The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 20

Ageynes denshe men to fare, And seyde, "lyes me[120] alle samen, 2576 Haue ich gadred you for no game{n}, But ich wile seyen you fori; [Sidenote: G.o.drich tells them what Havelok is doing at Grimsby.]

Lokes hware here at g{ri}mesbi, Hise uten-laddes here comen, 2580 And haues nu e p{ri}orie numen; Al at euere mithen he finde, He bre{n}ne kirkes, and p{re}stes binde; He strangleth mo{n}kes, and nu{n}nes boe: 2584 Wat wile ye, frend, her-offe Rede?

Yif he regne us-gate longe, He Moun us alle ouer-gange, He moun vs alle quic henge or slo, 2588 Or ral maken, and do ful wo, Or elles reue us ure liues, And ure children, and ure wiues.

[Sidenote: He excites them to attack Havelok.]

But dos nu als ich wile you lere, 2592 Als ye wile be with me dere; Nimes nu swie forth and rae, And helpes me and yu-self bae, And slos up-o[n] e dogges swie: 2596 For shal [i] neuere more be blie,

[Headnote: THE ENGLISH MARCH TO GRIMSBY.]

Ne hoseled ben, ne of p{re}st shriuen, Til at he ben of londe driuen.

Nime we swie, and do hem fle, 2600 And folwes alle faste me, [Sidenote: He will lead them himself.]

For ich am he, of al e ferd, at first shal slo with drawe{n} swerd.

Daeyt hwo ne stonde faste 2604 Bi me, hwil hise armes laste!"

[Sidenote: Earl Gunter and Earl Reyner of Chester support him.]

"Ye! lef, ye!"[121] couth e erl gunter; "Ya!" quoth e erl of cestre, reyner.

And so dide alle at er stode, 2608 And stirte forth so he were wode.

o mouthe me{n} se e brinies brihte On backes keste, and late rithe, e helmes heye on heued sette; 2612 To armes al so swie plette, at ei wore on a litel stunde [Sidenote: [Fol. 217b, col. 1.]]

Grethet, als me{n} mithe telle a pund, And lopen on stedes sone anon, 2616 [Sidenote: They approach Grimsby.]

And toward g{ri}mesbi, ful G.o.d won, He foren softe bi e sti, Til he come ney at grimesbi.

[Footnote 119: _Or_ are; but see l. 2954.]

[Footnote 120: MS. mi. Cf. l. 2204.]

[Footnote 121: MS. _has _e_, _?e_, or _ye_ in both places._ But see l. 1888.]

[Sidenote: Havelok meets them boldly, and kills the foremost knight.]

+Hauelok, at hauede spired wel 2620 Of here fare, eueril del, With al his ferd cam hem a-geyn, For-bar he noer knith ne sweyn.

e firste knith at he er mette, 2624 With e swerd so he him grette, For his heued of he plette, Wolde he nouth for sinne lette.

[Sidenote: Robert kills a second.]

Roberd saw at dint so hende, 2628 Wolde he neuere ee[{n}] wende, Til at he hauede anoer slawen, With e swerd he held ut-drawen.

[Sidenote: William disables a third.]

Willa{m} wendut his swerd vt-drow, 2632 And e redde so sore he slow, at he made up-on the feld His lift arm fleye, with the swerd.[122]

[Footnote 122: Cf. l. 1825. We should otherwise be tempted to read _sheld_; especially as the _s.h.i.+eld_ is more appropriate to the _left_ arm.]

[Headnote: COMBAT BETWEEN UBBE AND G.o.dRICH.]

[Sidenote: Hugh Raven seizes his sword, and cleaves an earl's head in two.]

+Huwe raue{n} ne forgat nouth 2636 e swerd he hauede ider brouth, He kipte it up, and smot ful sore An erl, at he saw priken ore, Ful n.o.blelike upon a stede, 2640 at with him wolde al quic wede.

He smot him on e heued so, at he e heued clef a-two, And at bi e shu[l]dre-blade 2644 e sharpe swerd let [he] wade, orw the brest unto e herte; e dint bigan ful sore to smerte, at e erl fel dun a-non, 2648 Al so ded so ani ston.

[Sidenote: Ubbe attacks G.o.drich.]

Quoth ubbe, "nu dwelle ich to lo{n}ge,"

And leth his stede sone gonge To G.o.drich, with a G.o.d spere, 2652 at he saw a-noer bere, And smoth G.o.drich, and G{odrich} him, Hetelike with h{er}te grim, [Sidenote: Both fall.]

So at he boe felle dune, 2656 To e ere first e croune.

a{n}ne he wore{n} falle{n} dun boen, Grundlike here swerdes ut-drowe{n}, [Sidenote: [Fol. 217b, col. 2.]]

at were{n} swie sharp and G.o.de, 2660 [Sidenote: They fight on foot.]

And fouhten so ei wore{n} wode, at e swot ran fro e crune [To the fet rith ere adune.][123]

[Headnote: G.o.dRICH DISPLAYS GREAT PROWESS.]

er mouthe men se to knithes bete 2664 Ayer on oer dintes grete, So at with aler-lest[e] dint Were al to-s.h.i.+uered a flint, [Sidenote: The fight lasts from morn to night.]

So was bi-twene{n} he{m} a fiht, 2668 Fro e morwen ner to e niht, So at ei nouth ne bl[u]nne,[123*]

Til at to sette bigan e su{n}ne.

[Sidenote: G.o.drich wounds Ubbe sorely.]

o yaf G.o.drich orw e side 2672 Vbbe a wunde ful un-ride, So at orw at ilke wounde Hauede ben brouth to e grunde, And his heued al of-slawen, 2676 [Sidenote: Hugh Raven rescues him.]

Yif G.o.d ne were, and huwe rauen, at drow him fro G.o.drich awey, And barw him so at ilke day.

But er he were fro G.o.drich drawe{n}, 2680 [Sidenote: A thousand knights slain.]

er were a ousind knihtes slawe{n} Bi boe halue, and mo y-nowe, er e ferdes to-gidere slowe.

er was swilk dreping of e folk, 2684 [Sidenote: The pools are full of blood.]

at on e feld was neu{er}e a polk at it ne stod of blod so ful, at e strem ran i{n}til e hul.

[Sidenote: G.o.drich attacks the Danes like lightning.]

o tarst[124] bigan G.o.drich to go 2688 Vp-on e danshe, and faste to slo, And forth rith also leuin fares, at neu{er}e kines best ne spares, a{n}ne his [he] gon, for he garte alle 2692 e denshe men biforn him falle.

He felde browne, he felde blake, at he mouthe ouer-take.

Was neuere non at mouhte aue 2696 Hise dintes, noyer knith ne knaue, [Sidenote: He mows them down like gra.s.s.]

at he felden so dos e gres

[Headnote: COMBAT BETWEEN G.o.dRICH AND HAVELOK.]

Bi-forn e sye at ful sharp is.

Hwan hauelok saw his folk so brittene, 2700 And his ferd so swie littene, He cam driuende up-on a stede, And bigan til him to grede, And seyde, "G.o.drich, wat is e 2704 at ou fare us with me?

[Sidenote: [Fol. 218, col. 1.]]

And mine G.o.de knihtes slos, Siker-like ou mis-gos.

[Sidenote: Havelok reproves G.o.drich, and bids him perform his oaths.]

ou wost ful wel, yif u wilt wite, 2708 at aelwold e dide site On knes, and sweren on messe-bok, On caliz, and on [pateyn][125] hok at ou hise douhter sholdest yelde, 2712 an she were wi{n}na{n}[126] of elde, Engelond eueril del: G.o.drich e erl, ou wost it wel.

Do nu wel with-uten fiht, 2716 Yeld hire e lond, for at is rith.

Wile ich forgiue e e lathe, Al mi dede and al mi wrathe, For y se u art so with, 2720 And of i bodi so G.o.d knith."

[Sidenote: G.o.drich refuses.]

"at ne wile ich neu{er}e mo,"

Quoth erl G.o.drich, "for ich shal slo e, and hire for-henge heye. 2724 I shal rist ut i rith eye at ou lokes with on me, But u swie heen fle."

He grop e swerd ut sone anon, 2728 And hew on hauelok, ful G.o.d won, [Sidenote: He cleaves Havelok's s.h.i.+eld in two.]

So at he clef his sheld on two: Hwan hauelok saw at shame do His bodi er bi-forn his ferd, 2732 He drow ut sone his G.o.de swerd, [Sidenote: Havelok smites him down.]

And smot him so up-on e crune, at G.o.drich fel to e ere adune.

But G.o.drich stirt up swie sket, 2736 Lay he nowth longe at hise fet, [Sidenote: G.o.drich rises, and wounds Havelok in the shoulder.]

And smot him on e sholdre so, at he dide are undo Of his brinie ri{n}ges mo, 2740 an at ich kan tellen fro; And woundede hi{m} rith i{n} e flesh, at tendre was, and swie nesh, So at e blod ran til his to: 2744 [Sidenote: Havelok is enraged, and cuts off his foe's hand.]

o was hauelok swie wo, at he hauede of him drawen Blod, and so sore him slawen.

Hertelike til him he wente, 2748 And G.o.drich er fulike shente; For his swerd he hof up heye, [Sidenote: [Fol. 218, col. 2.]]

And e hand he dide of fleye, at he smot him with so sore: 2752 Hw mithe he don him shame more?

[Footnote 123: Cf. l. 1904.]

[Footnote 123*: Changed by editor from "blinne": see Emendations.]

[Footnote 124: So in MS. _Qu._ faste, as in next line.]

[Footnote 125: MS. _here repeats _messe_, by mistake. Read _pateyn_._ Cf. l. 187.]

[Footnote 126: MS. wiman, _i.e._ wi{n}man _or_ wi{m}man; _but we are sure, from _l. 174_, that _wi{n}nan_ is meant._]