MS. Harley 1701 (about A.D. 1375); ed. Furnivall, ll. 8987 ff.
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,
And þe messe shuld bygynne sone.
Þe preste hym reuest to begynne messe, 70
And þey ne left þerfore neuer þe lesse,
But daunsed furþe as þey bygan,
For alle þe messe þey ne blan.
Þe preste, þat stode at þe autere,
And herd here noyse and here bere, 75
Fro þe auter down he nam,
And to þe cherche porche he cam,
And seyd 'On Goddes behalue, y ȝow forbede
Þat ȝe no lenger do swych dede,
But comeþ yn on feyre manere 80
Goddes seruyse for to here,
And doþ at Crystyn mennys lawe;
Karolleþ no more, for Crystys awe!
Wurschyppeþ Hym with alle ȝoure myȝt
Þat of þe Vyrgyne was bore þys nyȝt.' 85
For alle hys byddyng lefte þey noȝt,
But daunsed furþ, as þey þoȝt.
Þe preste þarefor was sore agreued;
He preyd God þat he on beleuyd,
And for Seynt Magne, þat he wulde so werche— 90
Yn whos wurschyp sette was þe cherche—
Þat swych a veniaunce were on hem sent,
Are þey oute of þat stede were went,
Þat <þey> myȝt euer ryȝt so wende
Vnto þat tyme tweluemonth ende; 95
(Yn þe Latyne þat y fonde þore
He seyþ nat 'tweluemonth' but 'euermore';)
He cursed hem þere alsaume
As þey karoled on here gaume.
As sone as þe preste hadde so spoke 100
Euery hand yn ouþer so fast was loke
Þat no man myȝt with no wundyr
Þat tweluemo<n>þe parte hem asundyr.
Þe preste ȝede yn, whan þys was done,
And commaunded hys sone Aȝone 105
Þat <he> shulde go swyþe aftyr Aue,
Oute of þat karolle algate to haue.
But al to late þat wurde was seyd,
For on hem alle was þe veniaunce leyd.
Aȝone wende weyl for to spede; 110
Vnto þe karolle as swyþe he ȝede,
Hys systyr by þe arme he hente,
And þe arme fro þe body wente.
Men wundred alle þat þere wore,
And merueyle mowe ȝe here more, 115
For, seþen he had þe arme yn hand,
Þe body ȝede furþ karoland,
And noþer <þe> body ne þe arme
Bledde neuer blode, colde ne warme,
But was as drye, with al þe haunche, 120
As of a stok were ryue a braunche.
Aȝone to hys fadyr went,
And broght hym a sory present:
'Loke, fadyr,' he seyd, 'and haue hyt here,
Þe arme of þy doghtyr dere, 125
Þat was myn owne syster Aue,
Þat y wende y myȝt a saue.
Þy cursyng now sene hyt ys
Wyth veniaunce on þy owne flessh.
Fellyche þou cursedest, and ouer sone; 130
Þou askedest veniaunce,—þou hast þy bone.'
Ȝow þar nat aske ȝyf þere was wo
Wyth þe preste, and wyth many mo.
Þe prest, þat cursed for þat daunce,
On some of hys fyl harde chaunce. 135
He toke hys doghtyr arme forlorn
And byryed hyt on þe morn;
Þe nexte day þe arme of Aue
He fonde hyt lyggyng aboue þe graue.
He byryed <hyt> on anouþer day, 140
And eft aboue þe graue hyt lay.
Þe þrydde tyme he byryed hyt,
And eft was hyt kast oute of þe pyt.
Þe prest wulde byrye hyt no more,
He dredde þe veniaunce ferly sore; 145
Ynto þe cherche he bare þe arme,
For drede and doute of more harme,
He ordeyned hyt for to be
Þat euery man myȝt wyth ye hyt se.
Þese men þat ȝede so karolland, 150
Alle þat ȝere, hand yn hand,
Þey neuer oute of þat stede ȝede,
Ne none myȝt hem þenne lede.
Þere þe cursyng fyrst bygan,
Yn þat place aboute þey ran, 155
Þat neuer ne felte þey no werynes
As many †bodyes for goyng dos†,
Ne mete ete, ne drank drynke,
Ne slepte onely alepy wynke.
Nyȝt ne day þey wyst of none, 160
Whan hyt was come, whan hyt was gone;
Frost ne snogh, hayle ne reyne,
Of colde ne hete, felte þey no peyne;
Heere ne nayles neuer grewe,
Ne solowed cloþes, ne turned hewe; 165
Þundyr ne lyȝtnyng dyd hem no dere,
Goddys mercy ded hyt fro hem were;—
But sungge þat songge þat þe wo wroȝt:
'Why stonde we? why go we noȝt?'
What man shuld þyr be yn þys lyue 170
Þat ne wulde hyt see and þedyr dryue?
Þe Emperoure Henry come fro Rome
For to see þys hard dome.
Whan he hem say, he wepte sore
For þe myschefe þat he sagh þore. 175
He ded come wryȝtes for to make
Coueryng ouer hem, for tempest sake.
But þat þey wroght hyt was yn veyn,
For hyt come to no certeyn,
For þat þey sette on oo day 180
On þe touþer downe hyt lay.
Ones, twyys, þryys, þus þey wroȝt,
And alle here makyng was for noȝt.
Myght no coueryng hyle hem fro colde
Tyl tyme of mercy þat Cryst hyt wolde. 185
Tyme of grace fyl þurgh Hys myȝt
At þe tweluemonth ende, on þe ȝole nyȝt.
Þe same oure þat þe prest hem banned,
Þe same oure atwynne þey †woned†;
Þat houre þat he cursed hem ynne, 190
Þe same oure þey ȝede atwynne,
And as yn twynkelyng of an ye
Ynto þe cherche gun þey flye,
And on þe pauement þey fyl alle downe
As þey had be dede, or fal yn a swone. 195
Þre days styl þey lay echone,
Þat none steryd oþer flesshe or bone,
And at þe þre days ende
To lyfe God graunted hem to wende.
Þey sette hem vpp and spak apert 200
To þe parysshe prest, syre Robert:
'Þou art ensample and enchesun
Of oure long confusyun;
Þou maker art of oure trauayle,
Þat ys to many grete meruayle, 205
And þy traueyle shalt þou sone ende,
For to þy long home sone shalt þou wende.'
Alle þey ryse þat yche tyde
But Aue,—she lay dede besyde.
Grete sorowe had here fadyr, here broþer; 210
Merueyle and drede had alle ouþer;
Y trow no drede of soule dede,
But with pyne was broght þe body dede.
Þe fyrst man was þe fadyr, þe prest,
Þat deyd aftyr þe doȝtyr nest. 215
Þys yche arme þat was of Aue,
Þat none myȝt leye yn graue,
Þe Emperoure dyd a vessel werche
To do hyt yn, and hange yn þe cherche,
Þat alle men myȝt se hyt and knawe, 220
And þenk on þe chaunce when men hyt sawe.
Þese men þat hadde go þus karolland
Alle þe ȝere, fast hand yn hand,
Þogh þat þey were þan asunder
Ȝyt alle þe worlde spake of hem wunder. 225
Þat same hoppyng þat þey fyrst ȝede,
Þat daunce ȝede þey þurgh land and lede,
And, as þey ne myȝt fyrst be vnbounde,
So efte togedyr myȝt þey neuer be founde,
Ne myȝt þey neuer come aȝeyn 230
Togedyr to oo stede certeyn.
Foure ȝede to þe courte of Rome,
And euer hoppyng aboute þey nome,
†Wyth sundyr lepys† come þey þedyr,
But þey come neuer efte togedyr. 235
Here cloþes ne roted, ne nayles grewe,
Ne heere ne wax, ne solowed hewe,
Ne neuer hadde þey amendement,
Þat we herde, at any corseynt,
But at þe vyrgyne Seynt Edyght, 240
Þere was he botened, Seynt Teodryght,
On oure Lady day, yn lenten tyde,
As he slepte here toumbe besyde.
Þere he had hys medycyne
At Seynt Edyght, þe holy vyrgyne. 245
Brunyng þe bysshope of seynt Tolous
Wrote þys tale so merueylous;
Seþþe was hys name of more renoun,
Men called hym þe pope Leoun.
Þys at þe court of Rome þey wyte, 250
And yn þe kronykeles hyt ys wryte
Yn many stedys beȝounde þe see,
More þan ys yn þys cuntré.
Þarfor men seye, an weyl ys trowed,
'Þe nere þe cherche, þe fyrþer fro God'. 255
So fare men here by þys tale,
Some holde hyt but a troteuale,
Yn oþer stedys hyt ys ful dere
And for grete merueyle þey wyl hyt here.
A tale hyt ys of feyre shewyng, 260
Ensample and drede aȝens cursyng.
Þys tale y tolde ȝow to <make> ȝow aferde
Yn cherche to karolle, or yn chercheȝerde,
Namely aȝens þe prestys wylle:
Leueþ whan he byddeþ ȝow be stylle. 265
[Foot-note: 21 for (2nd) _om. MS. Bodley 415_.]
[Foot-note: 24 Ys as soþ as þe gospel _MS. Bodley_.]
[Foot-note: 78 behalue] halfe _MS. Bodley_.]
[Foot-note: 94 þey] _so MS. Bodley: om. MS. Harley_.]
[Foot-note: 106 he] _so MS. Bodley_.]
[Foot-note: 118 þe] _so MS. Bodley_.]
[Foot-note: 136-7 forlorn̄... morn̄ _MS._]
[Foot-note: 140 hyt] _so MS. Bodley_: _om. MS. Harley._]
[Foot-note: 171 Þat] Þat hyt _MS. Harley_.]
[Foot-note: 221 men] þey _MS. Bodley_.]
[Foot-note: 227 ȝede] wente _MS. Bodley._]
[Foot-note: 229 togedyr... neuer] myȝt þey neuer togedyr _MS.
Bodley._]
[Foot-note: 241 Seynt _om. MS. Bodley._]