Gesta Gugliemi IV

something different

Gesta Gugliemi I

Gesta Gugliemi II

Gesta Gugliemi III

John of England is near his death
And the kingdom trembles at every breath,
His son and heir is a child of nine;
It may be the last of the Angevin line.

For Lackland John, ere all is done
Has lost more land than his father won,
The barons are tearing the kingdom down
And the French have an army in London town.

Nothing is left beyond the sea
To the heir of the Dukes of Normandy;
England and Ireland alone remain
To the son of the Duchess of Aquitaine.

North and South like a raging boar
John won the battles and lost the war,
For fever took him in Lindsey fen
And he will not ride to war again.

Only the West is safe as stone
Where the earl of Pembroke holds hard for the throne;
He fought for Henry when he was young
And he’ll never turn traitor to Henry’s son.

Hear now the voice from a narrow bed
Where a king lies dying but not yet dead.

“Only an hour yet remains
To mend the ruin of a reign,
Yet for that hour still I rule
This little band of loyal fools.
To late it comes, in each king’s reign,
To see who flee and who remain.

My son is young for such a fight
He will have need of a loyal knight
Who served my father and brothers twain,
One more service or all is vain.

When I am dead I pray you bring
To loyal Pembroke my signet ring,
Bid him forgive me for all I have done,
Guard my kingdom and ward my son.”

In Worcester cathedral King John is interred
Between the highest, by Merlin’s word;
The loyal lords agree to meet
In Gloucester castle, Earl William’s seat.

Young Henry is dubbed by William’s hand
Then crowned as king of England’s land,
But to make that more than a hollow claim
Requires a war to win the same.

The loyal lords, a clamorous band,
Propose Earl William to take command;
With three he trusts the Earl sits down;
Should he take up the burden that broke the crown?

His nephew John, a loyal man,
Ralph Musard the castellan,
And John d’Early at his right
Who served his master as squire and knight

His nephew spoke first “With help of the Lord
This brings great honor to your sword”
Then Ralph — “And with the power it brings
We all can be as rich as kings.”

D’Early who, in the Irish War,
Defied his king to serve his lord
Listened to what the others said
Then spoke slowly and shook his head

“My lord is old, the treasury bare,
This a service of trouble and care
I fear too hard for your final fight
Better a task for a younger knight.”

“The Earl of Pembroke is to old
To win this fight think thee?
It is more fit for some young knight
Half daft on errantry?”

“I think I know the very man”
The Earl of Pembroke said
“Sir William Marshal is his name
Perhaps he is not dead.”

With God’s good aid we will attack;
If theirs the victory
I’ll bear young Henry on my back
Across the Irish sea.
I’ll bear young Henry on my back
To where he safe will be.

Beneath the wall of Lincoln keep
The Marshal met the foe
And drove the French like frightened sheep
Through Lincoln town below.

Earl of Pembroke and Leinster’s lord,
At seventy years with lance and sword
He made the French and the rebels run
And saved the throne for a dead king’s son.

He served five kings of the Angevin line,
The last of the five a child of nine,
And thanks to William’s strength and skill
English kings rule England still.

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