Mistress Fiona, whom I've known for more than 20 years, e-mailed me and told me she had been assigned a Silver Rapier scroll, and did I know this Lillia de Vaux person. :-)
Despite her French persona, Lillia is extraordinarily knowledgeable in Middle English, and likely doesn't need the footnotes to know exactly what this says. But I do love footnotes. All scrolls should have footnotes.
Bi Iuan the Kinge. Bi Matilde the Quene. Vheras[1] owr most souereyn auncessours Konrad et Brenwen proclamed & stablisshed the Ordyr off the Syluer Rapȝere[2] wiþ-inne the Estlondes to revard[3] godful[4] and stalworth[5] seruaunts of þe arte of deffence; and Vheras the excelent and inestimable dame Lillia de Vaux, ryȝght trustie and welbeloued, laburd dylygently thyse manye ȝeres to stodie þe swerde, & has done & caused to be done souche dedes as are worthie of renomaunce[6]; Therefor, let it be knowen to the present as well as the future that the name of þe seid Lillia shal be writen in þe rollis off the Ordyr aforseyde, there to remayne perpetually & euyrlastyngely. And so that thys owre presente charter will be biknowen[7] withe certytude, we haue merked it with owre synes manuell vppon 9 December in þe[8] fifty-second ȝere of the Societie.
[1] A fascinating attested spelling of "Whereas"
[2] The ȝ character is called a "yogh." It's found in Scots and Middle English, and is pronounced like a 'y'.
[3] Obviously once I used Vheras, I had to use the attested "revard" spelling.
[4] godful = excellent, worthy; secondary meaning of kind, friendly.
[5] stalworth = brave, courageous, valiant
[6] renomaunce = renown, fame
[7] biknowen = acknowledged, recognized, admitted
[8] The þ character is a "thorn." It's pronounced like 'th.'
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