With daitive steppe Religyon dyghte in greie, Her face of doleful hue, Swyfte as a takel thro'we bryght heav'n tooke her waie, And ofte and ere anon dyd saie, " Aie! mee! what shall I doe; See Brystoe citie, whyche I nowe doe kenne, Arysynge to mie view, Thycke throng'd wythe soldyers and wythe traffyck-menne: Butte saynctes I seen few. " Fytz-Hardynge rose! — he rose lyke bryghte sonne in the morne, " Faire dame, adryne thein eyne, Let alle thie greefe bee myne, For I wylle rere thee uppe a Mynster hie, The toppe whereof shall reech ynto the skie; And wyll a Monke be shorne; " Thenne dyd the dame replie, " I shall ne be forelourne; Here wyll I take a cherysaunied reste, And spend mie daies upon Fytz-Hardynges breste. "
The poem was included in William Barrett The History and Antiquities of the City of Bristol (1789)
Robert Fitzharding (c.1095-1170), an Anglo-Saxon nobleman was unusual, perhaps unique, in successfully integrating with the Norman rulers of England. A wealthy Bristol merchant, who owned extensive lands to the south and west of the medieval city, Fitzharding was made Baron of Berkeley and given ownership of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, which he rebuilt. This poem celebrates Fitzharding's foundation of the Augustinian Abbey in 1140 which later became Bristol Cathedral. Fitzharding's wife, Eva, was founder of the Augustinian nunnery of St Mary Magdalen on St Michael's Hill.