Torrent of Portyngale Part 29

[Sidenote: The false king Calamond is drownd, and Torrent is made King of Portugal,]

The shipp-men~ brought s{ir} Colomond And sent hym fforth within~ a stound As ffar as it were. 2145 Wott ye well and vnderstond, He come never ayen to lond, Such stormes ffound he there.

Gret lordys of renown~ Be-toke s{ir} Torent the crown~ 2150 To reioyse it there. [2251]

Loo, lordys of euery lond: Falshode wyll haue a foule end, And wyll haue euermore.

(187)

[Sidenote: but he gives the land up to the Queen, and resolves to go to the Holy-Land.]

Sir Torent dwellid thare 2155 Fourty days in moche care, Season~ for to hold; Sith he takith two knyght{es}, To kepe his lond and his right{es}, That doughty were and bold. 2160 'Madam~,' he said to the quene, [2261]

'Here than shall ye lady bene, To worth as ye wold.'

He purveyd hym~ anon~, To wend ouer the see fome, 2165 There G.o.d was bought and sold.

[Linenote: 2161. _He said madam_ MS.]

(188)

[Sidenote: His arms are 3 silver ships on an azure field. For love of Desonell, Torrent leaves Portugal.]

And ye now will liston~ a stound, How he toke armes of kyng Calomond, f. 111b.

Listonyth, what he bare.

O{n} asure, as ye may see, 2170 With sylu{er} shippes thre, [2271]

Who so had be thare.

For Desonell is love so bryght, His londis he takyth to a knyght, And sith he is {boun} to fare. 2175 'Portyngale, haue good day For Sevyn~ yere, p{ar}maffay, P{ar} aventure som~ dele m{a}re!'

[Linenotes: 2170. This line begins with a big initial letter.

_Off_ MS.

2175. _boun_] _home_ MS.

2178. _more_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT TAKES THE CITY OF QUARELL.]

(189)

[Sidenote: He besieges the City of Quarell for 2 years, and then takes it.]

Sir Torent pa.s.sid the Grekys flood In to a lond both riche and good, 2180 Full evyn~ he toke the way [2281]

To the {cite} of Quarell, As the boke of Rome doth tell, There a soudan~ lay.

There he smote and set adown~ 2185 And yaue asaute in to the town, That w{i}ll the storye say.

So well they vetelid were, That he lay there two yere, Sith in~ the town~ went they. 2190

[Linenotes: 2182. _cite_] _see_ MS.

2187. _well_ MS.

_says_ MS.

2190. _And sith in to_ MS.]

(190)

[Sidenote: He has its inhabitants kild, and shares its booty among his men.]

And tho s{ir} Torent ffound on~ lyve, [2291]

He comaundid with spere and knyffe Smertely dede to be; He said: 'We haue be here Moche of this two yere 2195 And onward on~ the thr{e}.'

All the good, that s{ir} Torent wan~, He p{ar}tid it among his m{a}n~, Syluer, gold and ffee; And sith he is boun to ride f. 112a. 2200 To a Cite there be-syde, [2301]

That was worth such thre.

[Linenotes: 2196. _thrid_ MS.

2198. _men_ MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT TAKES ANOTHER CITY, AND GOES TO ANTIOCH.]

(191)

[Sidenote: Torrent then besieges another heathen City for 6 years. All its folk die of hunger.]

There he stode and smote adown~ And leyd sege to the town~, Six yere there he lay. 2205 By the VI yere were all done, With honger they were all slone, That in the Cite lay.

{The} Soudan sent to s{ir} Torent than~, With honger that thes people be slan, 2210 All the folke of this Cite; [2311]

'Yf ye thinke here to lye, Ye shall haue wyne and spycery, I-nough is in this contre.'

[Linenotes: 2209. _The_] _A_ MS.

2209-14 put before 2203-8 MS.

2210. _slayn_ MS.

2211. _thes_ MS.]

(192)

[Sidenote: Torrent kills the Sultan,]

Now G.o.d do his soule mede! 2215 On the soudan~ he had a dede Vppon~ euery good ffryday.

I{es}u sent hym strengith I-nough~, With dynt of sword he hym slough~, There went none quyk away. 2220 Down knelid that knyght [2321]

And thankid G.o.d with all his my?t~: So ought he well to say.

The Cite, that s{ir} Torent was yn~, Worldely goodis he left ther yn~, 2225 To kepe it nyght and day.

(193)

[Sidenote: goes to Antioch, and fights every good Friday.]

Sith he buskyd hym~ to ride In to a lond there be-syde, f. 112b.

Antioche it hight.

Sevyn~ yere at the Cite he lay 2230 And had batell euery good ffryday, [2331]

Vppon~ the Sar?ins bryght; And be the VII yere were gone, The child, that the liberd had tane, Found hym his fill off ffyght . . . . . . 2235

[Linenote: 2230-32 put before 2227-29 MS.]

[Headnote: TORRENT'S SON LEOBERTUS FIGHTS AGAINST HIM.]

(194)

[Sidenote: The King of Jerusalem sends 50,000 knights,]