Proemium
fol. 1rSalve, festa dies I Martis, Mavortis! Avete Kalende!
Qua Deus ad celum sublevat ire David!(See next three lines)
Hailexplanatory note 1 devout! Al hail kalendeHoly Day kalends (i.e., first day)
Of ,explanatory note 2 wheryn David the Confessour
Commaunded is his Kyngis court ascende!footnoteexplanatory note 3
Emanuel, Jhesus the Conquerour,
line5This same day as a tryumphatour,supreme victor
Sette in a charetextual note 1 and throne of majestee,chair
To London is comyn.textual note 2 O Saviour,
Welcome a thousand fold to Thi citee!
And she, Thi Modir (blessed mot she be!)Mother (i.e., Mary) blessed may
line10That cometh eke, and angelys anende,textual note 3also, and angels constantly
Wel-wynged and wel-horsed, hidir fle,flying here
Thousendys ontextual note 4 this goode approche attende,
And ordir aftir ordir thei commende,order they salute
As seraphin, as cherubyn, as throne,seraphim cherubim thrones
line15As domynaunce, and princys hidir sende.explanatory note 4explanatory note 5dominions principalities
And, at o woord, right welcom everychone!one
fol. 1vBut Kyng Herry the Sexte, asGoddes SoneHenry VI, like
Or th’emperour or Kyng Emanuel,
To London, welcomer be noo persone!more welcome is no one [but you]
line20O souverayn Lord, welcom! Now wel, now wel!explanatory note 6
Te Deumexplanatory note 7 to be songen, wil do wel,‘Thee, O God [we praise]’
And Benedicta Sancta Trinitas!‘Blessed [be] the Holy Trinity’
Now prosperaunce and peax perpetuelprosperity and perpetual peace
Shal growe. And why? For here is Unitas.explanatory note 8‘Unity’
line25Therof to the Unitee: Deo gratiasexplanatory note 9textual note 5‘Thanks be to God’
In Trinitee! The clergys and knyghthodeclergy knights
And comynaltee better accorded nascommons better accorded were
Never then now.explanatory note 10 Now nys ther noon abode,Now there is no one facing off
But out on hem that fordoon Goddes forbode,footnote
line30Perjurous ar, rebellous, and atteynte,criminal
So forfaytinge her lyif and lyvelode,forfeiting their lives and livelihood
Although ypocrisie her faytys peynte.hypocrisy disguises their fates
Now, person of Caleys, pray every seynteparson of Calais, pray [to]
In hevenys and in erth of help: th’availeon earth for help: the benefit
line35It is. That in this werk nothing ne feynte,nothing be held back
But that beforn good wynde it go ful sayle;before sail
And that not oonly prayer, but travailelabor
Heron be sette. Enserche and faste inquerefootnote
Thi litil book Of Knyghthode and BataileYour Battle
line40What chivaler is best, on it bewere.knight be advised
[Conversation between the Poet and Beaumont]
fol. 2rWhil Te Deum laudamusexplanatory note 11 up goth there‘Thee, O God we praise’ is sung
At Paulis, up to Westmynster go thee;Paul’s (i.e., St. Paul’s Cathedral)
The kyng comyng, honor, virtusexplanatory note 12 the quene,[with] ‘virtue’ the queen
So glad goth up that blisse it is to see.Such happiness arises
line45Thi bille unto the kyng is red, and heYour petition read
Content withal, and wil it not foryete.explanatory note 13
What seith my lord Beaumont?explanatory note 14 “Preste, unto mePriest
Welcom.” Here is t’assay, entre to gete!Now is the test, [with] entry to gain
“Of knyghthode and bataile, my lord, as treteas is treated in
line50The bookys olde, a werk is made now late,a poem was made of late
And if it please you, it may be gete.”fetched
“What werk is it?” “Vegetius translatetranslated
Into balade.” “O preste,textual note 6 I pray thee, lateInto poetry let
Me se that werk.” “Therto wil I you wise.I will reveal it to you
line55Lo, here it is!” Anoontextual note 7 he gan therateAt once he began of it
To rede, thus: “Sumtyme it was the gise. . .”explanatory note 15textual note 8read fashion
And red therof a part. “For my servysetextual note 9read
Heer wil I rede,” he seith, “as o psaultier.”one psalter
“It pleaseth you right wel. Wil your advyseAs it pleases you
line60Suppose that the kyng heryn pleasierWhether pleasure of this
May have?” “I wil considir the matier.
I fynde it is right good and pertynente
Unto the kyng. His celsitude is hier;highness is here
I halde it wel doon, hym therwith presente.”consider it well done
[Presentation of the Poem to the King]
fol. 2v“Almyghti Maker of the firmament,
line66O mervailous in every creature,
So singuler in this most excellentSo uniquely present within
Persone, our souverayn lord! Of what stature(i.e., Henry VI)
Is he, what visagynge, how fair-feture,visage fair-featured
line70How myghti mad, and how strong in travaile!mightily made works
In oonly God and hym it is t’assureto affirm
As in a might, that noo wight dar assaile.mighty one, that no person dare assail
“Lo, souverayn lord, Of Knyghthode and Bataile,
This litil werk, your humble oratour,
line75Ye, therwithal your chivalers, t’availe,
Inwith your hert to Crist the Conquerour,
Offreth. For ye theryn doethtextual note 10 him th’onour.footnote
His true thought, accepte it, he besecheth.he (i.e., the poet) begs
Accepte it is to this tryumphatour
line80That myghti werre exemplifying techeth.”explanatory note 16explanatory note 17war teaches by examples
He redeth, and fro poynt to poynt he secheth,reads [it] searches [it]
How hath be doon, and what is now to done;footnote
His providence on aftirward he strecheth,
By see and lond. He wil provide sonesea and land [forces] soon
line85To chace his adversaryes everychone;
Thei hem by land, thei hem by see asseyle.footnote
The kyng his oratoure,God graunt his bone,orator prayer
Ay to prevaile in knyghthode and bataile. Always
Amen.textual note 11