Bluegrass Messengers

Syr Orfeo- The Scottish Antiquary

Syr Orfeo
by B.
The Scottish Antiquary, or, Northern Notes and Queries, Vol. 16, No. 61 (Jul., 1901),pp. 30-38

[needs to be proofed]

SYR ORFEO

THE romance of Syr Orfeo is preserved in three manuscripts -
(1) the Auchinleck W. 4. 1 (Advoc. Lib. Edin.);
(2) the Harleian 3810 (Brit. Mus.); and
(3) the Ashmole 61 (Oxford).

The text now printed is the last mentioned, the most complete and in other respects the best. The version printed by Halliwell in Illustrations of the Fairy Mythology of Midsummer Night's Dream, London, 1843,[1] has been corrected by the aid of the variant readings in Dr. Zielke's excellent edition of the Auchinleck text, Sir Orfeo, ein Englisches Feenmarchen aus dem mittelalter, Breslau, 1880.[2]

A description of the Ashmole 61 MS. wrill be found in The Scottish Antiquary of April, 1897.

B.

KING ORFEW

Mery tyme is in Aperelle
That mekyll schewys of manys wylle;
In feldys and medewys flouris spryng,
In grovys and wodys foules syng:
Than wex song men jolyffe,
And than prevyth man and wyffe.
The Brytans,
as the boke seys,
Off diverse thinges they made ther leys:
Som they made of herpynges,
And som of other diverse thinges; 10
Som of werre and som of wo,
Som of myrthys and joy also
Som of trechery and som of gyle,
Som of happys that felle som whyle,
And som be of rybaudry
And many ther bene off fary :
Off all the venturrys men here ore se,
Most off luffe fore soth they be,
That in the leys ben i-wrought
Fyrst fond and forth brought. 20
Off aventours that fell some deys
The Brotonys therof made ther leys,
Off kynges that before ns were,
When they my3t any woundres here,
They lete them wryte, as it were do,
And ther among is syr Orfewo.
He was fore-soth a nobull kyng,
That most luffyd gle and herpyng:
Wele sekyr was every gode herper
To have off mekyll honour. . 30
Hymselve he lernyd for to herpe
And leyd theron hys wytte so scherpe,
He lernyd
so wele, withoutene les,
So gode herper never non was;
In all this werld was no man bore,
That had Kyng Orfeo ben before,
And he my3ht hys herpe her
Bot he wold wene that it wer
A blyssed full note of paradys,
Such melody ther-in is. 40
The Kyng jorneyd in Tracyens
That is a cyte off grete defence,
And with hym hys quene off price,
That was callyd dame Meroudys ;
A feyrere lady than sche was one,
Was never made off flessch ne bone;
She was full off lufe and godnes,
Ne may no man telle hyre feyrnes.
It befelle in the begyning of May
When foules syng on every sprey 50
And blossom spryng on every boughe,
Over all waxyth mery inowhe;
Than the quene dame Meroudys
Toke with hyr lades of grete price,
And went in an underontyde
To pley hyr in an horcherd syde.
Than the ladys all thre
Set them under an hympe tre.
Sche leyd hyre dounne that comly quen,
And fell on sclepe upon the gren; 60
The ladys durste hyr nougt wake,
Bot lete hyr ly3e hyr rest to take.
Sche slepe wele fer after the non,
To the undryntyde wer gon ;
And when that ladys gan hyr wake,
Sche cryed and grete noys gan make,
And wrong her hondes with drery mode,
And crachyd hyr vysage all on blode;
Hyre ryche robys sche all torytte,
And was ravysed out of hyr wytte. 70
The ladys that stod hyr besyde,
Fled and durste not long abyde,
Bot went unto the palys a3ene
And told both kny3t and sveyn
How that the quene awey wold
And bad them come hyr to behold.
Sexty knystes and sit mo
And also fele ladys therto
Hastely to the quene they com,
And in ther armys thei hyr nome, 80
And brou3t hyre to bed in haste
And kepyd hyre both feyr and faste,
And ever sche began to cryse
As sche wold up and go hyre weye,
The king com to the chamer to the quen
And before hym kny3tes tenne,
And wepte and seyd with grete pyte,
My leff wyff, what ay les the [3]
Thou that hast be so stylle,
Why cry est thou wonder schylle *? 90
And ever thou ast be meke and myld,
Thou arte becom wode and wyld,
Thy flessch that was so whyte befo(r)n
With thi nayles thou hast torn.
Thy lyppes that wer so brygt red
Semys as wan as thou were ded
And thi fyngyrs long and smale
The be blody and all pale.
And thy lufTsom eyn two
Loke on me, as I wer thi fo. 100
God leman, I cry the mersye,
Thou late be all this reufull cri
And telle me, lady, for thi prow
What thing may thee helpe now."
Sche ley still at the last
And began to say full fast
And thus sche seyd the kyng unto:
Alas, my lord, syr Orfeo
Ever I have lovyd the all my lyfe
Be-twene us was never stryfe 110
Never seth we
dedyd1 ware,
Therefor I make full mekyll care;
Bot now we must parte ato
Do thou the best, for I must go."
"Alas seyd the kyng, lost I ame
Whyder wyll thou go, and to whom?
Wer thou arte, I wold be with the,
And wher I ame thou schall be with me."
" Do wey," seyd the quen,
"that schall not be,
For I schall never the more se! 120
I wyll the tell how it is
And forsoth I wyll not mysse.
As I went this undyre tyde,
To pley me be myn orcherd syde,
I fell on slepe allbedene,
Under an ympe upon the gren ;
My maydens durst me not wake,
Bot lete me lyze and slepe take,
Tyll that the tyme overpassyd so
That the undyrn was overgo. 130
When I gan my-selve awake
Ruly chere I gan to make,
Fore I saw a sembly syzt:
Towerd me com a gentyll knyzt,
Wele i-armyd at all ryzht,
And bad I schuld upon hyzeng,
Com speke with hys lord the kyng.
I answerd hym with wordes bold;
I seyd I durst not ne not I wold.
The knyzht azn he rode full fast 140
Than come ther kyng at the last
With an hundreth kny3tes also
And an hundreth ladys and mo,
All thei ryden on whyte stedes,
Off mylke whyte was all ther wedes,
I saw never, seth I was borne,
So fair creatours her beforn.
The kyng had a crounne on hys hede
It was no sylver ne gold rede,
It was all off presyous stone 150
Als bry3t as any son it schone.
Also sone as he to me com
Whether I wold ore not, up he me nam,
And made me with hym for to ryde
Upon a stede by his syde;
He brou3t me to a feyre palas
Wele tyred and rychly in all case,
He schewyd me hys castellus and tourys,
And hys hey haules and boures,
Forestes ryvers frutes and floures ; 160
Hys grete stedes schewyd me ichon,
And sethyn he made me agene to gon
Into the stede where he me fette,
In that same sted ther he me set,
And seyd, "Madam, loke that thou be
To morow here under this tre
And than schall thou with us go,
And lyve with us ever more so,
Iff that thou make us any lete,
Wherever thou be, thou schall be fete, 170
And totorn thi limes all
Nothing helpe the ne schall,
And thoff thou be all totorn,
Zit shall thou awey with us to be born."
When King Orfeo herd this case
Than he seyd, "Alas, Alas,"
He askyd rede of many a man,
Bot no man help hym ne canne
"Alas," seyed the kyng, "that I ame wo!
What may I best fore my quen do V} 180
On the morow when the ondryn cam,
Kyng Orfeo hys armys nam.
Ten hundreth kny3htes he with hym toke,
Wele armyd, talle men and stoute.
With hys quene than went he
To the orcherd under the ympetre
And seyd he wold ther abyde
What aventour so betyde;
Lyve and dyze thei wold ichon
Or that the quen schuld fro them gon. 190
Than they gon batell to make
And sched blod for hys quenys sake,
Bot among them all ryzht
The quene was awey tvyzht,
And with the feyry awey inome.
The ne wyst wer sche was come.
There was cry, wepyng and wo!
The kyng unto hys chamber zede tho,
And oft he knelyd onne the ston,
And made gre sorrow fore sche was gon, 200
That ne hys lyve was yspent ;
Bot ther myzt be non amendment.
He sent after hys barons,
Knyzhtes, squyres off grete renownys:
When thei all com were,
He seyd, "Lordinges, before zou here
I wold orden my hyze stuerd
To kepe my londes afterward,
And in my sted be he schal
To kepe my landes over al. 210
When that zc see my lyffe is spent
Than make zou a perlament;
Chose zou than a newe kyng
And do zour best with all my thing,
Fore now I have my quene lorne,
The best woman that ever was born,
To wylderne I wyll gon
For I wyll never woman sene
And live ther in holtis hore
With wyld bestes evermore !" 220
Ther was wepyng in the halle
And gret sorow among them alle,
Ther was nother olde ne zong
That my3t speke a word with tong.
They felle on kneys all in fere
Besou3ht hym 3ff his wille were
That he no schuld fro them go.
"Do wey," he seyde, "it schal be so,
Al this kyngdom I forsake."
A staff to hym he gan take, 230
He had nether gowne ne hode
Sehert ne non other gode,
Bot an harp he tok algate,
Barefote he went furth at the zate.
Ther was weping and grete crye,
Grete dole for the maysterye,
When the king withoutene crounne
So porely went out off the tounne.
He went thorow wode and hethe
And into wildernes he gethe; 240
So fere he went, I sey, iwys
That he wyst not wher he was.
He that sate in boure and halle
And on hym were the purpull palle,
Now in herd hethe he lyzet,
With leves and gresse his body hydyth,
He that had knyzhtes off prise
And before hym knelyd lades,
He sey not that hys herte lykyth
Bot wyld bestes that by hym stry kyth. 250
Also he had castellus and tourys
Forestes ryveres frutys and flourys,
Now thoff it be store as frese
He may not make hys bed in es.
The kyng that had grete plente"
Off mete and drinke withoutene le
Long he may dyge and rote
Or he have hys fille of the rote.
In somour he lyvys be the frute
And berys that were full suete ; 260
In wynter may he nothing fynd
Bot levys and grasse and of the rynd,
Hys body is awey dwyned
And for grete cold al to schend,
Hys berd was both blak and row3e
And to hys gyrdell-sted it drew3e;
He can telle off grete care
That he suffyr
x winter and more2
2 Mair? = Mar.
VOL. XVI.?NO. LXI. D
34 The Scottish Antiquary;
In a tre that was halow
There was hys haule evyn and mor
row. 270
When the wether was feyre and bri3ht,
He toke his herpe anone ri3ht,
In mydys the wodde he sett hym
dounne,
And temperyd hys herpe with a mery
sounne,
And harpyd after hys awne wille,
Over all aboute it was full schille.
The wyld bestes that ther wer
They come aboute hys herpe to here,
The bestes of that forest wyld
Com aboute hym meke and myld, 280
To here hys harpyng so fyne,
So mich melody was therine.
When he hys harpyng stynt wylle
No leng ther abyde they wylle,
And all the foulys that there were
They com aboute hym by bussch and
brer.
Than my3t he se hym beside,
In an hote undryntyde,
The king off Fary and all hys rout
Come ryding hym al about, 290
With dynne, cry and with blowyng
And with hundes berkyng
Bot no dere ne best they nome,
He wyst not wer they were bicome.
Other thinges he my3ht se
A gret hoste com hym bye
An hundreth kyn^htes and mo 3it
Wele armyd at all ry3ht,
With contynans stout and fers,
And many spreding baners ; 300
Every man a draw suerd had in hond,
Bot he wyst not whether they wold wend,
Also he my3t se every thing
Kny3htes and ladys com daunsing.
Anon he lokyd hym besyde,
And say syxty ladys on palferays ryde,
Gentyl and gay as bryd on ryse,
Not a man among them iwys,
Bot every lady a faucon bere,
And ryden on huntyng be o ryvere. 310
Off game they found well gode haunt
Suannys, herons and commorante,
And the faucons forth fleying,
And the foulys fro the water rysing;
Every facon hys pray SI0W3.
Then sate the kyng Orfeo and lewz,
And seyd "This is gode game,
Thydder I wyll, be Godes name,
Sych game I was wont forto se."
Up he ros and thether went he. 320
To a lade* he com tho
He beheld hyr face and body also,
Hym thou3t that it was in all wyse,
Hys awne quen dam Meroudes.[3]
He beheld hyr and sche hym eke,
And never a word to other they speke,
Fore the poverte that sche on hym se,
That had bene so rych and hyze
The terys ran doun be hyr eyze.
The ladys beheld and that they seyze, 330
And made hyr away to ryde,
No longer myzht sche ther abyde.
"Alas," seyd Orfeo " that me is wo !
Why wold not myne hert breke atwo 1
Now I may not speke with my wyffe,
All to long lastes my lyffe.
Sche dare not a word with me speke,
Alas, why wold not my herte breke ?
"Alas," seyd the kyng, "that I ne myzht
Dy3e after this same sy3ht. 340
Into wh^t lond this lady ryde
Forow2 I wyll what so betyde.
or, Northern Notes and Queries. 35
That same wey wyll I streche
Off my lyve I do not reehe."
He toke a staff as he spake,
And throw an herpe at hys bake,
He sparyd nother stoke ne stone
He had gode wyll forto gone.
In a roche off stone the ladys ryde.
Orphes folowyd and not abyde. 350
When he had therin go,
A myle or els two,
He come into a feyre cuntrey1
Als bry3t as son in somerys dey;
Hyll ne dale was ther non sene
It was a welle feyre gren.
Orfes2 full welle it seye
A feyre castell ryall and hy3e :
He beheld the werke full well.
The overyst werke above the walle 360
Gan schyne as doth the crystal.
A hundreth tyretes he saw full stout,
So godly thei wer bateyled aboute.
The pylers that come out off the dyche,
All thei wer of gold full ryche :
The frontys thei were amelyd all
With all nianer dyvers amell;
Therein he saw wyde wonys;
And all wer full of presyos stonys.
Kyng Orfeo knokyd at the 3ate, 370
The pourter was redy therate
Freyned what he wold do.
He seyd
"
I am a mystrell lo,
To glad thi lord with my gle,
And it hys suete wyll be."
The porter undyd the 3ate anon
And as a mynstrell lete hym gon;
Than lokyd he aboute the walle,
And saw it stond over alle
With men that wer thy der broujht 380
And semyd dede and wer nou3ht:
Som ther stod with outyn hede,
And some armys non nade,
And some ther bodys had woimde,
And some onne hors ther armys sette,
And some wer strangyld at ther mete,
And men that wer nomen with them
ete;
So he saw them stonding ther.
Then saw he men and women in fer,
As thei slepyd ther undryntyde, 390
He them saw on every syde :3
Among them he saw hys wyve,
That he lovyd as his lyfe,
That ley ther under that tre, full trew,
Be hyre clothys he hyr knew.
In that castell he saw 3it
A tabernakylle wele idy3ht
And a ryall kyng therin sette,
And hys quen that was so suete:
There crownys and clothys schyne
so
bry3t, 400
That on them loke he ne ray3ht.
A hundryth kny3htes in present
To do the kinges commandment.
When he had sen all this thing
On kneys he fell before the kyng,
And seyd, "Lord and thi wyll were
My mystralsy thou woldyst here [1]
Than seyd the kyng,
"What arte thou
That hether arte i-come now [1]
I no4 none that is with me 110
Never 3it sent after the :
Never seth that my reyn began,
Fond I never non so herdy man
That hyder durst to us wend
Bot iff I wold after hym sende."
"Syre," he seyde, "y trow wele
1 ame bot a pore mynstrelle,
And 3it it ys the maner of us,
For to seke to gret lordes hous;
And thoff we not welcome be, 420
3it we behovyth to pro fere oure gle."
1 MS. has cunturey.
% Sic. s MS. reads, He saw he
}pem
on every syde.
4 Nore.
36 The Scottish Antiquary;
Before the kyng he sette hym done
And toke hys herpe schyll of sowne,
And temperd yt as he wele can :
A blyssed full note he began
The kyng sate wele sty 11
To here hys herpe with ry3t gode wyll;
Wele hym lykyd to here his gle,
The ryche quene so deyd sche.
Men that in the castell wer 430
Come hys herpe for to here,
And felle doune to hys fete
They thou3t his melody was so suete.
And when he stynt of hys harpyng,
To hym than seyd the ryche kyng,
"
Mynstrell me lykes wele thi gle
And what thou wyll, aske of me,
Largely I wyll the pay :
Speke
now and thou may a-sey."
" Now lord I pray the 440
That thou wold 3iff to me
The feyre lady bry3t of ble,
That ly3et under this ympe tre."
"Nay," he seyde, "that thoi^ht I never
A foule coupull of 30U it were,
Fore thou arte rou3e and blake,
And sche is with-outyne lake ;
A foule thing it wer fore-thy
To se hyre go in thi company."
"Lord" he seyd, "thou ryche kyng, 450
3it it were a foulere thing
To here a lesyng of thy mouthe
That thou me seyst now^e
That 1 schulde have what y wold,
Bot nedys a kyng word mot hold."
The ryche king spake wordes than
And seyd
"
Thou arte a trew man,
Therefore I grante that it be so,
Thou take hyr be the hond and go :
I wyll that thou be of her blyth." 460
He thankyd hym a hundreth sythe.
He toke hyre by the hond anon
And fast went forth oute of that
wone:
Fast thei hyed out of that palas
And went ther wey thourow grace;
To wyldernes both forth thei geth,
And passyth over holtys and heth.
So long he hys wey ther nom,
To Trasyens they
were icom
That some tyme was his awn cyte; 470
Bot no mane knew that it was he.
With a pore man he reste that ny3t
There he thou3t to byde aply3t,
Unto hym and to hys wyff,
As an herpere off pore lyff,
And askyd tydinges of that lond
Who that the kyngdome held in hond:
In that same tyme that old man.
He told hym all that he can
And how the quene was twy3t awey, 480
Into ye land of Fayrey,
And how the kyng exiled 3ede
But no man wyst into what stede :
And how the stewerd the kyndam hold,
And many other wonders hym told.
Amorrow azen the none tyde
He made hys quene therto abyde
Fore soth he toke hys herpe anon,
In to the syte he can gon
And when [he] come into the syte 490
Many a man com hym to se,
Men and wyves and maydnise bold
Fast they com hym to behold.
Also thei seyd everychone
How the mosse grew hym upone :
"Hys berd is growyn to the kne,
His body is clong as a tre."
As the kyng went in the strete
With his stewerd he gan mete,
And fell on kneys with great pyte 500
And seyd,
"Lord for chary te
I ame an herpere of hethynes
Helpe me now, lord, yn this distres."
The stewerd said, "Cum with me home,
Off my gode thou schall have some ;
Fore my lordes love, Syr Orfeo,
All herpers be welcum me to."
The steward and the lordys alle
Anone thei went in to the halle;
The steward wessch and went to mete 510
The lordes all began to sytte ;
Ther wer herpers1 and trumpers
And mynstrellus and grete renounys.
There was grete myrth in the halle,
Kyng Orfew sate among them alle
And lystynd to thei wer styll,
And toke his herpe and temperde schyll:
The meryest note he made ther,
That every man my3t here with ere.
All thei lyked wele hys gle, 520
The rych stewerd so dyd he.
The stewerd the harpe knew full suyth
And seyd
"
Mynstrell, so mote thou
thryve,
Where hades thou this herpe and how
Tell me now, fore thi prow." " A ! Lord, in a mournyngtyde
Tliorow a wyld forest I 3ede ;
A man with lyons
was drawyn smale,
I fond hym ly3eng in a dale ;
Etyn he was with tethe so scherpe, 530
By hym I fond this ryall herpe
Ny3he
x wyntyr ago."
"
Alas," seyd the stewerd,
"
me is wo
That was my lord syr Orfeo."
Alas, he seyd, "what shall I doi
And for my lord that happyd so,
"Alas," he seyd, "that me is wo,
That so evyll deth was merkyd,
And so hard grace hym behappyd."
On swon he fell in the halle, 540
The lordes com before hym alle,
And toke hym up sone anon,
And comforth hym everychon,
And told hym how this werld geth,
"Ther is no bote of manys deth."
The kyng behelde the steward than
And seyd he was a trew man,
And lovyd hym as he 0U3ht to do,
And sterte up and seyd,
"Lo! Syre stuerd, lystyns now this thing 550
Ziff I were Orfeo the kyng.
Therefore, stewerd, lystyns to me
Now thou may the kyng her se.
I have wounyd x wynter and more
In wylderness with mekyll sore,
And have wonne my quene awey
Owte of the lond off Fary,
And have brouzt that lady hend
Here unto the tounnes ende,
And our in was ther inome : 560
And my selve to the court come
Thus in beger wede full styll
Forto a-sey thi gode wyll:
And for I found the thus trewe
Therefor thou schall never it re we,
For be my lyve fore lufe on aye
Thou schall be kyng after my dey;
And if thou have of my deth blyth,
Thow schuld be hangyd also swyth."
All the lordes that therinsette 570
That was the kyng they undelete,
And with that word the stewerd hym knew,
And over that bord a-non he threw,
And fell anone dounne to hys fete,
And so did all that there sate;
And all tho seyd with a cryeng,
" Welcum our Orfew the kyng !"
Off hys comyng thei wer blyth
And brou3t hym to a chamber swyth,
And bathyd hym and schavehisberd, 580
And tyred hym as a king in wede :
And sethin with grete processyone
Thei brouzt the quene thorow the toune:
Fore ther was myrth and melody
Off yche maner mynstralsy.
38 The Scottish Antiquary;
There he was crouned, new iwys,
So was the quen dame Meroudes,
And levyd long afterwerd;
And seth was kyng the trew stewerd.
Herpers of Bretayn herd beforne 590
How this aventour was begon,
And made a ley of grete lykyng
And callyd it after the kyng,
That Orfeo hy3ht, as mene wele wote.
Gode is the ley, suete is the note !
Thus endes here Orfeo the kyng:
God grante us all hys blyssing.1
And all that this wyll here or rede,
God for-gyff them ther mysded,
To the blysse of hevyn that thei may
com, 600
And ever-more ther in to wonne.
And that it may so be
Prey we all for charyte !
Explicit Orfew.

Footnotes:

1. Reprinted by W. 0. Hazlitt in 1875 in the scarce volume, The Fair Mythology of Shakespeare, London, 1875.
2 The Auchinleck version is an independent translation. The Harleian is an abridgment of the original followed by the Ashmole.
3. wedyd?
4. Gret?

1 Dame Eroudes ?

2 Sic. follow ?

1 MS. reads, hepers.

1 The Auchinleck MS. ends,
"
God graunt ous all loele to fare" the ending of the Harl.
MS. being:?
"And all that have herde this talkyng
In hevenblys be his wonynge
Amen, amen, for charyte
Lord us graunt that it be so.