Kelan. Ofielan was soon plun- 
 dered and laid waste, and the booty carried 
 to Ferns; and a similar enterprize carried 
 them through Hy-Kinsellagh to Glenda- 
 lough and the territory of O'Tool. After 
 again resting some eight days at Ferns, 
 Dermod, resolving if possible to reduce king 
 Donald to subjection, prepared for a second 
 invasion of Ossory. Donald Kavenagh 
 marched first, at the head of five thousand 
 Irish ; he was followed by the men of Wex- 
 ford, who were objects of suspicion to the 
 king and the English, and who were there- 
 fore placed in a separate division and closely 
 watched ; and in another division came 
 Dermod himself, with the English.
 
 IRELAND. XXV 
 
 Thus Dermod and his army wandered 
 across the country, making', as it would 
 appear, a somewhat circuitous route into 
 Ossory; till one night they came to Fothard, 
 or Fethard, where the king encamped with 
 the English on the " Avaterof Mac Burtin," 
 according to Giraldus, in and about an old 
 ruined fort. Here it was that, during the 
 night, they were visited by that singular 
 " phantasm" which is related by both the 
 historians ; and which, Giraldus informs us, 
 was of no uncommon occurrence during the 
 Irish wars. Suddenly, in the middle of the 
 night, they saw rushing upon them, from 
 every side, a vast army. The greater part 
 of the Irish who were encamped in the im- 
 mediate neighbourhood, struck with terror 
 at this sudden attack, fled precipitately to 
 the woods and bogs, leaving Meiler Fitz- 
 Henry and Robert de Barri, who, it seems, 
 were with them, and who immediately hast- 
 ened to the encampment of Fitz-Stephen. 
 They found the English in great alarm ; for 
 they, led by their suspicions, supposed it to 
 be the Wexford men who had betrayed them, 
 and who had come upon them unawares. 
 Randolf Fitz-Ralf was on the watch, and 
 first saw the imaginary assailants. In an 
 instant he shouted the war-cry, "St. David !" 
 drew his sword, and rushed towards the 
 enemy. A soldier in armour advanced towards
 
 XXVI CONQUEST OF 
 
 him, but a blow of Randolf 's sword brought 
 him on his knees : it was one of his fellow- 
 watchmen. The English had now time to 
 discover their mistake ; the phantasm by 
 degrees disappeared, and passed by the camp 
 of the Wexford men, who, equally suspicious 
 of the others, thought they saw in it a treach- 
 erous attack by the English. 
 
 The following morning the army was 
 again put in order, and marched forwards 
 in search of the king of Ossory. The latter 
 had seized upon the pass of Athethur, or 
 Hathedur, which he had defended by a 
 broad and high fosse, and a hedge of hurdles. 
 At length king Dermod approached the pass; 
 it was near nightfall; and between his army 
 and Athethur flowed a large river, on whose 
 banks he encamped. The next morning, his 
 whole army passed the river without oppo- 
 sition, and the Wexford men were appointed 
 to attack the entrenchments. Three suc- 
 cessive days they advanced valiantly to the 
 assault, and were as often driven back by 
 the Ossorians ; till, on the third day, the 
 English, marching up as the Irish retreated, 
 soon burst through the hedge sword in hand, 
 and as quickly drove the men of King Donald 
 from their position, and again laid open the 
 kingdom of Ossory to the ravages of Dermod 
 and his Irish, who returned to Ferns laden 
 with the spoils. The king of Ossory fled
 
 IRELAND. XXVll 
 
 into Tipperary, through the district of 
 Wenenath (Hy-Nenath ?), and thence to 
 " Bertun." 
 
 The successes of Dermod and the foreigners 
 whom he had brought into the island be- 
 came now a subject of serious apprehension 
 to the other chieftains throughout Ireland ; 
 and Rory O'Connor, the king of Connaught, 
 and " monarch" of the whole isle, sum- 
 moned together the inferior kings, who en- 
 tered Leinster with a numerous army, re- 
 solved to expel the intruders at once from 
 the land. Dermod had received early in- 
 telligence of the storm which threatened 
 him. Many of his Irish followers deserted 
 him in his time of need, and not feeling 
 himself strong enough to face such an enemy 
 in the field, he retreated with the English to 
 a strong position near Ferns, surrounded by 
 bogs and water, thick woods, and precipitous 
 mountains. This place, almost inaccessible 
 by its natural character, Fitz-Stephen ren- 
 dered impregnable, by digging deep pits and 
 ditches over the ground by which the en- 
 trance must be approached, and by narrow- 
 ing the entrance and plashing the wood with 
 trees that his men had cut down. O'Connor 
 first sent a messenger to Dermod, offering' 
 to confirm to him the peaceful possession of 
 all his ancient kingdom of Leinster, on con- 
 dition of the immediate dismission of his
 
 XXVni CONQUEST OF 
 
 Eiii^lish allies. On Dermod's refusal to ac- 
 cede to these terms, the king of Connaught 
 made some slight demonstrations of hosti- 
 lity ; but negociations were soon again re- 
 newed. O'Connor was well aware of the 
 strength of Dermod's position, and the latter 
 was willing, on any reasonable terms, to 
 avert for the present the wrath of the king 
 of Connaught. A treaty was therefore made, 
 by which the possession of Leinster was se- 
 cured to Dermod, on condition of his doing 
 homage to O'Connor as his superior lord ; 
 and he delivered, as an hostage for his per- 
 formance of the terms of the treaty, one of 
 his younger sons, named "Cnuth." Giraldus 
 assures us, that there was also a secret treaty 
 between the two kings, whereby Dermod 
 bound himself to receive no more English 
 into his service, and to dismiss those who 
 were with him, as soon as he had entirely 
 reduced his rebellious dependants. 
 
 Be this as it may, King Dermod became 
 so proud and overbearing by his successes, 
 that he appears to have given umbrage even 
 to his English allies, to whose exertions he 
 owed them. Maurice de Prendergast, with 
 his followers, to the number of two hundred, 
 resolved to turn home, and, taking their 
 leave of the king, they marched towards 
 Wexford ; where, however, Dermod had 
 already despatched orders to hinder their
 
 IRELAND. XXIX 
 
 departure. Enraged at Dermod's ingrati- 
 tude, and unable to leave the country, Mau- 
 rice proffered his services to the king of 
 Ossory, who joyfully accepted them, and 
 agreed to meet himatTech-Moylin. Maurice 
 made his way in safety to this place, in spite 
 of the opposition of Donald Kavenagh, who 
 had thrown himself in the way with five 
 hundred men ; on the third day after his 
 arrival the king came to him, according to 
 agreement : each took oath of fidelity to the 
 other, and they entered Ossory in company. 
 With the aid of his new ally, the king of 
 Ossory was soon enabled to make reprisals 
 upon Dermod, and he suddenly invaded the 
 territory of O'More, king of Leis (Queen's 
 County), where his ravages were only ar- 
 rested by O'More's submission, who pro- 
 mised faithfully to deliver his hostages on an 
 appointed day. But the wily king of Leis, 
 while Donald and Maurice were quietly en- 
 joying themselves, and waiting the.day fixed 
 for the delivery of the hostages, sent a mes- 
 senger to King Dermod in Leinster, begging 
 his aid against their common enemy. 
 
 During this time, the loss which Dermod 
 had sustained by the defection of Maurice 
 de Prendergast was repaired by a new arri- 
 val of English. Maurice Fitz-Gerald had 
 landed at Wexford, attended by ten knights, 
 with thirty horse, and a hundred archers on
 
 XXX CONQUEST OF 
 
 foot, who were joytully received l)y the king 
 of Leinster. Immediately after their arrival 
 came the message of O'More; and, after a 
 short consultation with the English barons, 
 Dermod assembled his army, and made a 
 hasty march towards Leis. This expedition 
 had been concerted with such speed and 
 secrecy, that it was only when Dermod was 
 far advanced on the way that a spy brought 
 to the king of Ossory the first intelligence 
 of his approach. The latter felt himself 
 unable to cope with Dermod's army, and, 
 by the advice of Maurice de Prendergast, 
 he hastened back into Ossory. The king of 
 Leinster, after himself taking hostages of 
 O'More, also returned to Ferns. 
 
 Maurice soon found, that the service of 
 the king of Ossory was no less ungrateful 
 than that of the king of Leinster. The pre- 
 sence of the foreigners was naturally enough 
 a subject of jealousy to the natives, particu- 
 larly in time of truce, when the latter were 
 not gaining by their exertions. As the En- 
 glish had, perhaps, been more provident than 
 their Irish allies, the riches they had col- 
 lected provoked their cupidity ; and a plot 
 was formed to surprise and murder Maurice 
 and his men in their sleep, and to rob them 
 of their share of the spoils. The conspirators 
 even ventured to broach their project to the 
 king, who, however, was honest enough to
 
 IRELAND. XXXI 
 
 refuse all concurrence in it. In the mean 
 while, Maurice demanded and obtained leave 
 of the latter to depart for Wales; and while 
 the king moved on with his court (if the at- 
 tendants of an Irish king at this time may be 
 called a court) to Fertnegeragh, the former 
 passed the night at Kilkenny, ready for de- 
 parture the next morning on his march to- 
 wards Waterford. He here learnt that the 
 Ossorians, w'ho had conspired against him, 
 resolving to interrupt him in his march, had 
 assembled to the number of two thousand 
 men, and had seized upon a defile through 
 which he would be obliged to pass, which 
 they had fortified against him. In this un- 
 foreseen diflSculty, a stratagem afforded the 
 only hope of escape. The king of Ossory 
 desired much to retain the English in his 
 service, and Maurice now despatched a mes- 
 sage to his seneschal, announcing his wil- 
 lingness to comply with the king's desire. 
 The king returned answer, that he would im- 
 mediately repair to him at Kilkenny ; the 
 news was quickly spread over the country ; 
 the Ossorians left their position in the pass, 
 and the English, leaving Kilkenny secretly 
 and by night, made a hasty march to Water- 
 ford. Thence, after a short stay and a squab- 
 ble with the citizens, arising from the death 
 of an Irishman who had been wounded by 
 one of the English soldiers, and which was
 
 XXXIl CONQUEST OF 
 
 adjusted by the prudence and moderation of 
 Maurice, they passed across the channel to 
 Wales. 
 
 Tiie hopes of Dermod were raised by the 
 accession of Maurice Fitz-Gerald and his 
 followers, who built themselves a strong-hold 
 upon a rock at Carrig, near Wexford : he 
 had already conceived the idea of making 
 himself master of Dublin, and of revenging 
 severely upon its inhabitants the death of his 
 father, whom they had murdered, and buried 
 along with a dog. The arrival of Fitz-Gerald 
 was itself a breach of the treaty which he is 
 said to have made with the king of Con- 
 naught; and the latter, incensed at some 
 petty depredations of Donald Kavenagh, in- 
 vaded Leinster with a small army ; but was 
 defeated by the English, and returned to his 
 own kingdom with disgrace. 
 
 Events were all this time ripening, which 
 were destined to change entirely the face of 
 affairs in Ireland. Earl Strongbow had not, 
 as was expected, joined Dermod in the spring 
 of 1169, but he had watched anxiously the 
 proceedings of the first invaders, and was 
 making large preparations for his Irish ex- 
 pedition. Dermod, eager for the attack upon 
 Dublin, and in his insolence laying claim 
 even to the kingdom of Connaught and the 
 sovereignty of Ireland, despatched messen- 
 gers to England to hasten his departure. It
 
 IRELAND. XXXHI 
 
 was necessary, however, for Strongbow's 
 purposes, to gain a distinct permission of 
 the undertaking from the king of England. 
 Historians are not agreed how far this per- 
 mission was granted. Giraldus says, that 
 the answer of the king was such that it might 
 be interpreted in favour of Strongbow's pro- 
 jects ; WiUiam of Newbury asserts, that 
 Henry forbade the earl to meddle in the Irish 
 affairs : but on this point, William's asser- 
 tion ought, probably, to bear with it less au- 
 thority than that of Giraldus. Be this as it 
 may, in the summer of 1170 Strongbow was 
 coastins the Welsh side of the Bristol chan- 
 nel, on his way to Ireland. 
 
 The precursor of Strongbow was Ray- 
 mund, so celebrated in the after-history by 
 the surname, which his corpulency had pro- 
 cured him, of Raymund le Gros. With ten 
 knights, and about seventy archers, he land- 
 ed under shelter of a rock, which is called by 
 Giraldus Dundunolf, and in the Norman 
 poem, Domdonuil, situated on the southern 
 coast of the county of Wexford, but nearer 
 to Waterford than to that city, and answer- 
 ing exactly in its description and position to 
 the little promontory of Bagabun. Here, 
 among the rocks, he fortified his camp with 
 earth and turfs, and was joined at his first 
 arrival by Hervy de Montmaurice, whose 
 lands must have been at no great distance 
 
 d
 
 XXXIV CONQUEST OF 
 
 tVom this place, and who brought with him 
 three knights. With these, Raymund's com- 
 pany amounted, perhaps, to nearly a hun- 
 dred men. When the intelligence of their 
 arrival reached Waterford, which was then 
 governed by two Danish chieftains, Reginald 
 and Smorch,* the citizens assembled in haste 
 to drive away these new intruders. They 
 were joined by the people of Ossory, and by 
 Donald (or, as Giraldiis calls him, Melagh- 
 lin) O'Felan, king of the Decies, andO'Rian, 
 king of Hy-Drone ; and a formidable army 
 of about three thousand men, in three divi- 
 sions, crossed the Suire, and hastened to- 
 wards the camp at Dundunolf. Raymund 
 and his English boldly sallied forth to meet 
 their assailants, but, too few to hold the field 
 against so numerous an army, they were 
 quickly compelled to retire to their entrench- 
 ments, so closely pursued by the Irish that 
 both parties were on the point of entering 
 the camp together; when Raymund, turning 
 round at the ei>trance, struck down with his 
 sword several of the foremost of his pursuers, 
 
 * " Reg'enald e Smorcli erent clame 
 Les plus poanz\(le la cite." 
 
 Norman Poem, v. 1506. 
 The latter of these names is not mentioned by Giral- 
 dus. But who were the two Sytaracs mentioned by 
 him a little furtlier on in the history ? — " Cajitis igitur 
 in turri Ileginaldi duobus Sytaracis, et gladio subla- 
 tis."
 
 IRELAND. XXXV 
 
 and the English, rallying at the nervous shout 
 of their leader, rushed again upon the Irish, 
 who, already fallen into disorder in the pur- 
 suit, and astonished by the suddenness of the 
 attack, fled in every direction. According 
 to the story told by Maurice Regan, Ray- 
 mund owed his victory partly to an accident. 
 The English, on their first arrival, had swept 
 the cattle from the surrounding country, and 
 had placed them, probably, in the larger 
 inclosure of the camp : confined within a 
 small circuit, and mad with terror at the ter- 
 rible shouts of the Irish and at the clashing 
 of the English armour, eager to seek any 
 where a place of safety, they rushed furiously 
 through the entrance of the camp to force 
 their way through the midst of the Irish. 
 The latter hastily made way for them, and 
 were thrown into confusion ; and the Eng- 
 lish, seizing the moment, rushed upon their 
 enemies, and made a terrible slaughter. The 
 Norman bard tells us, that a thousand were 
 left dead on the field ; Giraldus estimates the 
 slain at about five hundred. Raymund lost 
 one of his choicest men, Alice de Berveny 
 (perhaps De Aberveny). Seventy citizens of 
 Waterford were taken prisoners, who, at the 
 instigation of Hervy de Montmaurice, and 
 contrary to the wish of Raymund, were all 
 thrown into the sea. Maurice Regan told 
 a different story : he said, that the prisoners
 
 XXXVl CONQUEST OF 
 
 were beheaded by the order of Raymund, 
 who was enraged by the loss of his friend 
 Alice. But Giraldus was more likely to know 
 the counsels and sentiments of the English 
 barons his own relations, than the interpreter 
 of an Irish king, who was not present at the 
 action, and who, full of Irish feelings, when 
 he heard of the slaughter would naturally 
 enough attribute it to the little spirit of re- 
 venge. 
 
 Giraldus must be in error when he fixes 
 the arrival of Raymund at Dundunolf to the 
 calends of May (i.e. the first of that month), 
 for we are assured that it was quickly fol- 
 lowed by that of Earl Strongbow ;* and yet 
 Giraldus and the Norman poem agree in 
 placing the arrival of Strongbow at the lat- 
 ter end of August. In passing the Welsh 
 coast, Strongbow had been joined by Mau- 
 rice de Prendergast and his followers, who 
 returned with him to Ireland ; and he landed 
 
 * So says the Norman bard, quoting, as usual, the 
 authority of the old people : 
 
 " Solum le (lit as ansciens, 
 Bien tost aprcs, Richard li quens 
 A Waterford ariva; 
 Bien quinz cent od sei mena. 
 La vile seint 13artholomee 
 Esteit li quens ariv6." — V. 1501. 
 It is hardly probable that Raj-mund would have re- 
 mained three mouths shut up in his little fort at Dun- 
 dunolf.
 
 IRELAND. XXXVU 
 
 in the neighbourhood of Waterford with an 
 army of nearly fifteen hundred men. It was 
 the eve of St. Bartholomew when the earl 
 arrived, and the next day he laid siege to 
 the city. Twice the assailants were repulsed 
 from the walls, when Strongbow, observing 
 a wooden house which was attached to the 
 wall of the city, ordered some of his men, 
 undercover of their armour, to cut down the 
 post which supported it. The house fell, and 
 dragged with it a large portion of the wall ; 
 and the English rushed through the breach, 
 put to death all who opposed them, and made 
 themselves masters of the city. In Reginald's 
 Tower (so called from one of the Danish 
 governors) were slain the two " Sytaracs," 
 and were taken Reginald himself, and O'Fe- 
 lan, the king of the Decies, who had joined 
 in the disastrous expedition against Dundu- 
 nolf. At Waterford, immediately after its 
 capture, Strongbow was joined by King Der- 
 mod, with Fitz-Stephen and Maurice Fitz- 
 Gerald, and by Raymund, who had remained 
 with Hervy de Montmaurice and Walter 
 Bluet at Dundunolf ; and at their interces- 
 sion, we are told, he spared the lives of his 
 two prisoners, Reginald and O'Felan. Im- 
 mediately after the arrival of Dermod, were 
 celebrated the nuptials of Strongbow with 
 his daughter Eva : the kingdom of Leinster, 
 after Dermod's death, was the dower ; and
 
 XXXVIII CONQUEST 01' 
 
 the united army, after leaving a garrison at 
 Waterford, marched to the conquest of 
 Dublin. 
 
 Meanwhile the other Irish chiefs, alarmed 
 at this new arrival of foreigners, and in- 
 formed of the intended attempt upon Dub- 
 lin, had assembled under the banner of 
 O'Connor, who fixed his head-quarters at 
 Clondalkin,and distributed his army, which 
 is said to have amounted to thirty thou- 
 sand men, in the woods and passes over 
 the country through which he supposed 
 that Dermod and his allies must have pro- 
 ceeded to Dublin, with orders to fortify all 
 the passes on the road, and to plash the 
 woods. The king of Leinster had, however, 
 received timely intelligenceof the movements 
 of his enemies ; he consulted the English 
 barons, and it was resolved to change their 
 route, to avoid the woods, and to march over 
 the mountains by Glendalough. The first 
 division of the army, consisting of seven hun- 
 dred English, was led by Miles de Cogan, 
 with whom was Donald Kavenagh. Next 
 came Raymund, with eight hundred Eng- 
 lish, who was followed by Strongbow and 
 Dermod, with about three thousand Eng- 
 lish and a thousand Irish ;* and, lastly, came 
 
 * The Norman poem, which gives this arrange- 
 ment of the army, must be in error as to the numbers 
 of the English. It should, perhaps, be " one thou- 
 sand English and three thousand Irish."
 
 IRELAND. XXXIX 
 
 the main body of Dermod's Irish auxiliaries. 
 On St. Matthew's day they came in sight of 
 Dublin, which was defended by its Danish 
 chieftain, Hasculf Mac Turkil. The main 
 body of the army halted at a short distance 
 from the city, but Miles de Cogan encamped 
 just under the wall ; as did also Raymund, 
 though at another point. Maurice Regan was 
 immediately sent to the governor of the city, 
 to require its delivery to Dermod, with thirty 
 hostages. Laurence O'Toole, the archbishop 
 of Dublin, urged the citizens to accede to 
 Dermod's. demand ; and we are told, that 
 the only subject of disagreement was the 
 choice of the hostages, for the arrangement 
 of which Hasculf demanded a truce till the 
 following dav. But in the midst of these 
 negociations, Miles de Cogan, impatient of 
 delay, ordered his men to the walls, and 
 forced his way into the city : Raymund, who 
 seems to have acted partly in concert with 
 him, made a simultaneous attack on the 
 other side. Hasculf, with the greater part 
 of the citizens, hurried their more valuable 
 effects into their ships, and fled to the nor- 
 thern islands ; and, after a short but furious 
 struggle, and great slaughter, Cogan was 
 master of Dublin before Dermod or Strong- 
 bow knew of the attack. Dublin yielded to 
 its conquerors a rich booty : it was given into 
 the care of Miles de Cogan, with a small
 
 Xl CONQUEST OF 
 
 garrison, and the earl reUirned with Dermod 
 to Ferns ; whence, from time to time, they 
 made incursions into the territories of their 
 neighbours, particularly into the kingdom of 
 Dermod's old enemy, O'Rourk. O'Connor 
 again expostulated with the king of Leinster, 
 and begged that, if he would not dismiss his 
 foreign allies, he would at least keep them 
 within bounds : his expostulations were 
 treated with scorn, and in revenge he put to 
 death Dermod's son, who had been delivered 
 to him as a hostage. During the winter (Gi- 
 raldus says, in the calends of May) King 
 Dermod, " full of years," died at Ferns, 
 and Strongbow became, in right of his wife, 
 earl of Leinster. 
 
 On the death of Dermod, a new confede- 
 ration was formed against the English; the 
 only native chiefs who remained faithful to 
 them being Donald Kavenagh, Mac Gely 
 of Tirbrun, and Awelif O'Carvy. O'Con- 
 nor again summoned the Irish kings to his 
 banner, and a host of wild warriors, esti- 
 mated by Maurice Regan at sixty thousand 
 men, was marched to wrest from the earl his 
 late conquest of Dublin.* O'Connor, with 
 
 * Giraldus erroneously reverses the order of the 
 two events — the sieg:es of Dublin by O'Connor, and 
 by the Danes under Hasculf and John the Furious. 
 A comparison of the dates will at once shew the en-or 
 of the Welsh historian. It must not be forgotten, that
 
 IRELAND. xli 
 
 the half of his army, encamped at Castel 
 Knock ; Mac Dunleve of Ulster fixed his 
 banner at Clontarf; O'Brien of Munster 
 established himself at Kilmainan ; while 
 Moriertagh, the king- of Hy-Kinsellagh, en- 
 camped towards Dalkie : and, according to 
 Giraldus, the port was besieged by a fleet 
 of islanders, headed by Gottred, king of 
 Man. Two months the English had been 
 confined within the walls of Dublin, when 
 at a council, where were present with Strong- 
 bow, Robert de Quency, Walter de Riddles- 
 ford, Maurice de Prendergast, Miles de 
 Cogan,MeilerFitz-Henry, Miles Fitz-David, 
 Richard de Marreis, Walter Bluet, and 
 others, to the number of about twenty, it 
 was declared that the city did not contain 
 provisions to last with economy for a fort- 
 night ; and it was proposed to treat with 
 the besiegers. Giraldus mentions a report, 
 that this confederation of the Irish had been 
 formed at the instigation of the archbishop 
 of Dublin : according to Regan, it was the 
 archbishop who was chosen, in company 
 with Maurice of Prendergast, to carry to 
 O'Connor the propositions of the besieged ; 
 which were, that Strongbow should hold 
 
 while Miles de Cogan was besieged by the Uixnes 
 and Norwegians, Strongbow was in England, and 
 that he only returned to Ireland in company witli 
 King Henry.
 
 xlii CONQUEST OF 
 
 Leinster in fee of the kin^ of Con naught. 
 The latter, confident in his own strength 
 and in the weakness of his opponents, and 
 thinkin^r to reduce them to the same footing:: 
 on which the Danes had previously stood in 
 those towns, declared peremptorily that he 
 would allow the English to hold nothing more 
 than Dublin, Wexford, and Waterford. To 
 add to the embarrassments of the latter, 
 Donald Kavenagh arrived at Dublin, with 
 some Irish of Hy-Kinsellagh, accompanied 
 by O'Ragely and Awelif O'Carvy, bringing 
 intelligence of the revolt of the people of 
 Wexford, and of the desperate position of 
 Robert Fitz-Stephen, who, with his compa- 
 nions, had been obliged to seek refuge in 
 the little fort of Carrig. A council of war 
 was immediately held, and it was resolved 
 to make a sudden sally upon the besiegers ; 
 the camp of O'Connor being selected as 
 the point of attack. A chosen band of six 
 hundred English was secretly assembled, 
 which was divided into three divisions : two 
 hundred marched first, led by Miles de 
 Cogan ; they were followed by as many more, 
 commanded by Raymund; and, lastly, came 
 Strongbow himself, with a third division of 
 two hundred men, accompanied by Kave- 
 nagh, O'Carvy, and O'Ragely. The Irish 
 were betrayed l)y their own security : the 
 first notice they had of the approach of an
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 xliii 
 
 enemy, was the redoubted cry of " St. 
 David !" shouted in the very midst of their 
 tents; and, totally unprepared for defence, 
 their first impulse was to save themselves 
 by flight. Between one and two thousand 
 w'ere slain, above a hundred of whom were 
 killed while bathing; and O'Connor him- 
 self, who was at the time of the attack in 
 the bath, narrowly escaped. The English 
 pursued the fugitives till towards evening, 
 and then returned to the city laden with 
 provisions. Disheartened by the misfortune 
 of the king of Connaught, the other Irish 
 chieftains who surrounded Dublin imme- 
 diately broke up their camps and sought 
 their homos ; and the day following. Strong- 
 bow was on his way to Wexford. In their 
 march through Hy-Drone,the English were 
 opposed by O'Rian, the king of that dis- 
 trict: the Irish were much superior in num- 
 bers to the army of Strongbow ; but after a 
 tierce encounter, in which Meiler Fitz-Henry 
 was thrown from his horse by a stone, they 
 were entirely defeated, and O'Rian himself 
 killed with an arrow by a monk called Ni- 
 chol ; which monk gained great praise for 
 his valour in the battle. 
 
 Robert Fitz-Stephen and his companions 
 had defended themselves bravely at Carrig, 
 in daily expectation of relief from Dublin ; 
 till at length their besiegers demanded a 
 
 i^Lii men uuiju-gv
 
 xliv COXQUEST OF 
 
 parley. They brought with them the bishops 
 of Wexford and Kildare, with other reli- 
 gious persons ; and before them they swore 
 solemnly, upon their relics, that Dublin was 
 taken, that the English had all been put to 
 the sword, and that the king of Connaught, 
 with the whole Irish army, was on his way 
 to Wexford. They declared, that they had 
 no intention of hurting Fitz-Stephen or his 
 companions ; that, on the contrary, they 
 were desirous of saving them from the fate 
 of their countrymen at Dublin ; and that, 
 if they w^ould yield themselves prisoners, 
 they should be allowed to pass in safety to 
 Wales. Fitz-Stephen, believing that Dublin 
 was lost, and thus cut off from all hopes of 
 relief, surrendered : the Irish, regardless of 
 their oath, rushed upon the English, slew 
 several, and threw the rest, with their leader, 
 into prison. On the approach of Strongbow, 
 the Wexfordians immediately burnt their 
 town, and took refuge with their prisoners 
 in the island of Begerin (Little Ireland), at 
 the entrance of their harbour. The earl, 
 when he was informed of the destruction of 
 the city, and the impossibility of dislodging 
 its inhabitants from their asylum for the 
 present, turned towards Waterford. 
 
 On his arrival at Waterford, Strongbow 
 sent in haste a messenger to Limerick, with 
 letters to O'Brien, the king of Munster, who
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 xlv 
 
 had also married a daughter of King Der- 
 mod, desiring him to join in the invasion of 
 Ossory. The king of Munster declared his 
 willingness to make war against the enemy 
 of his father-in-law— but the hope of plun- 
 der was perhaps a stronger incentive — and 
 he joined the earl of Leinster at Ydough, 
 where their joint army amounted to two 
 thousand men. Tlie king of Ossory, daunted 
 by the uniform success of the foreigners, 
 offered to make reparation for all injuries he 
 might have done to Dermod, and demanded 
 a safe conduct and an interview with Strong- 
 bow. Maurice de Prendergast, his old ally, 
 offered to be his conductor, and obtained 
 the oaths of the English barons that the 
 king should be allowed to return in safety 
 to the woods. Strongbovv loaded the king 
 of Ossory with reproaches for his treason 
 against Dermod ; and O'Brien of Munster, 
 perceiving that the English were prejudiced 
 against him, urgently begged them to arrest 
 him ; and thinking he perceived some incli- 
 nation to follow his counsel, immediately 
 gave secret orders to his own men to sally 
 forth and plunder the country. But Mau- 
 rice of Prendergast, having received intima- 
 tion of what was going on, ordered his men 
 to arms; and hastening himself to where 
 the earl and his barons were assembled, he 
 reproached them with treachery, and, laying
 
 xlvi CONQUEST OF 
 
 his hand upon his sword, swore, liiat the 
 first who dared to lay hands upon the king 
 of Ossory should pay dearly for his temerity. 
 The earl declared that he had not harboured 
 the thought of injuring King Donald, and 
 delivered him to Maurice, who, with his 
 men, accompanied him in his return to the 
 woods. On their way they met the men of 
 Munster, laden with spoils. Maurice or- 
 dered his men to charge them ; several were 
 killed, and the rest dispersed. He passed 
 the night in the woods with the king of 
 Ossory, and the next morning returned to 
 the English camp, where the high character 
 which he bore saved him from the suspicions 
 of disaffection to their cause, which his bold 
 conduct might have excited. The king of 
 Munster returned to Limerick and the earl 
 to Ferns, where Morrough O'Brien (O'Byrne) 
 and his son were brought prisoners, and im- 
 mediately put to death. The king of Hy- 
 Kinsellagh, Muriertagh, at the same time 
 made his peace with the English, and was 
 allowed to retain his kingdom. Dismayed 
 at the disasters which day after day fell 
 upon their countrymen, in their encounters 
 with the invaders, the Irish clergy held a 
 council at Armagh, where they agreed una- 
 nimously in looking upon them as a visita- 
 tion of the Divine vengeance upon their 
 sins ; particularly on the unchristian traffic
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 xlvii 
 
 ill English slaves, of whom so many had 
 been stolen from their homes. 
 
 The people of England had, probably, 
 been used lo pay very little attention to the 
 affairs of the sister isle ; and it would seem, 
 that hitherto the progress of the English 
 adventurers had not attracted much notice. 
 The king of England had himself long con- 
 templated the conquest of Ireland, but it 
 had been his policy to cloak his views of 
 personal aggrandizement under the pretence 
 of zeal for the cause of the church. So 
 early as the year 1155, he had made a 
 formal application to Pope Adrian for the 
 apostolical permission of his undertaking; 
 representing to him the barbarous and savage 
 life which the Irish led, and the advantages 
 which they must themselves derive in being 
 placed under the influence and protection 
 of the Romish see.* Adrian was an En- 
 glishman, and readily listened to his propo- 
 sals; and his bull, which is still preserved, 
 
 * Henry proposed, " Homines illos bestiales ad 
 (idem Christi decentius revocare, ecclesiaeque Ro- 
 mante fidelius inclinaro." — Matth. Weit. For par- 
 ticulars of the proceedings of the king in Normandy 
 during tliis period, we would refer our readers to I\I. 
 Depping's late interesting work, Ilhtoire tie la Aor- 
 mandie, sous le Rtgne de Guillaume le Conqutrant et 
 de ses Successeurs, 2tom. Ilouen, Frere, 1835 : a book 
 which relates to English as much as to Norman 
 history.
 
 xlviii CONQUEST OF 
 
 requires the king, in prosecuting his con- 
 quest, to secure to him the regular payment 
 of Peter's penny, and to attend, above all 
 things, to the improvement of the morals of 
 the uncivilized people whom he was going 
 to place under his sceptre. His continual 
 hostilities on the Continent had obliged him 
 to delay the prosecution of his enterprize ; 
 but in 1171, while Strongbow was in the 
 midst of his conquests, Henry, then in Nor- 
 mandy, called together his barons at Argen- 
 tan, and opened to them his intention of 
 marching direct to the subjugation of Ire- 
 land. 
 
 A crowd of circumstances combined in 
 driving the king to this resolution. The 
 murder of Becket,the same year, had caused 
 a general ferment, not less among the laity 
 than among the clergy ; it had raised the 
 courage of the king's enemies, who joined 
 in applying to the pope for vengeance 
 against the murderers, and in aggravating 
 the blackness of the deed and the culpa- 
 bility of Henry himself. The pope had ap- 
 pointed legates to make an inquisition into 
 the conduct of the latter, and they were 
 already on their way to Normandy. The 
 invasion of Ireland would at least have 
 the effect of delaying their proceedings: it 
 would give the popular agitation time to 
 subside, in turning it to a different chan-
 
 IRELAND. xlix 
 
 nel ; it might also probably restore him to 
 the favour of the Roman see, and it would 
 give him an increase of popularity among 
 his own subjects, and would thus add to his 
 means of defence. At the same time, Ire- 
 land, already half subdued by an English 
 army, must now be an easy acquisition ; if 
 left longer, the barons who had established 
 themselves there might be strong enough to 
 set him at defiance. He accordingly left 
 Normandy for England : he there assembled 
 a powerful army, and on the fourteenth of 
 September, the festival of the exaltation of 
 the holy cross, he reached Pembroke, where 
 he was detained some time by contrary 
 winds. 
 
 Henry's first step had been to proclaim 
 his displeasure againstStrongbow,forhaving 
 made such extensive conquests without the 
 authority of his sovereign. He ordered him 
 to appear in person at his court, confiscated 
 his English estates, and forbade any ship 
 in future, without the royal orders, to tran- 
 sport men or arms from England to Ire- 
 land. The earl immediately sent Hervey 
 de Montmaurice to remonstrate with the 
 king. While Strongbow was prosecuting 
 his hostilities against the king of Ossory, 
 Hervey arrived at Water ford, on his return 
 from this mission, and by his counsel the 
 former immediately sailed for England. Ac- 
 e
 
 1 CONQUEST OF 
 
 cording to Giraldus, he met the king at 
 Newenham, in Gloucestershire ; and after 
 promising to surrender Dublin, with its ad- 
 joining cantreds, and all the maritime towns, 
 as well as the strong castles of Leinster, he 
 obtained the roval grant in fee to himself 
 and heirs of the whole of his conquests. 
 
 Before leaving Ireland, Strongbow had 
 given his two cities, Dublin and Waterford, 
 the first to the care of the brave Miles de 
 Cogan, who had captured it ; and the other, 
 to the custody of Gilbert de Borard. No 
 sooner had Strongbow left the Irish shores, 
 than a new danger presented itself before 
 the former city. Hasculf, who had been 
 driven with his Danes from Dublin, had 
 collected a numerous army amongst the 
 islands. He was joined by a famous Nor- 
 wegian chieftain, called John the Furious 
 (in Norman, Johan le Deve ; in English of 
 that period, John the Woode ; in the Latin 
 of Giraldus, Johannes Vehemens); and to- 
 gether they entered the LifFy, in from sixty 
 to a hundred ships, about Pentecost, which 
 in that year fell on the sixteenth of May. 
 Cogan prepared for a vigorous defence. 
 Gilmeholmock, an Irish king who had 
 hitherto been faithful to the English, and 
 whose hostages were in Dublin, came with 
 his men to receive the orders of its English 
 governor : the latter perhaps, had no great
 
 IRELAND. li 
 
 confidence in his ally, and feared to be em- 
 barrassed by his treachery. With the chival- 
 rous feeling of his age, he ordered the Irish 
 chieftain to stand aloof from the combat 
 until he should see its conclusion : should 
 the English give way, he was to join the 
 enemy ; but in case they should obtain the 
 victory, he bound himself to join with them 
 in the destruction of the invaders. The 
 place where Gilmeholmock stationed him- 
 self is named, by the Norman poet, " the 
 Hogges of Sustein." 
 
 Meanwhile, John the Furious, at the head 
 of a large part of the Danes and Norwe- 
 gians, approached the eastern gate of the 
 city. Giraldus describes the assailants as 
 men clad in iron — some in long coats of 
 mail, others in armour formed of plates of 
 the same metal, skilfully joined together, 
 with round red shields, the edges of which 
 were also defended with iron. Miles de 
 Cogan,with a part of the garrison, marched 
 boldly out to meet thein ; but the Danes, 
 whose hearts, as Giraldus tells us, were 
 made of the same metal as their arms, 
 pressed fiercely upon them. Their leader 
 proved himself worthy of his name. With 
 one blow of his axe he cut in two the thigh 
 of an English knight, though cased in iron, 
 so that one part of his leg fell to the ground ; 
 and Miles and his company were obliged to
 
 Ill CONQUEST OF 
 
 seek shelter within the walls of the city. 
 But his brother, Richard tie Cogan, with 
 about thirty knights and a large company 
 of foot, had left the city secretly by another 
 gate, and just as Miles was entering the 
 town, hardly pressed by his assailants, they 
 fell suddenly upon that part of the Danish 
 army which was left in the rear. Those 
 who had advanced to the assault of the 
 city, in the moment, as they thought, of 
 victory, were obliged to hurry back to the 
 assistance of their companions, of whom 
 Richard was making terrible havoc. Miles 
 de Cogan fell upon them as they went; 
 John the Furious was himself slain by 
 Walter de Riddlesford, one of Cogan's 
 knights ; Hasculf had been already cap- 
 tured by Richard de Cogan; and, to com- 
 ])lete the victory, Gilmeholmock, seeing 
 from his camp the confusion into which 
 they had thrown the invaders, and fearing 
 to lose his chance of a share in the action, 
 rushed down with his Irish to join in the 
 slaughter. Two thousand Danes were slain 
 in the engagement — the field was covered 
 with their dead ; and the victors pursued 
 them so closely to the sea, that five hundred 
 more were drowned in attempting to gain 
 their ships. When Hasculf was brought 
 before Miles, in Dublin, his insolence so 
 provoked the anger of the English governor,
 
 IRELAND. llll 
 
 that he immediately ordered him to be put 
 to death. 
 
 On the evening of the sixteenth of Octo- 
 ber, the king of England, in company with 
 Strongbow, sailed from Milford Haven, with 
 a fleet of four hundred ships ; and the next 
 day, which was Sunday, he landed atCroch, 
 only a few miles from Waterford, which 
 city he entered on the Monday morning, the 
 day of the festival of St. Luke.* With the 
 king were William Fitz-Aldelm, Humfrcy 
 de Bohun, Hugh de Lacy, Robert Fitz-Ber- 
 nard, and Bertram de Verdun. Immediately 
 after their arrival, Strongbow did homage 
 to Henry for the earldom of Leinster, and 
 delivered the city into his hands ; the cus- 
 tody of which the king gave to Robert Fitz- 
 Bernard. Soon after, arrived a deputation 
 from the people of Wexford, who, when 
 they had heard that Henry was on his way 
 to Ireland, and that he had openly ex- 
 pressed his displeasure against the invaders 
 of that country, thought to make a merit 
 
 * Our dates of Henry's progress in Ireland are 
 chiefly taken from the history of Benedict of Peter- 
 burgli. All the authorities agree pretty exactly in 
 the period of his arrival at Waterford, except the 
 Norman poet, whom we might almost have suspected 
 of following too literally the authority of Giraldus, 
 " Circa Calendas Nov.," when he places the king's 
 arrival on the day of All Saints, the first of Novem- 
 ber.
 
 liv CONQUEST OF 
 
 of delivering to him their prisoner, Robert 
 Fitz-Stephen. The king at least pretended 
 to give ear to their accusations, and, after 
 severely reprimanding the delinquent, or- 
 dered him to^ be closely confined in Regi- 
 nald's Tower. After having received the 
 oaths of fidelity from the kings of Cork, 
 Limerick, and Ossory, as well as from 
 Melaghlin O'Felan and Reginald the ex- 
 governor of Walerford, the king proceeded 
 to Dublin, having previously made an ex- 
 cursion to Cassel and Lismore. 
 
 The king, after passing through Ossory 
 arrived at Dublin about Martinmas; where, 
 outside the city by St. Martin's church, was 
 raised for him a palace of wood and twigs, 
 such as those in which the Irish kings were 
 accustomed to hold their courts (scilicet ad 
 morem patriae illius), though probably on a 
 much larger scale. He there held, with 
 great splendour, the festival of Christmas- 
 day (which fell on a Saturday, and was, ac- 
 cording to the manner of reckoning in those 
 days, when the old custom of the pagan 
 Anglo-Saxons was still in use, the first day 
 of the year 1172), his court being attended 
 by most of the native chieftains. 
 
 At Dublin the king received the homage 
 of most of the Irish chieftains, except those 
 of Connausrht and Ulster. The inclemency 
 of the season obliged him, as well as Strong-
 
 IRELAND, Iv 
 
 bow, who held his court at Kildare, to pass 
 the winter in inaction ; and the news of the 
 arrival of the cardinals from Rome, and the 
 rebellious projects of his son Henry, obliged 
 him to leave Ireland, content with receiving 
 the homage of O'Connor l)y proxy, as the 
 haughty chieftain would not deign to pass 
 the Finn, the boundary of his kingdom, 
 where he was met by Hugh de Lacy and 
 William Fitz-Aldelm. The whole of Ireland 
 had now acknowledged the supremacy of the 
 king of England, except Ulster; which, be- 
 fore his departure for England, the king 
 granted to John de Courcy, "on the condi- 
 tion that he could conquer it." He also 
 granted Meath in fee to Hugh de Lacy. 
 
 At the festival of the purification, the se- 
 cond of February, the king was still at Dub- 
 lin. He gave the government of that city to 
 Hugh de Lacy, leaving with him Robert 
 Fitz-Stephen, whom he had liberated before 
 quitting VVaterford, Meiler Fitz-Henry, and 
 Miles Fitz-David ; and on Ash-Wednesday, 
 which that year fell on the first of March, he 
 entered Wexford. The army proceeded 
 thence, about the middle of Lent, to Water- 
 ford, to embark on board the ships which 
 waited there ; and, having left these two last- 
 mentioned towns in the custody of Robert 
 Fitz-Bernard, the king left Ireland on Eas- 
 ter-day, the sixteenth of April, and the same
 
 Ivi CONQUEST OF 
 
 day entered Milford Haven, whence he has- 
 tened to Normandy. 
 
 From the period of Henry's visit to Ire- 
 land, we may date the dependence of that 
 country upon the English crown ; although 
 the struggle between the invaders and the 
 natives was by no means ended. The suc- 
 ceeding history unfolds to us a long series of 
 violent encounters, of surprises, stratagems, 
 and murders. With the spring of 1172, 
 Strongbow had again commenced hostilities, 
 which were chiefly directed against Oftaly ; 
 and in his return from one of these excur- 
 sions, in a sudden and unexpected attack 
 from the Irish, he lost his constable and 
 standard-bearer, Robert de Quency, to whom 
 he had given in marriage his sister Basilea. 
 Raymund sought the hand of the widow, 
 and the constableship, until the only daugh- 
 ter of De Quency should be of age to marry. 
 His demand was refused : he left Ireland in 
 disgust, and returned to Wales ; and the 
 constableship was given to the care of his 
 envious rival, Hervy de Montmaurice. When 
 the Irish were no longer held in check by 
 the bravery and experience of Raymund, the 
 loss of his services was soon felt by the En- 
 glish, and he was recalled by Strongbow ; 
 who now, at last, consented to give him his 
 sister in marriage, and with her the custody
 
 IRELAND. Ivii 
 
 of the constableship and considerable grants 
 of land, including Fothard, Hydrone, and 
 Glascarrig. At the same time, he made a 
 aeneral distribution of lands to his followers : 
 he gaveO'Barthie to Hervy ; he gave Ferne- 
 genall to Maurice of Prendergast.who also 
 possessed the district of Kinsellagh ; to Mei- 
 ler Fitz- Henry he gave Carbery; and to 
 Maurice Fitz-Gerald, Wicklow and the ter- 
 ritory of Mac Kelan. 
 
 Hugh de Lacy, who had been left governor 
 of Dublin, nearly fell a victim to the trea- 
 chery of O'Rourk, whom Giraldus calls " the 
 one-eyed king of Meath." He was saved 
 by the vigilance of Maurice Fitz-Gerald. 
 O'Rourk himself was killed ; and soon af- 
 terwards, Lacy, having by the king's orders 
 delivered Dublin to Strongbow, entered into 
 Meath, which the king had granted to him, 
 and distributed large gifts of land among his 
 followers. The whole strength of the Irish 
 was now directed against the new settle- 
 ments in Meath ; and during Hugh de Lacy's 
 absence his lands were invaded, and his cas- 
 tles, particularly that of Trim, destroyed. 
 
 But if disunion was sometimes the bane of 
 the English settlers, it was much more fre- 
 quently the cause of defeat and disgrace to 
 the natives. Immediately after the invasion 
 of Meath, we find the king of Ossory, the
 
 IVIU CONQUEST OF 
 
 old enemy of Dermod, leading the English 
 army against the distant city of Limerick.* 
 After prodigies of valour performed by the 
 latter, who were led by their favourite com- 
 mander Raymund, that city was taken ; and 
 the aid of the conqueror was almost imme- 
 diately solicited by Dermod Mac Curthy, the 
 king of Desmond, against his rebellious son. 
 This district also became tributary to the 
 English. While Raymund was at Limerick, 
 his brother-in-law, Earl Strongbovv, died at 
 Dublin, in the beginning of the June of 
 1 176, the sixth year after the first landing of 
 the English adventurers in Ireland ; and 
 Raymund immediately left Limerick, which 
 it would have been dangerous to retain at 
 this critical moment, to the care of an Irish 
 chieftain. The latter immediately rebelled, 
 and Limerick was lost for the second time 
 since its first occupation by the English. 
 Maurice Fitz-Gerald died at Wexford, at the 
 end of the August following. After Strong- 
 bow's death, the king confided the govern- 
 ment of Ireland to William Fitz-Aldelm. 
 
 The government of Fitz-Aldelm was weak 
 and ungrateful to the English ; and John de 
 Courcy was driven, by his disgust with the 
 conduct of his superior, to undertake his 
 long-projected expedition against Ulster. 
 
 * Inthe commencement of this siege ends abruptly 
 the Norman poem.
 
 IRELAND. lix 
 
 With a few brave companions he made a 
 three-days' march through a hostile country, 
 and on the fourth reached the city of Down ; 
 which, totally unprepared for so sudden an 
 attack, was immediately occupied by the in- 
 vaders. The king-, Dunleve, saved himself 
 by flight; but, after some attempts at nego- 
 ciation, he returned with an army of ten 
 thousand men to recover his capital. The 
 men of Ulster were the bravest of the Irish, 
 yet John de Courcy, disdaining to fight 
 within walls, advanced from the city to meet 
 them ; and a long and obstinate battle endetl 
 in the success of the English, who made so 
 terrible a slaughter of their enemies, that 
 Giraldus applies to them literally an old Irish 
 prophecy, which said that the invaders of 
 Ulster should march up to their knees in 
 blood. The fate of Ulster was disputed in 
 many battles, but the desperate valour of 
 John de Courcy overcame all obstacles, and 
 the last independent province of Ireland was 
 placed under English law and Romish church 
 discipline. The chronicles of the time tell 
 us how the barbarous manners of the natives 
 were suddenly improved and polished, by 
 the more vigorous government under which 
 they were placed.* 
 
 * All the documents of this period agree in repre- 
 senting Ireland as not only a land of savages, but as 
 a den of thieves. William of Newbury (lib. iii. c. 9).
 
 Ix CONQUEST OF IRELAND. 
 
 speaking of the manners of the people of Ulster at the 
 time of their con(|uest by De Courcy, says, " Hujus 
 autem provincia; homines pr£E cunctis Hyberniac po- 
 pulis in celebratione paschali eatenus superstitiosi 
 fuisse traduntur. IS' am sicut quodam venerabili epis- 
 copo gentisillius referente cognovi, arbitrabantur ob- 
 sequium se prajstare Dec, dum per anni circulum 
 furto et rapina congererent, quod in paschali solem- 
 nitate profusissimis tanquam ad honorem resurgentis 
 Domini absumeretur conviviis, eratque inter eos ur- 
 gens concertatio, ne forte quis ab alio immoderatissi- 
 mis ferculorum prfeparationibus vinceretur. Verum 
 banc superstitiosissimam consuetudinem cum statu 
 libertatis propriae debellati finierunt."
 
 
 o 
 
 13 
 
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 ANGLO-NORMAN POEM ON 
 
 THE CONQUEST OF 
 
 IRELAND. 
 
 'H' ^r ^ ^' ^ 
 
 Par soen demeine latinier 
 
 Que moi conta de lui Testorie, 
 
 Dunt faz ici la memorie. 
 
 Morice Regan iert celui, 
 
 Buche a buclie parla a lui 
 
 Ki cest jest endita, 
 
 L'estorie de lui me mostra. 
 
 Icil Morice iert latinier 
 
 Al rei Dermot, ke mult Tout cher. 
 
 Ici lirrai del bacheler, 
 
 Del rei Dermod vus voil conter. 
 
 B
 
 2 THE CONQUEST [12 
 
 EN Yrland, a icel jor, 
 N'i out reis de tel valur; 
 Asez esteit m-dnan?? e richez, 
 Amale.. francs, hailes, chiches. 
 Uil par un poste- 
 Aveit pris e conqueste 
 O'Neil e Mithe par sa guerre, 
 O stages menad en Laynestere, 
 O sei amenad O'Karuel, 
 Le fiz le rei de Yriel. 
 
 MEs en Leschoin i out un reis, 
 O'Roric out nun en yrreis ; 
 En Tirbrun mist la hiduse, 
 Tere lede e boschaguse ; 
 Mes O'Roric, li riche reis, 
 Fenime aveit bele ii cele feis. 
 La fille al rei Malathlin, 
 A ki Mithe esteit enclin. 
 Malathlin de Mithe iert sire. 
 Ki la verite vus veut dire, 
 Icel esteit de truin
 
 33] OF IRELAND. 3 
 
 Del bon veil Malathlin ; 
 Estreit cil ert de linasre 
 Malathlin al fier corage, 
 Fiz Coleman, le riche reis, 
 Ke tant seingnes e curteis. 
 De Molathlin voil lesser, 
 Del rei Dermod voil center. 
 
 THvE Leynestere reis Dermod, 
 
 ^-^ Ki eel dame tant amout, 
 
 De amer li fist bel semblant, 
 
 Mes n'el ama tant ne quant 
 
 Ne mes qu'il vout a sun poer 
 
 La grant hunte, s'il pout, venger 
 
 Que cil de Lethcoin firent jadis 
 
 A ces de Lechunthe en son pais. 
 
 Li reis Dermod sovent manda 
 
 A la dame, qu'il tant ama. 
 
 Par bref e par messagers, 
 
 Sovent fist li rei mander 
 
 Ke ele en fin pur veir esteit 
 
 La reigne del siecle qu'il plus ameit ;
 
 4 THE CONQUEST [54 
 
 Si la requist mult sovent 
 
 De fin amur covertement ; 
 
 E la dame li ad mande 
 
 Par un messager prive 
 
 Que tut freit sa volunte, 
 
 Al rei ke tant est preise 
 
 E si remande de richef 
 
 E par buche e par bref 
 
 Que pur lui venit en tiel manere 
 
 Od tut I'ost de Leynestere, 
 
 E par force e par guerre 
 
 Od lui la ramist tote la terre : 
 
 Saver al rei Dermod freit 
 
 En quel liu la prendreit 
 
 [T ele serreit privement, 
 
 Que prendre la pust quitement; 
 
 En quel liu en fin serreit 
 
 U quite prendre la purreit. 
 
 LI reis manda hastivement 
 Par Leynestere tute sa gent 
 Que a lui viengent san demure
 
 75] OF IRELAND. 
 
 De Osseri e de Leynestere, 
 Si lur feiseit a. tuz saver 
 Vers Lethcoin qu'il vout aler 
 La hunte, s'il pust, venger 
 Que cil firent jadis premer, 
 La hunte que cil firent jadis 
 En Lethunthe, en son pais. 
 
 TCil vindrent deliverement 
 ■*- Par le rei commandement. 
 Quant tuz furent assemblez, 
 Vers Lethcoin sunt dreit turnez ; 
 Nuit e jor errent avant 
 Riche e povre, petit e grant. 
 Que vus irrai plus contant ? 
 En Tirbrun vint li reis vaillant; 
 E la dame mande aveit 
 Al rei Dermot u ele esteit, 
 Que il nemist od sa gent, 
 Si la preist deliverement. 
 Li reis Dermot meintenant 
 En la place vint errant
 
 6 THE CONQUEST [96 
 
 U la dame aveit raande 
 Qii'ele serreit apreste. 
 En cele manere Dermot li reis 
 La dame prist a cele feis. 
 
 O'Roric forment se pleniout 
 Pur sa femme que perdu out; 
 Mes mut rendi bataille fere 
 A la gent de Laynistere. 
 Mes, seingnurs, li re Dermot 
 La dame lores od sei menout, 
 De errer unques ne finat 
 De ci ke mi Kencelath, 
 E la dame mult longement 
 Hoc estoit, solum la gent; 
 A Femes estoit a sojorn mise, 
 Solum la gent, en tel guise. 
 
 O'Roric, mult dolusant, 
 Vers Connoth tendi tut batant ; 
 Al rei de Connoth, tut par cunte, 
 Forment se pleint de la hunte
 
 116] OF IRELAND. 
 
 Cum li reis de Leynistere 
 Sur lui vint en tele manere, 
 Sa femme u force sur lui prise, 
 A Femes I'ad a sqjorn mise; 
 Al rei de Connoth de huntage 
 Forment se pleint del damage, 
 Mult li requist ententivement 
 De la meyne e de sa gent 
 Que lui feseit aprester 
 Ki sa hunte pout venger. 
 
 II reis de Connoth fist mander 
 -^ Al rei de Osseri premer 
 Que lur rei ne fausit mie 
 E qu'il lur venist en aie ; 
 E cil li ont asez pram'ez 
 Que reis li frunt en eel pais, 
 S'il pount en geiter 
 Li reis Dermot que tant est fer; 
 E cil tantost s'en turnout 
 Sur sun seingnur li reis Dermotj 
 E Malathlin li traitur
 
 8 THE CONQUEST [13^ 
 
 Si reguerpi son seignur; 
 E Mac Turkyl de Diveline 
 Son seignur guerpi a eel termine ; 
 Si consenti la traisun 
 Murchid O'Brien, un mal felun, 
 Li quel mangerent li guar gunn, 
 E vns dirat la chanson 
 Quant vus tost acomplerum 
 En avant en vostre reisun. 
 
 QUant Dermot li reis gentis, 
 Que tant esteit de grant pris, 
 Vit que lui furent failiz 
 Pareins, cosins e amis, 
 Un jor monta li reis Dermot 
 E de sa gent od sei raenout 
 E va querant O'Brien li fel: 
 A lui parler voleit e conseil. 
 O'Brien va dune li reis fuant. 
 A lui ne volt petit ne grant 
 Parler ren ne conseiler 
 Ne songnur confort doner.
 
 lo8] OF IRELAND. 
 
 QUant qo vist li reis Dermot 
 Que al fel parler ne pout, 
 Li reis s'en est tantost turne 
 Tut dreit a Femes la cite. 
 A Femes li reis sojomout 
 En un abeie que iloc out 
 De Seinte Marie la reine, 
 Gloriuse dame e virgine. 
 
 DUnc li reis se purpensout 
 De une veidie qu'il fere vout, 
 Cum il pust le fel trover 
 E par engin a lui parler. 
 A I'abe feseit li reis mander, 
 Une chape lui feseit prester, 
 Une chape a une chanoine 
 U a pruvere u a moyne. 
 
 AKnoth veit idunc li reis 
 Od tut la chape eel feis ; 
 A un son dengin I'ad trove, 
 Cum il me fud endite. 
 
 9
 
 10 THE CONQUEST [173 
 
 Le reis la chape afubla 
 Que as piez lui treina, 
 Que nul ne pout aviser 
 Si pur moine reuler. 
 
 QUant venuz iert li paumer 
 Devant la meison li traitur ; 
 Le fel, quant vit le rei errant, 
 Vers la forest va dune fuant : 
 Kar li malveis traitur 
 N'el volt conustre a son seingnur. 
 Li fel va dune escriant 
 Od sa voiz haut e grant : 
 " Mauveis reis, quei alez querant ? 
 Fuez-en-vus, par nun comant ; 
 E, c'il ne fetes hastivement, 
 Presenter vus frai al vent." 
 
 QUant li reis Tout entendu, 
 Dolent esteit e irascu. 
 Li reis esteit en grant tristur 
 Pur le dit del traitur
 
 198] OF IRELAND. 1 I 
 
 Que nianace si I'aveit 
 E que al vent lui presentereit. 
 Returne est li riche reis, 
 Que tant fu larges e curteis, 
 Que turne est li trai'tur 
 Sur lur naturel seignur. 
 Tute sa gent li sunt faillie 
 De Leynestere e de Osserie. 
 
 QUant se vit Dermot li reis 
 Que trai esteit a, cele feis, 
 Sa sent demeine lui sunt failliz, 
 En tel manere iert traiz, 
 E que voleint prendre, 
 A O'Roric liverer e vendre, 
 Si li fist mult grant es iurat 
 De Connoth li reis d'autre part. 
 Ke vus irrai purloinguant 
 De vostre geste tant ne quant ? 
 
 L 
 
 E reis Dermot en unt gete 
 Sa gent par vive poeste,
 
 12 THE CONQUEST [218 
 
 Toilet liii unt tut la reinofne 
 E de Yrland li unt chace. 
 Quant fut li reis exule, 
 A Korkeran eschippe ; 
 Quant li reis esteit waives, 
 A Korkeran est eschippes ; 
 A Corkeran en mer entra, 
 Awelaf O'Kinad od sei mena, 
 O sei mena li riche reis 
 E plus de seisante neis. 
 
 T E riche reis aveit le vent 
 ■^-^ Bon e bel a, sun talent ; 
 Sigles avaint par bel orage, 
 A Bristod pernent lur rivage. 
 A la meison Robert Herdin, 
 A meinies de Seint Austin, 
 Sojornat li reis Dermod 
 Od tant gent cum il out. 
 Solum la dit de la gent, 
 La reine i fud ensement.
 
 238] OF IRELAND. 13 
 
 QUant li reis out sojorne, 
 Tant li vint a gre, 
 Ses chevalers feseit mander, 
 Vers Normandie volt errer 
 Pur parler al rei Henriz 
 De Engletere, li poestifz ; 
 Kar li rei de Engletere 
 En Normandie pur sa guere 
 Esteit seignurs a icel feis 
 Pur la guere des Franceis. 
 Tant ad Dermot espleite 
 Par ces jornes e tant erre 
 Que en Normandie est arive, 
 Solum la gent de antiquite. 
 Bien est, seignurs, ke jo vus die 
 Cum Dermod va par Normandie : 
 Le rei Henri va dune quere, 
 A munt, a val, avant, arere ; 
 Tant ad mande e enquis 
 Que trove ad li rei Henris, 
 A une cite Tad trove, 
 Que seignur esteit clame.
 
 14 THE CONQUEST [260 
 
 Li reis Dermod, al einz qu'il pout, 
 Vers la curt pur veir alout ; 
 Vers la curt, pas pur pas, 
 S'en est ale tost juanz 
 Al rei angles pur parler, 
 Que tant esteit riches e fier. 
 
 QUant Dermod, li reis vaillant, 
 Al rei Henri par devant 
 Esteit venuz a cele fiez, 
 Par devant li rei engleis, 
 Mult le salue curteisement, 
 Bien e bel devant la gent : 
 " Icil Deu ke meint en haut, 
 Reis Henri, vus ward e saut, 
 E vus donge ensement 
 Quer e curage e talent 
 Ma hunte venger e ma peine, 
 Que fet me hunte le men demeine ! 
 Oiez, gentil reis Henriz, 
 Dune su nez, de quel pais. 
 De Yrlande su sire ne.
 
 281] OF IllELAiND. 15 
 
 En Yrlande rei clame ; 
 Mes a tort me unt degete 
 Ma gent demeine del regne. 
 A vus me venc clamer, bel sire, 
 Veans les baruns de tun empire. 
 Ti lio-es home devendrai 
 Tut jors me que viverai, 
 Par si que mai seez aidant, 
 Que ne sei de tut perdant : 
 Tei clamerai sire e seignur, 
 Veant baruns e cuntur." 
 Dune li ad le rei pramis 
 De Engletere, le poestifs, 
 Que volunters lui aidereit 
 Al plus tost qu'il porreit. 
 
 LI rei Henri parla premer 
 Que oil CO mist al repeirer, 
 Vers Engletere passat la mer, 
 A Bristoud alat sojorner. 
 Le rei Henri fist dune mander 
 Par bref e par messager
 
 16 THE CONQUEST [302 
 
 A Robert Herding, cum il Tout cher, 
 Que al rei trovast quant que il eust 
 
 mester, 
 A lui 6 a tute sa gent, 
 De tut en tut, a. son talent ; 
 Si lui feist honorablement 
 Trestut le son commenderaent. 
 A Bristoud sojornat li reis, 
 Ne sai quel, quinzein u un meins. 
 Quant que le reis volt commander 
 Lui fist Robert asez aver ; 
 Mcs de Engletere li reis engleis 
 A Dermot, solum le leis, 
 Ne lui fist verreiment 
 For de pramesse, solum la gent. 
 Quant se vit li reis Dermot 
 Que nul aie aver ne pout 
 Del rei Henri que pramist Tout, 
 Sojorner plus ne volt. 
 Le reis Dermot, sachez, atant 
 Aie va partut querant, 
 Aie partut quere
 
 323] OF IRELAND. 17 
 
 En Gales e [en] Engletere ; 
 Tant ad aie demande 
 A munt, a val, en eel regne, 
 Que il est venuz une part, 
 Ceo dist la geste, al quens Ricard. 
 Icil esteit un quens valant, 
 Curteis, larges e despendant. 
 Le reis mut ententivement 
 Le requist mut ducement 
 Que acun socurs lui feist 
 U que sun cors i venist 
 De conquere son regne, 
 Dunt il en est a tort jete ; 
 Al cunte dist apertement 
 Cum trai'z esteit de sa gent, 
 Cum sa o;ent I'out traiz 
 E dechace, en fute mis ; 
 Sa fille li ofFri a muller, 
 La ren del munde qu'il ust plus cher, 
 Que cele a femme aver lui freit 
 E Leynestere lui durreit, 
 Par si que en aie lui seit 
 
 c
 
 18 THE CONQUEST [345 
 
 Que conquere la purreit. 
 
 LI quens al hore iert bacheler, 
 Femme n'aveit ne muUier, 
 Si entent del rei Derniot 
 Que sa fille doner lui volt 
 Par si que od lui venist 
 E sa terre lui conquist. 
 Li quens respont od sa gent : 
 " Riche reis, a mei entent. 
 Ici t'afie lelment 
 Que a tai vendrai assurement ; 
 Mes conge vodrai en iceis 
 Demander del rei engleis, 
 Kar il est li mien seignur 
 De ma terrien honur : 
 Pur ceo ne pus de sa terre 
 Sens conge prendre en tel manere." 
 Li reis al cunte asura 
 Que sa fille a lui durra 
 Quant il lui vendreit en ai'e 
 En Yrlande de sa baronie.
 
 366] OF IRELAND. 19 
 
 Quant fini unt icel pleit, 
 Li reis vers Gales turnat dreit ; 
 Unques ne finnat de errer i 
 De cil qu'il vint a Seint-Davi. 
 
 TLoec sojornat li reis, 
 
 -*- Ne sai quel, deus jors u treis. 
 
 Pur ses nefs apparailler ; 
 
 Kar en Yrlande volt passer ; 
 
 Mes einz que le rei Dermot 
 
 La mere sale passer volt. 
 
 En Gales parlat a un reis 
 
 Que mult iert vaillans e curteis. 
 
 Reis esteit icil nome, 
 
 E de Gales fu reis clame. 
 
 A I'ure aveit li rei Ris 
 
 Un chevaler de grant pris. 
 
 Li reis li tent en sa prisun, 
 
 Robert le fiz Estevene out nun; 
 
 En sa prisun le teneit. 
 
 Pur se rendre le voleit. 
 
 Ne sai coment le rei Tout pris
 
 20 THE CONQUEST [387 
 
 E[n] un chastel en son pais. 
 
 De li me voil ici retraire 
 
 Cum il fu pris ne en quele manere ; 
 
 Mes li riche reis Dermot 
 
 Li reis Ris al plus [tost] qu'il pout 
 
 TJcquist idunc pur le clievaler 
 
 Que il quite s'en pureit partir. 
 
 Si mentir ne vus dium, 
 
 Ne sai s'il iert delivere nun ; 
 
 Par la requeste li riche reis, 
 
 S'il iert delivere a cele feiz ; 
 
 Mes puis apr^s, li chevaler 
 
 En Yrlande vint li reis aider. 
 
 Atant s'en turne li reis Dermot 
 
 Vers Seint-David tant cum il pout, 
 
 En Yrlande dune passout 
 
 Od tant de gent cum il out ; 
 
 Mes Dermot, li gentil reis, 
 
 Od ses guerreis gent englcs 
 
 Ne menad a icel tur. 
 
 Solum le dist de mun cuntur, 
 
 Ne mes un Ricard, cum I'oi dire,
 
 409] OF IRELAND. 21 
 
 Un chevaler de Penbrocsire, 
 Le fiz Godoberd Ricard, 
 Chevaler iert de bone part, 
 Chevalers, archers e serjanz, 
 Mes jo ne sai desque a quanz; 
 Kar pas ne ierunt longement 
 En Yrland icele gent ; 
 Kar enz ne poient profite fere 
 Al rei gueres en la tere 
 Pur §0 que poi erent de gent 
 Que passerent hastivement. 
 
 T I reis Dermot fist dune mander 
 ^-^ Par bref e par messager, 
 Morice Regan fist passer 
 Son demeine latinier. 
 Desque a Gales fud oil passe ; 
 Les brefs le rei Dermot 
 Que li rei partut mandout. 
 Cuntes, baruns, chevalers, 
 Vallez, serjanz lue deners, 
 Gent a cheval e a pe
 
 22 THE CONQUEST [430 
 
 Ad li rei par tut mande : 
 
 " Que tere vodra u deners, 
 
 Chevals, harneis u destre[r]s, 
 
 Or e argent, lur frai doner 
 
 Livereson asez plener. 
 
 Que tere u herbe voidra aver, 
 
 Richement lus frai fefFer." 
 
 Asez lur durra ensement 
 
 Estor e riche fefFement. 
 
 Quant les brefs esteient luz, 
 
 E la gent les unt entenduz, 
 
 Dune 90 fist aparailler 
 
 Le fiz Estevene Robert premer; 
 
 Desque en Yrlande volt passer 
 
 Pur Dermot li reis eider. 
 
 Chevalers vaillans de grant pris 
 
 Od sei menad ix. u dis. 
 
 Le un iert Meiler, le fiz Henriz, 
 
 Que tant esteit poetifs ; 
 
 E Milis i vint autresi 
 
 Le fiz I'evesque de Sein-Davi. 
 
 Chevalers vindrent e baruns
 
 452] OF IRELAND. 23 
 
 Dunt jo ne sai des acez lur nuns. 
 
 Si passa un baruns 
 
 Sei utime compaignuns ; 
 
 Morice de Prendregast out non, 
 
 Cam nus recunte le chansun. 
 
 Si i passa pur veir Hervi 
 
 Icelui de Mumoreci. 
 
 Bien i passerent .iii. cens 
 
 Chevalers e autre menu gens, 
 
 A la Banne ariverent 
 
 Od tant de gent cum erent. 
 
 Quant il furent arivez 
 
 E erent tuz issuz de nefs, 
 
 Lur gent firent herberger 
 
 Sur la rive de la mer ; 
 
 La gent engleis firent mander 
 
 Al rei Dermot par messager 
 
 Que a la Banne od trei nefs 
 
 Esteient lores arives, 
 
 E que li reis hastivement 
 
 I venist sanz delaiement. 
 
 Li reis Dermod le dreit chemin
 
 24 THE CONQUEST [474 
 
 Vers la Banne, le matin, 
 S'en turnat mult leement 
 Pur ver la englese gent. 
 Quant venuz esteit li reis 
 A la Banne a sa fechelis, 
 Un e un les ad baisez 
 Curteisement e saluez. 
 Icele nuit deraorerent 
 Sur la rive ii il erent ; 
 Mes li reis lendemain 
 Vers Weiseford trestut a plein 
 Ala tant tost, sanz mentir, 
 Pur la vile asaillir; 
 La cite asailli a tute sa force. 
 Les autre pur garir lur cors 
 Sa defendirent par defors. 
 X. viij. i perdi de ces Engleis 
 A icel saut li riche reis, 
 E les traiters a icel feiz 
 Ne perdirent de lur que treis. 
 Trestut jor ajorne 
 Ad le saut issi dure
 
 496] or IRELAND. 25 
 
 Desque i fud aseiri 
 E la gent sunt departi. 
 La sent Dermod li aloez 
 Vers lur tentes se sunt turnes. 
 
 MEs lendemain tut premer 
 Al rei Dermod par messager 
 Firent les traiters nuncier 
 Que ostages li frunt livrer, 
 Homages li frunt e feute, 
 Veant trestut son barone ; 
 Que od lui serrunt nuit e jor 
 Cum od lur naturel seignur. 
 Li reis resout bonement 
 Icele offre, veant la gent. 
 Pur le conseil de ces Engleis, 
 L'ofFre resut li gentil reis. 
 D'iloec s'en tmne li reis Dermod 
 Vers Fernez, al einz qu'il pout. 
 Pur ses nafFrez saner 
 E pur ses baruns sojorner. 
 Treis semeines sojornout
 
 26 THE CONQUEST [517 
 
 En la cite li reis Dermod, 
 Treis senieines ad sojorne 
 Tut dreit ad Fermes la cite. 
 Li reis feseit pus mander 
 Robert e Morice tut premer 
 Que od lui vengent tost parler 
 Hastivement, son demorer. 
 Quant le baruns erent venuz, 
 E Dermod les ad conuz, 
 En conseil les ad li rei menez, 
 Si lur ad trestut cuntez 
 Que de Osserie les Irreis 
 Mult doterent les Engleis : 
 
 " O Enurs baruns, 90 dist li reis, 
 ^ Mult vus dutent les Yrreis : 
 Pur 90, barun chevaler, 
 Par vus conseil tut premer, 
 Vers Osserie voil aler 
 Mes enemis debarater." 
 Les baruns li ont responduz 
 Ki ja nert remansuz,
 
 538] OF IRELAND. 27 
 
 Ne lanunt en nule manere 
 Le tra'itur ne voisent quere 
 Desque il eint trove 
 E en plein cham debarate. 
 En qu'il ost alast avant, 
 Treis mil homes combatant 
 A Dermod vindrent a pes 
 Pur la dute des Engleis. 
 
 QUant les baruns i§o virent 
 Que tant de gent lur syverent, 
 Sur le rei de Osserie 
 Alerent al host banie. 
 Ne le tenez, seignurs, a folie. 
 SuftVez un poi que jo vus die 
 Cum li reis de Leynistere 
 Od sa gent qu'il lout tant fere 
 Veleit entrer al pais 
 U erent tuz ses enemis. 
 Ses enemis sunt devant 
 Bien cine mil combatant, 
 Que li reis de Osserie
 
 28 THE CONQUEST [559 
 
 Aveit en sa compaingnie. 
 Mac Donthid li trai'tur, 
 Que de Osserie ert seignur, 
 Aveit jete par devant 
 Treis fosses larges e grant ; 
 Par devant, dedens un pas, 
 Treis fosses ignel las 
 Aveit le fel fet jeter 
 E haie par desuz lever. 
 
 Hoc rendi la bataille 
 
 Al rei Demiod le jor, son faille. 
 
 Hoc esteit la melle, 
 
 Del matin jesque la vespre, 
 
 Del rei fel de Osserie 
 
 E des Engleis par grant hatie ; 
 
 Mes les Engleis par achef de tur 
 
 E par force e par vigur 
 
 Les traiters en unt jete 
 
 Par force e par poeste ; 
 
 Mes gent i out asez blesez 
 
 E de morz e de naufrez 
 
 Einz que la haie fud conquise 
 
 U a force sur euz prise.
 
 582] OF IRELAND. 29 
 
 QUant 90 vist Dermod li reis 
 Que par la force des Engleis 
 Passe esteit en eel manere 
 Od sa gent de Leynistere, 
 Mult esteit de grant baudur. 
 Le riche reis Dermod, le jur, 
 La tere mist en arson 
 Pur destruire le felun, 
 La preie fist par tut quere 
 A munt, a val par la tere, 
 Tant cum il trover pout ; 
 De la prei od sei menout 
 O'Roruch le rei de altre manere 
 Pur Mac Donchid le fel quere 
 Que ne fist a cele fiez 
 Quant la chape out fublez, 
 Quant parler volt e conseiler 
 Al fel O'Brien le adverser. 
 
 QUant li gentilz Dermod 
 En son pais turner volt, 
 Dune ad li reis apelez 
 Le treis baruns alosez
 
 30 THE CONQUEST [604 
 
 Robert apelat par non 
 E Morice le barun, 
 E Hervi de Momorci 
 Fist apeler autreci. 
 Ices erent a cele feiz 
 Cheveintainnes des Angleis. 
 
 " O Eingnurs, fet-il, escutez 
 
 ^ Pur Deu amur e entendez : 
 Vos genz fetes ordener, 
 Kar bien les savez conseiller." 
 Les baruns firent aitant 
 Al rei trestut son comant, 
 Icil firent hastivement 
 Tut li rei commendement, 
 Tut le gent de Kencelath 
 Baillerint a Dovenald Chevath. 
 Icil esteit fiz le rei 
 De Leynistere, si cum jo crei. 
 Ki voudra le veir saver, 
 Icil esteit chef premer ; 
 E le cors Dermod le reis
 
 tJ25] OF IRELAND. 31 
 
 Esteit remis od les Engleis ; 
 Kar en eus s'afiout 
 De tut en tut li rei Dermod. 
 Armes erent icel, sen faille, 
 E bien enseigne de bataille ; 
 E Dovenald Kevath tut premer 
 Par mi un pas volt passer 
 U Dermod aveit einz este 
 Par treis eirs debarete. 
 Pur go doterent les Yrreis 
 Qu'il serreient le quarte feiz 
 Desconfiz e debaretez : 
 En fute sunt pur co turnez 
 Si que o Dovenald, fiz le rei, 
 Ne remistrent xl. trei. 
 Mac Donthid de Osserie 
 Sa gent vers li tost relie, 
 Sa gent relie hastivement 
 Pur desconfire la englese gent. 
 
 O Eignurs baruns, a cele feiz 
 ^ Sachez que la gent engleis
 
 32 THE CONQUEST [646 
 
 Avalez erent dedens un val, 
 
 Gent a pe e a cheval : 
 
 Si lur covent par estover 
 
 Par mi cele val en fin passer. 
 
 Pur CO doterent les Eno-leis 
 
 La gent yresche a cele feiz 
 
 Que els lur curusent sure 
 
 San delai, a eel hore ; 
 
 Kar les Engles, cum I'entent, 
 
 Gueres avant de iij. cent 
 
 N'erent ad I'ur od le rei, 
 
 E des Yrreis .xl trei; 
 
 E les autres veraiment 
 
 Erent mil e set scent. 
 
 Pur 90 ne fet a merveiller 
 
 Si li barun chevaler 
 
 Dutassent icel gent, 
 
 Que leger sunt cum vent. 
 
 Lors parlat un barun, 
 
 Morice de Prenderoast out nun : 
 
 " Segnurs baruns communal, 
 
 Deliverement passum icel val
 
 668] OF IRELAND. 33 
 
 Que nus fuissoins en la montaine, 
 En dur champe e en la plaine ; 
 Kar armes eymes le plusurs, 
 Vassals hardis e combaturs ; 
 E les traiteres sunt tut nues, 
 Haubers ne bruines n'unt vestues : 
 Pur 90, si turnum en dure champ, 
 Naverunt-il de mort garant. 
 Ferir irrum vassalment, 
 E checun communalment 
 Trestuz i ferrunt communal, 
 Gent a pe e a cheval, 
 Sur la gent de Osserie 
 Ke nus furent encontrarie ; 
 Kar si il sunt debarates, 
 A tut dis serrum dutes; 
 Kar rien n'i ad de fuir 
 U ci vivere u murir." 
 ^o fu la premer bataille 
 Que champele fud, san faille, 
 Entre les baruns engleis 
 E de Osserie les Yrreis ; 
 
 D
 
 34 THE CONQUEST [690 
 
 E les Yrreis a grant eleis 
 Suerent la gent engleis. 
 
 M' 
 
 'Orice s'escria aitant : 
 ■*-^-*' " Robert Smiche, venez avant. 
 Dirrai-vus que friez, amis : 
 Archers averez xl. dis. 
 En ceste bruce verraiment 
 Lur frez un enbuchement. 
 Desque vus serrez passez, 
 Les Yrreis que sunt destrez. 
 Quant passe serrunt cele gent, 
 Si s'essandrent ferement. 
 Detrefs lur frez un vai'e, 
 E nus vus vendrum en ai'e." 
 E Robert respont al barun : 
 " Sire, a la Deu benicon !" 
 Atant se sunt abuchez 
 Les quarante bien armez. 
 
 Ste-vus par grant hatie 
 ' Le orgoil tut de Osserie 
 
 D
 
 710] OF IRELAND. 35 
 
 Les unt ale parsuant 
 E la bataille desirrant. 
 Tant se peinerent icel gent 
 Que passe sunt le buschement 
 U les quarante adurez 
 En la bruce erent tapez. 
 
 QUant passes erent les premers. 
 Par aime erent .ij. milers, 
 E li quarante archer 
 Ne se oserent demustrer; 
 Pur 50 que tant erent poi de gent, 
 Se taperent coiment. 
 
 T^Unc out Dermod li riche reis 
 
 -■-^ Poiir grant de ses Engleis 
 
 Que il serreint afoles 
 
 E des Yrreis vergundez; 
 
 E li riche rei Dermod 
 
 Morice a sei apelout, 
 
 Si li requist mult ducement 
 
 Qu'il preist cure de cele gent,
 
 3fi THE CONQUEST [730 
 
 Cure en preist de sez amis, 
 Les ques erent destrefs remis. 
 Li barun respont aitant : 
 " Sire, tut a tun comant. 
 V^olunters les aiderai. 
 Ma peine tut i metterai." 
 
 1\ TO rice s'en turne a iceste part, 
 
 -^'-*- La reine tire de Blanchard ; 
 
 E de Osserie les Yrreis 
 
 Siverent la gent engleis 
 
 Tant qu'il vindrent en la plaine, 
 
 En la tres dure champaine. 
 
 Lur gent unt dunques ordine 
 
 Bien e bel asez faite. 
 
 Dune e'este Morice escrie 
 
 E sein David ad reclame. 
 
 Le fiz Estevene s'est turne, 
 
 E Meiler li alose, 
 
 E Miliz le fiz Davi, 
 
 E Hervi de Momorci, 
 
 E li barun, chevaler.
 
 751] OF IRELAND. 37 
 
 Vallet, serjant e bacheler 
 Sur les Yrreis se turnerent, 
 A seint David reclamerent ; 
 E les trai'turs en juueluns 
 Atendrement les baruns 
 Issi en tele manere 
 Que un hanst de terre 
 N'esteit pas a cele feiz 
 Entre Dermod e les Yrreis. 
 Si cum la prise urent cumpluz 
 La gent engleis par lur vertuz, 
 Les Yrreis s'en vont desconfiz 
 A icel jor de mal en pirz. 
 Cum ro'i, purreit veir center. 
 Un des bons esteit Meiler. 
 En la bataille, a icel jor, 
 N'i out de li nul meillur. 
 
 QUant 50 virent les Yrreis 
 Que menout Dermod li reis, 
 Que einz esteint le jor 
 En boiz fuiz de poiir, 
 
 428050
 
 38 THE CONQUEST [772 
 
 Repeire sunt hastivement 
 Vers lur seignur icel gent ; 
 Si se mistrent en I'estur 
 Par le comant lur seignur. 
 Ne le devez tener a folur. 
 Unze vint testes le jor 
 Vindrint al rei icele nuit 
 Sur la Barue u il i out 
 De ses morteles enemiz 
 Ki al champ erent occis, 
 Estre les morz e les naffrez 
 Qui del champ erent portez. 
 
 QUant cis erent desconfiz, 
 En le champ erent remis. 
 A Dermod li riche reis 
 E as chevalers engleis 
 Lors parlat un barun, 
 Le fiz Estevene Robert out nun : 
 " Entendez-moi, rei vaillant, 
 Que je lou, par Deu le grant ! 
 Que anuit remanez en ceste place, 
 Quant Deu vus ad done la grace
 
 794] OF IRELAND. 39 
 
 Que avez, sire, vos enemis 
 Par Deu grace desconfiz. 
 Tan tost cum parra le jor, 
 Querant irrum le traitur. 
 Ja n'i finirai tant avant 
 Que n'el augum pursuant." 
 
 T I reis respont apertement 
 
 -■-^ Que 50 n'est mie son talent ; 
 
 " Einz irrum vers Lethelin 
 
 Bien e bel le dreit chemin, 
 
 Si frum porter nos naffrez 
 
 Que einz en champ gisent blessez." 
 
 II turnat vers la cite, 
 
 Que Lethlin iert clame ; 
 
 Demorirint iloc la nuit 
 
 A grant joe e a dedut, 
 
 Sur la Barue demorerent 
 
 E cele nuit herbergerent. 
 
 T Endemain li riche reis 
 ^-^ S'en turnat od ses ficheis, 
 Vers Femes se sunt turnez,
 
 40 THE CONQUEST [815 
 
 Od eus portent lur nafFrez. 
 Quant il vindrent a la cite, 
 Chescun s'en est dune turne. 
 Vers lur osteus pur herberger 
 Returnerent li chevaler, 
 Mires firent par tut mander 
 Pur maladis saner. 
 Pur saner lur nafFrez 
 Mires unt par tut mandez. 
 
 O I cum le gentilz reis Dermod 
 ^ En lacite sojornout. 
 Environ tu[t] le pais 
 A li vindrent ses enemis 
 Pur crier al rei merci, 
 Que einz I'urent tut trahi ; 
 R pur la dute qu'il aveint 
 Des Engleis que od lui esteint, 
 Ostaoes asez firent livrer 
 Al rei Dermod, que tant fu fer ; 
 E mult bien vindrent a pes 
 Pur la dute des Engleis.
 
 836] OF IRELAND. 41 
 
 Tut le plus de Leynistere 
 A pes vindrent en eel manere. 
 Mac Donthid ne vint mie, 
 Que reis esteit de Osserie, 
 Ne le traitur Mac Kelan, 
 Ke reis esteit de Offelan, 
 Ne Mac Torkil le traitur, 
 Que de Diveline iert seignur ; 
 Kar cil rei tant duterent 
 Que a pes venir n'oserent ; 
 Mes li reis hastivement 
 Partut feseit mander sa gent, 
 Sur Mac Kelan volt aler 
 Pur lui honir e vergunder. 
 Dune feseit li reis mander 
 Le treis baruns chevaler 
 Que a lui vengent tost parler, 
 Hastivement, sanz demorer. 
 Robert, Morice e Hervi 
 Deliverement vindrent a lui. 
 Le rei lur ad idunc dist 
 E par buche lur ad descrit
 
 42 THE CONQUEST [858 
 
 Que il irrat en Ofelan 
 Sur le tra'itur Mac Kelan, 
 E que eus feseint aparailer 
 Pur le cors le reis garden 
 Cil responderent ducement : 
 "Sire, a tun commandement." 
 
 QUant cil furent aprestez 
 E lur gent unt ordinez, 
 E le cors le rei Dermod 
 Des Engleis partir ne vout, 
 Dovenald Kevenath serrement 
 Guiot la premer gent. 
 Tant se sunt icil penez 
 Que en Ofelan sunt entrez, 
 La tere unt tote robbe 
 E Mac Kelan debarete, 
 La prei unt trestut prise, 
 La gent vencus e maumise. 
 
 A 
 
 Fernez sunt pus turnez 
 Par orgoil e par poestez.
 
 878] OF IRELAND. 43 
 
 Vers Femes turnat li rei 
 
 Od grant orgoil, od grant noblei. 
 
 A Femes alad sojorner 
 
 Le noble rei .viij jors enter, 
 
 E les baruns vassals engleis 
 
 Tut dis erent od le reis. 
 
 QUant la utime esteit passe. 
 Dune ad li rei mande 
 Sachent par tut Okencelath 
 Errer volt vers Glindelath, 
 Othothil vodra robber 
 Que a lui deignout venir parler. 
 Quant I'ost esteit assemble, 
 Vers Glindelath sunt erre ; 
 E li reis ad commande 
 Baruns, chevalers e meine 
 Que tuz seient aprestez 
 E de bataille aparaillez. 
 Icil escrient aitant : 
 " Gentils reis, errez avant. 
 Vengez-vus, reis poestifz,
 
 44 THE CONQUEST [899 
 
 De voz mortels enemis. 
 Reis gentilz, avant errez, 
 Asez bien vus vengerez ; 
 Kar James ne vus fauderum 
 Pur tant cum nus viverum." 
 
 /^Re erre reis Dermod 
 
 ^^ Vers Glindelath tant i pout. 
 
 Quant li reis iert venuz 
 
 Od ses amis e od ses druz, 
 
 La prei dune feseit robber ; 
 
 San cop prendre u doner, 
 
 Mis 90 est al repeirer, 
 
 Sein e sauf, sanz encumbrer ; 
 
 E les Engleis ensement 
 
 Repeire sunt tut savement. 
 
 Le rei s'en est repeire 
 
 Od sa gent asez heite. 
 
 A Fernez vindrent les baruns 
 
 Od tretust lur compaignuns. 
 
 A Femes sojornat li reis, 
 Tant cum li plut, a cele feiz ;
 
 920] OF IRELAND. 45 
 
 Sa gent feseit par tut mander 
 
 Que a Femes viengent a li parler : 
 
 Riches, povres enseraent, 
 
 Que tuz viengent communement. 
 
 De Weiseford vindrent la gent 
 
 Par le rei commandement. 
 
 A Femes fu Tost asemble, 
 
 De armis garniz e apreste. 
 
 Lors fist li reis mander 
 
 Robert e Morice tut premer, 
 
 Hervi e li bier Meiler 
 
 E tut li autre chevaler. 
 
 Le reis lur prist a conseiller : 
 
 " Oes, seignurs chevaler, 
 
 Pur quei vus fiz ici mander. 
 
 Vers Osserie voil aler 
 
 Pur confundre le felun 
 
 Que ja me fist grant traisun 
 
 Pur le fel traitre ma tere guarder 
 
 Que ja ne volt sur reigner. 
 
 Si me puisse de lui venger. 
 
 En moi n'aurai que doler." 
 
 Atant li dient li barun :
 
 46 THE CONQUEST [943 
 
 " Sire, a Deu benecon !" 
 
 T Ors fist li reis hucher 
 
 ^-^ Dovenald Khevath tut premer 
 
 Que il se mist al chief devant 
 
 Od cine mil homes combatant, 
 
 E pus apres erraument 
 
 De Weyseford icel gent ; 
 
 E le cors li riche reis 
 
 Esteit remis od ces Engleis. 
 
 Par mi la tere en tele manere 
 
 Errout li reis de Leynistere, 
 
 En Fotherd esteit venuz, 
 
 Sur un ewe descenduz. 
 
 La nuit pristrent lur ostal 
 
 Sur Mac Burtin a. munt, a val. 
 
 La gent, sachez, de Weyseford 
 
 Le reis hairent a tort. 
 
 Pur lur demeine traisun 
 
 Que jadis firent al barun, 
 
 Dutcrent le trai'tur 
 
 Le gentilz reis nuit e jor :
 
 964] OF IRELAND. 47 
 
 Pur 50 par euz se log^rent, 
 Nuit e jor le reis duterent. 
 En tele manere li reis gentilz, 
 Que tant iert pruz e hardiz, 
 Just sur I'ewe de Mac Burtin 
 E tut son ost i out en fin. 
 
 T TN enfantesme la nuit lur vint, 
 ^^ Que chescun a vers le tint. 
 Un ost grant e mervellus 
 Par mi les loges a esturz 
 Lur vint sur, bien armez 
 De aubercs e d'escuz bendez. 
 Cil de loges saillent fors 
 Pur defendre idunc lur cors. 
 Del ost engleis un clievaler, 
 Baudolf fiz Rouf I'oi nomer; 
 La nuit, purli chef gueiter, 
 Esteit defors Randolf le bier. 
 Mult se prist li chevaler 
 De eel ost a merveiller, 
 Quidount qu'il fussent traiz
 
 48 THE CONQUEST [985 
 
 Par lur morteus enemis. 
 
 ICil s'escriat haut e cler : 
 " Sein Davi ! barun chevaler !" 
 Pus ad treit le brant d'acier; 
 Un son compaignun premer 
 Par cop sur le capeler, 
 Par vertu le fist agenuler ; 
 Kar bien quidout certeinement 
 Que cil fust del autre gent. 
 Bien quiderent les plusurs 
 Que icil erent les trai'turs 
 De Weyseford la cite 
 Que cest erent longge. 
 Icel enfanteyme s'en parti, 
 Aitant cum jo vus di, 
 Passerent par le Langport 
 A la gent de Weiseford. * 
 Icil quiderent estre pris 
 Par Dermod li reis gentilz; 
 Mes lendemain hastivement 
 Ordiner firent lur gent
 
 1006] OF IRELAND. 49 
 
 Par le riche [rei] command, 
 Cum il erent le jor clovant. 
 Sur le rei de Osserie 
 Alad li reis par grant envie. 
 Mac Donthid coiement 
 Mander fist tote sa oent 
 Ki al pas de Hacliedur 
 Viengent sanz contreditur; 
 Un fosse fist jeter aitant 
 Haut e large, roist e grant 
 Pus par a fin ficher 
 E par devant ben herdeler, 
 Pur defendre le passage 
 Al rei Dermod al fer corage. 
 
 T E reis erre nuit e jor 
 
 -*-^ Que ameimes vint de Athethur. 
 
 Sur un ewe de grant reddur 
 
 Se herberegcrent li pongneur, 
 
 E les Engleis de grant valur 
 
 Se herbero-erent tut entur, 
 
 Le ewe unt lendemain passe 
 
 E
 
 50 THE CONQUEST [1027 
 
 Sanz bataille e sanz melle, 
 Lendemain passent son faille 
 Sanz melle e sanz bataille. 
 
 DE Weyseforde icele gent 
 Le asaut firent premerement, 
 La haie pristrent asailler. 
 Treis jors enters, san mentir, 
 Les tra'iteres aques feintement 
 Asaillerent icele gent. 
 La haie ne pout estre prise 
 Par lur asaut a nule guise 
 Desque la engleise gent, 
 Le tiers jor, cum I'entent, 
 La haie sur euz unt conquise 
 E cele gent en fuite mise. 
 Fui s'en est desque a Tiberath 
 Par mi la tere de Wenenath ; 
 E d'eloc desque a Bertun 
 S'enfui le rei felun ; 
 Mcs Dermod, li rei puissant, 
 Le traitre vet tant suant,
 
 1048] OF IRELAND. 
 
 Tant ad sui le traitur 
 Que mis I'ad en tel errur 
 Qu'il defendre ne se pout 
 Encontre le rei Derniod ; 
 E Demiod li rei preise 
 La tere al felun ad gaste, 
 Preie grant od sei mene 
 Desque a Femes la cite. 
 
 T^ Ermod, li rei poestifs, 
 -*-^ Aquite aveit son pais, 
 Les plusurs de ses enemis 
 Debarates e deconfiz, 
 Par les Engleis esteit monte 
 En grant orgoil, en grant ferte; 
 Mes par le conseil de sa gent 
 Retenir volt, cum I'entent, 
 Les soudeis Morice le barun. 
 Solum la geste que lisum. 
 
 I 
 
 Cil s'en parti del rei Dermod, 
 Bien ot deus cent od sei menout,
 
 52 THE CONQUEST [1063 
 
 Dcs Eng-leis veraiment 
 
 INIena Morice bien deus cent; 
 
 Vers Weyseford s'en turnout, 
 
 La mer vers Gales passer volt. 
 
 Lors fist li reis niander 
 
 A Weyseford par messager, 
 
 Morice feseit desturber 
 
 Tut li mestre notinier 
 
 Que il ne pout la mer passer 
 
 Ne a sun pais repeirer. 
 
 QUant sout Morice la novele, 
 Mult esteit en aruele ; 
 PoUr out a icel hure 
 Que li corusent sure 
 Les trai'tres de Weyseford 
 Par conseil li reis, a tort ; 
 Mes Morice hastivement 
 Tant parlad a cele gent 
 De Weyseford la cite 
 Que sur le rei sunt turne. 
 Morice ne se targa mie
 
 o 
 
 1089] OF IRELAND. 5 
 
 Al rei manda de Osserie 
 
 Que a lui vendreit, san mentir, 
 
 Si lui plust, pur lui servir ; 
 
 Kar par raal esteit parti 
 
 Del rei Dermod qu'il out servi. 
 
 Quant Mac Donethid entendi 
 
 Que Morice vendreit a lui, 
 
 De la novele esteit heistez 
 
 E de joie saili a pes ; 
 
 Al barun manda erraument 
 
 Que a lui venist assurement, 
 
 Liveresun li freit doner 
 
 Asez richez e plener. 
 
 Atant s'an ala le barun 
 
 Lui e tut si compainun, 
 
 Vers la vile de Chatmelin 
 
 Tindrent le dreit chemin ; 
 
 Mes le fiz al rei Dermod, 
 
 Dovenald Kevanth, al plus qu'il pout, 
 
 Le jor asaili le barun, 
 
 Bien ad cine cent compaignun. 
 
 Mult aveient de restur
 
 54 THE CONQUEST [1111 
 
 La gent Morice a icel jor; 
 Mcs a force e a vertuz 
 A Thamelin eerent venuz. 
 Treis jors ad dune sojorne 
 Morice iloc od sa meine. 
 Le rei de Osserie sovent 
 Message tramist a cele gent 
 Que il vendreit le tiers jor 
 San nul autre contreditur, 
 Le reis i vint veraiment 
 Le ters jor sanz delaement. 
 La vint le rei de Osserie 
 Mac Donthith od sa compagnie, 
 E li reis trestut errant 
 A Morice feseit beu semblant. 
 Morice e tute sa gent 
 Le rei saluent ducement. 
 Le reis e sa haute gent 
 As Angleis firent serment, 
 As Engleis jurerent en fin 
 Sur Tauter e sur I'escrin 
 Que ja tra'isun ne lur frunt
 
 1133] OF IRELAND. 55 
 
 Tant euz od lui senunt. 
 
 MAc Donethith ad dune mene 
 Morice e tute sa meine, 
 Mena li reis en Osserie 
 Morice e sa compaignie, 
 E Robert remist od Derniod 
 Od tant de gent cum il out, 
 E Hervi tut ensement 
 Od sa force e od sa gent. 
 
 MAc Donehid jor e nuit 
 La tere Dermod destruit, 
 Par Morice e par sa meine 
 La tere al rei ad dune gaste. 
 Hoc refut le barun, 
 De Morice Osseriath le nun : 
 Si I'apelouent tut dis 
 Les Yrreis de eel pais, 
 Que en Osserie esteint venuz 
 E od le rei remansrus.
 
 56 THE CONQUEST [1152 
 
 DE ]Morice voil ici arester, 
 De un barun voil cunter, 
 Le fiz Gerout : Moriz out nun. 
 Arive esteit li barun, 
 A Weyseford iert arive 
 Od gent bele e grant meine, 
 Pur aider al rei Dermod 
 Arivez esteit a Weyseford. 
 
 DUnc ad li barun mande 
 Al reis qu'il iert arive. 
 Demiod entendi la novele, 
 Pecii ne lui vint tant bele. 
 Le reis, a ceit d'esperun, 
 Pur encuntrer le barun 
 S'en est turne tut dreit al port 
 Vers la rive de Weyseford. 
 Quant li riche reis li vit, 
 Hastivement li ad dit: 
 " Bien seez venuz, barun, 
 Le fiz Gerout, Moriz par nun." 
 Icil respont ai'tant:
 
 1173] OF IRELAND. 67 
 
 " Deus te beneie, reis vaillant !" 
 Vers Femes s'en vont leement 
 Li reis e Morice ensement. 
 
 M^s de Osserie en fin li reis 
 A I'ure esteit ale en Leis 
 Sur le seignur de cele tere 
 Que il ne lui feseit guere. 
 O'Murthith out nun le seingnur 
 Que Leis teneit a, icel jor. 
 Mac Donehith od ses Engleis 
 Destruire volt tute Leis, 
 Quant O'Murthe le seignur 
 E Mac Donehild ascit jor 
 Jor li ad iloc asis, 
 O stages durreit de son pais ; 
 Ne mes que quatre jors u treis 
 Demurrat iloques le reis ; 
 Ostases durreit cine u cis 
 De sa tere le plus gentilz. 
 Li reis li ad igo grante, 
 Treis jors i ad sojorne.
 
 58 THE CONQUEST [1194 
 
 O'Muithe manda hastivement 
 Al rei Dermod que cele gent 
 Par lur force e par lur guerre 
 Erent entrez en sa terre, 
 E que il i venist deliverement 
 Pur li succure hastivement. 
 
 "F^E Leynistere rei Dermod 
 -*-^ A Robert e a fiz Gerout 
 Quancque O'Murthe out mande 
 As dous baruns ad tut cunte, 
 E cil al rei dune unt dist: 
 " Hastivement, sen nul respit, 
 Voz geaz feites apariler. 
 N'i ad, sire, que targer." 
 Li reis feseit en haut crier 
 Quancque amies porrout porter 
 Li suent tut errant. 
 Le reis munte ai'tant. 
 Le treis baruns ensement 
 Le rei suerent od lur gent, 
 Ne fincrent de ci que a Leis,
 
 1215] OF IRELAND. 59 
 
 U de Osserie estelt li reis; 
 E li reis de Osserie 
 E[n] un[e] lande jout florie, 
 Tant cum le rei Dermod 
 Vers li vint e li fiz Gerout ; 
 Mes 11 ne sout verraiment 
 Que vers lui venissent gent. 
 Si cum li reis Mac Donehit 
 E Moriz Ossriath 
 Jurent sur un lande, 
 Ke mut esteit bel e grande, 
 Si purpensout un matin 
 Morice de Prendergast en fin 
 Ke O'Morthe, li sire de Leys, 
 Trair volt Donehit le reis, 
 Si force en nule manere 
 Aver pout de Leynistere. 
 
 Altant este-vus un espie 
 Desque al rei de Osserie, 
 Si li dist que reis Dermod 
 Od tote la force qu'il pout
 
 6'0 THE CONQUEST [1236 
 
 Le fiz Estevene od sei menout 
 
 E Morice le fiz Gerout, 
 
 E bien desque a treis cent Engleis 
 
 Od lui erent venuz en Leys, 
 
 Estre tut li autre gent 
 
 Que sunt venuz de feffement. 
 
 Dune conimen^at a parler 
 
 Morice de Prendergast prenier : 
 
 " Alum-nus, sire reis : 
 
 Trop nus suient gent engleis, 
 
 E nus n'avuni que poi de gent : 
 
 Pur 90 alum tut serrement. 
 
 Si il nus aprucent tant ne quant, 
 
 Bien nus irrum defendant." 
 
 A Tant s'en turnat li reis 
 De la tere O'Morthe de Leys 
 Par le conseil son ami 
 Morice, dunt avez oi. 
 
 L 
 
 E rei Dermod hastivement, 
 A qui Leynistere apent,
 
 1256] OF IRELAND. 61 
 
 Robert e Morice ensement 
 Tant suierent icel gent; 
 Mes euz n'el ateinstrent pas, 
 Kar passe erent le pas 
 Mac Donehid de Osserie 
 E Morice en ki il s'afie ; 
 E Dermod, li rei puissant, 
 Vers Femes alat tut batant. 
 Vers Femes s'en est repeire, 
 Ostages od sei ad mene, 
 Ostages nienout a cele feiz 
 De O'Morthe sire de Leys. 
 
 MAc Donehid od sa compaingnie 
 Repeire est en Osserie, 
 Aitant s'en sunt partis 
 Sein e saufs en lur pais ; 
 E la gent de Osserie 
 Mult aveint grant envie 
 Que il deveint souderer 
 E as Engleis lur sous doner. 
 Li fel vunt dunt conseillant,
 
 62 THE CONQUEST [1277 
 
 Un arcre, autre avant; 
 
 Morice volent traier 
 
 E son trczor entre euz partir, 
 
 Pur lur or e pur lur argent 
 
 jNIorthrir voleint icel gent, 
 
 Si aveint purparle 
 
 La traVsun tut a cele. 
 
 T~AEvant le rei sunt dune venuz 
 
 ^^ Juvenes, vels e cafs, veluz : 
 
 " Entendez-nuz, rei, bel sire, 
 
 Morice volum en fin occire : 
 
 Asez avum bone pes, 
 
 De euz n'an avum ke fere mes." 
 
 E li reis ad respondu : 
 
 " Ne place Deu ne sa vertuz 
 
 Que ja par mei seient traiz, 
 
 Mordrir, mors, hunis ne pris !" 
 
 A L reis est venu li barun, 
 ^ ^ Ki rien ne sout del traison ; 
 Dunt pur veir ad demande
 
 1297] OF IRELAND. 63 
 
 Del rei bonement congie, 
 Repeirir put en son pais. 
 Le rei, sacez, mut envis 
 Congie donat al chevaler 
 En son pais de returner ; 
 Mes li reis mult li requist 
 Que od lui uncore remansist. 
 Morice respondi al reis : 
 " Passer volent les Engleis, 
 La haute mer volent passer 
 Pur lur amis visiter." 
 Aitant s'en est li reis parti, 
 Solum la geste que oiez ici ; 
 A Fertekerath ala, se qui, 
 E les Engleis a Kilkenni 
 Remistrent icele nuit 
 Od grant joie e od grant brut, 
 E tut li traitre felun 
 De cele tere envirun 
 Les pas alerent plesser 
 Par unc il deveint passer ; 
 Mes si cum Deu le voleit
 
 64 THE CONQUEST [1319 
 
 Que Morice garnis esteit 
 
 De la oTant felunie 
 
 Que ceuz firent de Osserie, 
 
 Mander feseit li barun 
 
 A sei trestut si compaingnun. 
 
 QUant il erent assemblez, 
 E Morice lur ad cuntez 
 Cum la gent de Osserie 
 Par lur grant trecherie 
 Un agueite lur unt basti 
 Od deu mil homes bien garni. 
 Cum les Yrreis lur sunt devant 
 Od deu mil homes combatant 
 " En un place pur desturber 
 Que nus ne poum par la passe[r], 
 Conseil demande, seignur baruns, 
 De ceste afere cument le frums." 
 Icil responderunt tuz : 
 " Le conseil seit sur vus." 
 A lur ostels sunt turnez 
 U einz erent herbergez,
 
 1340] OF IRELAND. 65 
 
 Asez se tindrint co'i'inent 
 Cum de 90 ne susent nient ; 
 E Morice Ossriath 
 Al senechal Mac Donehid, 
 Al senescal fist dune mander 
 Ki demi an u quarter 
 Od le rei voleit remaner. 
 Cum il erent avant premer, 
 Hastivement mandat li reis 
 Que parler venist as Engleis. 
 Quant despandu e depople 
 La novele iert al centre 
 Que Morice esteit remis 
 Od le rei de eel pais, 
 Les traitres sunt repeirez 
 Del pas u erent abuchez. 
 
 T A nuit, quant erent endormis, 
 -*-^ Ad Morice idunc tramis 
 Par un prive valettun 
 Que tuz montassent le barun. 
 Archer, valet e serjant 
 
 F
 
 66 THE CONQUEST [1361 
 
 E li petit e li grant ; 
 Iceus que voleient passer 
 Se feisent tost aparailer. 
 Icil sege firent aprester, 
 Ne voleient plus demorer, 
 Vers la mer 90 sunt turnez 
 Pur passer en lur coutrez. 
 A Waterford la cite, 
 Cum les menat destine, 
 Sunt venuz li chevaler 
 Seinz e saufs e tut enter. 
 La sojornerent li baruns 
 Od trestut lur compaignuns; 
 Mes eloec erent destui'bez 
 Par un home ki ert nafFrez, 
 Ke un soudener a p.', 
 Un sitliezein aveit naffre, 
 Ki de la plaie pus murit. 
 Ne le tindrent pas en deduit 
 Le citliezeins de la cite 
 De Waterford, cum ai cunte. 
 Iloec furent atachez
 
 1383] OF IRELAND. 67 
 
 Tut li barun alosez ; 
 Mes par le conseil li bier 
 Morice, ki ert lur enparler, 
 E par sen e par saver 
 Les fist Morice tut passer. 
 En Galeis furent tuz arivez 
 Seinz e saufs, joius e lez. 
 De cele gent ici lerrum, 
 Del rei Dermod vus conterum. 
 
 COnter voil del rei Dermod, 
 Cum il bailla Weyseford 
 A iin barun chevaler 
 Le fiz Estevene, Robert le bier ; 
 E Morice le fiz Gerout 
 A Karret pus se affermout 
 Par le rei otrei e par le grant 
 Dermod le rei poant ; 
 Pus apres hastivement 
 Li quens Richard od sa gent 
 En Yrlande aveit tramis 
 Od ses baruns ix. ii. x.
 
 68 THE CONQUEST [1404 
 
 Le premer esteit Reymond le Gros, 
 
 Un chevaler hardi e oz. 
 
 A Domdonuil ariverent 
 
 U chastel pus i fermerent 
 
 Par le otrei li riche reis 
 
 Dermod, que tant esteit curteis. 
 
 Iloec remist le Gros Reymund 
 
 E li chevaler e li barun. 
 
 La tere feseit dune Robert, 
 
 Les vaches prendre e tuer; 
 
 Mes de Waterford la gent 
 
 E de Osserie ensement 
 
 Lur est firent assembler, 
 
 Vers Dondonuil voleint aler 
 
 Pur le chastel asailir, 
 
 Les Engleis quident bien honir. 
 
 Del Deys Dovenald Osfelan, 
 
 E de Odrono Orian, 
 
 E tuz les Yrreis de la cuntre 
 
 Le chastel unt avirune. 
 
 Par aime erent les Yrreis 
 
 Desque u quatre mil u treis.
 
 1426] OF IRELAND. 69 
 
 Reymund e la sue gent 
 N'erent mie avant de cent. 
 Les vaches mistrent a chastel 
 Par Reymund e sun conseil. 
 De Waterford icel gent 
 Vindrent tut ferement 
 Pur le chastel agravanter, 
 Les Engleis quident vergunder. 
 
 REymund parole a sa gent : 
 " Seignurs baruns, a moi entent. 
 Voz enemis veez venir 
 Ki vus volerunt asailir. 
 Meuz vus vaut a honor cis 
 Que ceinz estre mors u pris. 
 Ore vus fetes tuz armer, 
 Chevaler, serjant e archer; 
 Si nus mettrum en plein champ, 
 Al non del Pere tut poant." 
 Li chevaler e li barun, 
 Par le conseil li Gros Reymund, 
 Des portes voleient issir
 
 70 THE CONQUEST [1447 
 
 Pur les Yrreis envair. 
 Les vaches erent affreez 
 De la gent que erent armez ; 
 E pur la noise que il funt, 
 Les vaches tutes a un frunt 
 E a force e li vertuz 
 A la porte sunt issuz. 
 Co fu la premere conrei 
 Que del chastel issi, le crei. 
 As Yrreis sunt curru surre 
 En bref terme, en poi d'ure. 
 Les Yrreis n'el porreint suffrir, 
 A force lur covint partir; 
 E Reymund od ses Engleis 
 Se mist entre les Yrreis. 
 Pur CO furent departiz, 
 Les Yrreis erent deconfiz, 
 Si ke le derein conre 
 S'en fuerent par eel effre. 
 lloec esteint desconfiz 
 Les Yrreis tuz de eel pais. 
 Al camp erent mil remis,
 
 1469] OF IRELAND. 71 
 
 Vencus, mors, naftVez e pris 
 Par force e par vertu 
 Que lur fist le bon Jhesu ; 
 E de dute e de polir 
 Cen afailiz erent le jor. 
 Des Yrreis esteint pris 
 Bien desqiie a seisant dis; 
 Mes li barun chevaler 
 Iceuz firent decoler ; 
 A un baesse firent bailler 
 Una hache tempre de ascer, 
 Que tuz les ad decoles 
 E pus les cors aphaleises, 
 Pur CO que aveit le jor 
 Son ami perdu en I'estur ; 
 Aliz out non de Berveni, 
 Que les Yrreis servist isi. 
 Pur les Yrreis vergunder 
 Unt CO fet li chevaler : 
 E les Yrreis de la tere 
 Desconfiz sunt en tele raanere, 
 Returne sunt en lur pais
 
 72 THE CONQUEST [1491 
 
 Debaratez e desconfiz, 
 En lur pais sunt returnez 
 Desconfiz e debaratez. 
 
 A Dundounil remist Reymun 
 -^ ^ Lui e tut sa compaignun, 
 E Hervi de Mumoreci 
 E Walter Bluet altresi ; 
 Mult se contindrent bien privement 
 Contra eel yresche gent. 
 
 O Olum le dit as ansciens, 
 
 ^ Bien tost apres, Richard li quens 
 
 A Waterford ariva; 
 
 Bien quinz cent od sei mena. 
 
 La vile Seint Bartholomee, 
 
 Esteit li quens arive. 
 
 Regenald e Smorch erent clame 
 
 Les plus poanz de la cite. 
 
 Le jor Seint Bartholomee, 
 
 Li quens Richerand al cors sene 
 
 Watreford la cite
 
 1511] OF IRELAND. 73 
 
 A force pris e conqueste ; 
 Mes mult i out occiz einz 
 De Waterford les citheinz 
 Einz que ele fud conquise 
 U a force sur euz prise. 
 
 QUant prise aveit la cite 
 Li quens par sa poeste, 
 Li quens tantost fist mander 
 Al rei Dermod par messager 
 Que a Watreford ert arive 
 E conquise aveit la cite, 
 Que a lui venist li riche reis, 
 Si amenast ses Engleis. 
 Li reis Dermod hastivement 
 I vint, sachez, mult noblement. 
 Li reis en sa compaignie 
 Asez i mena barunie, 
 E sa fille i mena, 
 Al oentil cunte la dona. 
 Li quens honorablement 
 La espusa, veant la gent.
 
 74 THE CONQUEST [1532 
 
 Li reis Dcrmod ad dune done 
 Al cunte, ki ert tant preise, 
 Leynistere lui dona 
 Od la fille, que tant ama, 
 Ne mes qu'il ust la seignurie 
 De Leynistere tute sa vie ; 
 E li quens ad tute grante 
 Al riche rei sa volente ; 
 Pus sunt turne une part 
 Li reis e li quens Richard. 
 Si alad Reymu[n]d le Gros, 
 Un chevaler hardi e oz, 
 E Morice tute ensement 
 De Prendergast, cum I'entent ; 
 Kar od le cunte veraiment 
 Repeirc fud, solum la gent. 
 Par le conseil le cuntur, 
 Repeires iert li pugneur. 
 A eel eonseil de fi 
 Esteit Meiler le fiz Henri 
 E meint barun chevaler 
 Dunt ne sai les nuns numer.
 
 1554] OF IRELAND. 75 
 
 Iloec pristrent a conseiler 
 
 Tut li barun chevaler 
 
 Que a Develin tut dreit irrunt 
 
 E la cite sauderunt. 
 
 Atant s'en parti li reis 
 
 Vers Femes od ses Engleis, 
 
 Somundre feseit sa gent 
 
 Par tut e forciblement. 
 
 Quant tuz furent assemblez, 
 
 Vers Waterford sunt dreit turnez. 
 
 Li quens Richard ad dune bailie 
 
 Sa gent en warde la cite. 
 
 En Waterforde ad dune lesse 
 
 Une partie de sa meyne. 
 
 Vers Diveline sunt dune turne 
 
 Li reis e li quens preise. 
 
 M 
 
 /| Es tut le orguil de Yrlande 
 
 A Clondolcan en une lande, 
 E de Connoth esteit li reis 
 A Clondolcan icele feiz ; 
 Pur les Engleis asailer,
 
 76 THE CONQUEST [1575 
 
 Ses cunreis feseit partir; 
 Les pas firent partut plesser 
 Pur les Engleis desturber, 
 Que euz ne venissent veraiment 
 A Diviline sanz corocement ; 
 E le rei Dermod esteit garniz 
 Par espie qu'il out tramis 
 Que les Yrreis sunt devant 
 Bien trent mil combatant. 
 Le rei Dermod fist demander 
 Le cunte, que venist a, lui parler. 
 Li quens hastivement ■ 
 Al rei vint deliverement. 
 
 " O Ire quens, ^'O dist li reis, 
 
 ^ Entendez a moi a ceste feiz : 
 Voz gens fetes ordiner 
 E vos serjanz renger. 
 En cest irrum la montaine, 
 En champ dure, en la plaine; 
 Kar les boys sunt plesses 
 E les chemins fossaes,
 
 1596] OF IRELAND. 77 
 
 E tuz nos enemis de Yrlande 
 Noz sunt devant en une lande." 
 
 LI quens feseit dune mander 
 Tut li barun chevaler. 
 Milis vient tut premer, 
 Un noble barun guerrer : 
 Miles out nun de Cogan, 
 Qui le cors out fer e plain. 
 Icel esteit al chief devant 
 Od set cent Engleis combatant ; 
 E Dovenald Kevath ensement 
 Esteit remis od cele gent, 
 E pus apres le Gros Reymun 
 Bien od .viij. cent compaingnun, 
 Al tiers cunrei li riche reis 
 Bien desque a mil Yrreis ; 
 E Richard, li quens curteys, 
 Od sei s'out .iij. mil Engleis. 
 Bien erent en eel conrei 
 Vassals quatre mil, co crei. 
 L'are-vvarde feseit li reis
 
 78 THE CONQUEST [IGi: 
 
 Ordiner des Yrreis. 
 Bien esteint trestut armez 
 Les baruns Engleis alosez. 
 Par la montaine fist li reis 
 Le jor guier I'ost engleis ; 
 Sanz bataille e sanz mellc- 
 Sunt venuz a la cite ; 
 Mes la cite esteit le jor 
 Prise sanz contreditiir. 
 Le jor Tapostle seint ISIathe, 
 Arst Diviline la cite. 
 
 QUant 90 virent les Yrreis 
 Ke venuz iert Dermod li reis 
 E le cunte ensement 
 Od tute ses englesche gent, 
 La unt iurenez 
 Les baruns vassals alosez. 
 De Connoth s'en turnat li reis, 
 Sanz plus dire, a cele feiz ; 
 E les Yrreis de eel pais 
 En lur cuntre sunt partiz.
 
 1638] OF IRELAND. 79 
 
 Mac Turkil Esculf le tricheur 
 
 En la cite remist le jor 
 
 Pur defendre la cite 
 
 De quel il ert clame 
 
 Sire, seignur e avue 
 
 Par trestut la cuntre. 
 
 Dehors les murs de la cite 
 
 Se est li reis herberge ; 
 
 E Richard li bon cuntur, 
 
 Ki des Engleis esteit seingnur, 
 
 Esteit remis od ses Engleis 
 
 E od le cors Dermod li reis. 
 
 Le plus prochein de la cite 
 
 Esteit Milis herberge, 
 
 Li bon Milun de Cog;an 
 
 Ke pus sire de Knoc Brandan: 
 
 ^o est trestut le plus foren 
 
 Ke seit a secle, montaine u plein ; 
 
 E Dermod, li reis gentilz, 
 
 Morice Regan ad tramis 
 
 E par Morice ad nuncie 
 
 A cithiceinz de la cite
 
 80 THE CONQUEST [1660 
 
 Que san delai, san nul respit, 
 S'en rendissent san contredit ; 
 San nul altre contreditur, 
 Se rendissent a. lur seignur. 
 Ostages trente ad demande 
 Li reis Dermod de la cite ; 
 Mes cil dedenz, san mentir, 
 Ne savient entre euz partir 
 Les ostages de la cite, 
 Le quels serreient al rei livre. 
 Hesculf ad dune remande 
 A Dermod le rei preise 
 Que lendemain hastivement 
 Freit tut son commaiidement. 
 
 "]\ yrUlt enuet al barun, 
 
 -^'-■- Icil de Cogan, li bon Milun, 
 
 Ki tant remist le pariement 
 
 Entre le rei e tute sa gent. 
 
 Miles escria tut premer : 
 
 " Barun, Cogan, chevaler !" 
 
 Senz le rei commaiidement
 
 1681] OF IRELAND. 81 
 
 E senz le cunte ensement, 
 Asaili ad la cite. 
 Li ber Miles od sa meyne 
 Par orgoil e par hatie 
 La cite unt dune envaie. 
 Li ber Miles le lose 
 A force ad prise la cite. 
 Devant qu'il sust Dermod le jor 
 U Richard le bon cuntur, 
 Esteit Miles li bier menbre 
 En Diviline en fin entre ; 
 La cite aveit ja conquise 
 E Mac Turkil en fute mise ; 
 E la gent de Develin 
 Fui s'en sunt par marine ; 
 Mes asez i out remis 
 Ke en la cite erent occis. 
 Asez conquist los le jor 
 Miles, qui ert de tel valur; 
 E les baruns alosez 
 Asez troverent richetez, 
 Asez troverent en la cite 
 
 G
 
 82 THE CONQUEST [1703 
 
 Tresor e autre richete. 
 
 Venuz se sunt ai'tant 
 
 Li reis e li quens brochant, 
 
 A la cite sunt venu 
 
 Li reis e li quens andu ; 
 
 E Miles li barun preise 
 
 Al cunte rendi la cite, 
 
 La cite ad Milis rendu, 
 
 E li quens ad dune receu ; 
 
 Asez troverent garisun 
 
 E ben vitaile a grant fuisun. 
 
 Li quens ad dune sojorne, 
 
 Tant cum il plout, en la cite ; 
 
 E li reis est repeire 
 
 Vers Femes en sa cuntre ; 
 
 Mes u la feste Seint Remi, 
 
 Quant alist esteit departi, 
 
 Tost apres le Seint Michel, 
 
 Richard li quens natural 
 
 A Miles ad, sachez, livere 
 
 En guarde pur veir la cite. 
 
 Vers Waterford s'en est turne
 
 1725] OF IRELAND. 83 
 
 Li quens od sa grant meyne. 
 Li quens i ad sojorne 
 Tant cum li vint a gre. 
 A Femes pus demorout 
 En eel yver li rei Dermod. 
 Li reis, qui tant esteit gentils, 
 A Femes gist enseveliz. 
 
 Si est mort h rei Dermot. Propitiiis sit 
 Deus anime \ejus~\ ! 
 
 TUz les Yrreis de la cuntre 
 Sur le cunte sunt turne. 
 Des Yrreis a cele feiz 
 Od lui ne sunt remis que treis : 
 Dovenald Kevath tut premer, 
 Ki ert frere a sa muiller ; 
 De Tirbrun Macheli, 
 Le tiers Awalap O'Carui, 
 E les Yrreis de Okenselath 
 Ki erent reis Murierdath. 
 Icil moveient pus grant guere
 
 84 THE CONQUEST [1745 
 
 Sur le cunte de Leynistere ; 
 E de Connoth, li riche reis, 
 De tut Yrlande les Yrreis 
 A lui les ad fet mander 
 Pur Dyvelin aseger. 
 Icil vindrent a. un jor 
 Que mis lur aveit lur seignur. 
 Quant il erent assemblez, 
 Seissant mil erent armez. 
 A Chastel-Knoc, a cele feiz, 
 De Connoth i out li riche reis ; 
 E Mac Dunleve de Huluestere 
 A Clontarf ficha sa banere, 
 E O'Brien de Monestere 
 A Kylmainan od sa gent fere ; 
 E Murierdath, cum I'entent, 
 Vers Dalkei fu od sa gent. 
 
 LI quens al hure en la cite 
 Esteit, sachez, de verite. 
 Le fiz Estevene de sa gent 
 Al cunte tramist erraument,
 
 1766] OF IRELAND. 85 
 
 Pur lui aider e succure 
 Lui tramist gent a, eel ure. 
 
 Q 
 
 Uant Robert tramis 
 De sa gent ben trente sis 
 Pur eider le cunte Richard 
 Que tant esteit der regard, 
 A Robert sunt curu sure 
 Les traitres tut sen demure ; 
 En la vile de Weyseford 
 Sa gent unt occis a tort, 
 Sa sent unt trestut traiz, 
 Morz, detrenchez e honiz. 
 Dedenz un chastel sur Slani, 
 Solum la geste qui'l cunte ici, 
 Unt Robert les traitres pris, 
 A Becherin en prisun mis ; 
 Chevalers unt cine enfin 
 Enprisunes en Becherin ; 
 E Dovenald i vint O'Kevath 
 E les Yrreis de Okenselath, 
 Venuz esteit a Dyveline
 
 86 THE CONQUEST [1787 
 
 Al gentils cunte eel termine. 
 
 Od lui vint O'Rageli 
 
 E Awelaph autreci ; 
 
 Al quens unt tretut cunte 
 
 Cum Robert fu enprisune 
 
 E cum sa gent erent occis, 
 
 Desconfiz, mors e traiz, 
 
 Le cunt respont aitant : 
 
 " Dovenald, ne fetes j a semblant, 
 
 Ne fetes ja semblant, amis, 
 
 Ke les nos seint bonis." 
 
 T I quens feseit dune mander 
 ^^ Tut li barun conseiller, 
 Que a lui viengent tost parler 
 Ilastivement, san demorer. 
 Robert i vint de Quenei, 
 De Ridelisford i vint Water, 
 Barun noble guerrer ; 
 Moriee i vint ensement 
 De Prendergast, cum I'entent ; 
 E si i vint li bon Milan,
 
 1808] OF IRELAND. 87 
 
 Suz ciel n'i out meillur barun; 
 E Meiller le fiz Henri, 
 E Milis le fiz Davi, 
 E Richard i vint de Marreis, 
 Chevaler nobles & curteis; 
 E Water Bluet i vint. 
 Chevalers baruns desque a xx 
 Venuz sunt a lur seignur, 
 Tut li barun de grant valur. 
 Quant les baruns alosez 
 Al conseil erent asemblez, 
 Conseil ad li quens requis 
 De tuz ces charnals amis : 
 
 " O Eignurs, §o dist li quens vaillans, 
 
 ^ Deu del eel nus seit guarrans ! 
 Veez, seignurs, voz enerais 
 Que ore vus unt ceinz asis ; 
 Si n'avum guer[e]s de manger 
 Avant de quinzeine enter 
 (Kar la mesure de forment 
 Vendeit-l'um un marc de argent,
 
 88 THE CONQUEST [1829 
 
 E de orge la mesure 
 
 Demi marc prist-l'em li eel ure) : 
 
 Pur CO, seignurs chevaler, 
 
 Al rei fesum nuncier." 
 
 Dune li quens alose 
 
 Al rei ad nuncie 
 
 Que sis home devendra, 
 
 Leynistere de lui tendra. 
 
 /^Re, seignurs naturals, 
 
 Al rei de Connoth dous vassals 
 Par voz conseilz transmetrum 
 E le arcevesque enverrum 
 Que feute lui vodra fere : 
 De lui tendrai Leynistere." 
 Un arcevesque unt anvee, 
 Que seint Laurence pus ert clame. 
 Le arcevesque unt dunt tramis 
 E de Prendre[gast] od lui Moriz; 
 Al rei unt dune nuncie 
 Quant le conte out mande.
 
 1849] OF IRELAND. 89 
 
 LI reis lur ad a'ltant dist, 
 Sanz terme prendre u respit ; 
 Respondu ad al messager 
 Que cele ne freit a nul fere ; 
 Ne mes sulement Waterford, 
 Dyvelyne e Weyseford 
 Tant lirreit al cunte Richard 
 De tut Yrrlande a sa part ; 
 Plus ne durreit i mie 
 Al cunte ne a sa compainie. 
 Li messagers sunt turne 
 Vers Dyvelin la cite ; 
 Repeire sunt li messager 
 Hastivement, san demorer ; 
 En haut dient lur message, 
 Oiant trestut li barnage; 
 Al cunte unt dist a estrus 
 Que mande li rei orguluz : 
 Ne li volt plus doner tere 
 En trestut Leynistere, 
 Fur sulement les treis citez 
 Les quels vus ai devant nomez ;
 
 90 THE CONQUEST [1871 
 
 E si 90 ne li vent a gre, 
 Si asaudrunt la cite ; 
 Si eel osfre ne voleit prendre, 
 Plus ne volt le reis entendre ; 
 Kar lendemain, co dist li reis, 
 Asaili serrunt les Endeis. 
 
 /^ Uant le cunte out escute 
 ^"V Que I'arcevesque ad cunte, 
 Dunt feseit li quens hucher 
 Milis de Coo-an al cors lecrer: 
 " Fetes, baruns, tant de gent arraer, 
 Devant isteres al chief premer; 
 Al nun del Pere tut poant, 
 Isterez al premer chief devant." 
 Quarante chevalers ben sunt 
 Od Milis devant al frunt, 
 Seisante archers e sent serjanz 
 Out Milis a sez conianz. 
 Apres, le Gros Reymun 
 Od quarante compaignun, 
 E si out cent pugners
 
 1892] OF IRELAND. 
 
 E cinquante e dis archers ; 
 E pus apres, le bon cuntur 
 Od quarante pugncur, 
 Od cent serjant aduriz 
 E des archerz cinquante dis. 
 Mult esteint ben arniez 
 Chevalers, serjanz e souder. 
 Quant li quens estut issuz 
 Od ces amis e ces druz, 
 Miles 90 mist a chef devant 
 Od deus cenz vassals combatant ; 
 E pus apres, le Gros Reymun 
 Ben od deus cent compainun. 
 A terce conrei, li quens gentils 
 Od deus cent vassals aduris, 
 Dovenald Kevennath veraiment, 
 Avvelaph O'Carui ensement, 
 E de Tirbrun O'Rageli 
 Dunt avez avant 01. 
 Devant esteint o Milun, 
 Cum nus recunte la chansun; 
 Mes les Yrreis de la tere 
 
 91
 
 92 THE CONQUEST [1914 
 
 Ne surent ren de eel afere, 
 
 Des baruns si armez 
 
 E de la bataille aparaillez. 
 
 1% Tllis de Cogan tost ynaus 
 
 -^*-*- Le dreit chemin ver[s] Finglas 
 
 Ver lur cencens a'ltant 
 
 S'en est turne tut bataiit. 
 
 Quant Miles esteit aprochez 
 
 U les Yrreis erent loges, 
 
 Cogan escria od sa voiz : 
 
 " Ferez, al nun de la croiz ; 
 
 Perez, baruns, ne targez mie, 
 
 Al nun Jhesu le fiz Marie ; 
 
 Ferez, chevalers gentils, 
 
 Sur vos mortels enemis." 
 
 Li barun vassals alosez 
 
 E as losfes e as trefs 
 
 Unt les Yrreis asailiz 
 
 E les tente[s] envais; 
 
 E les Yrreis desgarnis 
 
 Par mi les landes sunt fuis.
 
 1935] OF IRELAND. 93 
 
 Fui s'en sunt par la cuntre 
 Comme bestes esgarre. 
 
 REymund le Gros altreci 
 Sovent reclama sein Davi, 
 Les Yrreis ala pursuiant 
 Pur acomplir son talant ; 
 E Ricard, li bon cuntur, 
 Si ben ala fesant le jor, 
 Si ben ala li quens fesant 
 Que tuz erent amervolant ; 
 Et Meiler le fiz Henriz, 
 Que tant estait de grant pris, 
 Se contint si ferement 
 Que se merveillerent la gent. 
 Sent e plus i out ossis 
 En Bain, li il erent assis ; 
 E plus de mil e cine cent 
 I out ossis de cele gent, 
 E des Engleis i out naufre 
 Ne mes un serjant a pe. 
 Le champ esteit remis le jor
 
 94 THE CONQUEST [1955 
 
 A Ricard, le bon cimtiir ; 
 
 Et les Yrreis sunt returnez 
 
 Desconfiz e debaretez. 
 
 Cum Deu volait, ti cele feis 
 
 R.emist le champ a nos Engleis ; 
 
 Tant trovcrent garnesun, 
 
 Ble, ferin e bacun, 
 
 Desque un an en la cite 
 
 Vittaille urent a plente. 
 
 Vers la cite od sa gent 
 
 S'en veit la cunte mult leement. 
 
 LI quens Ricard al cors leger 
 Sa eire fet aparailler, 
 Vers Veisseford volt errer 
 Pur le barun delivrer. 
 Le fiz Estevene le barun 
 Unt les tra'iturs en prisun, 
 De Weiseford liuent enfin 
 En prisun en Bctherin. 
 Divclyn baila a garder 
 Al bon Miles le o-uerrer.
 
 1977] OF IRELAND. 95 
 
 Atant s'en ala le cuntur 
 Ver Weyseford nuit e jor ; 
 Tant ad le cunte espleite, 
 Par ses jornes tant errc 
 E tant de jors e tant de nuiz 
 Que en Odrono est venuz ; 
 Mes les Yrreis de la cuntre 
 Al pas erent assemble, 
 Pur encontrer li quens Richard 
 Asemblez erent une part, 
 Pur asailer les Eng-leis 
 Asemblez erent les Yrreis. 
 Li quens Richard od sa gent 
 Par mi un pas assureraent 
 Quidout ben avant passer 
 Quant lui vint un encumbrer. 
 De Odrono li rei felun, 
 Orian ert de li le nun, 
 En haut s'est dune escrie : 
 " Mar estes, Engles, arive." 
 Icil reliout od lui sa gent, 
 Les Engleis asaili egrement ;
 
 96 THE CONQUEST [1999 
 
 E les Engleis veraiement 
 Se defenderent vassalement; 
 Mcs Meiler le fiz Henriz 
 Le jor enporta le pris. 
 En la bataille, sachez de fi, 
 N'i out meillur ke le fiz Henri ; 
 E mult esteit le jor preise 
 Nichol, un moine a chape ; 
 Kar de une sete oscist le jor 
 De Drone le seygnor. 
 De une sete, cum vus dis, 
 lert O'Rian le jor occis; 
 E Meiler, le bier menbre, 
 De un cop esteit astive 
 De une pere en cele guere 
 Qu'il chancelad a la tere ; 
 Mes quant O'Rian esteit occis, 
 Les Yrreis se sunt partiz. 
 Del boys esteit pus nome 
 Le pas le cunte e clarae 
 Pur yo que la iert asailis 
 Le cunte par ces enemis.
 
 2021] OF IRELAND. 97 
 
 ITA'Eloc s'en est li quens turne 
 -*-^ Vers Weyseford la cite 
 Pur aquiter Robert enprisunc, 
 Dunt vus ai avant cunte ; 
 Mes li culvert traitur 
 N'el voleint rend re al cuntur, 
 Vers Becherin s'en sunt fuiz, 
 E Weyseford unt en arsun mis ; 
 Kar la mer cureit en fin 
 Trestut entur Becherin : 
 Pur go ne pout, sonz mentir, 
 Li gentils quens a euz venir. 
 
 T~AUnc s'en est li quens turne 
 ^~^ Vers Waterford od sa meyne, 
 Al rei de Lymerich ad mande 
 Par ces brefs encele 
 Que il venist en Osserie 
 Od trestut sa baronie 
 Sur Mac Donkid, li reis 
 Que de Osserie teneit les leis; 
 Kar le rei de Lymerich out 
 
 H
 
 98 THE CONQUEST [2042 
 
 La fillo ul riche rei Deniiod ; 
 La fille Dennod del altre part 
 Out li muller le quens Richar, 
 Pur 90 que urent deus sorur. 
 Li reis O'Brien e li cuntur 
 S'en vint enforciblement 
 En Osserie od sa gent. 
 Li quens Richard, le bon cuntur, 
 Encontre O'Brien vint le jor 
 En Odoth od sa gent fere 
 Encontre le reis de Monestere, 
 U dous mil homes erent ben 
 Li gentil quens e reis O'Brien. 
 Mac Donethit un message tramist 
 Desque al conte, qui lui dist 
 Que il volenters vendreit 
 Al cunte u adrescereit 
 La hunte e le meffet 
 Dunt li barun unt retret ; 
 Al cunte vendreit en fin parler 
 Par si que quite s'en pust realer, 
 Ne mes que Moriz li barun
 
 2064] OF IRELAND. 99 
 
 De Prendergast, cum nus chantum, 
 
 A mein le prist sur sa fei 
 
 De sauf condure le riche rei ; 
 
 E Morice tut erraument 
 
 Desque al cunte hastivement 
 
 Ala; li barun gentils, 
 
 La pes del rei del cunte ad pris. 
 
 Li quens li ad respondu ben : 
 
 " Morice, ja mar dutez ren ; 
 
 A mei fetez le rei venir : 
 
 Quant li plena, s'en put partir." 
 
 E Morice, si cum jo crei, 
 
 De chescun barun par sei 
 
 Aveit pris le serment 
 
 Que amener le pust surement 
 
 E sanement s'en pu partir, 
 
 Quant lui venist a pleisir; 
 
 E Morice le vassal 
 
 Atant munta le cheval. 
 
 Si s'en ala aitant 
 
 Cuntre le rei tut brochant, 
 
 Desque en la curt Tad dune mene
 
 100 THE CONQUEST [2086 
 
 Devant le cuncte en sauvete. 
 
 T I quens Tad dune acope 
 -■— ' E tut li barun alose 
 ]\Iac Donehith de Osserie 
 De sa grant trecherie, 
 En quel manere il out traiz 
 Li bon Dermod, le rei gentils. 
 Li reis O'Brien vet conseiller 
 Al oentil cunte ouerrer 
 Qu'il feit prendre li trecheur, 
 Si li feit livrer a deshonur ; 
 E li baruns, san mentir, 
 Le voleint tuz consentir; 
 E reis O'Brien de Monestere 
 Sa gent tramist par la tere, 
 Sa gent feseit partut aler 
 E pur la tere rober, 
 Tant cum Mac Donthid esteit 
 Devant le cunte e pleideit. 
 
 OUant Morice le barun 
 ^ Garniz esteit del trai'sun,
 
 2107] OF IRELAND. 101 
 
 Sa gent feseit par tut mander 
 Que euz se feseat-lcst aimer. 
 Dunt se est Morice.cscri'a: 
 " Baruns, ke ave/ enpense ? 
 Voz feiz avez trespassez, 
 Vers moi estes parjures." 
 Moriz a dist a sa meyne : 
 
 ,< " 
 
 " Muntez, chevalers enseigne. 
 Morice par sa espe ad jure 
 N'i ad vassal si ose 
 Que sur le rei a, icel jor 
 La raeine i met ad deshonur, 
 Lequel seit sen u folie, 
 Ne set par mie la teste asuie; 
 E Richard, li quens vailland, 
 Al barun Morice aitant 
 Mac Donethith ad dune bailie 
 E par la main li ad livre. 
 Atant i munte li barun, 
 Lui e tut si compaignun ; 
 Li reis unt en fin mene 
 Desque en boys en sauvete, 
 La gent O'Brien unt encontre
 
 102 THE CONQUEST [2130 
 
 Que la tere urent robe, 
 E Mtuiz ad dune occis 
 Dc cele gent u.ref u dis ; 
 £ par force e pa-r valcir, 
 De la curte sun seignur 
 Aveit Moriz e sa meyne 
 Li reis en boys le jor mene; 
 E Morice de Prendergast jut 
 Od Mac Donkid icele nuit ; 
 Mt's lendemain la matine 
 S'est Moriz repeire 
 Vers la curt sun seignur, 
 Que tant esteit de grant valur. 
 Les baruns unt Moriz rete 
 Del rei qu'il ad en boys mene, 
 Qui eret enemi mortel 
 A Richard le bon cunte naturel ; 
 Kar cil reis par sa guerre 
 Dermod enjeta de Leynistere; 
 E Morice a sun grant parlee, 
 A son seigneur I'ad baillr, 
 Qu'en sa curt addressereit
 
 2152] OF IRELAND. 103 
 
 De quant qu'il mespvis aveit. 
 
 Asez I'unt replegeez 
 
 De vassals eno-leis alosez. 
 
 QUant fini urent icel pleist, 
 Li reis O'Brien vers Lymeric veit. 
 Li quens s'est dune turne 
 Tut dreit vers Femes la cite, 
 Uit jors ad sojorne 
 Li quens gentil e sun barne. 
 Dune ad li quens partut tramis 
 Vallez, serjanz e mechins; 
 Morthoth O'Brien wnt dune quere 
 A munt, a val, par la tere ; 
 Tant I'unt quis par le pais 
 Que trove I'unt pur veir e pris ; 
 Tut dreit vers Femes la cite 
 O'Brien li fel unc dune mene, 
 Al cunte Font dune livre 
 O'Brien le traitre pruve. 
 Pur 90 que trai avet li fel 
 Derniod li sires dreiturel,
 
 104 THE CONQUEST [2173 
 
 Le fist li quens decoler, 
 
 Le cors a guaignu[n]s pus livrer ; 
 
 Le chetis I'unt tut devore 
 
 E la char de lui mange ; 
 
 E Dovenald Kevenath, xin sun fiz, 
 
 Aveit al cunte mene e pris : 
 
 A Femes erent amdeus occis, 
 
 Veant la gent de eel pais. 
 
 De Okencelath li reis yrreis 
 
 Al cunte vint lores li peis : 
 
 go fu le fel Murtherdath 
 
 Que pus ert reis de Okencelath. 
 
 Li quens li ad dune grante 
 
 De Okencelath la regne ; 
 
 De Leynistere le pleis bailout 
 
 A Dovenald Kevenath, le fiz Dermod. 
 
 Icil deus erent reis clame 
 
 Des Yrreis de la centre. 
 
 En Yrland erent reis plusur 
 
 Cum a I'ures erent les cunturs ; 
 
 Mcs qui tent Mithe e Leynistere 
 
 E Desmund e Munestere
 
 •2195] OF IRELAND. 105 
 
 E Connoth e Uluestere 
 Que jadis tendrent le sis frere, 
 Qui celes tenent sunt chef reis 
 De Yrlande, sulum les Yrreis. 
 
 QlJant le cunte out apeise 
 Les Yrreis de la cuntre, 
 Dune fist li reis engleis mander, 
 Desque al cunte nuncier 
 Que, san delai, san contredit, 
 San terme prendre u respit, 
 Venist li quens hastivement 
 A lui parler deliverement ; 
 E le cunte al eel termine 
 A Milis bailla Develine, 
 Une cite mult loe 
 Que Hatheleyth iert einz nome ; 
 E Waterford la cite, 
 Que Port-Largi esteit clame, 
 Bailla li quens gentil Richard 
 A Gilibert de Borard. 
 Li quens se fist dune aprester,
 
 106 THE CONQUEST [221ti 
 
 Vera Engletere volt passer ; 
 Passer volt li quens gentils 
 Pur parler al rei Henris, 
 Al rei Henri Curt-Mantel 
 Que ert si freres dreiturel : 
 Ses nefs fist dun apariler 
 Pur les undes traverser, 
 Passer volt la haute mer, 
 Al rei engleis irrad parler. 
 Tant c'est li quens espleite 
 Que la mer ad ja passe ; 
 En Gales esteit arive 
 Li quens, que tant esteit dute. 
 
 II quens Richard, Ti cele feiz, 
 -^ A Penbroc trova li riche reis. 
 Li quens gen til de grant valur 
 l^ar dfevant le son seignur 
 Od ses amis e od ses druz 
 Devant son seignur esteit venus. 
 Li gentils quens ad salue 
 Del fiz le rei de maiste;
 
 2237] OF IRELAND. 107 
 
 E li reis de bone part 
 
 Respons donat al cunte Richard. 
 
 Li reis respond aitant : 
 
 " Teu te beneie tut puissant !" 
 
 MEs, cum il me fu cunte, 
 Auques esteit li quens melle ; 
 Li quens gentils de grant valur 
 Melle esteit a sun seignur. 
 Par mensu[n]ge de la gent 
 E par maveise entisement 
 Esteit Richard, li quens gentils, 
 Auques melle al rei Henris. 
 Li riche reis nepurquant 
 Al cunte feseit beu semblant. 
 Semblant ne fist a cele feiz 
 De nul coruce li riche reis ; 
 Mes mult li honura li rei Henriz, 
 Que fiz esteit rcmperiz. 
 Atant cum li pugneur 
 Esteit remis a son seignur, 
 Este-vus un fel aitant
 
 108 THE CONQUEST [2258 
 
 Vers Dyvelin vint siglant; 
 
 Sus Dyvelin iert arivez 
 
 Hesculf INIac Turkil od cent nefs, 
 
 Mult de gent ad od sei menez 
 
 Bien vint mil aprestez, 
 
 De Eir vindrent e de Man ; 
 
 E de Norwiche i vint Johan 
 
 Un vassal, Johan le Deve 
 
 Ad Mac Turcul od sei mene. 
 
 New ert cil riche reis 
 
 De Norwiche, solum les Yrreis. 
 
 A Steine erent arive 
 
 Hescul e Johan le Deve, 
 
 Dehors Dyveline la cite 
 
 Erent iceus aloge ; 
 
 Par la cite asailir. 
 
 La gent firent de nefs issir. 
 
 Armer se fist li bon Milun, 
 
 Lui e tut si compaignun. 
 
 Dcfendre se volt li gentil horn 
 
 Tant cum purrat defension ; 
 
 De par Deu omnipotent,
 
 2280] OF IRELAND. 109 
 
 Defendre se volt vers la gent. 
 
 Atant este-vus un reis 
 
 De eel pais u un Irreis, 
 
 Gylmeholmoth out cil nun, 
 
 A peis esteit al bon INIilun ; 
 
 A Milun i vint cil parler, 
 
 Al barun conseil demander; 
 
 Kar Milun al fer corage 
 
 De eel rei aveit ostage 
 
 Que cil tendreit od le cuntur 
 
 Lealment e nuit e jor. 
 
 Li bon Mile al reis ad dist : 
 
 " Entendez, sire, un petit. 
 
 Voz ostages vus frai livrer 
 
 Seinz e saufz e tuz enter. 
 
 Voz ostages averez par si 
 Que tu faces §o que tu di, 
 Par si que ne seez aidant 
 Ne nus ne euz tant ne quant, 
 Mes que encoste de nus seez 
 E la bataille agarderez 
 Par encoste od ta gent,
 
 no THE CONQUEST [2302 
 
 Si que veez apertemeiit 
 La melle e la bataille 
 Entre nus e euz, san faille ; 
 E, si Deus le nus consent 
 Que seient desconfiz icele gent, 
 Que nus seez od tun poer 
 Eidant pur euz debareter; 
 E si nus seimis recreant, 
 Vus lur seez del tut aidant 
 De nus trencher e occire, 
 Le noz livrer a martire." 
 Li reis li ad ico grante, 
 Sa fei plevie e jure, 
 Quanque Milis li ad dist 
 Freit li reis san nul respit. 
 
 GYlmeolmoch aitant 
 Dehors la cite meintenant 
 Se est cil reis pur veir asis 
 Od eel gent de sun pais. 
 Desur le Hogges de Sustein, 
 Dehors la cite, en un plein,
 
 2323] OF IRELAND. Ill 
 
 Par agarder la melle 
 Se sunt iloque asemble. 
 Pur agarder icel estur, 
 Gylmeholmoch se sist le jor, 
 En une place vereiment 
 Se sist od sa meine gent. 
 
 TT' Ste-vus Johan le Deve 
 ^-^ Vers Dyvelyn tut serre, 
 Vers la cite od sa gent, 
 En dreite la porte del orient, 
 Vers la porte Seint-Marie, 
 La cite unt dune asaillie ; 
 E Milis, od le hardi chere, 
 Un barun vassal out a frere. 
 Ricard out icil a nun, 
 Frere esteit al bon Milun. 
 Icil se feseit ben armer, 
 Od lui ben trent chevaler. 
 Pur la dute del Occident 
 Issus sunt tut privement 
 Si que nuls ne saveit
 
 112 THE CONQUEST [2344 
 
 Nis nul que sunt frere esteit ; 
 E Milis sa gent ad ordine, 
 Defendre voleit la cite, 
 Les serjanz feseit avant aler 
 Pur lanceer e segeter. 
 Icels tut dreit as muraus, 
 Pur defendre les kerneus, 
 Se turnerent ai'tant 
 Li archer e li serjant ; 
 E Miles, que tant esteit hardis, 
 Od tuz les chevalers de pris 
 En lurs chevals erent muntes, 
 Des armes garniz e aprestez. 
 Les gent Johan par hatie 
 La cite unt dune envaie, 
 E les Engleis de grant valur 
 Se defenderent ben le jor ; 
 E Ricard esteit venus, 
 Einz qu'il ert aperceuz, 
 Sur la garde que ert detrefs ; 
 Si's ad fornient escriez. 
 Ilicard s'escrie ai'tant:
 
 2366] OF IRELAND. 113 
 
 " Feres, chevalers vaillant." 
 E li barun par grant vertuz 
 En la presse sunt feruz. 
 Mult fu grant la melle 
 E li hu e la crie, 
 E Johan ad dune assente 
 La noise des trefs e la hue, 
 De la cite s'est partiz, 
 Succurre volt ses amis 
 Ki trefs erent remis, 
 Ne sai le quel, nef mil u dis. 
 Parti s'en est de la cite 
 Icil Johan e sa meyne 
 Pur succure lur gent detrefs 
 Qu'il ne seient debaretez; 
 E Miles li alose 
 Issuz esteit de la cite, 
 Issuz fu od sa gent, 
 Od vassals arraes ben treis cent 
 Estre tut li autre meyne, 
 Archers, serjans e joude a pe. 
 Devant que Miles esteit issuz, 
 
 I
 
 114 THE CONQUEST [2388 
 
 Cine cent erent abatuz ; 
 
 E eels cine cent erent nasfrez 
 
 Que ja ne serrunt resanez. 
 
 /^~\Uant Miles esteit venuz 
 ^'V E vassals engleis menbruz, 
 Miles s'est dune escriez : 
 " Feres, baruns alosez ! 
 Feres, vassals, hastivement ; 
 N'esparniez icel gent!" 
 
 QUant al champ esteit Milun 
 Lui e tut si compaignun, 
 Mut esteint esbauduz 
 Les vassals engleis aduriz. 
 Cum Deu le volt tut poant, 
 Par sa vertu que tant est grant, 
 Solum le dit I'estorie, 
 As Engleis dona la victorie ; 
 Mes des Engleis a icel jor 
 Esteit Ricard de tut la flur. 
 Mut i out grant discipline
 
 2408] OF IRELAND. 115 
 
 O 
 
 De cele gent lee la marine. 
 
 Fui se sunt aitant 
 
 E li petit e li grant 
 
 De eel grant hu qu'erent meue 
 
 Hesculf e Johan le Deve. 
 
 QUant Gylmeholmoch, sachez, li reis 
 Vist fuir les Northwicheis 
 E cil de Eir e cil de Man, 
 La meine Hesculf e Johan, 
 E li reis pur veir se vist 
 Que cil erent desconfist. 
 En pes s'en est li reis saili, 
 A haute voiz hautement cri : 
 " Ore sus, seignurs vassals ! 
 Aidum as Engleis naturals. 
 Ore, sus tost ! si aiderum 
 A bon Ricard e a Milun." 
 E les Yrreis aitant 
 De tut pars vvnt occiant, 
 Occiant wnt de tut pars 
 E de gavelocs e de dars
 
 116 THE CONQUEST [2429 
 
 Icele gent ki erent venus 
 Od Esculf li veil chanuz ; 
 E cil s'en wnt desconfiz 
 En boys, en pleinz, en larris. 
 Que vus devoroie plus dire ? 
 Mil e cine cent artire 
 Erent remis a, icel jor 
 Mors, detrenchez a dolur. 
 Veir 90 dient les asquanz, 
 Dous mil vassals combatanz 
 ^Erent le jor pur veir remis 
 Ki enz al champ erent occis. 
 
 1\ /TEs cil Johan le Deve 
 -^'^ Esteit vassal ben alose ; 
 Kar cil Johan en la raelle 
 Dc une hache ben tempre 
 Cosuit le jor un chevaler 
 Que la quisse lui fist voler, 
 Od tut la hache de fer blanc 
 Lui fist voler la quisse al champe. 
 Bien ad cil le jor occiz
 
 2450] Ol" IRELAND. 117 
 
 De nos Engleis nef u dis ; 
 Mes li bon Milis de Cog-an 
 Occist le devant-dit Johan ; 
 E Ricard le jor, son faille, 
 Hesculf prist en la bataille ; 
 E les chanz e les larriz 
 Erent couvers de occiz. 
 Sachez-le tuz pur veir, san faille, 
 Mout i out en la bataille 
 Le jor en fin destructiun 
 E des Engleis perdicion. 
 
 A Sez i ganerent tresor 
 ^ ^ Les Engleis, argent e or ; 
 E Milis e sa meyne 
 Vers Dyviline sunt turne. 
 Quant venus sunt a la cite, 
 Hesculf unt dune decole ; 
 Pur sa grant desraesure 
 Descole I'unt a dreiture, 
 Pur sun orgoil e ses fous dis ; 
 Pus que Ricard Hesculf out pris
 
 118 THE CONQUEST [2471 
 
 Decole I'unt hastivement, 
 
 Veant la marine gent. 
 
 Fui s'en sunt par la montaine 
 
 Les Noivvicheis e par la plaine, 
 
 Les eskauz as nefs turnerent, 
 
 La mer passer ben quiderent ; 
 
 Mes les Engleis lur sunt detrefs 
 
 Que lur contredient les nefs. 
 
 Si la fuissez a icel jor, 
 
 Des homes Hesculf li trecheur 
 
 V cent veisez le jor plunger 
 
 Desque a la parfund de la mer. 
 
 Issi erent verament 
 
 Desconfiz ia marine gent. 
 
 Le champ urent le jor vencu 
 
 Les Engleis par la Deu vertu. 
 
 Les autres erent departri, 
 
 Mort, nafFrez e deconfiz. 
 
 En lur pais veraiment 
 
 De eel Norwicheis gent 
 
 Ne revindrent que dous miller 
 
 Pur lur dreitures chalenger.
 
 2493] OF IRELAND. 119 
 
 Issi laiTum la reisun 
 Del bon Ricard e de Milun, 
 Del rei engleis vus conterum, 
 Henri od fere facun. 
 
 np'Ant cum li reis unt sur la mer 
 -*- A Penbrocscire pur passer, 
 Atant este-vus al port 
 Traiterez duzze de Weyseford 
 Arive sunt en un batele 
 A Penbroc dreit suz le castel. 
 Tantost cum erent arivez, 
 Vers le castel sunt turnez ; 
 Parler voleint li fel 
 Al rei Henri Curt-Mantel. 
 Tant unt les traitres espleite 
 Que al paleis sunt entre 
 Par devant le rei Henris, 
 Ke fiz esteit I'emperiz, 
 Et si li saluent hautement 
 De Deu le pere omnipotent. 
 Li riche reis erraument
 
 120 THE CONQUEST [2514 
 
 Lur respondi docement 
 
 Ki ben seint venuz, 
 
 Ses bien voillanz e ses druz. 
 
 " ^ I ^El tenez, scire, a folur, 
 
 -^ Co li unt dist li traitur, 
 Si vus dirrura, sacez les tuz, 
 Pur quei eimes venus a vus : 
 Pris awm vostre felun, 
 Robert Fiz Estephene ad nun, 
 Ki jadis vus fist boidie, 
 Sovent grant mal e tricherie ; 
 Plusur^ feiz vus unt fet guerre 
 En Gales e en Engletere, 
 En Yrlande vint od navire, 
 Livrer nus volt a martire, 
 Destrure volt nostre pais, 
 Sovent nus mist de mal en pirs. 
 En un chastel I'awm pris. 
 En prison forte I'awm mis ; 
 A tei rendrum, gentil reis, 
 Que sire estes des Engleis;
 
 2535] OF IRELAND. 121 
 
 E vus, gentil rei preise, 
 
 Descofret ta volente." 
 
 Li reis lur ad respondu : 
 
 " Par tel covenant been seez venu 
 
 Que vus me facez livrer celui 
 
 E pus 90 que frai de lui." 
 
 E cil li unt asuere, 
 
 Pur veir pramis e jure, 
 
 Tantost cum erent passe la mer, 
 
 Al rei Henri, que tant est fere, 
 
 Lui frunt Robert en fin livrer 
 
 E tut li altre chevaler 
 
 Tant cum il unt en prisun 
 
 E en lur possessiun. 
 
 SEignurs, ore vus voil dire 
 Par que li prist si grant ire 
 Li reis, que tant ert enseigne, 
 Del barun Robert I'alose ; 
 Kar li reis veraiment, 
 A ki Engletere apeut, 
 Mut amout li barun
 
 122 THE CONQUEST [2556 
 
 Que cil tindrent en prisun : 
 
 Pur go aveit li reis poiir 
 
 Que li felun traitur 
 
 Le bon Robert feseient murthrir, 
 
 Vergunder u hunir : 
 
 Pur 90 feseit li rei semblant 
 
 De coruz e de ire grant 
 
 Que il aveit vers le barun, 
 
 Pur la dute de traisun 
 
 Ke feseint li tricheur 
 
 Envers Robert li pugneur. 
 
 T I reis I'ad dune mercie 
 *-^ A traitres de lur laute, 
 Ki sun enemi unt pris, 
 En bues e en avans mis, 
 E de CO que pramis I'unt 
 Que Robert livrer li frunt. 
 Atant unt lur congie pris 
 Les traitres del rei Henris, 
 Si s'en wnt vers lur ostal 
 En la cite principal.
 
 2577] OF IRELAND. 123 
 
 Iloec attendrent lur vent 
 Li reis e euz ensement. 
 
 Olez, seignurs, del rei Henriz, 
 Que fiz esteit remperiz, 
 Cum il volt la mer passer 
 E Yrlande conquester 
 Trestut par le loement 
 Del gentil conte, solum la gent. 
 Le rei Henri est dune passez 
 En Yrlande od ses nefs. 
 Li reis ad dune od sei menez 
 Quatre cent chevalers armez. 
 Li rei Henri, quant eskipa, 
 A la Croiz en mer entra ; 
 A Pemleocshire a cele feiz 
 En mer entra li riche reis. 
 Od lui passa li gentil quens, 
 Solum le dist des anciens. 
 A Waterford li gentil reis 
 Ariva od quatre mil Engleis 
 A la Tusseinz veraiment,
 
 124 THE CONQUEST [2598 
 
 Si la geste ne nus ment ; 
 
 Devant la feste sein Maityn 
 
 En Yrlande vint li reis en fin. 
 
 Od le rei erent passez 
 
 Vassals ben aparentes. 
 
 Willame le fiz Audeline 
 
 Od lui vint a eel termine, 
 
 Umfrei de Boiin altresi, 
 
 Le barun Huo^e de Laci. 
 
 Si vint od le cors le rei ^ 
 
 Le fiz Bernard, Robert, co crei. 
 
 Un barun i vint alose, 
 
 Bertram de Verdun iert clame. 
 
 Cuntes, baruns de grant pris 
 
 Asez vindrent od le Henris, 
 
 T I quens par sun eiudegre 
 -■-^ Al rei rendi la cite, 
 Al reis rendi Waterford 
 Par sun gre e par sun cord, 
 Homage de Leynistere 
 Fist a rei de Enoletere,
 
 2619] OF IRELAND. 125 
 
 Li quens de grant valur 
 
 Homage fist a sun seignur. 
 
 Leynistere lui ad grante 
 
 Li riche reis en herite. 
 
 Li rei Henri, al cors gailard, 
 
 Al barun Robert le fiz Bernard 
 
 Waterford ad la cite 
 
 Al fiz Bernard idunc bailie. 
 
 QUant li reis iert arive 
 A Waterford en sauvete, 
 Este-vus les trai'tres, 
 Que de Weyseford erent seignurs, 
 Le fiz Estephene en unt mene 
 Par devant lui en anele 
 En Waterford la cite, 
 Al cors le rei li unt livre. 
 Li reis recent le cors, 
 Veant baruns e cuntors. 
 Hoc I'encupa li reis gentils 
 De quantque il aveit mespris 
 Envers lui, ki ert sun seignur.
 
 126 THE CONQUEST [2640 
 
 Par devant le traitur. 
 
 Le fiz Estephene pleja sun guant, 
 
 Al rei le tendi meintenant : 
 
 De quantque lui saverat retter 
 
 Lui vodrat Robert adrescer 
 
 En sa curt mult volenters 
 
 Par la garde de tuz sez pers. 
 
 Asez le plegerent errant 
 
 Franceis, Flamengs e Normand. 
 
 De Waterford le rei Henris 
 
 S'en turnat od ses marchis, 
 
 Vers Dyvelin od sa gent 
 
 Ala sanz delaement. 
 
 La cite lui rendi errant 
 
 Ricard, li gentil quens vaillant. 
 
 Dyvelin li rei Henri 
 
 A Huge baillad de Laci, 
 
 E cil ad pus garde 
 
 Par commandement le rei la cite ; 
 
 E li reis de Eno-letere 
 
 D'iloc turnat vers Monestere, 
 
 Vers la cite de Cassele
 
 2662] OF IRELAND. 127 
 
 Turnat li reis od sa gent bele, 
 
 U al ore esteit lesse 
 
 De Monestere le archevesche. 
 
 De Cassele turnat avant 
 
 Vers Lysmor li rei pussant. 
 
 Li rei Henri Curt-Mantel 
 
 A Lisnior voleit un chastel 
 
 Fermer : se volt li rei Henriz, 
 
 Que fiiz esteit li emperiz. 
 
 Ne sai pur quei, mes nepurquant 
 
 A eel feiz remist atant. 
 
 T rErs Leynestere s'est turnez 
 ^ Li reis engleis a cele feiz, 
 Ver Leynistere la garnie 
 Turnat od sa cheva[le]rie. 
 Dis e wit sinieins, plus ne meins. 
 Solum le dist as anciens, 
 Remist le due de Normandie 
 En Yrlande od sa baronie. 
 De Normandie a cele feis 
 Esteit dues li riche reis ;
 
 128 THE CONQUEST [2683 
 
 De Gascoine e de Britaine, 
 
 De Peito, de Ango e de Almaine 
 
 Esteit li rei Henris clame 
 
 Sire, solum I'antiquite. 
 
 En Yrlande esteit li reis 
 
 Bien quinzeine e quatre meis. 
 
 En la terre, a mont, a val, 
 
 Errout li reis natural. 
 
 La vitaille esteit trop chere 
 
 Par trestut Leynestere, 
 
 Kar ne lur vint garnesun 
 
 Ne nul autre region. 
 
 A Dyvelin esteit li rei Henriz, 
 
 E a Kyldare li quens gentils. 
 
 Li quens sujorneit 
 
 Od tant de gent cum il aveit. 
 
 Tant cum li reis preise 
 
 En Dyvelin iert la cite, 
 
 Este-vus un mes batant 
 
 De Engletere vint batant. 
 
 Este-vus un messager 
 
 Al rei vint nuncier
 
 2705] OF IRELAND. 129 
 
 Que Henri sun fiz eine 
 Esteit pur vers sur lui turne 
 E qu'il li volt de Normandie 
 Tut tolir la seignurie. 
 
 T Ores fist li rei mander 
 
 -■-^ Huge de Laci tut premer 
 
 E ses cuntes e ses vassals 
 
 E ses baruns naturals. 
 
 Li riche rei ad dune bailie 
 
 Dyvelin en garde la cite 
 
 E le chastel e le dongun 
 
 A Huge de Laci le barun, 
 
 E Waterford del autre part 
 
 Al barun Robert le fiz Bernard. 
 
 Le fiz Estephene a eel termine 
 
 Esteit remis a Dyveline, 
 
 E Meiler le fiz Henri 
 
 E Miles le fiz Davi ; 
 
 Od Huge erent icil remis 
 
 Par commandement le rei Henris.
 
 130 THE CONQUEST [2725 
 
 E 
 
 Ynces que a eel termine 
 Li reis depart! de Dyveline, 
 A Huge de Laci ad done 
 Mithe tut en erite, 
 Mithe donat li guerrer 
 Pur cincquante chevaler 
 Que li barun feist aver 
 Le servise quant eust mester; 
 A un Johan Uluestere, 
 Si a force la peust conquere. 
 De Curti out a nun Johan, 
 Ki pus sufFri meint [a]han. 
 Pus s'en alad li reis al port 
 Vers la cite de Weyseford, 
 Ses nefs feseit aparailler 
 A tut li raestre notinier ; 
 E Ricard li quens preise 
 Vers Femes turnat la cite, 
 Sa fille i ad marie, 
 A Robert de Quenci I'ad done. 
 Hoc esteit le mariage 
 Veant tut le barnage ;
 
 2747] OF IRELAND. 131 
 
 A Robert la donat de Quenci 
 E tut le Duftir altresi, 
 Le conotable de Leynestere 
 E I'ensegne e la banere. 
 Del conte voil ici lesser, 
 A ma materie repeirer ; 
 Wdra, seignurs, sachez de fi, 
 Parler del riche [rei] Henri. 
 
 T I reis demorat a la mer 
 -*-^ A Weyseford pur passer. 
 
 Li reis gentil est done passe, 
 
 A Portfinan arive. 
 
 Od lui passa li boii Milun 
 
 E nieint vassal e meint barun. 
 
 A demi lui de Sein-Davi 
 
 Ariva li rei Henri, 
 
 E li reis vers Normandie 
 
 Alad od sa grant seignurie. 
 
 Pur un sun fiz guerrer, 
 
 Que lui volt deseriter. 
 
 Guerre out li riche reis
 
 132 THE CONQUEST [2768 
 
 En Normandie des Franceys. 
 En Yrlande esteit remis 
 Li gentil quens od ses amis, 
 A Kyldare sujornout 
 Od tant de force cum il out, 
 Sovent alad en Offali 
 Pur rober O'Dimesi. 
 O'Dimesy iert dune clame 
 De OfFali sire e avue. 
 
 LI quens alad en OfFailie 
 Od tut sa chevalerie 
 Pur preer e pur rober 
 O'Dymesi ki tant iert fer 
 Que al cunte deignout parler, 
 Ostages ne li volt livrer, 
 Al cuncte ne volt a pes venir. 
 O'Dyraesy od la sue gent 
 Mult se con tint vassalment, 
 O'Dymesy lores, san mentir, 
 Contre li quens veraiment 
 A qui Leynestere apent.
 
 2789] OF IRELAND. 133 
 
 QUant li cuncte od sa meyne 
 En Offailie esteit entre, 
 Robert feseit dune la tere 
 En boys, en plains, les vaches quere. 
 Quant il aveit assemble 
 La preie de tut la cuntre, 
 Vers Kyldare sunt repeires 
 Les baruns engleis aloses. 
 Li quens esteit al frunt devant 
 Od mil vassals combatant, 
 Le conestable esteit destrefs 
 En I'arere-garde remes. 
 Tut dreit al issir del pas 
 Lur currut sure tost vias, 
 Sur lur currut O'Dymesy 
 E les Yrreis de Offaili ; 
 L'arere-garde unt asailiz 
 Les tuz de eel pais. 
 Le jor enfin esteit occis 
 De Quenci Robert li [genjtis, 
 Que tut I'enseigne e le penun 
 De Leynestere la regiun,
 
 134 THE CONQUEST [2811 
 
 A qui li quens aveit done 
 La concstablerie en herite. 
 Mult fu depleint, sachez de fi, 
 Le barun Robert de Quenci, 
 E mult esteit en grant tristur 
 Pur sa mort sun bon seignur. 
 
 QUant oil Robert esteit occis, 
 Le cors unt ben ensevelis. 
 Une fille pur vers aveit 
 Robert, qui tant gentils esteit, 
 De sa cspuse veraiment, 
 Solum le anciene gent, 
 Que pus iert done a un barun : 
 Phelip de Prendergast out nun, 
 Le fiz Moriz Ossriath, 
 Ki pus vesquist O'Kencelath. 
 De cil Phelip voil lesser, 
 Del gentil cunte voil parler 
 E de un barun chevaler, 
 (Reymund le Gros I'oi nomer) 
 Cum cil barun de grant valur
 
 2832J OF IRELAND. 135 
 
 Al cunte requist sa sorur 
 Que lui donast a muiller 
 E a amie e a per 
 Od tut la conestablie ' 
 De Leynestere le garnie, 
 Desque I'enfant fust de eel age 
 Que tener pust sun heritage 
 La fille Robert de Quenci, 
 Dunt avez avant oi, 
 U desque fud ele done 
 E a tel home marie 
 Qui pust giiier la banere 
 E le seigne de Leynistere. 
 
 REspondi ad li gentils quens 
 Qu'il n'esteit pas conseilles 
 De fere le peticiun 
 Dunt li requist le barun. 
 Atant s'en parti Reymun 
 Lui e tut si compainun, 
 Congie prist par mal talent 
 Del cunte trestut erraument,
 
 136 THE CONQUEST [2852 
 
 En Gales pus en fin passout 
 
 Pur le ire que il out 
 
 Del cunte que lui escondist 
 
 De la requeste que lui requist. 
 
 Issi en tele manere 
 
 Departi Reymund de la terre, 
 
 Vers Gales passa la mer, 
 
 A Karreual a sojorner. 
 
 Del Gros Reymund issi lerrai, 
 
 Del rei engleis vus conterai 
 
 Cum il par messagier tramist. 
 
 Desque al cunte fist nuncier 
 
 En Yrlande par messagier 
 
 Que lui venist en ai'e 
 
 Hastivement en Normandie, 
 
 Kar mult esteit en grant penser 
 
 De sa tere governer 
 
 E de garder sun pais 
 
 Encontre le jouene rei sun fiz; 
 
 E li quens de grant valur 
 
 Pur aider a sun seignur 
 
 La mer passa vers Normandie,
 
 2875] OF IRELAND. 137 
 
 Asez mena chevalerie ; 
 En Yrlande ad lesse 
 Chevalers, serjanz e joude a pe 
 Pur la tere conquester, 
 K'il n'el pussent euoiter 
 La leger gent de eel pais, 
 Que erent tuz ses enemis. 
 
 QUant le cunte naturel 
 Al rei Henri Curt-Mantel 
 Esteit venus par devant, 
 Mult esteit li reis joiant. 
 Dune li ad li reis livre 
 Gisorz en garde la cite, 
 E le eunte par grant docur 
 Respondi a sun seignur 
 Que volunters, sen mentir, 
 Tant li vendreit a pleisir ; 
 La cite en fin gardereit 
 Tant cum al gentil rei plerreit. 
 Tant ad le eunte ben servi 
 A sun seignur le rei Henri
 
 138 THE CONQUEST [2896 
 
 Que li reis, sen feintise, 
 Mult se loeit de sun servise. 
 
 L 
 
 I riche reis sei demande 
 De repeirer en Yrlande, 
 
 Conge donat al guerrer 
 En Yrlande de repeirer. 
 Weyseford clamat li reis 
 Al cunte quit a cele feiz ; 
 Si li baillat la marine, 
 Waterford e Dyveline. 
 Dune fist li reis mander 
 Tut li barun chevaler, 
 Quant il out a Waterford, 
 A Dyveline e a Weyseford, 
 Que deques a lui hastivement 
 Vengent par sun comraandement. 
 Li gentil quens, sachez de fi, 
 En tele manere s'en departi. 
 En mer entra ai'tant, 
 Vers Yrlande va siglant, 
 Siglant va la haute mer
 
 2917] OF IRELAND. 139 
 
 Li gentil cunte guerrer ; 
 Tant ad curru par marine 
 Que venus est a Dy[ve]line. 
 Dune nianda li quens Ricard 
 Le barun Robert le fiz Bernard 
 E tuz le baruns vassals 
 Que se clamerent reals, 
 De Waterford la cite, 
 Chevalers, baruns e meyne, 
 A chescun barun par sei 
 Par le commandement le rei. 
 Que tuz passassent la nier 
 En Normandie li reis aider ; 
 E le cunte derichef 
 A Waterford tramist par bref, 
 As baruns manda altretel 
 De part le rei Curt-Mantel 
 K'il passassent san demore 
 En Normandie li reis succurre. 
 Le fiz Estephene altresi 
 La mer passa al rei Henri ; 
 E Moriz Ossriath,
 
 140 THE CONQUEST [2939 
 
 Ki pus mist en O'Kencelath ; 
 
 E Huge de Laci, qui tant iert fer, 
 
 Pur sa terra herberger, 
 
 Vers Mithe s'en est turne 
 
 Od meint vassal alose. 
 
 De cil Huge ne voil plus dire, 
 
 Des baruns vassals vus voil descrire. 
 
 QUant passes erent les baruns, 
 Tut dreit en joing druvesuns 
 Vers Lundris tut dreit turnerent 
 Od tant de gent cum il erent. 
 A I'ur esteit, sachez, grant guerre 
 Par trestut Engleterre; 
 Kar d'Eschose li riche reis 
 Guerrout li reis engleis ; 
 E de Leycestre lors li quens. 
 Solum li dist des anciens, 
 Sur sun seignur esteit turne 
 E Flemenges aveit mene: 
 Destrure trestut Engletere 
 Quidout cil par lur guerre 
 Tant cum le fiz Temperiz
 
 2961] OF IRELAND. 141 
 
 En Normandie guerrout sun fiz ; 
 
 E li vassal e li barun 
 
 De Engletere la regiun 
 
 Les Flemenges encontre unt 
 
 A la cite Seint-Eadmund. 
 
 Iloec erent deconfiz, 
 
 De Leycestre le conte pris ; 
 
 Deconfiz erent en tel manere 
 
 Par le succurs de Leynestere ; 
 
 E par la force des Yrreis 
 
 Remist le champ a gent engleis ; 
 
 E si refu dedens eel meins 
 
 Li reis pris e conqueis ; 
 
 E les baruns de Yrlande, 
 
 Ki unt este en eel brande, 
 
 En Normandie sunt tuz passez 
 
 E la novele al rei contez 
 
 Cum les Flemengs erent occis 
 
 E le rei d'Eschoce pris. 
 
 " T TA ! dist li reis, Deu, tei alire, 
 
 -*--*- Ki pere estes e creature, 
 Quant fet me avez icel amur
 
 142 THE CONQUEST [2983 
 
 Que pris sunt mi trai'tur." 
 
 Olez, seignurs, baruns vaillant, 
 Que Deus de eel vus seit guarant! 
 Del reis engleis voil lesser, 
 Ki tant par est nobles e fer, 
 Del gentil conte voil parler 
 E de ses envers trei'ter, 
 Cum le conte natural 
 Par Yrlande, a munt, a val, 
 Errout, sachez, od gent fere 
 Par trestut Leynestere. 
 
 DUnc fist le conte passer 
 Un son demeyn latinier, 
 Al Gros Reymund fist nuncier 
 Qui tost ii lui venist parler. 
 Si li durreit a uxor 
 Le gentil conte sa sorur. 
 Dune se aparilla Reymun, 
 Od lui meint vassal barun. 
 A Weyseford sunt arivez,
 
 3003] OF IRELAND. 143 
 
 Solum I'estorie, od treis nefs. 
 
 ATant tramist le Gros Reymun 
 Desque al cunte par un garsun 
 Ki tut li ad le veir cunte, 
 Cum Reymund iert arive, 
 E ke le cunte sun talent 
 Al barun mandast hastivement. 
 Li gentil quens k eel feez 
 A Waterford iert la citez, 
 Desque a Reymund ad mande 
 Que tut li freit sa volente, 
 Si remanda altresi 
 Que desque al iddle de Instepheni 
 Encontre lui a parlement 
 Venist Reymund od sa gent. 
 Dune se aparilla Reymund 
 Lui e tut si compaignun, 
 Desque al iddle est turne, 
 Si cum le conte out mande ; 
 E le conte ensement 
 I vint a mult bele gent.
 
 144 THE CONQUEST [3024 
 
 T I quens gentis de grant valur 
 
 -*-^ I menad lores sa sorur. 
 
 Iloec unt tut purparlee 
 
 Le cunte e li barun menbree 
 
 De sa sorur marier, 
 
 Al Gros Reymund la fra doner. 
 
 D'iloc s'en turnerent errant 
 
 Vers Weyseford combatant 
 
 Sa sor i ad li quens mene, 
 
 Al Gros Reymund I'ad dune done 
 
 E le seigne e la banere 
 
 De trestut Leyniestere, 
 
 Desque I'enfant seit del age 
 
 Que tenir pent son heritage 
 
 La fille Robert de Quenci, 
 
 Dunt avez avant oi'. 
 
 IV TEs pus la prist un vassal, 
 -^*-*- Phelip, un barun natural : 
 De Prendergast esteit clame, 
 Un barun vassal alose. 
 ^o fu celui, sachez tuz,
 
 3045] OF IRELAND. 145 
 
 K'al matin iert greins e nus, 
 Apres manger frans e duz, 
 Curteis, largis as trestuz ; 
 Tant cum la cape out fuble, 
 De ire esteit tut dis enfle ; 
 Quant al matin fust digne, 
 Sus eel n'ut home plus heite. 
 Icil tint plus longement 
 Le conestablie, solum la gent ; 
 Mult esteit icil preise, 
 De tute gens esteit ame, 
 Asez esteit de fer corage 
 E de mult grant vassallage. 
 Be lui ne voil ici conter, 
 A ma materie voil repeirer : 
 Ws dirrai, seignurs, gentil barun, 
 Parler voil del Gros Reymun, 
 Cum le cunte guerrer 
 Sa sor donat a muiller ; 
 Fothord li donat li cuntur 
 A mariage od sa sorur ; 
 Pus li ad, sachez, done 
 
 L
 
 146 THE CONQUEST [3067 
 
 Odrono tut en herite, 
 
 E Glaskarrig ensement 
 
 Sur la mer ver le orient ; 
 
 Sur la mer donat Obarthi 
 
 A Hervi de Momorci. 
 
 Li quens Ricard le vaillant 
 
 A Moriz de Prendergast devant 
 
 Fernegenal aveit done 
 
 E par son conseil conferme 
 
 Devant li quens preise 
 
 En Yrlande fust arive ; 
 
 C. feiz li dona par tele divise 
 
 Pur dis chevalers servise. 
 
 Si en Fernegenal mist sun plein, 
 
 Si I'ust Moriz del plus prosein. 
 
 Ne sai coment, sachez, Robert 
 
 La tint pus, fiz Godebert ; 
 
 Karebri donat al bon Meiler, 
 
 Ki tant esteit nobles ber ; 
 
 Li quens Ricard pus donout 
 
 A Moriz le fiz Geroud ; 
 
 Lenas donat le bon cuntur
 
 3089] OF IRELAND. 147 
 
 Al fiz Geroud od tut le onur : 
 
 ^o est la terre de Ofelan 
 
 Ki fud al traitur Mac Kelan ; 
 
 Si li donat Winkinlo 
 
 Entre Bree e Arklo : 
 
 (^o fud la tere de Kylmantan, 
 
 Entre ad Cleth e Lochgarman. 
 
 Li gentil quens altresi 
 
 Vint feiz en Omorethi 
 
 Donat en fin a Water 
 
 De Riddelisford, li guerrer ; 
 
 Johan de Clahaule la marchausie 
 
 De Leynestere la garnie 
 
 Od tut la tere, sachez de fin, 
 
 Entre Eboy e Lethelyn; 
 
 A Robert de Burmegam 
 
 OfFali al west de Osfelan ; 
 
 Adam de Erford ensement 
 
 Donat riche feffement ; 
 
 E a Milis le fiz Davi, 
 
 Ki tant esteit prive de li, 
 
 O Robert en Osserie 
 
 Li ad done a sa partie ;
 
 148 THE CONQUEST [3112 
 
 A Thomas le Flemmeng ad done 
 Ardri, veant son banie ; 
 Ofelineth donad sur la mer 
 Li quens a un chevaler, 
 A Gilebert de Borard 
 Donad li quens a sa part ; 
 Li gentil quens, que tant fu fer, 
 Xv. feiz donat sur la mer 
 A un barun chevaler: 
 Reinand I'oi nomer. 
 Li quens Ricard fiz Gilbert 
 Le Norrath donad a un Robert, 
 Ki pus esteit pur veir occis 
 En Connoth par ses ennemis. 
 En tel manere li quens preise 
 Sa tere ad partie e done. 
 Del gentil conte issi larrai, 
 De Huge de Laci vus conterai, 
 Cum il fefFa ses baruns, 
 Chevalers, serjanz e garsunz. 
 
 CHastel-Knoc tut premer donat 
 A Huge Tyrel, k'il tant amat ;
 
 3134] OF IRELAND. 149 
 
 E Chastel-Brec, solum Vescrit, 
 
 A barun Willame le Petit, 
 
 Marcherueran altresi 
 
 E la tere de Rathkeuni ; 
 
 Le Cantref pus de Hadhnorkur 
 
 A Meiler, qui ert de grant valur, 
 
 Donad Huge de Laci 
 
 Al bon Meiler le fiz Hervi ; 
 
 A Gilibert de Nangle en fin 
 
 Donat tut Makerigalin ; 
 
 A Jocelin donat le Nouan 
 
 E la tere de Ardbrechan 
 
 (Li un ert fiz, li altre pere. 
 
 Solum le dit de la mere) ; 
 
 A Richard tuit ensement . 
 
 Donad riche feffement ; 
 
 Rathwor donat altresi 
 
 Al barun Robert de Lacy ; 
 
 A Richard de la Chapele 
 
 Tere donad bone e bele ; 
 
 A GefFrei de Constentyn Kelberi 
 
 A memes de Rathei Marthi :
 
 150 THE CONQUEST [3156 
 
 E Sc'ii ad pus enchartre, 
 
 Adam de Feipo I'ad pus done; 
 
 A Gilibert de Nungent, 
 
 A Willani de Muset ensement 
 
 Donat teres e honurs, 
 
 Veant baruns e vassalirs ; 
 
 Vj al baiun Huge de Hose 
 
 Terre bele ad pus done ; 
 
 Adam Dullard altresi 
 
 La terre de Rathenuarthi ; 
 
 A un Thomas ad done 
 
 De Cravile en herite 
 
 Eymelath Began tute en peis 
 
 (Al nor est de Kenlis), 
 
 Lachrachalun ensement ; 
 
 E Sendouenath, solum la gent, 
 
 Donat Huge de Lacy 
 
 A cil Thomas, sachez de fi; 
 
 Grandone pus a un barun, 
 
 Ricard le Flemmeng out a nun, 
 
 XX feiz li donat veraiment, 
 
 Ri la geste ne vus ment.
 
 3178] OF IRELAND. 151 
 
 Un mot fist cil Jeter 
 Pur ses enemis grever, 
 Chevalers retint e bele gent, 
 Archers, serjanz ensement 
 Pur destrure ses enemis : 
 Sovent les mist de mal en pirs ; 
 Mes pus lur survint O'Karvel 
 Ki reis esteit de Yriel, 
 E Mac Donleue le felun 
 De Uluestere la regiun. 
 Ororig i fud en fin, 
 E le rei Malathlin. 
 Bien vint mil a eel feiz 
 Lur survindrent gent yrreis ; 
 Mu'it egrement lur asaillerent, 
 E les baruns se defendirent. 
 Tant zum. wnt, defension 
 Aver poreint en lur meison ; 
 E les "Vrreis de tutes pars 
 Gavelocs lancerent e dars. 
 La meyscn unt pur veir mal mise 
 E la meyr.e dedens occise ;
 
 152 THE CONQUEST [3200 
 
 Mes mult i out einz occis 
 Des Yrreis del north pais. 
 Sachez, Les tuz en tel manere 
 Esteit herberge la tere 
 E de chastels e de cites, 
 De dunguns e de fermetes 
 Ki ben est aracinez. 
 Les gentils vassals aloses 
 E le cunte out ja conquise 
 De Leynestere ses enemis ; 
 Kar vers sei aveit Murtherdath, 
 E pus Dovenald Keuanath, 
 Mac Donthod e Mac Dalwi, 
 O'Morthe e O'Dymesi, 
 O'Duvegin le veil flori, 
 O'Brien de Dufthre altresi, 
 Gylmeholmoc e Mac Kelan, 
 E de O'Barthy O'Lorcan ; 
 E tuz les ostages de pris, 
 De Leynestere les plus gentils, 
 Out li quens, sachez, vers sei 
 Solum le anciane lei ;
 
 3222] OF IRELAND. 153 
 
 E cil de Laci pus Hugun 
 
 A Trym ferraa une meisun, 
 
 E fosse jeta envirun, 
 
 E pus I'enclost de hireson ; 
 
 Dedens la meysun ad pus mis 
 
 Chevalers baruns de grant pris, 
 
 Pus comandast le castel 
 
 En la gard Huge Tyrel, 
 
 Al port ala pur passer 
 
 Vers Engletere la haute mer ; 
 
 Mes de Connoth I'entendeit 
 
 Li reis, qui a eel contemple esteit, 
 
 Que Huge un chastel aveit ferme : 
 
 De la novele esteit ire. 
 
 Sun host feseit a sei venir, 
 
 Le chastel irra asaillir. 
 
 O'Chonchor tut a estnis, 
 De Connoth li reis orgullus, 
 Od sei menad O'Flaverti, 
 Mac Dermot e Mac Herathi, 
 Reis O'Kelli de O'Mani,
 
 154 THE CONQUEST [3243 
 
 O'Harthire e O'Hinnathi, 
 
 '> 
 
 O'Cabre e O'Flannegan, 
 E pus don O'Manethan, 
 O'Dude e O'Manethan, 
 O'Sathnessy de Poltiletlibau; 
 Si alad le reis Molethlin 
 E reis O'rorig sun veysin, 
 De Kinel O'Neil O'Malori 
 E Mac Douleue altresi ; 
 Si alad reis O'Karuel 
 E Mac Tawene, qui tant ert fel, 
 Mac Scilling e Mac Artan 
 E fel Mac Garragan ; 
 Makelan tut ensement 
 1 alad od la sue gent ; 
 De Kinelogin O'Nel li reis 
 Od sei menad trei mil Yrreis. 
 Assemblez erent les Norreis 
 E de Lethchoin trestut les reis, 
 Vers Tryni pristrent a cheminer 
 Pur le chastel agravanter; 
 E li barun Huge Tyrel
 
 3265] OF IRELAND. 155 
 
 Desque al cunte un daraisel 
 
 11 envea trestut brochant 
 
 Sur un cheval asez curant, 
 
 Que al cunte descrit trestute 
 
 La novele tut de buche : 
 
 Que assembles erent les Norreys 
 
 E de Lescoin trestut les reis 
 
 Pur abatre le dongun, 
 
 Le chastel e le hirefun. 
 
 " Par mei vus mande li barun 
 
 Li veil Tyrel de Trym Hugun 
 
 Que tu le seez de tut aidant 
 
 O tun force e sucurrant." 
 
 E li cunte lui pramis ad 
 
 Que il de buche lui eiderat. 
 
 TUz fist somundre sa gent 
 Par Leynestere hastivement. 
 Quant assemblez esteint tuz, 
 Vels, jovenes, bloys e ruz, 
 Vers Trym penserent de errer 
 Pur les Norreys encuntrerj
 
 156 THE CONQUEST [3286 
 
 Mes einz ki li gentil quens 
 Venus esteit od les sens, 
 Aveit Huge veraiment 
 Del tut guerpi le mandeiuent 
 Pur CO qu'il n'aveit a fors 
 Dedens la meisun ne deors 
 De melle rendre ne estur 
 San I'aide del cuntur. 
 Quant les Engleis erent partis 
 E lur meysun urent guerpiz, 
 A [T]rym vindrent les Yrreis. 
 La somme dirrai de meis 
 Cumben erent ne quant miller ; 
 Kar tenu sarrai mensonjer. 
 La mot firent tut degeter, 
 Desque a la tere tut verser, 
 E la meysun tut premer 
 De fu ardant estenceler. 
 
 QUant acompli urent lur feiz, 
 Si s'en sunt trestut retreiz ; 
 De returner unt fet semblant
 
 3307] OF IRELAND. 157 
 
 Vers lur pais li fel tyrant ; 
 
 E li cunte, que taiit iert fere, 
 
 Ver Trym pensout d'esperimere 
 
 Pur la meysun guarantir, 
 
 Si il la hore pust venir. 
 
 Vers Trym s'en veit li quens brochant 
 
 E od lui meint vassal vaillant ; 
 
 Mes quant li quens esteit venus, 
 
 Sur I'ewe esteit lores descenduz ; 
 
 Kar il n'i trova en [e]stant 
 
 Meysun, bordel, petit ne grant, 
 
 U il se peust dedens eiser 
 
 Ne eel nuit herberger. 
 
 LOres fist li quens hucher, 
 Par tut Tost commander 
 Que tuz montasent errant ; 
 Atant se mist al ferrant, 
 Si s'en ala chemin dreiture 
 Pursuant a grant alure. , 
 Tant s'en est li quens penez 
 Qu'il atenist la gent detrefs.
 
 158 THE CONQUEST [3328 
 
 Si lur curut hastivement 
 
 Sanz nul arestement ; 
 
 E les Yrreis ki erent nuz 
 
 Se sunt lores responduz, 
 
 La set, la wit, la treis, la quatre, 
 
 Si que nul ne tint a altre ; 
 
 E li quens ad dune occis 
 
 De cele gent set vint e dis ; 
 
 Pus fet, sachez, retur 
 
 Vers Dy veline od grant baudur ; 
 
 E Huge Tyrel ver Trim ala, 
 
 Sa fortelecce referma, 
 
 Pus I'ad garde par grant honur 
 
 Desque la venue sun seignur; 
 
 E li quens par Leynestere 
 
 Errant va, avant, arere. 
 
 Tan qu'il se prist a conseiller 
 
 Qu'il wdra en fin errer 
 
 Sur Dovenald O'Brien li reis 
 
 Par le conseil de ses Engleis. 
 
 Son ost se mist tut a estrus, 
 
 De Leynestere les plus vigrus,
 
 3350] OF IRELAND, 159 
 
 Que tuz fussent atendanz, 
 Veiles, jouenes, petiz e granz, 
 A la banere e al penun 
 Le conestablie le Gros Reymun. 
 
 O Eignurs, que Deu vus seit amis, 
 ^-^ Chevalers, serjanz e mechins ! 
 Dirrai vus de un chevaler, 
 Reymund le Gros I'oi noraer; 
 Barun esteit icil vaillant, 
 Vassal, hardi e conquerant, 
 Aseez erent riches e manant 
 E de ses peres le plus puissant ; 
 Conestable est Reymun 
 De Leynestere la regiun ; 
 Chevalers retint e bone gent 
 Par le cunte commandement, 
 Chevalers tint e souders, 
 Archers, serjanz e poigners 
 Pur mettre ha hunte e a bellei 
 De Yrlande les enemis le rei.
 
 160 THE CONQUEST [3370 
 
 ENtendez, seignurs, bone gent, 
 Si orrez ja apertement : 
 De un chevaler vus voil cunter 
 E barun, noble guerrer, 
 De le conestable le Gros Reymun, 
 Cum il son est par tut somun 
 A munt, a val, en la tere, 
 Par Mithe e par Leynistere, 
 Trestut la bachelerie 
 Bien garnie e ben arrae, 
 Chevalers, serjanz e souders 
 
 Des armis garniz e aprestez, 
 
 Contre Reymund en Osserie 
 
 Vienge icel baronie, 
 
 E il la fra avant giner 
 
 Sur reis O'Brien, que tant est fere. 
 
 Li reis yrreis de Osserie 
 
 Irrad en lur corapaingnie, 
 
 Ki I'ost, 50 dist, pur veir menera 
 
 Sur reis O'Brien e guiera, 
 
 Desque a Limeric la cite 
 
 Les guiera en sauvete.
 
 3392] OF IRELAND. 161 
 
 Que vus irra plus contant, 
 Plus ne meins, petit ne grant ? 
 Quant Tost esteit assemble, 
 Vers Monestere est dune turne ; 
 E li reis de Osserie 
 Devant prime les guie, 
 Vers Monestere les guia, 
 Sur reis O'Brien eel ost mena. 
 
 MEs Reymund, solum la gent, 
 N'el cruit pas parfitement 
 Devant qu'il eust asure, 
 Sa fei pleine e jure 
 Qui ja ne li feist boidie, 
 Treisun nul ne tricherie 
 A lui avant ne a sa gent ; 
 E li reis hastivement 
 Li dist lores en oiance : 
 " Ja mars averez de co dutance; 
 Eincez tut dreit vus guierai 
 E sur ma fei vus pleverai." 
 
 M
 
 162 THE CONQUEST [3412 
 
 QUant li reis aveit 90 dist, 
 Eirent avant sen contredist, 
 Eirent la nuit e lendeman 
 Tel hore en boys, tel hore en plein, 
 Que a un cite vindrent joe 
 Que Lymeric esteit nome. 
 Enclose esteit la cite 
 De ewe, de mur, de fosse. 
 Que tuz iceuz de cest munde 
 Ne passereient san nef u ponde 
 Ne en yver ne en este 
 Ne mes par un mauveise gue. 
 Passerent ultre le jor premer 
 Le fiz Henri, li ber Meiler. 
 Pur 90 deist-il par reisun : 
 " Del gue Meiler I'apelerum ;" 
 Kar quant I'ost de Leynestere 
 A Lymeric vint en tele manere, 
 Desque al ewe esteit venus 
 Que turner volt sen fere plus. 
 Quant un chevaler de Seint-Davi, 
 Ki de sa tere esteit nurri
 
 3434] OF IRELAND. 163 
 
 (Meiler out nun le fiz Henri), 
 
 A haute voiz leve un cri ; 
 
 Le fiz Henri, le ber Meiller, 
 
 En haut se prist a hucher, 
 
 Devant ala escriant : 
 
 " Passez, chevalers : q ue alez targant ? " 
 
 En I'ewe §o mist icil errant 
 
 Ultre la port le cheval blanc. 
 
 Quant passe esteit le chevaler, 
 
 Sein Davi ! escriad haut e cler ; 
 
 Kar il esteit seignur 
 
 Suz darapne Deu le creatur, 
 
 E li chevaler par grant ducor 
 
 Sein Davi reclama nuit e jur 
 
 Que iui fust en ai'e 
 
 De conquerre chevalerie, 
 
 Vertu li donat e loz e pris 
 
 Encuntre tuz ses enemis. 
 
 Sovent reclama sein Davi 
 
 Que il n'el mest en obli, 
 
 Que force Iui donat e vigur 
 
 Entre ses enemis le jor.
 
 164 CONQUEST or IRELAND. [3456 
 
 A Pres lui passerent asez 
 -^^ Barun, chevalers ben armez. 
 Einz qu'il fussent tuz passez, 
 
 Meint i out le jor neez. 
 
 * * # # #
 
 GLOSSARIAL NOTES AND 
 OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 P. 1, 1. 1 and 8. latimer, MS. 
 
 1. 3. faz, I make. Mod. French, /ajs. 
 
 1. 5. buche, mouth. IMod. French, bouche. 
 
 1. 6. A'icesf/VstCNti/fa.who dictated this account, 
 this relation. 
 
 1. 9. ke, who. 
 
 1. 10. lirrai, I will leave. Mod. Fr. laisserai. 
 P. 2, 1. 15. amale, amiable. — hailes. ? 
 
 1. 16. postt, power, powerfulness. 
 
 1. 23. urreis, Irish. 
 
 1. 32. tniin, stock. Mod. Fr. tronc. 
 P. 3, 1. 33. veil, old. 
 
 1. 37. seingn^s, learned, well-bred. 
 
 1. 41. amuiit, loved. 
 
 1. 44. poer, power. 
 
 1. 52. pur veil-, truly, indeed. 
 
 1. 53. reignc, queen. This word is perhaps for 
 riens, res, thing. 
 P. 4, 1. 58. Que tnt freit sa volunt6, that she would 
 do all his will. 
 
 1. 59. ke, who. 
 
 1. 60. de richef, again. Mod. Fr. derechef. 
 
 1. 65. la ramist : ?. Is it not to be read I'aramist ? 
 
 1. 66. Saver al rei Dermod freit, she would make 
 known to King Dermod. 
 N
 
 166 GLOSSARIAL N'OTES 
 
 P. 4, 1. 74. Que a luiviengent sail demure, they shon\d 
 
 come to him without delay. 
 P. 5, 1. 82. deliverement, speedily. 
 
 1. 83. Par le rei commaiidement, by the king's 
 
 command. 
 1. 92. sic ; but read : veimt. 
 P. 6, 1. 100. se pleuiout, complained. 
 1. 102. fere, fierce, stubborn. 
 ]. 104. seingiiurs, lords. — re (so we must 
 read), king. 
 
 lores, then. Mod. Fr. brs, alors. — 
 menout, led. 
 
 sic ; but read : De ci k'en mi Kencelath, 
 from thence to the midd'e of Kencelath. 
 Hoc, there. — 5o/»m, according to. INIod. 
 Fr. selon. 
 
 sojorn, abode. Mod. Fr. sejour. 
 dolusaut, sorrowful. 
 P. 7, 1. 123. vjexitie, people, men. 
 
 , J'eseit, he would cause, make. Mod. 
 
 Yr.Jk. 
 . pout, could. 
 , fausit, should not fail. 
 
 sic; but read : 7»rt»u's, promised. 
 , Que reis li fruut en eel pais, that they 
 will make him king in tliis country. 
 1. 132. S'il pount en geiter, if they can throw 
 
 out of it. 
 1. 134. s'en turnout, turned from there. 
 P. 8, 1. 142. sic; but read : guaigmm, dogs. 
 
 1. 143. This word chanson, song, is the name 
 given to our p; em, for all the poems in 
 the xiilli and xiiith centuries, and per- 
 haps before, were sung. 
 
 seignurs, bienests6u,etn'estpaslunge- 
 ment, 
 estoient cil proisie et servi largemenl 
 qui chanloieut les faiz des anciene gent. 
 
 1. 
 
 105. 
 
 1. 
 
 107. 
 
 1. 
 
 109. 
 
 1. 
 I. 
 1. 
 1. 
 
 110. 
 112. 
 123. 
 124, 
 
 1. 
 1. 
 1. 
 
 i. 
 
 12.5, 
 128, 
 130. 
 131,
 
 AKD OBSERVATIONS. 167 
 
 {le Siege de Jerusalem, Bodleian MS. 
 No. 4093, Ilatton 77 [formerly 68], at 
 the beginning.) 
 P. 8. 1. 144. acomplerum, we will fulfil. Mod. Fr. 
 accompliroiis. 
 1. 149. pareiiis, relatives. Mod. Fr. parents. 
 1. 154. fuaiit, flying. I\Iod. i'r. fiiyatit. 
 1. 156. ren, thing. Mod. Fr. rien ; Lat. re*, 
 
 rem. 
 1. 157. sic ; but read ; son seigiuir, [to] his lord. 
 P. 9. 1, 162. S(ijirrnuut, lived, remained. ^Rloti. Fr. 
 sejoiiriioit, 
 1. 166. se pui-pensout, thought of. 
 1. 167. veidie, cunning, trick. 
 1. 168. cum il pust, how he could. 
 I. 173. pruvere, priest. 
 
 1. 175. eel Jets, this time. Mod. Fr. cettefois. 
 I. 176. son, his. — dengin, dungeon. Mod. Fr. 
 donjon. 
 P. 10, 1. 181. Si pur moine r^uler, unless ioT 3. reguldiT 
 monk. 
 1. 162. pattnier, palmer. 
 I. 184. Perhaps one must punctuate thus : 
 
 LeJ'el, quant vit le rei, errant 
 
 Vers la forest, etc. 
 (The felon, when he saw the king, 
 directly towards the forest, etc.) 
 
 1. 187. ccnustre, to know, to recosnise. 
 1. 190. que:, what. ]\lod. Fr. quoi. 
 1. 191. sic; but read: mun, my, 
 1. 192. sic ; but read : si I', if it. 
 i. 195. irascu, cross, enraged. 
 1. 196. tristur, sorrow. 
 P. 11, 1.201. fuiteis, courteous. Mod. Fr. courfois. 
 1. 210. sic ; but read this line thus: 
 
 E que il le voleient prendre. 
 [.\nd that they would take him.]
 
 168 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 I. 212. sic. I do not understand this word, un- 
 less it is esgnart. 
 1. 214. sic ; but the right reading is purloin- 
 gnaiit, delaying-. 
 P. 12, 1. 218. toilet, stolen. — reingni, kingdom. 
 1. 219. li, him. 
 1. 220. exuie, exiled. 
 1. 221. sic ; but read thus this line : 
 
 A Korheran est eschtppe. 
 [Has embarked at Korkeran.] 
 
 I. 222. waives, or waives : 1 
 
 1. 227. seismtte neis, sixty ships. 
 
 1. 230. avaiut, they had. JNIod. Fr. avoient. 
 
 1. 231. pernevt, they take. Perhaps it should 
 be better to erase the slop which is 
 at the end of this line, and to put one 
 at the end of the following line. 
 
 1. 233. meinies, ? monks. 
 P. 13, 1. 243. poestifz, powerful. 
 
 1. 259. seignur : (seign, IMS.) ? Is it not: of 
 which he was called lord? 
 P. 14, 1. 260. al einz qii'il pout, as fast as he could. 
 
 1.261. cur*, court. IMod. Fr. cour. — Purveir, 
 truly, indeed. 
 
 1. 263. juant, joyful, glad. 
 
 1. 268. celejiez, this time. Mod. Fr. cettefois. 
 
 1. 270. curteisemeiit, courteously. Mod. Fr. 
 coiirtoisement. 
 
 1. 272. he meint, who lives (qui manet). 
 
 1. 273. vus ward et saut, may guard and save 
 you! 
 
 1. 274. donge, may give. 
 
 1. 277. Innite, have. 
 
 1. 279. dune su nez, from whence I am born. 
 P. 16, 1. 284. venc, I come. 
 
 1. 286. ((, thy. 
 
 1. 287. sic ; but read : mis. 
 
 1. 288. Par si que mai seez aidant, Rt the con- 
 dition you would be aiding me.
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 169 
 
 1. 289. Que ne sei de tut perdant, not to lose at 
 all. 
 
 1. 290. tei, thee. 
 
 1,291. cuKtur, counts, earls. 
 
 1. 294. volu liters, willingly. Mod. Fr. volon- 
 tiers. 
 
 1. 297. al repeirer, to the return. 
 P 16, 1. 302. cum U I'ont clier, had he him dear. 
 
 1. 303. Quant que il eust mester, all he might 
 want. 
 
 1. 309. Ke saiquel, quinzein u un meins, I do 
 not know which, a fortnight or a 
 month. 
 
 1. 311. asez aver, to have enough. 
 
 1.313. leleiz: t 
 
 1. 314. verreiment, truly. 
 
 1. 315. for de pramesse, except promise. 
 
 1.318. sic; but we must read : pramis. 
 P, 17, 1. 330 et 331. mat, much. 
 
 1. 332. acun socurs, some assistance. 
 
 1. 339. fute, flight. 
 
 1. 340. muller, wife. Lat. mulier. 
 
 1. 341. ust, had. JMod. Fr. eut. 
 
 1. 343. durreil, he would give. Mod. Fr. 
 donneroit. 
 P. 18, 1. 3-54. lelment, loyally. 
 
 1. 355. tui, thee. 
 
 1. 356. en iceis, in these things. 
 
 1. 360. 7ie pus, I cannot (go out). 
 P. 19, 1. 366. pleit, speech. 
 
 1. 368. Jinnat, he ended. Mod. Tv.finit. 
 
 1. 375. mere, sea. Mod. Fr. mer. 
 
 1. 380. a rare, at this hour. 
 P. 20, 1. 394. dium, we say. Mod. Fr. disons. 
 
 1. 395 and 397. dtlivere, or better deliver^, li- 
 berated. Mod. Fr. iltlivr^. 
 
 1. 396. Par la requeste ti riche reis, by the re- 
 quest of the rich king. 
 
 1. 402. passout, passed. Mod. Fr. passoit.
 
 170 GLOSSAHIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 20, 1. 405. giierreis, warriors. Mod. Fr. guerriers. 
 P. 21, 1. 414. leru/if, were.erant ; or shall be, erunt. 
 1. 423. liitimer, MS. 
 
 1. 424. After this line, one is wanting to com- 
 plete the rhyme. 
 1. 428. lue deners, hired with pence. The 
 
 MS. has deiters. 
 1. 429. ])t, foot. Mod. Fr. pied. 
 P. 22, 1. 431 and 435. vodra, voidra, will, wishes. 
 Mod. Fr. voiidra. 
 1. 436. llichement lus fraifpffer, richly I will 
 cause them to have feofled. 
 
 1.437. diirra, he will give; but perhaps we 
 
 must read durrcii, I will give. If 
 this reading were adopted, the in- 
 verted commas should be put at the 
 end of the following line. 
 
 1.438. estor: ?. Perhaps dtoe, garments. 
 1.441. fo. Perhaps sfi, himself. 
 
 1. 448. pnetifs, powerful. 
 P. 23, 1. 452. des 'acez : ? 
 
 1. 454. Se'i utime cumpaignunSf with eight com- 
 panions. 
 
 1. 461 and 469. Barme, this word is dubious in 
 the MS. 
 P. 24, 1. 475. Itement, gladly. 
 
 1. 476. pur ver, to see. Mod. Fr. pour voir. 
 
 \. ilS. fechelis : ? 
 
 1. 485. tant tost, directly. Mod. Fr. tantot. 
 
 1. 491 and 495. saut, assault, attack. 
 P. 25, 1. 496. Desque i fad aseiri, till the evening 
 came. 
 
 1. 498. U atoez, either the praised (speaking of 
 the king) or tiie hired men. In the 
 latter case, a comma must be put 
 before this word. 
 
 1. 504. fenie, oath of vassalage. 
 
 1. 505. baronc, baronage. 
 
 1. 508. resout, received.
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 171 
 
 P. 25, 1. 515. sojourner, give rest to. 
 
 1. 516. sojnniitiit, remained. 
 P. 26, 1.519. tiie MS. has Femes; which must be 
 the reading. 
 
 1. 520. p^, MS. perhaps 1 ougiit to have put 
 puis. 
 
 1. 523. sic ; but read sen or sans, without. 
 
 1. 531. dntent, fear. Mod. ¥i: redoutent. 
 
 1. 535. deharaler, to play a trick upon, to de- 
 feat. 
 
 1.537. hi, that. — nert remansuz (read n'ert), 
 would not be left. 
 P. 27, 1. 538. larrunt, they will leave. 
 
 1. 540. eint, they have. Mod. Fr. aient. 
 
 1.541. c/i(/ni, field. Rlod. ¥t. champ. 
 
 1. 542. En ({u'il ust ulast avant (read en qui 
 I'ost, etc.), before the army went on. 
 
 1. 545. date, fear. 
 
 1.547. sic ; but read: Que taut de gent la lur 
 syvirent, that so many people fol- 
 lowed their men. 
 
 1.553. qu'il lout tantjere, which he had so 
 fierce. The / of lout was put to point 
 out the pronunciative connection of 
 this word with the preceding. 
 P. 28, 1. 565. sic ; perhaps we must read ignelpas, 
 directly. 
 
 I. 573. hatie, rage, fury. 
 
 1. 574. par achefde tur, finally, at last. 
 
 1. 579. naufrez, wounded. 
 P. 29, 1. 586. baudur, joy. 
 
 1. 593. prei, prey. Mod. Fr. proie. 
 
 1. 594. de altre manere, of other maimer. 
 
 1. 597. fublez, put on. Mod. Fr. affublt. 
 
 1. 599. acd'ecser, adversary. This name in the 
 old French poems is commonly ^iven 
 to the Devil. 
 P. 30, 1. 607. autreci, also. Ital. altresi. 
 
 1. 609. cheveintain?ies, captains.
 
 172 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 30, 1. 619. baillerint, they gave. 
 P. 31, 1. 625. remis, remained. 
 
 I. 626. Kar en eus s'ti/iout, for he trusted to thera. 
 1. 633. eirs ; 1 times. 
 1. 64) and 642. relie, rallies. 
 P. 32, 1. 648. estover, necessity. 
 
 I. 656. ad I'ur, at the hour. 
 
 1. 657. sic. 
 
 I. 659. set scent, seven hundred. Mod. Fr. 
 
 sept cents. 
 1. 667. dtliverement passiim, let us speedily 
 pass. 
 P. 33, 1. 668. Que nusfuissoins en la montaine, to be 
 on the mountain. 
 1. 670. Kar armes eumes te plusurs, for the most 
 
 of you, you like arms. 
 1.675. n'arerunt-ii, they shall not have. IMod. 
 
 Fr. n'auront-ils. 
 1. 676. irrum, we will go. I\Iod. Fr. irons. 
 1. 681. encoiitrarie, adversary. 
 1. 683. serrum dutes, we shall be feared. Mod. 
 
 Fr. serous redoutes. 
 1. 687. champele, pitched. 
 P. 34, 1. 690. eUis, ardour. 
 
 1. 691. suerent, followed. Mod. Yr.suivirent. 
 1. 692. aitant, then. 
 1. 694. friez, you shall do. 
 1. 695. 'il. dis, forty times ten (400). 
 1. 696. bruce: ? 
 1. 699. destrez, behind. 
 1.701. s'essandrent: ? 
 
 1. 702. Detrefs lur frez iin va'ie, behind you 
 will make an assault. 
 P. 35, 1. 715. t;pe:, concealed. Mod. Fr. tapis. 
 
 1. 717. aime, estimation. 
 P. 36, 1. 731. les ques, who. Mod. Fr. Usquels. 
 
 1. 737. reine, bridle. — Blanchard, the name of 
 a horse, so called because he was 
 white.
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 173 
 
 P. 36, 1. 741. champaine, field. Mod. Fr. campagne. 
 1. 743. asezfait^, enough arranged. 
 1. 744. Dune c'este Morice escric, then Morice 
 has cried out. 
 P. 37, 1. 754. enjuneluns, on their knees. 
 
 1. 755. sic ; but read : attmdlreni, waited upon. 
 1. 757. hanst, the length of a lance (/lasta). 
 1. 760. 6i cum la prm urent cumplus : ? 
 P. 38, 1. 776. folur, folly. 
 
 1. 778. vindrint, came. Mod. Fr. vinrent. 
 1. 779. sic. 
 
 1. 782. estre, excepting (extra). 
 I. 791. queje /ow, what I counsel. 
 P. 39, 1. 799. Que n'el augum pursuant, till we go 
 pursuing hiin. 
 1. 808. demorirint, they remained. 
 1. 809. joe, joy. Mod. k'l.joie. — dedut, plea- 
 sure. 
 ]. Q\3. fcheis : 1 
 P. 40, 1. 821. maladis, sick. Mod. Fr. malades. 
 P. 41, 1. 836. tut le plus, the most. 
 P. 42, 1.860. E que eusfemnt aparailer, and that 
 they would make themselves fitted 
 up. 
 1. 868. serrement, (perhaps read ferrement) 
 fiercely. Mod. Fr. Jierement. See 
 1. 1247. 
 1. 869. guiot, led. Mod. Fr. guidoit. 
 1. 876. p, MS. 
 P. 43, 1. 879. noblei. nobility. 
 1. 883. tut dis, always. 
 1. 884. utime, eight days. Mod. Fr. huititme, 
 
 or perhaps, huitaine. 
 1.889. deignout, de\gned. The negation seems 
 to be wanting. 
 P. 44, 1. 902. faudrum, we will fail. 
 
 1. 903. Pur taut cum 7ius viverum, as long as 
 
 we live. Mod. Fr. vivrons. 
 1. 905. tant i pout, as much as he can. Mod. 
 Fr. tant qii'il peut.
 
 174 GLOSSAUIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 44, 1. 910. CO, himself. Mod. Fr. se. 
 
 1.913. saceme/it, safely. 
 
 1.915. /)«;<(;', glad. 
 v. 45, 1. 940 and 941. These lines mean : if I cannot 
 take a revenge of liim, in me I shall 
 have but dolour. 
 P. 46, 1. 943. a Veu beue^on, may God be blessed. 
 
 I. 951. remis, remained. 
 P. 47. 1. 968. just, lay (jacuit). 
 
 1. 970. enfantesme, vision. Mod. Yx.fantome. 
 
 1. 971. a t'ers, as tnie. 
 
 1. 977. idunc, tlien, 
 
 1. 980. pur /(■ chef gueiter, to wait on the front. 
 
 1. 984. quidouiit, they thought. 
 P. 48, 1. 988. P9, MS.— treit, drawn. 
 
 1. 990. capeler, helmet. 
 
 1. 991. agenuler, to kneel. 
 
 1. 997. Que cest erent longge (perhaps it would 
 be better to read .• Que c'esteient 
 longge), who liad come unawares. 
 P. 49, 1. 1012. ki, that. Mod. Fr. que. 
 
 1. 1013. contreditur, contradiction. 
 
 1. 1016. P9, MS. 
 
 1. 1017. herdeler: 1 
 
 1. 1021. ameimes : 1 
 
 1. 1022. reddur, stiflPness. Mod. Fr. roideur. 
 
 1. 1023. pongneur, warriors Qnignatores), 
 P. 60, I. 1032. prktreut asailter (or perhaps better, a 
 sailler), tliey began to assault. Mod. 
 Fr. se prirent a assailtir. 
 
 I. 1034. aques, somewhat (^aliquid). 
 P. 51, 1. 1064. soudeis, soldiers. 
 
 1. 1065. lisuyn, we read. Mod. Fr. lisons. 
 P. 52, 1, 1075. notiiiier, shipmen. Mod. Fr. nau- 
 tonuiers. 
 
 1. 1079. Aruele: 1 
 P. 53, 1. 1096. heistez, glad. 
 
 1. 1097. saiti a pes, rose upon feet. 
 
 1. 1100. /iieresuH, salary. 
 
 1. 1110. restur: 1
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 175 
 
 P. 54, 1. 1121. delaement, delay. 
 
 1. 1 125. heu, iair. Mod. Fr. beau. 
 P. 55, 1. 11 -J I. lemansrus, remained. 
 P. 56, 1. 1163. ])e(;ii, from a long time. 
 
 1. 1164, a ceit d'espenin, with prick of spur, 
 i. e. with all speed. 
 P. 57, 1. 1185. ascitjor, at tiiis day. 
 P. 58, 1. 1210. sueiit, should follow. Mod. Fr. iui- 
 
 vent. 
 P. 59, 1. 1217. jout, was lying (jacuii). 
 I. 1223. sic. 
 
 1. 1226. sipurpensout, thought. 
 1. 1231. aver pout, could have. 
 P. 60, 1. 1241. de fefement, by the law of their te- 
 nuie. 
 1. 1248. aprucent, approach. 
 P. 61, 1. 1258. uteiiisireiit, they reached. 
 
 1. 1274. sic ; but read : soudeier, hire soldiers. 
 Mod. Fr. soudoyer. 
 P. 62, 1. 1278. sic. 
 
 1. 1285. cafs, bald. Mod. Fr. chauves. 
 P. 63, 1. 1303. remansist, would remain {reimneret). 
 1. 1310. SB qui, 1 think so. 
 1. 1313. hrut (sic), noise. Mod. Fr. bruit. 
 1. 1316. plesser, to incumber. 
 1. 1317. Par UHC it deveint pas$er, through 
 which they were to pass. Mod. Fr. 
 par oii ils dewient passer. 
 P. 64, 1. 1319. gariiis, warned. 
 
 1. 1327. trecherie, tieachery, perfidy. Mod. 
 
 Fr. iricherie. 
 I. 1328. agueite, ambuscade. 
 1. 1335. frams, we shall do. Mod. Yv.ferons. 
 1. 1336. responderunt, answered. Mod. Fr. 
 repondireut. Lat. respondn-unt. 
 P. 65, 1. 1340. Asez se tindrint cdiment, liiey held 
 themselves quietly enough. 
 1. 1341. Cum de fo ne suseiit rien, as they 
 
 knew nothing of that. 
 1. 1350. despandu, spvcdLil. Mod.Fv. rtpandue.
 
 176 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 — depopU, 1 published. Mod. Fr. 
 'publite. 
 P 66, 1. 1374. eloec, there. 
 
 1. 1376. soudener a jti, foot soldier. 
 1. 1377. sitliezeia, citizen. 
 1. 1378. ]P, MS.—murit, died. Mod. Fr. 
 mourut. 
 P. 67, 1. 1385. enparler, speaker, orator, councillor. 
 1. 1386. sen, sense. — saver, learning. Mod. 
 
 Fr. savoir. 
 1. 1390. lerriim, we will leave. 
 1. 1397. affermout, firmed himself. 
 1. 1398. otrei, permission. 
 1. 1399. poant, powerful. 
 P. 68, 1. 1405. 02, daring. 
 
 1. 1407. 7-9, MS. 
 P. 69, 1. 1432. agravanter, to destroy. 
 
 1. 1439. ceinz, here. Mod. ft. dans. 
 P. 70, 1. 1454. conrei, troop, company. 
 
 1. 1464. le derein court, the last company. 
 1. 1465. i'e»yi/e)enf parcel e^rc, fled away by 
 tliis fritjht. 
 P. 71, 1. 1473. Cen afailiz erent lejor : 1 
 1. 1478. haesse, prl. 
 1. 1479. teinpre de ascer, either of tempered 
 
 steel, or, directly of steel. 
 1. 1480. que, who. Rlod. Fr. qui. 
 1. 1481. aphaleists : 1 
 P. 72, 1, 1504. vile, eve. Mod. Fr. vcille. 
 P. 74, 1. 1536. Ne mis qu'il ust la seignurie, at the only 
 condition he had the lordship. 
 1. 1540. P9, IMS. 
 1. 1548. le cuiitur, of the count. 
 1. 1549. li pugutur, the warrior. 
 1. 1550. def, certainly {dejide). 
 P. 75, 1. 1557. sauderuiit, they will assault. 
 1. 1561. forcihlemeiit, forcibly. 
 1. 1565. warde, guard, ward.
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 177 
 
 P. 76, 1. 1575. cutiTcis, troops. 
 
 1. 1579. corocement, wrath, raging. Mod. Fr. 
 
 courroux. 
 1. 1592. Here a word appears to be wanting. 
 Perhaps we must read : eii ceite 
 hure, at this hour. 
 1. 1595. fossats, ditched. 
 P. 77,1. 1616. /'a/e-uarrie,the rear of the army. Mod. 
 
 Fr. I'arriire-garde. 
 P. 78, 1. 1632. iurenez: 7 
 P. 79, 1. 1642. avjie, defender (advocatus). 
 1. 1653. p9, MS. 
 1. 1654. foren, foreign. 
 P. 80, 1. 1667. lie suvient, did not know. Mod. Fr. 
 ne savoietit. — jiartir, partake, divide. 
 Mod. Fr. partdger (partjri). 
 1. 1674. enuet, it annoyed. 
 1. 1676. Ki tant remht Le parlement, that the 
 conference remained so long. 
 P. 81,1. 1684. hatie: 1 
 
 1. 1686. lt>s£, daring. 
 
 1. 1688. demntqii'd (perhapsitisbetter to put 
 qui /') su&t Dermod le jur, before 
 Uermod knew it this day. 
 1. 1693./i/te, flight. Mod. ¥t. fuite. The 
 MS. has sute, which is evidently 
 wrong. 
 P. 82, 1. 1707. andti, both (ambo duo). 
 1. 1712. garisoii, ammunitions. 
 1. 1713. fuisun, plenty. Mod. Tv.foison. 
 1. 1719. a\ht, August. Mod.Fr. aout. 
 P. 83, 1. 1744. p9, MS. 
 P. 85, 1. 1771. der regard: 1 
 P. 88, I. 1844. p9, MS. 
 
 1. 1848. quant, all that (quantum), 
 P. 89, 1. 1852. a nulfere, by no means. 
 1. 1855. llrreit, he would leave. 
 1. 1865. a. estrus, directly.
 
 178 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 89, 1. 1866. orgulus, proud. Mod.Fr. orgueilleux. 
 P. 90, 1. 1871. £ si fo lie ti vent hgrt, and if that does 
 not please him. Mod. Fr. vient. 
 
 1. 1873. orfre, offer. Mod. Fr. offre. 
 
 1. 1887. sent, one hundred. Mod. Fr. cent. 
 
 1. 1891. pugners, warriors. 
 P. 91, 1. 1895. adiiriz, hardened. 
 
 1. 1898. snuder, soldiers. 
 
 1. 1900. ces, his. Mod. Fr. ses. 
 
 1. 19U1. (■<), himself. IMod. Fr.se. 
 
 1. 1905. a terce coiirei, at the third company. 
 P. 92, 1. 1917. ynaus, quick, sudden. 
 
 1. 1919. sic. cenceiis : 1 
 P. 93, 1. 1944. amervolant, marvelling. 
 
 1. 1949. ossJs, killed. Mod. Fr. occis. 
 P. 94, 1. 1961. /erm: 1 
 
 1. 1967. eire, tour. 
 
 1. 1972. liuent : ? 
 P. 95, 1. 1997. reliout, rallied. 
 
 1. 1998. egrement, sharply. Mod. Fr. aigre- 
 ment. 
 P. 96, 1. 2006. cliapt, cap. :Mod. Fr. chape. 
 
 ]. 2007. sete, arrow (sagitta). — oscist, killed. 
 
 1.2012. astive: ^ 
 
 1. 2013. pere, stone. Mod, Fr. pierre. 
 
 1. 2017. del (read £ ii) 6oj/s, and the wood.— 
 77«, MS. 
 P. 97, 1. 2021. eloc, there. 
 
 1. 2031. souz mentir, without lying. IMod. Fr. 
 sans mentir. 
 
 1. 2036. encelt, sealed. 
 P. 98, 1.2044. sic. 
 
 1. 2045. sorur, sisters. 
 
 1. 2047. enforciblement, with much forces. 
 
 1. 2058. a'drescereit, lie would repair, redress. 
 
 1. 2062. Par si que quite s'en pust realer, at the 
 condition he could go away. 
 P. 99, 1. 2069. The comma which is at the end of 
 this line is perhaps useless.
 
 AND ORSEIIVATIONS. 179 
 
 1. 2074. s'en put partir, he can go. 
 1. 2079. E sanemeiit s'enpaj)artir, and safely 
 he could go. 
 P. 100, 1. 2086. cuncte (sic), count. 
 
 1. 2087. acopt, accused. Mod. Fr. inndpe. 
 P. 101, 1. 2118. la meiiie i met, to put his hand. 
 
 1. 2120. aside: ? 
 P. 102, 1. 2132. )ief, nine. Mod. Fr. neuf. 
 1. 2134. curte, court. 
 
 1. 2140. asungatit /j/ee, MS. but it is evident 
 that it must be read giiant plee, 
 has folded his glove. ]Mod. Fr. 
 a Sim gaiil ploiie. See, on this cere- 
 mony, tlie Roman de la Violette, p. 
 292, note ; and la Chanson de Ro- 
 land, p. 202, col. 1. 
 P. 103, 1. 2163. wiint, they go. Mod. Fr. vunt. 
 
 1. 2168. sic ; but read unt, they have. Mod. 
 Fr. ont. 
 P. 104, 1. 2174. p9, MS. So again 1. 2184. 
 
 1.2187. p/eis; 1— bailout, he gave. Mod. 
 
 Fr. hailbit. 
 1. 2192. a I'ures, I at the hour. Mod. Fr. a 
 
 Cheiire. 
 1. 2193. tent, holds. Mod. Fr. tient (tenet). 
 P. 105, 1. 2196. tendrent, held. iMod. Fr. thirent. 
 1. 2198. sulum, according to. Mod. Fr. 
 selon, 
 P. 106, 1. 2236. Deljiz le ret de maiste, at the name 
 of the son of the king of majesty. 
 P. 107, 1. 2240. sic ; but read Deit, God. 
 
 1. 2242. auques, somewhat (aliqidd). 
 1. 2246. viaieise entisement, bad excitation. 
 1. 2252. coruce, wrath, anger, passion. Mod. 
 Fr. coun-oui: 
 P. 108, 1. 2266. sic. 
 
 1. 2267. new, nephew. Mod. Fr. neveu. 
 1. 2273. This is a misprint. Par ought to be 
 Pur, as in the MS.
 
 180 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 109, 1. 2299 and 2301. par encoste, by side. Mod. 
 
 Fr. a, par rote. 
 P. 110, 1. 2309. seimis, are. Mod. Fr. sommes (sumus). 
 P. Ill, 1. 2332. en dreite, iu&t at. 
 P. 112, 1.2344. Ills nul, not even one. — sunt (sic), 
 his. ]Mod. Fr. son. 
 1. 2348. lanccer e segeter, to strike with lances 
 
 and arrows. 
 1. 2349. muraus, walls. 
 1. 2350. kerneus, battlements. 
 1. 2357. hntie, vigour, ardour. . 
 P. 113,1.2368. Perliaps it would be better to put 
 s'lnit ftruz, have striked : si is an 
 expletive particle. 
 1. 2371. asseiite (read assente) : 1 
 1. 2375. ki trefs erent remis, who remained 
 
 behind. 
 1. 2386. joiide. See, on the meaning of this 
 word, .lo. Georgius Eccardus, in- 
 certi iiKincichi W eissenbvrgensis ca- 
 tecliesis Theoiisca. Impensis Nico- 
 lai Fbrsteri, bibliopol. Avl. Hanov. 
 M Dcc XIII, 8°, p. 175-178; and 
 Commentarii de rebus Franciae 
 Orieiitalis, vol. l,\Virceburgi,typis 
 Ilenrici Engmann, M DCC XXIX, 
 folio, p. 872-873. 
 P. 114, 1. 2399. eshauduz (sic), glad, joyful. 
 
 1. 2407. discipline, carnage, slaughter. 
 P. 115, 1. 2408. lie la marine, near the sea. 
 
 1.2411. qu'ereiit meiit, which was made. 
 Put a comma at the end of this 
 line. 
 P. 116, 1. 2433. devoroie, I ought. Mod. Fr. devrois. 
 1. 2434. artire, directly, one after another. 
 1. 2445. cosiiit, followed, traced. 
 P. 117, 1.2470. P», MS. 
 P. 118, 1.2475. eskain:''. 
 
 1. 2483. veiament, truly. Mod. Fr. vrai- 
 ment.
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 181 
 
 1. 2487. departri (sic), divided. 
 P. 119, 1. 2493. hsi larrum ia reisun, here we will 
 leave speaking. 
 1. 2497. sic ; but read vint. 
 1. 2499. este-viis, behold. 
 1. 2500. traiierez, traitors. Mod. Fr. tiahres. 
 — diizze, twelve. Mod. Fr. doiite, 
 1.2511. sic. 
 P. 120, 1. 2515. A), that. Mod. Fr. que. 
 
 1. 2517. siu ; but read >ie '/. — scire, lords. 
 1. 2520. eimes, we are. 
 1. 2521. awm, we have. Mod. Fr. avons. 
 1. 2527. vavire, navy. 
 P. 121, 1. 2536. descofret, discover. Mod. Fr. d£- 
 couvre. 
 1. 2538. been, well. Mod. Fr. bien. 
 1. 2540. p9, MS. 
 1. 2541. asKer^ (sic, but read aseur^), assured. 
 
 Mod. Fr. assur^. 
 1. 2544. sic. 
 1. 2550. sic ; but read Pur quel, why. Mod. 
 
 Fr. pourqiioi, 
 1. 2555. amimt, liked. Mod. Fr. aimoit. 
 P. 122, 1. 2559. murthrir, to murder. 
 1. 2562. corns, wrath, anger. 
 1. 2568. laute, loyalty. Mod. Fr. loyauti. 
 1. 2570. bues, chains, fetters. — avans : '\ 
 P. 123, 1. 2577. attendrent, waited for. 
 
 1.2591. sic. 
 P. 124, 1. 2613. sic. eiudeg,r6 : ? 
 
 1. 2616. cord, agreement. Mod. Fr. accord. 
 P. 125, 1. 2617. Read arivt. 
 1. 2619. sic. 
 
 1. 2622. en aneU (perhaps better enaneU), in 
 
 chains. 
 
 P. 126, 1. 2641. pleja (read pleia), folded. Mod. Fr. 
 
 ploya. See before, p. 102, 1. 2140. 
 
 1. 2643. lui saverat retter, he will know iiow 
 
 to accuse him. 
 1. 2657. p9, MS. 
 
 O
 
 182 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 127, 1. 2677. dis e wit simei7i$, eighteen weeks. 
 
 Mod. Fr. d'n-huit semitiiies. 
 P. 128, 1. 2684. Peito, Poitou. — Arigo, Anjou. — Al- 
 maine, Germany. Mod. Fr. Alle- 
 inagiie. 
 1. 2694. sic ; but read : Ne de nul autre re- 
 gion. 
 P. 130, 1. 2725. eyiices, before. 
 
 1. 2736. p", MS. This line is misprinted. 
 Read Ki pus i suffri maint [a]han. 
 1.2737. Ps, MS. 
 P. 131,1.2749. le conetahle, the constable's juris- 
 diction. Mod. Fr. connetablie. 
 1. 2753. wdra, I will. Mod. Fr. voudrai. 
 1. 2761. a demi lui (sic), at half a league. 
 Mod. Fr. a demi-lieue. 
 P. 132,1.2781. The negation was forgotten here; 
 so we must read ne deignout, dis- 
 dained. 
 P. 133,1.2791. We have misread the MS. which 
 has Hob' i.e. Uober, to make rob- 
 bery in. Put a comma at the end 
 of this line. 
 1. 2802. vias : ? 
 
 1. 2808. As the MS. is defective in this place, 
 we may read also [po<?s]f is, power- 
 ful. 
 1. 2809. sic ; but read Que tint, who held. 
 P. 134, 1. 2823 and 2826. ]>\ MS. 
 P. 135, 1. 2844. sic ; but read : L'enseigne, the Stan- 
 dard. 
 P. 136,1.2853. p^, MS. 
 P. 137, 1. 2879. euoiter: ? 
 P. 138, 1. 2908. quant, as many (quantum). 
 
 1. 2910. deques, as far as. 
 P. 139, 1. 2923. reals, for the king. 
 P. 140, 1. 2939. p^, MS. — mist, lived, remained. 
 
 1. 2947. druvesuns : 1 
 P. 141, 1. 2972. vieius (sic), month. Mod, Fr. mow. 
 1. 2975. brande : 1
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 183 
 
 P. 142, 1, 2989. sic ; but it is evident that we must 
 read cuvers tie iter, felon traitors. 
 1. 2995. demeyn, domestic. 
 P. 143, 1. 3010. a eel fee-, at this time. 
 
 1. 3015. iddle, island, ]\Iod, Fr. ile, 
 P. 144, 1, 3034. sic ; but read : I'enseigne, the stan- 
 dard. 
 P. 145, 1.3045. greins, of a bad temper. — nus : '. 
 sic ; but perhaps we ought to read 
 irus, angry (^iratits), 
 1. 3047. largis as trestuz, large to all. 
 1, 3048. f libit, put on. i\Iod. Fr. affublt. 
 1.3050. Quant al matin fust dign^, when in 
 
 the morning he had dined. 
 1. 3051. Sus eel nut home plus heite, under 
 the sky there was not a more merry 
 man. 
 1, 3060. vs dirrui, I will tell you. 
 1. 3066. P9, MS. 
 P. 146, 1.3076. devant (sic; but rezA deiant que), 
 before. 
 1. 3078. feiz, fiefs. Mod. Fr. fiefs. — divise, 
 
 condition. 
 I. 3079. Pur dis cheialers servise, for a ser- 
 vice of ten knijhts. 
 1. 3081. prusein, near. Mod. Fr. prochain. 
 1. 3083. p9, MS. 
 1. 3086. id. 
 
 1. 3088. We may read le nns, or le was. 
 P. 147, 1. 3100. Johan de Clahaule la murchausie, 
 to John of Clahaule the mar- 
 shalsy. 
 P. 148, I. 3124. p9, MS. 
 P. 149, 1.3138. idem. 
 
 1. 3142. We may read uaugle easily. 
 1. 3155. memes : ? 
 P. 150, 1. 3156 et 3157, p\ MS. 
 1.3163. id. 
 1. 3174. id.
 
 184 GLOSSARIAL NOTES 
 
 P. 151, 1.3184. suruiemt, MS. 
 P. 1.52, 1. 3207. sic. ' 
 1.3211. 7j9, MS. 
 
 1. 3214. Ic veiljiori, the old hoary. 
 1. 3217. We might read O'Loitan in the 
 MS. 
 P. 153, 1.3222. //', MS. 
 
 1. 3225 et 3226. id. 
 1. 3228. id. 
 P. 155, 1.3273. sic; but read hiresxni. Mod. Fr. 
 htrisno?), 
 1. 3283. hlnus e riiz, fair and red haired. 
 Mod. Fr. hUmds et roux. 
 P. 156, 1. 3296. Where a letter is put between 
 brackets, the MS. is defective. 
 I. 3297. diirai (sic), I will not say. 
 1. 3299. snrrni, I should be. Mod. Fr. se- 
 rais. 
 1. 3300. 7n(>t, the elevation of ear*h on which 
 
 a castle stood. Mod. Fr. motte. 
 1. 3304. feiz, facts, actions. Mod. ¥i. fails. 
 P. 157, 1. 3309.^esperimere : 1 
 1. 3311. hore, then. 
 1. 3318. se eispr, to be at ease. 
 1. 3323. al fenaiit, on the horse. 
 1.3327. alenist, reached. Mod. Ft. atteignit. 
 P. 158, 1. 3331. repovdiiz, concealed, hidden. 
 1. 3336. P9, MS. 
 
 1. 3345. wdra, will. Mod. Fr. vondra. 
 1. 3349. vigrus, vigorous. Mod. Fr. vigou- 
 reux. 
 P. 159, 1. 3351. veiles, old men. Mod. Fr. vieux. 
 1. 3353. cnnestahUe, constable. 
 1. 3360. aseez erent (sic), he was enough. 
 1. 3361. peres, peers. Mod. Fr. purrs. 
 1. 3367. poigvers, warrioi-s (pugnatares). 
 1. 3368. ha, to. Mod. Fr. «.- hellei : 1 
 P. 160, 1. 3379. sic ; but read : Ben arm^ e bien 
 garnie.
 
 AND OBSERVATIONS. 185 
 
 1. 3381. sic. — armis, arms, weapons. 
 
 1. 3384. sic ; but read guier, to lead. Mod. 
 Fr. guuler, 
 
 !. 3385. sic. 
 1'. Ifjl. 1. 3392. ina for irrai, I will go. 
 
 1.3403. sic; but read p/euic, pledged. 
 P. 162, 1.3416.>e; 1 
 
 1. 3421. ponde, bridge. Mod. Fr. pout. 
 I". Ifj3, 1.3441. /'aporJ (so we mustread\ bears him. 
 P. 164, 1. 3459. neez, drowned. Mod. Fr. noyti. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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