A wondrous pyle of rugged
mountaynes standes,
Placd on eche other in a dreare
arraie,
It ne could be the worke of
human handes,
It ne was reared up bie menne
of claie.
Here did the Brutons adoration
paye 535
To the false god whom they
did Tauran name,
Dightynge hys altarre with
greete fyres in Maie,
Roastynge theyr vyctimes round
aboute the flame,
’Twas here that Hengyst
did the Brytons slee,
As they were mette in council for to bee.
540
Neere on a loftie hylle a
citie standes,
That lyftes yts scheafted
heade ynto the skies,
And kynglie lookes arounde
on lower landes,
And the longe browne playne
that before itte lies.
Herewarde, borne of parentes
brave and wyse, 545
Within this vylle fyrste adrewe
the ayre,
A blessynge to the erthe sente
from the skies,
In anie kyngdom nee coulde
fynde his pheer;
Now rybbd in steele he rages
yn the fyghte,
And sweeps whole armies to the reaulmes
of nyghte. 550
So when derne Autumne wyth
hys sallowe hande
Tares the green mantle from
the lymed trees,
The leaves besprenged on the
yellow strande
Flie in whole armies from
the blataunte breeze;
Alle the whole fielde a carnage-howse
he sees, 555
And sowles unknelled hover’d
oer the bloude;
From place to place on either
hand he slees,
And sweepes alle neere hym
lyke a bronded floude;
Dethe honge upon his arme;
he sleed so maynt,
’Tis paste the pointel of a man
to paynte. 560
Bryghte sonne in haste han
drove hys fierie wayne
A three howres course alonge
the whited skyen,
Vewynge the swarthless bodies
on the playne,
And longed greetlie to plonce
in the bryne.
For as hys beemes and far-stretchynge
eyne 565
Did view the pooles of gore
yn purple sheene,
The wolsomme vapours rounde
hys lockes dyd twyne,
And dyd disfygure all hys
femmlikeen;
Then to harde actyon he hys
wayne dyd rowse,
In hyssynge ocean to make glair hys browes.
570
Duke Wyllyam gave commaunde,
eche Norman knyghte,
That been war-token in a shielde
so fyne,
Shoulde onward goe, and dare
to closer fyghte
The Saxonne warryor, that
dyd so entwyne,
Lyke the neshe bryon and the
eglantine, 575
Orre Cornysh wrastlers at
a Hocktyde game.
The Normannes, all emarchialld
in a lyne,
To the ourt arraie of the
thight Saxonnes came;
There ’twas the whaped
Normannes on a parre
Dyd know that Saxonnes were the sonnes
of warre. 580