Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, POEM: 5, by LAURENCE MINOT


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

POEM: 5, by                    
First Line: Minot with mowth had menid to make
Last Line: God assoyle þaire sawls, sais all, amen.
Subject(s): Courts & Courtiers; God; Grief; War; Sorrow; Sadness


MINOT with mowth had menid to make
Suth sawes & sad for sum mens sake;
þe wordes of sir Edward makes me to wake,
Wald he salue vs sone mi sorow suld slake;
War mi sorow slaked sune wald I sing:
When God will sir Edward sal vs bute bring.

Sir Philip þe Valas cast was in care;
And said sir Hugh Kyret to Flandres suld fare,
And haue Normondes inogh to leue on his lare,
All Flandres to brin and mak it all bare;
Bot, vnkind coward, wo was him pare:
When he sailed in þe Swin it sowed him sare;
Sare it pam smerted þat ferd out of ffrance;
pare lered Inglis men pam a new daunce.
þe buriase of Bruge ne war noght to blame;
I pray Ihesu saue pam fro sin and fro schame,
For þai war sone at þe Sluse all by a name,
Whare many of þe Normandes tok mekill grame.

When Bruges and Ipyre hereof herd tell,
þai sent Edward to wit þat was in Arwell;
þan had he no liking langer to dwell,
He hasted him to þe Swin with sergantes snell,
To mete with þe Normandes þat fals war & fell,
þat had ment if þai might al Flandres to quell.

King Edward vnto sail was ful sune dight
With erles and barons and many kene knight:
þai come byfor Blankebergh on Saint Ions night;
þat was to þe Normondes a well sary sight.
Pit trumþed þai and daunced with torches ful bright,
In þe wilde waniand was þaire hertes light.

Opon þe morn efter, if I suth say,
A meri man, sir Robard out of Morlay,
At half eb in þe Swin soght he þe way;
Pare lered men þe Normandes at bukler to play;
Helpid pam no prayer þat þai might pray;
þe wreches er wonnen þaire wapin es oway.

þe Erle of Norhamton helpid at þat nede,
Als wise man of wordes and worthli in wede,
Sir Walter þe Mawnay, God gif him mede,
Was bold of body in batayl to bede.
þe duc of Lankaster was dight for to driue,
With mani mody man pat thoght for to thriue,
Wele & stalworthly stint he þat striue,
þat few of þe Normandes left þai oliue;
Fone left þai oliue bot did pam to leþe;
Men may find by þe flode a p on heþe.

Sir Wiliam of Klinton was eth for to knaw;
Mani stout bachilere broght he on raw.
It semid with þaire schoting als it war snaw;
þe bost of þe Normandes broght þai ful law;Þaire bost was
abated and þaire mekil pride,
Fer might þai noght fle bot pare bud pam bide.

þe gude Erle of Glowceter, God mot him glade,
Broght many bold men with bowes ful brade;
To biker with þe Normandes baldely þai bade
And in middes þe flode did pam to wade;
To wade war po wretches casten in þe brim;Þe kaitefs come out of
France at lere pam to swim.

I prays Iohn Badding als one of þe best;
Faire come he sayland out of þe suthwest,
To proue of pa Normandes was he ful prest,
Till he had foghten his fill he had neuer rest.

Iohn of Aile of þe Sluys with scheltron ful schene
Was comen into Cagent, cantly and kene,
Bot sone was his trumping turned to tene;
Of him had sir Edward his will als I wene.

þe schipmen of Ingland sailed ful swith
þat none of þe Normandes fro pam might skrith.
Who so kouth wele his craft pare might it kith:
Of al þe gude þat þai gat gaf þai no tithe.

Two hundreth and mo schipþes on þe sandes
Had oure Inglis men won with þaire handes;
þe kogges of Ingland war broght out of bandes,
And also þe Cristofir þat in þe streme standes;
In þat stound þai stode, with stremers ful still,
Til þai wist full wele sir Edwardes will.

Sir Edward, oure gude king wurthi in wall
Faght wele on þat flude, faire mot him fall;
Als it es custom of king to confort pam all
So thanked he gudely þe grete and þe small,
He thanked pam gudely, God gif him mede,
pus come oure king in þe Swin till þat gude dede.

þis was þe bataile þat fell in þe Swin,
Whare many Normandes made mekill din;
Wele war þai armed vp to þe chin;
Bot God and sir Edward gert þaire boste blin,
pus blinned þaire boste, als we wele ken:
God assoyle þaire sawls, sais all, Amen.





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