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The History of the Norman People Wace‟S Roman De Rou

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The History of the Norman People Wace‟S Roman De Rou THE HISTORY OF THE NORMAN PEOPLE WACE‟S ROMAN DE ROU By Wace THE ROMAN DE ROU PART ONE One thousand, one hundred and sixty years in time and space had elapsed since God in His grace came down in the Virgin, when a cleric from Caen by the name of Master Wace undertook the story of Rou and his race; he conquered Normandy, like it or not, against the arrogance of France which still threatens them – may our King Henry recognise and be aware of this.1 He who has very little income has very little benefit from it. But largesse has now succumbed to avarice; it cannot open its hands, they are more frozen than ice. I do not know where largesse is hidden, I can find no sign or trace of it. He who does not know how to flatter has no opportunity or place in court;* many people are forced to await their turn.2 It was not at all like this at the time of Virgil and Horace, nor of Alexander, Caesar or Statius; then largesse had strength and virtue. (1–16) I want the subject of this first page to be King Henry, who took as his wife Eleanor, a lady of noble birth; may God inspire both of them to good works! They do not let me waste my time at court; each of them rewards me with gifts and promises. But need, which sails and rows swiftly, often presents itself and often forces me to make pledges in order to obtain money.* Eleanor is noble and both kind and wise; she was Queen of France at a young age. Louis took her as his wife in a marriage of great power; they went on a lengthy crusade to Jerusalem and each suffered great hardship and pain there. On their return, the queen, on the advice of the barons, was parted from him on grounds of consanguinity.* But this separation did her no harm; she went to Poitiers, her native home, to which she was the sole family heir. King Henry, who held England and all the coastal land between Spain and Scotland, from shore to shore, took her as his wife and made a rich marriage. People often talk of him and his courage, and of the evil-doers he destroys, like birds trapped in a cage. No baron in his land owns so much property that, if he dares infringe the peace, whether in open country or in woodland,3 he is not shamed through mutilation if he can be caught, or who does not leave his body or soul behind as hostage. (17–42) I want to relate the history of Rou and the Normans; I must give a proper record of their deeds and their prowess. The treacherous acts of the French cannot be concealed; they are always determined to disinherit the Normans and have always taken pains to vanquish and harm them. When the French could not overcome the Normans by force, they used to employ many a trick to harm them. They are a far cry from the heroes of songs;* they are treacherous and disloyal, no one should trust them. They are greedy for possessions and cannot be satisfied; when it comes to giving, they are niggardly and mean with the necessities of life.4 In stories and books one discovers that the French were never willing to keep faith with the Normans, either with regard to promises made or oaths sworn on holy relics; nevertheless, the Normans used to hold them in check successfully, not by treachery but by dealing great blows. If the French could realise their ambitions, the King of England would own nothing on this side of the Channel; if they could do so, they would send him back across it in disgrace. At the siege of Rouen they thought they could mock him; if they could have captured Rouen or entered it forcibly, they would have treated him with scorn for ever more. But, when Henry arrived, they did not dare remain and could not stay there in safety any longer.5 Through our new king [Henry the Younger], who cannot rule as king,6 they thought they could capture or lay waste the whole of Normandy; in order to do harm to the father, they gave the sons bad advice. (43–69) Then you would have seen Henry racing through the border country, dashing from one area to another and doing three days‟ journey or more in a single day; his men thought he must be flying. I cannot count the number of knights he took prisoner; he put them in chains and fetters, but, being such a noble man, he did not want to hang them or tear them limb from limb. The barons in the land – I do not wish to enumerate them – who caused a son to abandon his natural feelings for his father and set father against son, wanted to dishonour the father in favour of the son. They could not boast of the gains they made; if they wanted to consider and estimate their losses, they would never in their lifetime be able to put things to right, nor could their sons or daughters do so. The king had their vineyards and their woods destroyed, their houses burnt and their castles laid waste. The only thing they had to show for their efforts was their shame; nevertheless, they were lucky to escape as lightly as they did. May Henry put a stop to the comings and goings of the French. Let him speak to them through messengers and keep them at a distance. They are determined to deceive him, may God protect him from them; they are so envious of him that they have no love for him and would gladly change the way things are. But Henry is so wise, so powerful and so brave; he has so much land and so many towns, and he is able to call upon so many men that he can make Louis and his men tremble. (70–96) Henry, who held Tours and the Touraine, had many lands; from his father he had inherited Anjou and Maine and from his mother he had the Normans and the English, and with the queen he took the whole of Poitou and Gascony. The king I am telling you about has a fine reputation; he is not loathe to go about his business, to hang his shield around his neck and to don his byrnie. He loves hunting and hawking when there are no other urgent matters; he punishes and pursues the arrogance of evil-doers and spares from justice neither priest nor canon. Everyone is as peaceful in his land as monks in a cloister. (97–107) Henry was young at the outbreak of the war, which King Stephen launched against him most wrongfully. The Empress Matilda, Henry‟s mother, endured much hardship from this and suffered constant grief. At the siege of Winchester her fine qualities were manifested; she was there for forty days, may the Lord God help her! At no time could she eat or drink in safety; she had taken a thousand armed men there. O God, how many lances were broken there!* There was no vassal, however good, who did not sweat from his toil; no man could attack another without capturing or killing him. Count Robert, who helped Matilda, was captured; the battle to rescue his sister never ceased and Matilda departed as far as her horse could run.7 She remained inside Oxford for three months and three days, besieged in a castle with no opportunity to get out. She escaped at night, unbeknown to anyone, apart from those who took her away for she needed an escort; as she left, she did not even say farewell to her closest friends. There was deep snow, but the freezing of the water beneath the snow helped her;8 she dressed herself in a bed-sheet and deceived her enemies. She came to Wallingford, where Brian received her. The king was very upset since he could not catch up with her. Stephen never had peace and never deserved to have any, for he accepted bad advice and bad advice harmed him. The king so harried her* that she recognised his right and gave him the kingdom as an inheritance; this was greatly to the advantage of both those whom the war pleased and those whom the peace pleased;9 he was king for nineteen years, after which time he died.10 (108–35) Henry was the grandson* of Henry and son of his daughter Matilda, Empress of Rome; he could not have been of more noble birth. His grandfather was a very powerful king and had no neighbour, however high born, whom he could not topple if he wished; he spared from justice neither high born nor low. Because of his love of women he had many ups and downs. He built many a good castle and captured many by assault; in Reading he built a very worthy abbey. At his death there was great sorrow, but the evil-doers did not mind, for to them it scarcely matters who comes or goes. He was king for thirty-seven years, less about half a year. (136–46) Henry, as* many people have heard, was the son of William [the Conqueror], who loved the Holy Church and paid a great deal of attention to it. He was a courageous and bold knight, but when he first held the land – he was ten years old, I do not think he was any older* – many of the barons in the country failed him; they failed to keep and were untrue to their oaths and promises.
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