The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 17

[Sidenote: Havelok is brought before Ubbe.]

+Hauelok was bifore ubbe browth, 2052 at hauede for him ful mikel outh, And mikel sorwe in his herte For hise wundes, at we[r] so smerte.

+But hwa{n} his wundes were{n} shewed, 2056 [Sidenote: A leech says he can be healed.]

And a leche hauede knawed, at he hem mouthe ful wel hele, Wel make him gange, and ful wel mele, And wel a palefrey bistride, 2060 And wel up-on a stede ride, o let ubbe al his care And al his sorwe ouer-fare; [Sidenote: Ubbe invites him and Goldborough to his own castle.]

And seyde, "cu{m} now forth with me, 2064 And goldeboru, i wif, with e, And ine seriaunz al re, For nou wile y youre warant be; Wile y non of here frend 2068 at u slowe with in hend Moucte wayte e [to] slo, Also ou gange to and fro.

I shal lene e a bowr, 2072 at is up in e heye tour, Til ou mowe ful wel go, [Sidenote: [Fol. 214b, col. 1.]]

And wel ben hol of al i wo.

It ne shal no ing be{n} bitwene 2076 i bour and min, also y wene, But a fayr firrene wowe;-- Speke y loude, or spek y lowe, ou shalt[94] ful wel heren me, 2080 And an u wilt, ou shalt me se.

[Sidenote: He promises to protect Goldborough.]

A rof shal hile us boe o-nith, at none of mine, clerk ne knith, Ne sholen i wif no shame bede, 2084 No more an min, so G.o.d me rede!"

[Footnote 94: MS. sahalt; _and the second a is expuncted by mistake, instead of the first_.]

[Headnote: UBBE SEES THE MIRACULOUS LIGHT / WHICH ISSUES FROM HAVELOK'S MOUTH.]

+HE dide un-to e borw bringe Sone anon, al with ioynge, His wif, and his serganz re, 2088 e beste men at mouthe be.

[Sidenote: The first night, about midnight, Ubbe wakes and sees a great light.]

e firste nith he lay er-inne, Hise wif, and his serganz rinne, Aboute e middel of e nith 2092 Wok ubbe, and saw a mikel lith In e bour at hauelok lay, Also brith so it were day.

[Sidenote: Ubbe says he must go and see what it means.]

+"Deus!" quoth ubbe, "hwat may is be? 2096 Bet{er}e is i go miself, and se: Hweer he sitte{n} nou, and wesseyle{n}, Or of ani shots.h.i.+pe to-deyle, is tid nithes, also foles; 2100 an bire men caste{n} hem i{n} poles, Or in a grip, or in e fen: Nou ne sitten none but wicke men, Glotuns, reu[e]res, or wicke eues, 2104 Bi c{ri}st, at alle folk onne leues!"

[Sidenote: He peeps in, and sees them all asleep.]

+He stod, and totede i{n} at a bord, Her he spak anilepi word, And saw hem slepen faste ilkon, 2108 And lye stille so e ston; And saw al at mikel lith Fro hauelok cam, at was so brith.

[Sidenote: The light issues from Havelok's mouth.]

Of his mouth it com il del, 2112 at was he war ful swie wel.

"Deus!" quoth he, "hwat may is mene!"

He calde boe arwe me{n} and kene, Knithes, and serganz swie sleie, 2116 Mo an an hundred, with-ute{n} leye, And bad hem alle come{n} and se, Hwat at selcuth mithe be.

[Headnote: THE LIGHT SHOWS THAT HAVELOK IS THE HEIR.]

[Sidenote: [Fol. 214b, col. 2.]]

+Als e knithes were come{n} alle, 2120 er hauelok lay, ut of e halle, So stod ut of his mouth a glem, Rith al swilk so e sunne-bem; [Sidenote: The light is like that of 107 candles.]

at al so lith wa[s] are, bi heuene! 2124 So er brenden serges seuene, And an hundred serges ok: at durste hi sweren on a bok.

He slepen faste alle fiue, 2128 So he weren brouth of liue; [Sidenote: Havelok and Goldborough are fast asleep.]

And hauelok lay on his lift side, In his armes his brithe bride.

Bi e pappes he leyen naked: 2132 So faire two weren neuere maked In a bed to lyen samen:-- e knithes outh of hem G.o.d game{n}, Hem forto shewe, and loken to. 2136 Rith also he stode{n} alle so, And his bac was toward he{m} we{n}d, [Sidenote: They see a bright cross on his back, denoting kings.h.i.+p.]

So were{n} he war of a croiz ful gent, On his rith shuldre sw[i]e[95] brith, 2140 Brithter an gold ageyn e lith.

So at he wiste heye and lowe, at it was kunrik at he sawe.

It sparkede, and ful brith shon, 2144 So doth e G.o.de charbucle ston, [Sidenote: It was light enough to choose a penny by.]

at men Mouthe se by e lith, A peni chesen, so was it brith.

a{n}ne bihelden he him faste, 2148 So at he knewe{n} at e laste, [Sidenote: They know he is Birkabeyn's son and heir.]

at he was birkabeynes sone, at was here king, at was he{m} wone Wel to yeme, and wel were 2152 Ageynes uten-laddes here.

"For it was neuere yet a broer In al denemark so lich anoer, So is man at is so fayr 2156 Als birkabeyn, he is hise eyr."

[Footnote 95: MS. swe, _for_ swie. Cf. l. 1252.]

+He fellen sone at hise fet, [Sidenote: They weep for joy.]

Was non of hem at he ne gret, Of ioie he weren alle so fawen, 2160 So he him haueden of ere drawe{n}.

Hise fet he kisten an hundred syes, e tos, e nayles, and e lithes, So at he bigan to wakne,[96] 2164 [Sidenote: [Fol. 215, col. 1.]]

And wit he{m} ful sore to blakne, For he wende he wolde{n} him slo, [Sidenote: Havelok wakes.]

Or elles binde him, and do wo.

[Footnote 96: Here follows the catchword-- "And wit hem."]

[Headnote: UBBE SAYS HAVELOK SHALL BE KING.]

[Sidenote: Ubbe offers homage to him, and says he shall be king of Denmark.]

+Quoth ubbe, "louerd, ne dred e nowth, 2168 Me inkes that I se i outh.

Dere sone, wel is me, at y e with eyn[e][97] se.

Man-red, louerd, bede y e, 2172 i man auht i ful wel to be, For u art come{n} of birkabeyn, at hauede mani knith and sweyn; And so shalt ou, louerd, haue, 2176 ou u be yet a ful yung knaue.

ou shalt be king of al denemark, Was er-inne neu{er}e non so stark.

To-morwen shaltu manrede take 2180 Of e brune and of e blake; Of alle at aren in is tun, Boe of erl, and of barun, And of dreng, and of thayn, 2184 And of knith, and of sweyn.

And so shaltu ben mad knith Wit blisse, for ou art so with."

[Footnote 97: We find _eyne_ in ll. 680, 1273, &c.]

[Sidenote: Havelok is blithe, and thanks G.o.d.]

+o was hauelok swie blie, 2188 And ankede G.o.d ful fele sie.

On e morwen, wan it was lith, And gon was ist{er}nesse of e nith, Vbbe dide up-on a stede 2192 A ladde lepe, and ider bede [Sidenote: Ubbe summons all his lords.]

Erles, barouns, drenges, theynes, Klerkes, knithes, bu[r]geys,[98] sweynes, at he sholden comen a-non, 2196 Biforen him sone euerilkon, Also he loue{n} here liues, And here children, and here wiues.

[Footnote 98: MS. bugey?.]

[Headnote: UBBE RELATES HAVELOK'S HISTORY.]

[Sidenote: All come to receive his orders.]

+Hise bode ne durste he non at-sitte, 2200 at he ne neme[99] for to wite Sone, hwat wolde e iustise: And [he] bigan anon to rise, And seyde sone, "lies me, 2204 Alle samen, eu and fre.

A ing ich wile you here shauwe, at ye[100] alle ful wel knawe.

[Sidenote: Ubbe tells them about Birkabeyn, who commended his children to G.o.dard;]

Ye wite{n} wel, at al is lond 2208 Was i{n} birkabeynes hond, [Sidenote: [Fol. 215, col. 2.]]

e day at he was quic and ded; And how at he, bi youre red, Bitauhte hise children re 2212 G.o.dard to yeme, and al his fe.

Hauelok his sone he him tauhte, And hise two douhtres, and al his auhte, Alle herden ye him swere 2216 On bok, and on messe-gere, at he shulde yeme hem wel, With-uten lac, with-uten tel.

[Footnote 99: MS. meme; _miswritten for_ neme; _see_ ll. 1207, 1931.]

[Footnote 100: MS. he.]

[Sidenote: and how G.o.dard slew the two girls, but had pity on the boy; but afterwards ordered Grim to drown him.]