Surdyt gaue theym moche good Than sayd one of y e sarasynes se these grete hutches and these grete cofers they ben full of golde and syluer that our mayster had robbed and spoyled vpon crysten londes that were nyghe the see Soo no man myght thynke the grete ryches that was within Eueryche other lordes toke of the shyppes for there were well nyne hondred and the flode fayled theym There was so grete wȳnynge that euery man was ryche by that Iourney Surdyt called of his men suche as he trusted betoke theym y e shyppe to kepe cōmaūded theym that it sholde be broughte to London to one of his lodgynges that lay vpon the water for he thought to wage men of armes for to go in to his realme that the sarasynes kepte in seruage And neuerthelesse he gaue many grete gyftes that euery man praysed hym of his largesse That nyght passed was vpon a tuesdaye the wednesdaye they serched y e felde for to wete who was deed of the crysten people Soo they founde the kynges two sones of Englonde the erle of wales the baron of staunforde the erle of Gloucestre thre other barons and .xii. knyghtes well a two M. of crysten people So some were borne in to theyr countrees the remenaūt buryed at an abbay The kynge and the quene had grete Ioye of the vyctorye and all they sayd with one voyce that the good knyght Surdyt had dyscomfyted the felde and yf he had not ben they had loste the felde but his grete knyghthode saued them dyscomfyted the felde and theyr enemyes So he had all the pryce but he was ryght sorowful of the dethe of the kynges two sones The kynges and y e quene made grete Ioye to Surdyt so dyde all the ladyes they sayd vpon hym that by hym they were quyte of theyr enemyes Surdyt wept whan he sawe the kynge for pyte of his mayster the kynge comforted hym sayd that in more noble seruyce myght they not dye than in the seruyce of god for to kepe y e countree and our holy lawe ayenst the mysbyleuers ¶ How the kynge of Englonde the kynge of scottes made a parlyament wolde haue gyuen vnto Ponthus to his eldest doughter THe kynge behaued hȳ ryght fayre all thoughe he were sorowfull in his herte Than y e kȳge helde his grete counseyll And there was his brother of scotlonde his neuewe of cornewayle all the lordes And the kynge sayd vnto theym fayre lordes ye se y e grete meruayles that haue fallen in this realme how I haue lost my two sones how I am aged and the quene is not yonge Soo we must be aduysed who shal holde the realme after me and who shall gouerne it in myne age The kynge of scottes stode vp sayd I haue your syster to my wyfe And I gaue my syster to your wyfe and so I holde me for your broder And therfore my counseyll is thus Gyue your doughter vnto Surdyt And ye shall be dredde doubted your realme well gouerned And all answered with one voyce he hath well sayd the kynge of Englonde accorded therto with all his herte And the kynge of scottes was charged to speke vnto Surdyt Soo he wente and sayd vnto hym Surdyt ye ought well to thanke god of the vertues that he hath gyuen you for euery man loueth you The kynge and all his coūseyll haue chosen you to haue his eldest doughter and to be kynge after hym in his lyfe to gouerne his realme Syr sayd Surdyt I thanke the kynge and all his lordes of the grete worshyppe that they profre me but they ben symply aduysed as me semeth for it is not syttynge that soo grete a kynges doughter and heyre sholde take so poore a man as I am and of so lowe a kynred And yf god wyll the noble blode of Englonde shall not be abessed by me What is that ye saye quod the kynge we be all one fader and of one moder And more ouer there is so moche worshyp and worthynes in you that ye be worthy to haue a better They spake moche of this mater but they coude fynde noo waye that he wolde consente so fayre he founde Surdytes excusacyons that it was meruayll to here And whan he sawe that it sholde not be he wente agayne to y e kȳge and his counseyll tolde hym what he had foūde how that Surdyt thanked y e kynge how that he exscused hym Truely sayd the kynge he is maryed or ensured or elles he loueth suche one as he wyll not be vntrewe to Truely sayd all the lordes we wene y t it so be Who so euer was glad or sory the kȳges doughter was ryght sory what semblaūt y t euer she made and sayd to herselfe Alas what eyleth me y t god hath not gyuen me y e grace that I myght not haue hȳ Truely I se well that he hath set his herte in some other place where as he wyl kepe kepe his trouth or perauenture he is maryed sore she cōplayned in her hert sorowed for ouer al men of y e worlde she loued hym best ¶ Now here I leue of Surdyt of the kynges hous of Englonde tourne agayne to Sydoyne to the kȳge of Brytayne THe terme dureth yet that Ponthus set to Sydoyne but Sydoyne hathe many a streyght thought heuynesse bothe daye nyght wysely she demeaned herselfe that no man sholde aspye her heuynes saue Elyos the whiche knewe all her counseyll sayd vnto her Alas by me is gone out of this realme the best and the goodlyest knyghte of all the worlde often tymes she sorowed and wysshed for hym but Elyos comforted her in the best wyse that she myght Now it befell that Guenellet had all his desyre for he was mayster of al the kȳges hous of Brytayne by his grete wyles subtyll speche Soo he put out Harlant the senesshall out of his offyce and made y e kynge his heuy lorde and hadde all the rule in his handes Sydoyne was desyred of kynges and of dukes but she wolde here speke of no maryage Soo amonge all other the kynge of Bourgoyne herde speke of her of the erle of moūtbelyart his cosyn that Sydoyne was the fayrest the connyngest that was in ony countre So the kynge was of her so amerous that he myght haue no rest so he enquyred by whome the kȳge was ruled and gouerned And they tolde hym by a knyght that hyght Guenelet So he sente hym many presentes grete gyftes and made hym large promys so that he wolde labour that he myght haue Sydoyne And soo for couetyse Guenelet letted not but laboured y e kynge sayd vnto hym Syr mary your doughter whyle ye be in good helth allye you with some good kynge that shall be wysely done Here is the kynge of bourgoynge that desyreth her and he is ryght noble and a ryche kynge
kȳge sayd that this coūseyll was good and true and so was it done ¶ How the kynge of Irlonde by the counseyll of Ponthus dyned in the hall with the kynge of Englonde SYr Henry brought hȳ in to the hall The kynge of Irlonde was a ryght goodly knyght and of the age of .xxx. yere he was ryght rychely arayed as in purple mantell furred with fables Eeuery man behelde hym The kynge of Englonde and the quene made hym grete chere for the worshyp of Surdyt was set bytwene the kȳges doughters at mete The kynge of Irlonde was ryght sadde and made symple chere Surdyt came before hym sayd vnto hȳ Syr be of good chere for ye haue good pryson for to be set bytwene two so fayre ladyes Truely sayd y e kȳge as longe as god gyueth me so good pryson I ought not to be dysmayed After mete tho Surdyt began for to bourde with the kynges yongest doughter and sayd Madame how lyke ye the kynge of Irlonde and yf I thought he myght please you I wolde touche of maryage bytwene you and him all thoughe it sytteth me not to do it for poore men are seldome herde amonge grete lordes A Surdyt quod she fayre swete syr are ye bethought theron Ye madame yf I thought that it were to your good pleasure God wote said she he sholde please me well yf it pleased my lorde my fader and my brethren yf so be that I myght not haue another that is neyther kȳge nor duke but he is y e best knyght of y e worlde Madame it is harde to knowe y e best for there be many good so he thought well that she sayd it for hym so dyde she so he wolde not supporte her and fell in to other maters After that they wente to playe and sporte theym in the gardynes some at the chesse and some at the tables and at other dysportes And at after souper they songe and daunced And on the morowe after the kynge helde his grete counsayll and there was the kynge of scottes that had wedded his syster And the kynge had wedded y e kynges syster of scottes And there was the kynge of cornewayle the prynces and y e barons for to wete what sholde be done with the kynge of Irlonde So it was spoken of in dyuers maners that longe were to tell Soo at the laste the kynge asked Surdyt and sayd Surdyt saye ye youre auyse for it is reason youre wyll be herde for by you we haue hym in subgeccyon Fayne he wolde haue exscused hym sayd Syth it pleaseth you that I shall saye forgyue it me yf I speke rudely as a man symple and of lytell connynge but it semeth me that the warre that is bytwene you is onely but selfe wyll fulnes of hertes of grete lordes and it is not after the holy lawe nor the cōmaundement of god for he sayth loue thy neyghboure as thy selfe And also whan god was borne the aungell came to the shepeherdes and anoūced them the byrth of god than wente agayne vp in to the skye sayenge Gloria in excelsis deo et in terra pax hominibus bone voluntatis That is for to saye y t glory be to god y e fader peas to men of good wyll also whan god came in to ony place he sayd to his apostelles peas be amonge you therfore yf god haue gyuen you grete realmes and lordshyppes it is not that the ryche sholde warre vpon the poore for the poore people of the countre ben dystroyed and exyled and ye ought for to kepe them and nourysshe them in peas So I shall tell you how that I thynke that gode peas sholde be amonge you and that ye gyue hym your yongest doughter with the debate that is bytwene you and what it pleaseth you ouer All men sayde that blessyd be he that soo hathe thought and sayd for it is a ryght true counseyll soo this counseyll was holden Than sayd the kynge of Scottes fayre dere frende syth that from you is come so good a counseyll and so pleasaunt to euery man as we may see perfourme ye this dede and go speke with the kynge your prysoner brynge vs worde what his wyll is for we charge you of all this mater Surdyt sayd that he sholde go with good wyll syth that it pleaseth theym So he wente and spake with the kynge of Irlonde and tolde hym that god loueth theym y t loueth peas to theyr neyghbours and how y t many men were lost by theyr hye courage theyr couetyse And than he asked hym yf it myght be that he wolde haue the kynges yongest doughter and that his raunsom the debate bytwene theym were forgyuen A sayd y e kynge yf ye myght brynge it aboute I were moost beholden to you nexte god of all the worlde and wyll ye that it be soo sayde Surdyt yf I may brynge it aboute ye sayd the kȳge with all myn herte there is nothynge I desyre so moche Soo Surdyt departed and came to the counseyll where as they abode y e answere And they asked hym how he had done and he sayd that y e kynge of Irlonde thanked them moche and that this mater pleased hym with all his herte And how he had grete desyre for to haue her with the accorde bytwene theym And the kynge of Englonde made y e archebysshop of cantorbery for to handfest theym a moneth after they were wedded there was a grete feest for the kynge of Irlonde came with an hondred knyghtes in a sute And he gaue vnto Surdyt foure stedes syxe coursers ten thousande besaūtes of golde with grete foyson of clothes of of golde of purple and of sylke gode furres of veer and of sables he was moche beholden vnto the kynge of Irlonde for the grete gyftes y t he gaue hym And whan the kynge had wedded her he ledde her home in to his owne realme where as she was ryght well beloued and worsshypped ¶ How Corboran the thyrde sone of the Sowdan arryued in Englonde and how Ponthus occysed hym IT befell in the .vii. yere y t there came tydynges in to the courte y t the soudans sone whiche was named Corboran had robbed pylled many Yles realmes had done moche harme to the crysten people had may countres trybutary to hym soo he londed in Englonde as his two bretheren dyd one in Galyce another in lytell Brytayne So he was sore dred for he came wel w t a .ix. C. shyppes what grete what small And whan he was londed he defyed the kynge of Englonde And badde that he sholde auoyde the realme or elles to forsake his fayth and yelde hym trybute All the countree was aferde for the grete nombre that he had of men The kynge toke his counseyll and sente for his people Thenne he sente for his broder of Scotlonde and his sone in lawe of Irlonde and for his neuewe of Corne
wayle and also for the Erle of wayles and for all the lordes of Englonde And whan they were all assembled togyder there was a grete armee The kynge sente forth his two sones and y e Surdyt well a foure myle from the hoost of the sarasynes for to ordeyne theyr bataylles wherof the kynge of Scottes was the chyfe ledder of all the hoost The fyrst batayll ledde y e kynge of Irlonde And the kynge of Cornewayle ledde y e seconde batayll The erle of wales ledde y e thyrde Syr Iohan the kynges eldest sone ledde the fourth Syr Harry ledde the fyfth batayll And the Surdyt ledde the syxte batayll So there were syxte grete bataylles And they were nombred moo than thyrty thousande men besydes all the fote men as arbalastres and archers Whan that the kynge Corboran herde telle of theyr comynge he made mo than .xii. bataylles y t were nombred moo than .xl. thousonde without fote men Soo they were ryght fyers proude as they that had neuer ben dyscomfyted in the space of .xii. yere y t they departed frome the Sowdan of babyloyne Soo our men rode to them warde in good ordynaunce whā they sawe the hoost of the turkes and sarazyns y e helde so grete a countre they were gretely ameruaylled but they helde themselfe well assured for they were clene shryuen and houseled Surdyt came before the batayles and comforted them sayd fayre lordes dysmay you not for the grete nombre that they be for our quarell is the quarell of Ihesu cryst that fedde fyue thousande men with fyue barly loues and two fysshes Also he may gyue vs vyctorye one ayenst an hondred so be euery man of good herte smyte surely vpō them for he that well assaylleth or defendeth vpon theym y t haue no fayth god helpeth hym go we hardely with out ony fere And ye shall se them anone dyscomfyted The euery man toke good herte for the wordes of surdyt And they answered Syth that it pleaseth to god that Surdyt was there they were not aferde for to be dyscomfyted Than they smote the horses with the sporres and ran one ayenst another And there was a grete sowne of trompettes and tabours that a mā sholde not haue herde the thondrynge There was many ouerthrowen that syth had no power for to ryse the batayll lasted tyll that all y e bataylles were assembled on bothe partyes so that ther was grete noyse of speres and of swerdes Surdyt made hymselfe away whersoeuer he wente whome that he stroke he was deed eyther maymed Feragyne one of the sarazyns had slayne syr Iohan y e kȳges eldest sone of Englonde that was grete harme The bataylles were ryght cruell And Corboran the hethen kynge dyde grete dedes of armes and sawe syr Henry Surdytes mayster was rychely armed and dyde many grete dedes with his handes he toke a spere grete sparte came vpon a morell stede smote syr Henry in y e syde that he perced his harnays that it entred halfe a fote in to the body and that was grete domage for he was a good knyght a manly Surdyt serched the prees made all to flee before hym with grete strokes that he deled as he passed he sawe his mayster fall to the grounde w t a spere in his syde It is not for to aske yf he was ryght sory And he began for to smyte on the ryght syde and on the lefte made hymself a grete waye with the helpe of the kȳge of Irlonde that alway abode by hym And than he alyghted of his horse lyfted vp his mayster asked hym how he fared And he sayd well so y t he were auenged on hym y t soo hurte hym What is he sayd Surdyt It is Corboran the kynge of this hoost ne doubte you not sayd Surdyt for I shall auenge you or elles dye Soo he dressed hym vp lepte on horsbacke bare hym oute of the prees And than Surdyt gadered to hym an hondred good speres or more sawe the guffanon of kynge Corboran And stroke to that parte brake the prees so moche that he sawe where that Corboran dyde meruayllous dedes with his handes and he was rychely armed had a crowne of golde vpon his basynet Surdyt sayd vnto hym Ha fals cowarde that hast slayne my mayster y u shalt go no ferder So he smote hym so grete a stroke that he was all astonyed laye vpon his sadell bowe And Surdyt smote agayne and smote the heed from the body and bare y e heed out of the batayll vnto his mayster And whan syr Henry sawe the heed he sayd blessyd be god I shall now dye the more meryly And gramercy sayd he to Surdyt Syr sayd he thȳke not to dye for ye shall se the sarasynes anone dyscomfyted syth that they knowe the deth of theyr kynge And he said sothe for as sone as they wyst it they put no more defence in them were all abasshed and sorowed sore for to se themselfe without an heed And Surdyt entred in to the grete prees began to do grete dedes of armes for to gyue boldenes to all his felawshyp And he bete downe sarasynes dyde suche dedes of armes that euery man knewe hym by the grete strokes that he gaue Soo thry fledde before hym as shepe before the wolfe Soo they began to dysseuer and fledde by the countre as wylde bestes And the Englysshe men and Irysshe men and the scottes began the slaughter vpon them on euery syde there were slayne so many that y e feldes lay all strawed of deed men the archers and the fote men whan they sawe ony ouerthrowen they all to hewed theym The sarasynes wyste neuer where to hyde theym nor to saue themselfe many of theym fledde towarde the shyppes but Surdyt and the Englysshe men helde them so shorte that they myghte not escape but put theym in to the see that they drowned theym selfe Grete was the mortalyte vpon them they called vpon mahowne but he neuer dyd helpe them tyll all were slayne and drowned ¶ How Ponthus pylled the shyppes of the sowdan ANd Surdyt came to a bote and endtred in coude speke well latyn and asked where was kynges shyp with all his tresoure so one of the sarasynes tolde hym Come forth sayd Surdyt in to this bote brynge me thyder or thou shalte dye the other sayd that he sholde brynge hym well So he toke ores thre sarasynes rowed to the grete shyppe wente in y e shyppe was passynge grete well poynted So there were some within that wende to haue defended them but Surdyt layde haude on his swerde slewe and drowned all that were therin So there abode no more therin but hymselfe and the thre sarasynes that hadde brought hym thyder Soo they sayd that they wolde be crystened syth that mahowne had lette theyr lorde to be slayne all theyr felawes And after that they were crystened and