Swylk on ne seygh they never non;
All it was whyt of huel-bon,
And every nayl with gold begrave:
Off pure gold was the stave.
Her mast was of ivory;
Off samyte the sayl wytterly.
Her ropes wer off truely sylk,
Al so whyt as ony mylk.
That noble schyp was al withoute
With clothys of golde sprede aboute;
And her loof and her wyndas
Off assure forsothe it was.
To-morrow ye shall in hunting fare;
And yede, my doughter, in a chair;
It shall be covered with velvet red,
And cloths of fine gold all about your head,
With damask white and azure blue,
Well diapered with lilies new.
Your pommels shall be ended with gold,
Your chains enamelled many a fold,
Your mantle of rich degree;
Purple pall and ermine free.
Jennets of Spain, that ben so light,
Trapped to the ground with velvet bright.
Ye shall have harp, sautry, and song,
And other mirths you among.
Ye shall have Rumney and Malespine,
Both Hippocras and Vernage wine;
Montrese and wine of Greek,
Both Algrade and despice eke,
Antioch and Bastard,
Pyment also and garnard;
Wine of Greek and Muscadel;
Both clare, pyment, and Rochelle,
The reed your stomach to defy;
And pots of Osy set you by.
You shall have venison y-bake,
The best wild fowl that may be take;
A leish of harebound with you to streek,
And hart, and hind, and other like.
Ye shall be set at such a tryst,
That hart and hynd shall come to your fist,
Your disease to drive you fro,
To hear the bugles there y-blow.
Homeward thus shall ye ride,
On-hawking by the river's side,
With gossawk and with gentle falcon,
With bugle horn and merlion.
When you come home your menzie among,
Ye shall have revel, dances and song;
Little children, great and small,
Shall sing as does the nightingale.
Then shall ye go to your even song,
With tenors and trebles among.
Threescore of copes of damask bright,
Full of pearls they shall be pight.
Your censors shall be of gold,
Indent with azure many a fold.
Your quire nor organ song shall want,
With contre-note and descant.
The other half on organs playing,
With young children full fain singing.
Then shall ye go to your supper,
And sit in tents in green arber,
With cloth of arras pight to the ground,
With sapphires set of diamond....
A hundred knights, truly told;
Shall play with bowls in alleys cold,
Your disease to drive away;
To see the fishes in pools play,
To a drawbridge then shall ye,
Th' one half of stone, th' other of tree;
A barge shall meet you full right,
With twenty-four oars full bright,
With trumpets and with clarion,
The fresh water to row up and down....
Forty torches burning bright,
At your bridges to bring you light.
Into your chamber they shall you bring,
With much mirth and more liking.
Your blankets shall be of fustian,
Your sheets shall be of cloth of Rennes.
Your head sheet shall be of pery pight,
With diamonds set and rubies bright.
When you are laid in bed so soft,
A cage of gold shall hang aloft,
With long paper fair burning,
And cloves that be sweet smelling.
Frankincense and olibanum,
That when ye sleep the taste may come;
And if ye no rest can take,
All night minstrels for you shall wake.
In Fraunce these rymes were wroht,
Every Englyshe ne knew it not.
(Warton, I, 123.)
They were led into the place full even.
There they heard angels of heaven;
They said: «Seigneures, tuez, tuez!
Spares hem nought, and beheadeth these!»
King Richard heard the angels' voice
And thanked God and the holy cross.
[132]: Pictorial history, I, 666. Dialogue on the Exchequer. Temps de Henri II.
[133]: Domsday book.—Froude's History of England, t. I, 13. «À travers toutes les dispositions perce un but unique: c'est que tout homme, en Angleterre, a sa place définie, et son devoir défini, et que nul être humain n'a la liberté de mener sa vie à son gré sans en rendre compte à personne. C'est la discipline d'une armée transportée dans la vie sociale.»