THE FELON SEW OF ROKEBY AND THE FRYERS OF RICHMOND.

Ye men that will of aunters[59] winne, That late within this land hath beene, Of one I will you tell; And of a sew that was sea strang, Alas! that ever she lived sae lang, For fell[60] folk did she whell.[61] She was mare than other three, The grisliest beast that ere might be, Her head was great and gray: She was bred in Rokeby wood, There were few that thither goed, That came on live[62] away. Her walk was endlong[63] Greta side; There was no bren that durst her bide, That was froe heaven or hell; Nor never man that had that might, That ever durst come in her sight, Her force it was so fell. Ralph[64] of Rokeby, with good will, The fryers of Richmond gave her till,[65] Full well to garre[66] them fare Fryer Middleton by his name, He was sent to fetch her hame, That rued him sine full sare. With him tooke he wicht men two, Peter Dale was one of thoe, That ever was brim as beare,[67] And well durst strike with sword and knife, And fight full manly for his life, What time as mister ware.[68] These three men went at God's will, This wicked sew while they came till, Liggan under a tree; Rugg and rusty was her haire; She raise up with a felon fare,[69] To fight against the three. She was so grisley for to meete, She rave the earth up with her feete, And bark came fro the tree; When fryer Middleton her saugh, Weet ye well he might not laugh, Full earnestly look'd hee. These men of aunters that was so wight,[70] They bound them bauldly for to fight, And strike at her full sare: Until a kiln they garred her flee, Wold God send them the victory, The wold ask him noa mare. The sew was in the kiln hole down, As they were on the balke aboon, For hurting of their feet; They were so saulted with this sew, That among them was a stalworth stew, The kiln began to reeke. Durst noe man neigh her with his hand, But put a rape down with his wand, And haltered her full meete; They hurled her forth against her will, Whiles they came into a hill, A little fro the street.[71] And there she made them such a fray, If they should live to doomes-day, They tharrow[72] it ne'er forgett; She braded[73] upon every side, And ran on them gaping full wide, For nothing would she lett.[74] She gave such brades[75] at the band, That Peter Dale had in his hand, He might not hold his feet. She chafed them to and fro, The wight men was never soe woe, Their measure was not so meete. She bound her boldly to abide; To Peter Dale she came aside, With many a hideous yell; She gaped soe wide, and cried soe hee, The fryer said, "I conjure thee,[76] Thou art a feind of hell! "Thou art come hither for some traine,[77] I conjure thee to go againe Where thou wast wont to dwell." He sayned[78] him with crosse and creede, Took forth a book, began to reade In St. John his gospell. The sew she would not Latin heare, But rudely rushed at the frear, That blinked all his blee;[79] And when she would have taken her hold, The fryer leaped as Jesus[80] wold, And bealed him[81] with a tree. She was as brim as any beare, For all their meete to labour there,[82] To them it was no boote: Upon trees and bushes that by her stood, She ranged as she was wood,[83] And rave them up by roote. He sayd, "Alas, that I was frear! And I shall be rugged[84] in sunder here, Hard is my destinie! Wist my brethren in this houre, That I was sett in such a stoure,[85] They would pray for me." This wicked beast that wrought this woe, Tooke that rape from the other two, And then they fled all three; They fled away by Watling-street, They had no succour but their feet, It was the more pity. The feild it was both lost and wonne,[86] The sew went hame, and that full soone, To Morton[87] on the greene; When Ralph of Rokeby saw the rape,[88] He wist that there had been debate, Whereat the sew had beene. He bade them stand out of her way, For she had had a sudden fray,— "I saw never sew so keene; Some new things shall we heare, Of her and Middleton the frear, Some battell hath there beene." But all that served him for nought. Had they not better succour sought, They were served therefore loe. Then Mistress Rokeby[89] came anon, And for her brought shee meate full soone, The sew came her unto. She gyve her meate upon the flower, * * * *[90] [Hiatus valde deflendus.] When fryer Middleton came home, His brethren was full fain ilkone,[91] And thanked God for his life; He told them all unto the end, How he had foughten with a fiend, And lived through mickle strife. "We gave her battell half a day, And sithin[92] was fain to fly away, For saving of our life;[93] And Peter Dale would never blinn,[94] But as fast as he could ryn,[95] Till he came to his wife." The warden said, "I am full of woe, That ever ye should be torment so, But wee with you had beene! Had wee been there your brethren all, Wee should have garred the warle[96] fall, That wrought you all this teyne."[97] Fryer Middleton said soon, "Nay, In faith you would have fled away, When most mister[98] had beene; You will all speake words at hame, A man would ding you every ilk ane,[99] And if it be as I weine." He look't so griesly all that night, The warden said, "Yon man will fight If you say aught but good; Yon guest[100] hath grieved him so sare, Hold your tongues, and speake noe mare, He looks as he were woode." The warden waged[101] on the morne, Two boldest men that ever were borne, I weine, or ever shall be; The one was Gilbert, Griffin's son, Full mickle worship has he wonne, Both by land and sea. The other was a bastard son of Spaine, Many a Sarazin hath he slain, His dint hath gart them die. These two men the battle undertooke, Against the sew, as says the booke, And sealed security. That they should boldly bide and fight, And skomfit her in maine and might, Or therefore should they die. The warden sealed to them againe, And said, "In feild if ye be slain, This condition make I: "We shall for you pray, sing, and read, To doomes-day with hearty speede, With all our progeny." Then the letters well was made, Bands bound with seales brade, As deedes of armes should be. These men of armes that weere so wight, With armour and with brandes bright, They went this sew to see; She made on them slike a rerd,[102] That for her they were sare afer'd And almost bound to flee. She came roveing them egaine; That saw the bastard son of Spaine, He braded[103] out his brand; Full spiteously at her he strake, For all the fence that he could make, She gat sword out of hand; And rave in sunder half his shielde, And bare him backward in the feilde, He might not her gainstand. She would have riven his privich geare, But Gilbert with his sword of werre, He strake at her full strong, On her shoulder till she held the swerd; Then was good Gilbert sore afer'd, When the blade brake in throng.[104] Since in his hands he hath her tane, She tooke him by the shoulder bane, And held her hold full fast; She strave so stiffly in that stower,[105] That through all his rich armour The blood came at the last. Then Gilbert grieved was sea sare, That he rave off both hide and haire, The flesh came fro the bone; And with all force he felled her there, And wann her worthily in werre, And band her him alone. And lift her on a horse sea hee, Into two paniers well-made of a tre, And to Richmond they did hay:[106] When they saw her come, They sang merrily Te Deum, The fryers on that day.[107] They thanked God and St. Francis,[108] As they had won the best of pris,[109] And never a man was slaine: There did never a man more manly, Knight Marcus, nor yett sir Gui, Nor Loth of of Louthyane.[110] If ye will any more of this, In the fryers of Richmond 'tis In parchment good and fine; And how fryer Middleton that was so kend, At Greta bridge conjured a feind, In likeness of a swine. It is well known to many a man, That fryer Theobald was warden than, And this fell in his time; And Christ them bless both farre and neare, All that for solace list this to heare, And him that made the rhime. Ralph Rokeby with full good will, The fryers of Richmond he gave her till, This sew to mend their fare: Fryer Middleton by his name, Would needs bring the fat sew hame That rued him since full sare.