Next Fescampe felle; O Chrieste,
howe harde his fate
To die the leckedst knyghte
of all the thronge!
His sprite was made of malice
deslavate,
Ne shoulden find a place in
anie songe.
The broch’d keene javlyn
hurld from honde so stronge 335
As thine came thundrynge on
his crysted beave;
Ah! neete avayld the brass
or iron thonge,
With mightie force his skulle
in twoe dyd cleave;
Fallyng he shooken out his
smokyng braine,
As witherd oakes or elmes are hewne from
off the playne. 340
For, Norcie, could thie myghte
and skilfulle lore
Preserve thee from the doom
of Alfwold’s speere;
Couldste thou not kenne, most
skyll’d Astrelagoure.
How in the battle it would
wythe thee fare?
When Alfwolds javelyn, rattlynge
in the ayre, 345
From hande dyvine on thie
habergeon came,
Oute at thy backe it dyd thie
hartes bloude bear,
It gave thee death and everlastynge
fame;
Thy deathe could onlie come
from Alfwolde arme,
As diamondes onlie can its fellow diamonds
harme. 350
Next Sire du Mouline fell
upon the grounde,
Quite throughe his throte
the lethal javlyn preste,
His soule and bloude came
roushynge from the wounde;
He closd his eyen, and opd
them with the blest.
It can ne be I should behight
the rest, 355
That by the myghtie arme of
Alfwolde felle,
Paste bie a penne to be counte
or expreste,
How manie Alfwolde sent to
heaven or helle;
As leaves from trees shook
by derne Autumns hand,
So laie the Normannes slain by Alfwold
on the strand. 360
As when a drove of wolves
withe dreary yelles
Assayle some flocke, ne care
if shepster ken’t,
Besprenge destructione oer
the woodes and delles;
The shepster swaynes in vayne
theyr lees lement;
So foughte the Brystowe menne;
ne one crevent, 365
Ne onne abashd enthoughten
for to flee;
With fallen Normans all the
playne besprent,
And like theyr leaders every
man did flee;
In vayne on every syde the
arrowes fled;
The Brystowe menne styll ragd, for Alfwold
was not dead. 370
Manie meanwhile by Haroldes
arm did falle,
And Leofwyne and Gyrthe encreasd
the slayne;
’Twould take a Nestor’s
age to synge them all,
Or telle how manie Normannes
preste the playne;
But of the erles, whom recorde
nete hath slayne, 375
O Truthe! for good of after-tymes
relate,
That, thowe they’re
deade, theyr names may lyve agayne,
And be in deathe, as they
in life were, greate;
So after-ages maie theyr actions
see,
And like to them aeternal alwaie stryve
to be. 380