Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Great Britain -- History -- 14th century -- Sources

Karolles, wrastlynges, or somour games,            1
      Whoso euer haunteþ any swyche shames
      Yn cherche, oþer yn chercheȝerd,
      Of sacrylage he may be aferd;
      Or entyrludes, or syngynge,                          5
      Or tabure bete, or oþer pypynge—
      Alle swyche þyng forbodyn es
      Whyle þe prest stondeþ at messe.
      Alle swyche to euery gode preste ys lothe,
      And sunner wyl he make hym wroth                    10
      Þan he wyl, þat haþ no wyt,
      Ne vndyrstondeþ nat Holy Wryt.
      And specyaly at hygh tymes
      Karolles to synge and rede rymys
      Noght yn none holy stedes,                          15
      Þat myȝt dysturble þe prestes bedes,
      Or ȝyf he were yn orysun
      Or any ouþer deuocyun:
      Sacrylage ys alle hyt tolde,
      Þys and many oþer folde.                            20
        But for to leue yn cherche for to daunce,
      Y shal ȝow telle a ful grete chaunce,
      And y trow þe most þat fel
      Ys soþe as y ȝow telle;
      And fyl þys chaunce yn þys londe,                   25
      Yn Ingland, as y vndyrstonde,
      Yn a kynges tyme þat hyght Edward
      Fyl þys chau<n>ce þat was so hard.
        Hyt was vppon a Crystemesse nyȝt
      Þat twelue folys a karolle dyȝt,                    30
      Yn wodehed, as hyt were yn cuntek,
      Þey come to a tounne men calle Colbek.
      Þe cherche of þe tounne þat þey to come
      Ys of Seynt Magne, þat suffred martyrdome;
      Of Seynt Bukcestre hyt ys also,                     35
      Seynt Magnes suster, þat þey come to.
      Here names of alle þus fonde y wryte,
      And as y wote now shul ȝe wyte:
      Here lodesman, þat made hem glew,
      Þus ys wryte, he hyȝte Gerlew.                      40
      Twey maydens were yn here coueyne,
      Mayden Merswynde and Wybessyne.
      Alle þese come þedyr for þat enchesone
      Of þe prestes doghtyr of þe tounne.
        Þe prest hyȝt Robert, as y kan ame;               45
      Aȝone hyght hys sone by name;
      Hys doghter, þat þese men wulde haue,
      Þus ys wryte, þat she hyȝt Aue.
      Echoune consented to o wyl
      Who shuld go Aue oute to tyl,                       50
      Þey graunted echone out to sende
      Boþe Wybessyne and Merswynde.
        Þese wommen ȝede and tolled here oute
      Wyþ hem to karolle þe cherche aboute.
      Beu<u>ne ordeyned here karollyng;                   55
      Gerlew endyted what þey shuld syng.
      Þys ys þe karolle þat þey sunge,
      As telleþ þe Latyn tunge:
        '_Equitabat Beuo per siluam frondosam,
      Ducebat secum Merswyndam formosam.                  60
      Quid stamus? cur non imus?_'
        'By þe leued wode rode Beuolyne,
      Wyþ hym he ledde feyre Merswyne.
      Why stonde we? why go we noght?'
      Þys ys þe karolle þat Grysly wroght;                65
      Þys songe sunge þey yn þe chercheȝerd—
      Of foly were þey no þyng aferd—
      Vnto þe matynes were alle done,

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Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

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