OLD POEM ON THE SIEGE OF ROUEN.
The city of Rouen makes too considerable a figure in the foregoing pages, and its history, as connected with our own country in the earlier part of the fifteenth century, is too interesting, to require any thing in the shape of apology for the matter which the Reader is about to peruse. This "matter" is necessarily incidental to the present edition of the "Tour;" as it is only recently made public. An "Old English Poem" on our Henry the Fifth's "Siege of Rouen" is a theme likely to excite the attention of the literary Antiquary on either side of the Channel.
The late erudite, and ever to be lamented Rev. J.J. Conybeare, successively Professor of the Saxon language, and of English Poetry in the University of Oxford, discovered, in the exhaustless treasures of the Bodleian Library, a portion of the Old English Poem in question: but it was a portion only. In the 21st. vol. of the Archæologia, Mr. Conybeare gave an account of this fortunate discovery, and subjoined the poetical fragment. Mr. Frederick Madden, one of the Librarians attached to the MS. department in the British Museum, was perhaps yet more fortunate in the discovery of the portion which was lost: and in the 22d. vol. of the Archæologia, just published, (pp. 350-398), he has annexed an abstract of the remaining fragment, with copious and learned notes. This fragment had found its way, in a prose attire, into the well-known English MS. Chronicle, called the BRUTE:--usually (but most absurdly) attributed to Caxton. It is not however to be found in all the copies of this Chronicle. On the contrary, Mr. Madden, after an examination of several copies of this MS. has found the poem only in four of them: namely, in two among the Harleian MSS. (Nos. 753; 2256--from which his transcript and collation have been made) in one belonging to Mr. Coke of Holkham, and in a fourth belonging to the Cotton Collection:--Galba E. viii. This latter MS. has a very close correspondence with the second Harl. MS. but is often faulty from errors of the Scribe, See Gentleman's Magazine, May, 1829.
So much for the history of the discovery of this precious old English Poem--which is allowed to be a contemporaneous production of the time of the Siege--namely, A.D. 1418. A word as to its intrinsic worth--from the testimony of the Critic most competent to appreciate it. "It will be admitted, I believe, (says Mr. Madden) by all who will take the trouble to compare the various contemporary narratives of the Siege of Rouen, that in point of simplicity, clearness, and minuteness of detail, there is NO existing document which can COMPARE with the Poem before us. Its authenticity is sufficiently established, from the fact of the Author's having been an EYEWITNESS of the whole. If we review the names of those Historians who lived at the same period, we shall have abundant reason to rejoice at so valuable an accession to our present stock of information on the subject." Archæologia, vol. xxii. p. 353. The reader shall be no longer detained from a specimen or two of the poem itself, which should seem fully to justify the eulogy of the Critic.
"On the day after the return of the twelve delegates sent by the City of Rouen to treat with Henry, the Poet proceeds to inform us, that the King caused two tents to be pitched, one for the English Commissioners, and the other for the French. On the English side were appointed the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Salisbury, the Lord Fitzhugh, and Sir Walter Hungerford, and on the French side, twelve discreet persons were chosen to meet them. Then says the writer,
'It was a sight of solempnity,
For to behold both party;
To see the rich in their array,
And on the walls the people that lay,
And on our people that were without,
How thick that they walked about;
And the heraudis seemly to seene,
How that they went ay between;
The king's heraudis and pursuivants,
In coats of arms amyantis.
The English a beast, the French a flower,
Of Portyngale both castle and tower,
And other coats of diversity,
As lords bearen in their degree.'
"As a striking contrast to this display of pomp and splendour is described the deplorable condition of those unfortunate inhabitants who lay starving in the ditches without the walls of the City, deprived both of food and clothing. The affecting and simple relation of our Poet, who was an eye- witness, is written with that display of feeling such a scene must naturally have excited, and affords perhaps one of the most favourable passages in the Poem to compare with the studied narratives of Elmham or Livius. In the first instance we behold misery literally in rags, and hiding herself in silence and obscurity, whilst in the other she is ostentatiously paraded before our eyes:
'There men might see a great pity,
A child of two year or three
Go about, and bid his bread,
For Father and mother both lay dead,
And under them the water stood,
And yet they lay crying after food.
Some storven to the death,
And some stopped both eyen and breath,
And some crooked in the knees,
And as lean as any trees,
And women holding in their arm
A dead child, and nothing warm,
And children sucking on the pap
Within a dead woman's lap.'
On Friday the 20th of January, King Henry V. made his public entry into Rouen. His personal appearance is thus described:
'He rode upon a brown steed,
Of black damask was his weed,
A Peytrelle of gold full bright
About his neck hung down right,
And a pendant behind him did honge
Unto the earth, it was so long.
And they that never before him did see,
They knew by the cheer which was he.'
"With the accustomed, but mistaken, piety for which Henry was ever distinguished, he first proceeded to the monastery, where he alighted from his charger, and was met by the chaplains of his household, who walked before him, chanting Quis est magnus Dominus? After the celebration of mass, the king repaired to the Castle, where he took up his abode. By this termination of a siege, which, for its duration and the horrors it produced, is perhaps without a parallel in ancient or modern times, the city was again plentifully supplied with provisions, and recovered the shock so tedious and afflicting a contest had occasioned:
'And thus our gracious liege
Made an end of his siege;
And all that have heard this reading,
To his bliss Christ you bring,
That for us died upon a tree,
Amen say we all, pur charite!'
The Duke of Exeter is appointed Governor of the City, and ordered by Henry to take possession of it the same night. The Duke mounts his horse, and rides strait to the Port de Bevesyne or Beauvais, attended by a retinue, to carry the commands of his sovereign into execution. His Entré, and the truly miserable condition of the besieged, together with the imposing appearance of Henry, shall now be described in the language of the poet.
Thanne the duke of Excestre withoute bode
Toke his hors and forth he rode,
To bevesyne[E] that porte so stronge,
That he hadde ley bifore so longe,
To that gate sone he kam,[F]
And with hym many a worthy[G] manne.
There was neying of many a stede,
And schynyng of many a gay wede,
There was many a getoun[H] gay,
With mychille[I] and grete aray.
And whanne the gate was openyd there,
And thay weren[J] redy into fare,
Trumpis[K] blewgh her bemys[L] of bras,
Pipis and clarionys forsothe ther was,
And as thay entrid thay gaf a schowte
With her[M] voyce that was fulle stowte,
'Seint George! seint George!' thay criden[N] on height,
And seide, 'welcome oure kynges righte.'
The Frensshe pepulle of that Cite
Were gederid by thousandes, hem to see.
Thay criden[N] alle welcome in fere,
'In siche tyme mote ye entre here,
'Plesyng to God that it may be,
'And to vs pees and vnyte.'
And of that pepulle, to telle the trewthe,
It was a sighte of fulle grete ruthe.
Mykelle of that folke therynne
Thay weren[O] but verrey bonys and skynne.
With eyen holowgh and[P] nose scharpe,
Vnnethe thay myght brethe or carpe,
For her colowris was[Q] wan as lede,
Not like to lyue but sone ben dede.
Disfigurid pateronys[R] and quaynte,
And as[S] a dede kyng thay weren paynte.
There men myght see an[T] exampleyre,
How fode makith the pepulle faire.[U]
In euery strete summe lay dede,
And hundriddis krying aftir brede.
And aftir long many a day,
Thay deyde as[V] faste as[W] they myght be lad away.
Into[X] that way God hem wisse,
That thay may come to his blisse! amen.
Now[Y] wille y more spelle,
And of the duke of exestre to[Z] telle.
To that Castelle firste he rode,
And sythen[AA] the Cite alle abrode;
Lengthe and brede he it mette,
And rich baneris he[AB] vp sette.
Vpon the porte seint Hillare
A Baner of the Trynyte.
And at[AC] the port Kaux he sette evene
A baner of the quene of heven.
And at[AD] port martvile he vppyght Of seint George a baner bryght.
He sette vpon the Castelle to[AE] stonde
The armys of Fr[a]unce and Englond.
And on the Friday in the mornynge
Into that Cite come oure kynge.
And alle the Bisshoppis in her aray,
And vij. abbottis with Crucchis[AF] gay;
xlij.[AG] crossis ther were of Religioune[AH],
And seculere, and alle thay went a precessioun,
Agens that prince withoute the toune,
And euery Cros as thay stode
He blessid hem with milde mode,
And holy water with her hande
Thay gaf the prince of oure lande.
And at[AI] the porte Kaux so wide
He in passid withoute[AJ] pride;
Withoute pipe or bemys blaste,
Our kyng worthyly he in paste.
And as a conquerour in his righte
Thankyng[AK] euer god almyghte;
And alle the pepulle in that Citie
'Wilcome our[AL] lorde,' thay seide, 'so fre!
'Wilcome into[AM] thyne owne righte,
'As it is the[AN] wille of[AO] god almyght.'
With that thay kryde alle 'nowelle!'
Os[AP] heighe as thay myght yelle.
He rode vpon a browne stede,
Of blak damaske was his wede.
A peytrelle[AQ] of golde fulle bryght
Aboute his necke hynge[AR] doun right,
And a pendaunte behynd him dide[AS] honge
Vnto the erthe, it was so longe,
And thay that neuer before hym dide[AT] see,
Thay knew by chere wiche was he.
To the mynster dide he fare,
And of his horse he lighte there.
His chapelle[AU] mette hym at[AV] the dore there,
And wente bifore[AW] hym alle in fere,
And songe a response[AX] fulle glorivs,
Quis est magnus dominus.
Messe he hirde and offrid thoo,
And thanne to the Castelle dide he goo.
That is a place of rialte,
And a paleis of grete beaute.
There he hym[AY] loggid in the Toune,
With rialle and grete renoune.
And the[AZ] cite dide faste encrece
Of brede and wyne, fisshe, and fflesshe.[BA]
And thus oure gracious liege
Made an ende of his seege.
And alle that[BB] haue hirde this redynge[BC]
To his[BD] blisse criste you brynge,
That for vs deide vpon[BE] a tre,
Amen sey[BF] we alle, pur cherite!
There was many a getoun gay.] The following particulars relative to the getoun appear in MS. Harl. 838. "Euery baronet euery estat aboue hym shal have hys baner displeyd in y'e field yf he be chyef capteyn, euery knyght his penoun, euery squier or gentleman hys getoun or standard." "Item, y'e meyst lawfully fle fro y'e standard and getoun, but not fro y'e baner ne penon.". "Nota, a stremer shal stand in a top of a schyp or in y'e fore-castel: a stremer shal be slyt and so shal a standard as welle as a getoun: a getoun shal berr y'e length of ij yardes, a standard of iii or 4 yardes, and a stremer of xii. xx. xl. or lx. yardes longe."
This account is confirmed by MS. Harl. 2258, and Lansd. 225. f. 431. as quoted by Mr. Nicholas, in the Retrosp. Rev. vol. i. N.S. The former of these MSS. states: Euery standard and Guydhome [whence the etymology of the word is obvious] to have in the chief the crosse of St. George, to be slitte at the ende, and to conteyne the creste or supporter, with the posey, worde, and devise of the owner." It adds, that "a guydhome must be two yardes and a halfe, or three yardes longe." This rule may sometimes have been neglected, at least by artists, for in a bill of expences for the Earl of Warwick, dated July 1437, and printed by Dugdale, (Warw. p. 327.) we find the following entry; "Item, a gyton for the shippe of viij. yerdis long, poudrid full of raggid staves, for the lymnyng and workmanship, ijs." The Grant of a guydon made in 1491 to Hugh Vaughan, is preserved in the College of Arms. It contains his crest placed longitudinally. Retrospective Review, New Series, vol. i. p. 511.
[E] bewesyns.
[F] came.
[G] worthy deest.
[H] A species of banner or streamer. See Note.
[I] noble.
[J] were.
[K] Trumpeters.
[L] Trumpets.
[M] that.
[N] cryed.
[O] were.
[P] with nose.
[Q] were.
[R] patrons.--Workmens' models or figures. Patrone, forme to werke by. Prompt. Parvul. MS. Harl. 221. There is probably here an allusion to the waxen or wooden effigies placed on the hearse of distinguished personages.
[S] as dede thyng they were peynte.
[T] in.
[U] to fare.
[V] as deest.
[W] as cartes led awey.
[X] Vnto.
[Y] In MS. Harl. 753, a break is here made, and a large capital letter introduced.
[Z] to deest.
[AA] sithe.
[AB] vp he.
[AC] atte porte kauxoz.
[AD] atte porte.
[AE] that stounde.
[AF] Crosses.
[AG] xliiij.
[AH] religiouns.
[AI] atte porte hauxoz.
[AJ] The remainder, of this, and the two following lines are omitted.
[AK] Thanked.
[AL] they seyde our lord so free.
[AM] vnto.
[AN] the deest.
[AO] to.
[AP] As.
[AQ] Poitrell, breast plate.
[AR] hangyng.
[AS] dide deest.
[AT] the chere.
[AU] The chaplains of his household. Lat. capella.
[AV] atte dore, there deest.
[AW] afore.
[AX] respon.
[AY] logged hym.
[AZ] his cite fast encrest.
[BA] beste.
[BB] that deest.
[BC] tydyng.
[BD] his deest.
[BE] on.
[BF] seyde all for charitee.