15MS. “boþe.” But “beþe” rimes to “Rede”; see l. 694.16MS. forthmto, thehmbeing expuncted.BIRKABEYN SELECTS EARL GODARD TO BE GUARDIAN OF HIS THREE CHILDREN.364Hwanhe was hosled and shriuen,365His quiste maked, and for him gyuen,His knictes dede he alle site,For þorw hem he wolde wite,He asks who will guard his children?368Hwo micte yeme hise childrenyunge,Til þat he kouþen spekenwit tunge;Spekenand gangen, on horse riden,Knictes an sweynes bi here siden.372He spoken þer-offe, and chosen soneA riche man was under mone,He chooses Godard.Was þe trewest þat he wende,Godard, þe kinges oune frende;376And seyden, he Moucthe hembest loke,Yif þat he hem vndertoke,Til hise sone Mouthe bereHelm on heued, and ledenvt here,380In his hand a spere stark,And king ben maked of denemark.He wel trowede þat he seyde,And on Godard handes leyde;He commends the children to Godard.384And seyde, “Here bi-teche i þeMine childrenalle þre,Al denemark, and al mi fe,Til þat mi sone of helde be;He makes him swear to take care of them,388But þat ich wille, þat þo[u] suereOn auter, and on messe-gere,On þe belles þat men ringes,On messe-bok þe prest on singes,392Þat þou mine children shalt we[l] yeme,Þat hire kin be ful wel queme,Til mi sone mowe ben knicth,and to give up the kingdom to the boy.Þanne biteche him þo his Ricth,396Denemark, and þat þertil longes,Casteles and tunes, wodes and wonges.”Godard swears to do so.Godard stirt up, an swor al þatÞe king him bad, and siþen sat400Bi the knictes, þat þer ware,Þat wepen alle swiþe sareFor þe king þat deide sone:Ihesu crist, that makede mone404On þe mirke nith to shine,Wite his soule fro helle pine;And leue þat it mote wone[Fol. 206, col. 2.]In heuene-riche with godes sone!GODARD IMPRISONS THE THREE CHILDREN.Godard shuts up the children, Havelok, Swanborough, and Helfled, in a castle.408Hwan birkabeyn was leyd ingraue,Þe erl dede sone take þe knaue,Hauelok, þat was þe eir,Swanborow, his sister, helfled, þe toþer,17412And in þe castel dede he hem do,Þer non ne micte hem comentoOf here kyn, þer þei sperd wore;18Þer he greten ofte sore,416Boþe for hunger and for kold,Or he weren þre winterhold.Feblelike he gaf hemcloþes,He cares not for his oaths.He ne yaf a note of hise oþes;420He hem [ne] cloþede rith, ne fedde,Ne hem ne dede richelike be-bedde.Þanne godard was sikerlikeHe is a traitor.Vnder god þe moste swike,424Þat eure in erþe shaped was,With-uten on, þe wike Iudas.May he be accursed!Haue he þe malisun to-dayOf alle þat eure spekenmay!428Of patriark, and of pope!And of prest with lokenkope!Of monekes, and hermites boþe!19And of þe leue holi rode,432Þat god him-selue ran on blode!433Cursed be he by north and south!Crist warie him with his mouth!Waried wrthe he of norþ and suth!Offe alle man, þat spekenkunne!436Of crist, þat made20mone and sunne!Þanne he hauede of al þe londAl þe folk tilled in-til his hond,And alle haueden sworenhim oth,440Riche and poure, lef and loth,Þat he sholden hise wille freme,He plots against the children.And þat he shulde[n] him nouth greme,He þouthe a ful strong trechery,444A trayson, and a felony,Of þe children forto make:Þe deuel of helle him sone take!17Corrupt? Lines 410, 411 do not rime well together.18MS. were. But see l. 237.19Lines 430, 431, 432 rime together. NB. The wordsholi rodeare written over an erasure.20MS. mande.He goes to the tower where they are.Hwanþat was þouth, onon he ferde448To þe tour þer he worensperde,Þer he gretenfor hunger and cold:Þe knaue þat was sumdel bold,Kamhim ageyn, on knes him sette,[Fol. 206b, col.1.]452And godard ful feyre he fer grette;And Godard seyde, “Wat is yw?Hwi grete ye and goulen nou?”Havelok says they are hungry.“For us hungreth swiþe sore:”—456Seyden he wolden[haue] more,“We ne haue to hete, ne we ne haueHerinne neyther knith ne knaueÞat yeueth us drinken, ne no mete,460Haluendel þat we moun ete.“Alas, that we were born!”Wo is us þat we weren born!Weilawei! nis it no korn,Þat men micte makenof bred?464Vs21hungreth, we aren ney ded.”21MS. þs; of. l. 455.GODARD KILLS SWANBORGUGH AND HELFLED.Godard cares not.Godard herde here wa,Ther-offe yaf he nouth a stra,But tok þe maydnes bothe samen,468Al-so it were up-on hiis gamen;Al-so he wolde with hemleyke,Þat werenfor hunger grene and bleike.He cuts the throats of the two girls.Of boþen he karf on two here þrotes,472And siþen [karf] hemalto grotes.Þer was sorwe, we so it sawe!Hwan þe children bi þ[e]22waweLeyen and sprauledenin þe blod:Havelok sees it, and is afraid.476Hauelok it saw, and þe[r] bi stod.Ful sori was þat seli knaue,Mikel dred he mouthe haue,For at hise herte he saw a knif,480For to reuen him hise lyf.But þe knaue,23þat litel was,He begs Godard to spare him,He knelede bifor þat iudas,And seyde, “louerd, merci nov!484Manrede, louerd, biddi you!Al denemark i wile you yeue,To þat forward þu late me liue;Here hi wile on boke swere,488Þat neure more ne shal i bereGODARD SPARES HAVELOK FOR A TIME.offering never to oppose him,Ayen þe, louerd, shel ne spere,Ne oþer wepne24that may you dere.Louerd, haue merci of me!and to flee from Denmark.492To-day i wile fro denemark fle,Ne neuere more comen ageyn:Swereny wole, þat bircabeinNeuere yete me ne gat:”—496Hwan þe deuel he[r]de25that,[Fol. 206b, col. 2.]Sum-del bigan him forto rewe;With-drow þe knif, þat was leweGodard has pity on him.Of þe seli children blod;500Þer was miracle fair and god!Þat he þe knaue nouth ne slou,But fo[r] rewnesse himwit-drow.26Of auelok rewede him ful sore,504And þoucte, he wolde þat he ded wore,But on þat he nouth wit his hend506Ne drepe him nouth,27þat fule fend!Þoucte he, als he him bi stod,508Starinde als he were wod:But he reflects“Yif y late him liues go,He micte me wirchen michel wo.Grith ne get y neuere mo,512He may [me] waitenfor to slo;that, were Havelok dead, his children would be the heirs.And yf he were brouct of liue,And mine childrenwoldenthriue,Louerdinges after me516Of al denemark micten he be.God it wite, he shal ben ded,Wile i takennon oþer red;GODARD TELLS GRIM TO DROWN HAVELOK.He determines to drown him.I shal do castenhimin þe se,28520Þer i wile þat he drench[ed] be;Aboutenhis hals an anker god,Þat he ne flete in the flod.”He sends for a fisherman, and says to him,Þer anon he dede sende524After a fishere þat he wende,Þat wolde al his wille do,And sone anon he seyde him to:“Grim, I will make you free.“Grim, þou wost þu art mi þral,528Wilte don mi wille al,Þat i wile biddenþe,To-morwen [i] shal makenþe fre,And aucte þe yeuen, and riche make,532With-þanþu wilt þis child[e] take,And ledenhim with þe to-nicht,Throw this child into the sea”.Þan þou sest se29Mone lith,In-to þe se, and don him þer-inne,536Al wile [i] takenon me þe sinne.”Grim binds the child.Grim tok þe child, and bond himfaste,Hwil þe bondes micte laste;Þat weren of ful strong line:—540Þo was hauelok inful strong pine.Wiste he neuere her wat was wo:[Fol. 207, col. 1.]Christ wreak thee of Godard, Havelok!Ihesu crist, þat makede to goÞe halte, and þe doumbe speken,544Hauelok, þe of Godard wreken!22MS. biþ; of. l. 2470.23MS. kaue.24MS. “wepne bere,” where “bere” is redundant.25MS. hede.26Printed thus in the former edition:— “But to rewnesse him thit drow.” But the MS. hasfo, notto, wherefois corruptly written forfor, as in l. 1318; and the initial letter of the last syllable but one may be read as a Saxonw(ƿ), not a thorn-letter (þ). It merely repeats the idea in ll. 497, 498.27Qu. mouth.28MS. she.29So inMS.Qu.þe.HAVELOK IS TAKEN TO GRIM’S COTTAGE.Hwan grim himhauede faste bounden,And siþenin an eld cloth wndenGrim gags the child.A keuel of clutes, ful, un-wraste,548Þat he [ne] mouthe speke, ne fnaste,Hwere he wolde him bere or lede.550Hwan he hauede don þat dede,Hwan30þe swike him hauede hethede,31552Þat he shulde him forth [lede]And him drinchen in þe se;Þat forwarde makeden he.He puts him in a bag, and takes him on his back.In a poke, ful and blac,556Sone he caste him on his bac,Ant bar him hom to hise cleue,And bi-taucte himdame leue,He puts him in charge of his wife.And seyde, “wite þou þis knaue,560Al-so thou with*mi lif haue;I shal dreinchenhim inþe se,For him shole we ben maked fre,Gold hauenynou, and oþer fe;564Þat hauet mi louerd bihotenme.”30We should rather read “þan.”31MS. he þede.*Forwith, Mr Garnett proposed to readwilt.GRIM SEES THAT HAVELOK IS THE KING’S SON.She throws down Havelok violently.Hwan dame [leue] herde þat,Vp she stirte, and nouth ne sat,567And caste þe knaue adoun so harde,568Þat hise croune he þer crakedeAgeyn a gret ston, þer it lay:Þo hauelok micte sei, “weilawei!Þat euere was i kinges bern!”572Þat him ne hauede grip or ern,Leoun or wlf, wluine or bere,Or oþer best, þat wolde him dere.The child lies there till midnight.So lay þat child to middel nicth,576Þat grim bad leue bringenlict,For to don on [him] his cloþes:“Ne thenkeste nowt of mine oþesÞat ich haue mi louerd sworen?580Ne wile i nouth be forloren.I shal beren him to þe se,Þou wost þat [bi-]houes me;And i shal drenchen him þer-inne;Grim tells his wife to light the fire and a candle.584Ris up swiþe, an go þu binne,And blou þe fir, and lith a kandel:”Als she shulde hise cloþes handel[Fol. 207, col. 2.]On forto don, and blawe þe32fir,She sees a light shining round the lad.588She saw þer-inne a lith ful shir,Also brith so it were day,Aboute þe knaue þer he lay.591Of hise mouth it stod a stem,592Als it were a sunnebem;Also lith was it þer-inne,So þer brenden cerges inne:33“Ihesu crist!” wat dame leue,596“Hwat is þat lith in vre cleue!She bids Grim come and see.Sir34up grim, and loke wat it menes,Hwat is þe lith as þou wenes?”He stirtenboþe up to the knaue,600For manshal god wille haue,Vnkeueledenhim, and swiþe unbounden,They find a mark on his shoulder.And sone anon [upon] him funden,Als he tirnedenof his serk,604On his rith shuldre a kyne merk;A swiþe brith, a swiþe fair:“Goddot!” quath grim, “þis [is] ure eirÞat shal [ben] louerd of denemark,Grim says the lad is to be king.608He shal benking strong and stark;He shal hauenin his handA[l] denemark and engeland;He shal do godard ful wo,612He shal him hangen, or quik flo;Or he shal him al quic graue,Of him shal he no merci haue.”Þus seide grim, and sore gret,616And sone fel him to þe fet,He prays Havelok to forgive him.And seide, “louerd, haue merciOf me, and leue, that is me bi!Louerd, we aren boþe þine,620Þine cherles, þine hine.GRIM AND HIS WIFE FEED HAVELOK.Lowerd, we sholenþe wel fede,Til þat þu cone ridenon stede,Til þat þu cone ful wel bere624Helm on heued, sheld and spere.Godard shall never know about this.He ne shal neuere wite, sikerlike,Godard, þat fule swike.Þoru oþer man, louerd, thanþoru þe,628Sal i neuere fremanbe.Þou shalt me, louerd, fre maken,For i shal yemen þe, and waken;Þoru þe wile i fredom haue:”[Fol. 207b, col. 1.]632Þo was haueloc a bliþe knaue.Havelok is glad, and asks for bread.He sat him up, and crauede bred.And seide, “ich am [wel] ney ded,Hwat for hunger, wat for bondes636Þat þu leidest on min hondes;And for [þe] keuel at þe laste,Þat in mi mouth was þrist faste.y was þe[r]-with so harde prangled,640Þat i was þe[r]-withney[e]strangled.”“Wel is me þat þu mayth hete:Dame Leve brings him bread and cheese, butter, &c.Goddoth!” quath leue, “y shal þe feteBred an chese, butere and milk,644Pastees and flaunes, al with suilkShole we sone þe wel fede,Louerd, in þis mikel nede,Soth it is, þat menseyt and suereth:648‘Þer god wile helpen, nouth no dereth.’”32MS. þer.33Qu.þrinne. See ll. 716, 761, 2125.34Qu.stir,orstirt.GRIM SAYS HE HAS DROWNED HAVELOK.Þanne sho hauede brouth þe mete,Havelok eats all up greedily.Haueloc anon biganto eteGrundlike, and was ful bliþe;652Couþe he nouth his hunger Miþe.A lof he het, y woth, and more,For him hungrede swiþe sore.Þre dayes þer-biforn, i wene,656Et he no mete, þat was wel sene.Hwan he hauede eten, and was fed,Grim puts him to bed.Grim dede makena ful fayr bed;Vncloþede him, and dede himþer-inne,660And seyde, “Slep*sone, with michel winne;Slep wel faste, and dred þe nouth,Fro sorwe to ioie art þu brouth.”Sone so it was lith of day,Grim tells Godard he has killed Havelok,664Grim it under-tok þe weyTo þe wicke traitour godard,Þat was denemak a35stiward,And seyde, “louerd, don ich haue668Þat þou me bede of þe knaue;He is drenched inþe flod,Aboutenhis hals an anker god;He is witer-like ded,672Eteth he neure more bred;He liþ drenched in þe se:—and asks for his reward.Yif me gold [and] oþer fe,36Þat y mowe riche be;676And with þi chartre make [me] fre,[Fol. 207b, col. 2.]For þu ful wel bi-hetet me,Þanne i last[e] spak with þe.”Godard bids him go home, and remain a thrall;Godard stod, and lokede on him680Þoruth-like, with eyne grim;And seyde, “Wiltu [nou] ben erl?Go hom swiþe, fule drit, cherl;Go heþen, and be euere-more684Þral and cherl, als þou er wore.Shal [þou] haue non oþer mede;For litel i [shal]37do þe ledeTo þe galues, so god me rede!for he has done wickedly.688For þou haues don a wicke dede.Þou Mait stondenher to longe,Bute þou swiþe eþen gonge.”*Perhaps there should be a comma afterSlep, making the sense to besleep, son, notsleep soon.35Qu.Denemarkes.36Cf. l. 1225.37The MS. has “ig,” but thegis expuncted; and it omits “shal.”GRIM SETS SAIL FOR ENGLAND.Grim thoucte to late þat he ran692Fro þat traytour, þa wicke man;Grim fears that both himself and Havelok will be hung.And þoucte, “wat shal me to rede?694Wite he him onliue, he wile beþeHeye hangen on galwe-tre:696Betere us is of londe to fle,And berwen boþen ure liues,And mine children, and mine wiues.”Grim sells his live stock.Grim solde sone al his corn,700Shep wit wolle, neth wit horn,701Hors, and swin, [and gate] wit berd,Þe gees, þe hennes of þe yerd;Al he solde, þat outh douthe,704That he eure selle moucte,And al he to þe peni drou:He fits up his ship carefully.706Hise ship he greyþede wel inow,He dede it tere, an ful wel pike,708Þat it ne doutede sond ne krike;Þer-inne dide a ful god mast,Stronge kables, and ful fast,Ores god, an ful god seyl,712Þer-inne wantede nouth a nayl,Þat euere he sholde þer-inne do:He takes with him his wife, his three sons, his two daughters, and Havelok.Hwan he hauedet greyþed so,715Hauelok þe yunge he dide þer-inne,716Him and his wif, hise sones þrinne,And hise two doutres, þat faire wore,And sone dede he leyn in an ore,And drou him to þe heye se,720Þere he mith alþer-best[e] fle.Fro londe worenhe bote a mile,[Fol. 208, col. 1.]Ne were neuere but ane hwile,A north wind arises, called thebise, and drives them to England.Þat it ne bigan a wind to Rise724Out of þe north, mencalleth ‘bise’And drof hemintil engelond,Þat al was siþen in his hond,His, þat hauelok was þe name;728But or he hauede michel shame,Michel sorwe, and michel tene,And þrie he gat it al bidene;Als ye shulennou forthwar lere,38732Yf that ye wilenþer-to here.38MS. here;readlere. Cf. ll. 12, 1640.GRIM FOUNDS THE TOWN OF GRIMSBY.733Grim went up the Humber to Lindesey.IN humbergrim biganto lende,In lindeseye, Rith at þe north ende.Þer sat is ship up-on þe sond,736But grim it drou up to þe lond;And þere he made a litel cote,To him and to hise flote.Biganhe þere for to erþe,740A litel hus to maken of erþe,There he built a house.So þat he wel þore wereOf here herboru herborwed þere;And for þat grim þat place aute,744Þe stede of grim þe name laute;That place was called Grimsby, after Grim.So þat [hit] grimesbi calleth alleÞat þer-offe speken alle,*And so shulenmencallenit ay,748Bituene þis and domesday.
15MS. “boþe.” But “beþe” rimes to “Rede”; see l. 694.16MS. forthmto, thehmbeing expuncted.BIRKABEYN SELECTS EARL GODARD TO BE GUARDIAN OF HIS THREE CHILDREN.364Hwanhe was hosled and shriuen,365His quiste maked, and for him gyuen,His knictes dede he alle site,For þorw hem he wolde wite,He asks who will guard his children?368Hwo micte yeme hise childrenyunge,Til þat he kouþen spekenwit tunge;Spekenand gangen, on horse riden,Knictes an sweynes bi here siden.372He spoken þer-offe, and chosen soneA riche man was under mone,He chooses Godard.Was þe trewest þat he wende,Godard, þe kinges oune frende;376And seyden, he Moucthe hembest loke,Yif þat he hem vndertoke,Til hise sone Mouthe bereHelm on heued, and ledenvt here,380In his hand a spere stark,And king ben maked of denemark.He wel trowede þat he seyde,And on Godard handes leyde;He commends the children to Godard.384And seyde, “Here bi-teche i þeMine childrenalle þre,Al denemark, and al mi fe,Til þat mi sone of helde be;He makes him swear to take care of them,388But þat ich wille, þat þo[u] suereOn auter, and on messe-gere,On þe belles þat men ringes,On messe-bok þe prest on singes,392Þat þou mine children shalt we[l] yeme,Þat hire kin be ful wel queme,Til mi sone mowe ben knicth,and to give up the kingdom to the boy.Þanne biteche him þo his Ricth,396Denemark, and þat þertil longes,Casteles and tunes, wodes and wonges.”Godard swears to do so.Godard stirt up, an swor al þatÞe king him bad, and siþen sat400Bi the knictes, þat þer ware,Þat wepen alle swiþe sareFor þe king þat deide sone:Ihesu crist, that makede mone404On þe mirke nith to shine,Wite his soule fro helle pine;And leue þat it mote wone[Fol. 206, col. 2.]In heuene-riche with godes sone!GODARD IMPRISONS THE THREE CHILDREN.Godard shuts up the children, Havelok, Swanborough, and Helfled, in a castle.408Hwan birkabeyn was leyd ingraue,Þe erl dede sone take þe knaue,Hauelok, þat was þe eir,Swanborow, his sister, helfled, þe toþer,17412And in þe castel dede he hem do,Þer non ne micte hem comentoOf here kyn, þer þei sperd wore;18Þer he greten ofte sore,416Boþe for hunger and for kold,Or he weren þre winterhold.Feblelike he gaf hemcloþes,He cares not for his oaths.He ne yaf a note of hise oþes;420He hem [ne] cloþede rith, ne fedde,Ne hem ne dede richelike be-bedde.Þanne godard was sikerlikeHe is a traitor.Vnder god þe moste swike,424Þat eure in erþe shaped was,With-uten on, þe wike Iudas.May he be accursed!Haue he þe malisun to-dayOf alle þat eure spekenmay!428Of patriark, and of pope!And of prest with lokenkope!Of monekes, and hermites boþe!19And of þe leue holi rode,432Þat god him-selue ran on blode!433Cursed be he by north and south!Crist warie him with his mouth!Waried wrthe he of norþ and suth!Offe alle man, þat spekenkunne!436Of crist, þat made20mone and sunne!Þanne he hauede of al þe londAl þe folk tilled in-til his hond,And alle haueden sworenhim oth,440Riche and poure, lef and loth,Þat he sholden hise wille freme,He plots against the children.And þat he shulde[n] him nouth greme,He þouthe a ful strong trechery,444A trayson, and a felony,Of þe children forto make:Þe deuel of helle him sone take!17Corrupt? Lines 410, 411 do not rime well together.18MS. were. But see l. 237.19Lines 430, 431, 432 rime together. NB. The wordsholi rodeare written over an erasure.20MS. mande.He goes to the tower where they are.Hwanþat was þouth, onon he ferde448To þe tour þer he worensperde,Þer he gretenfor hunger and cold:Þe knaue þat was sumdel bold,Kamhim ageyn, on knes him sette,[Fol. 206b, col.1.]452And godard ful feyre he fer grette;And Godard seyde, “Wat is yw?Hwi grete ye and goulen nou?”Havelok says they are hungry.“For us hungreth swiþe sore:”—456Seyden he wolden[haue] more,“We ne haue to hete, ne we ne haueHerinne neyther knith ne knaueÞat yeueth us drinken, ne no mete,460Haluendel þat we moun ete.“Alas, that we were born!”Wo is us þat we weren born!Weilawei! nis it no korn,Þat men micte makenof bred?464Vs21hungreth, we aren ney ded.”21MS. þs; of. l. 455.GODARD KILLS SWANBORGUGH AND HELFLED.Godard cares not.Godard herde here wa,Ther-offe yaf he nouth a stra,But tok þe maydnes bothe samen,468Al-so it were up-on hiis gamen;Al-so he wolde with hemleyke,Þat werenfor hunger grene and bleike.He cuts the throats of the two girls.Of boþen he karf on two here þrotes,472And siþen [karf] hemalto grotes.Þer was sorwe, we so it sawe!Hwan þe children bi þ[e]22waweLeyen and sprauledenin þe blod:Havelok sees it, and is afraid.476Hauelok it saw, and þe[r] bi stod.Ful sori was þat seli knaue,Mikel dred he mouthe haue,For at hise herte he saw a knif,480For to reuen him hise lyf.But þe knaue,23þat litel was,He begs Godard to spare him,He knelede bifor þat iudas,And seyde, “louerd, merci nov!484Manrede, louerd, biddi you!Al denemark i wile you yeue,To þat forward þu late me liue;Here hi wile on boke swere,488Þat neure more ne shal i bereGODARD SPARES HAVELOK FOR A TIME.offering never to oppose him,Ayen þe, louerd, shel ne spere,Ne oþer wepne24that may you dere.Louerd, haue merci of me!and to flee from Denmark.492To-day i wile fro denemark fle,Ne neuere more comen ageyn:Swereny wole, þat bircabeinNeuere yete me ne gat:”—496Hwan þe deuel he[r]de25that,[Fol. 206b, col. 2.]Sum-del bigan him forto rewe;With-drow þe knif, þat was leweGodard has pity on him.Of þe seli children blod;500Þer was miracle fair and god!Þat he þe knaue nouth ne slou,But fo[r] rewnesse himwit-drow.26Of auelok rewede him ful sore,504And þoucte, he wolde þat he ded wore,But on þat he nouth wit his hend506Ne drepe him nouth,27þat fule fend!Þoucte he, als he him bi stod,508Starinde als he were wod:But he reflects“Yif y late him liues go,He micte me wirchen michel wo.Grith ne get y neuere mo,512He may [me] waitenfor to slo;that, were Havelok dead, his children would be the heirs.And yf he were brouct of liue,And mine childrenwoldenthriue,Louerdinges after me516Of al denemark micten he be.God it wite, he shal ben ded,Wile i takennon oþer red;GODARD TELLS GRIM TO DROWN HAVELOK.He determines to drown him.I shal do castenhimin þe se,28520Þer i wile þat he drench[ed] be;Aboutenhis hals an anker god,Þat he ne flete in the flod.”He sends for a fisherman, and says to him,Þer anon he dede sende524After a fishere þat he wende,Þat wolde al his wille do,And sone anon he seyde him to:“Grim, I will make you free.“Grim, þou wost þu art mi þral,528Wilte don mi wille al,Þat i wile biddenþe,To-morwen [i] shal makenþe fre,And aucte þe yeuen, and riche make,532With-þanþu wilt þis child[e] take,And ledenhim with þe to-nicht,Throw this child into the sea”.Þan þou sest se29Mone lith,In-to þe se, and don him þer-inne,536Al wile [i] takenon me þe sinne.”Grim binds the child.Grim tok þe child, and bond himfaste,Hwil þe bondes micte laste;Þat weren of ful strong line:—540Þo was hauelok inful strong pine.Wiste he neuere her wat was wo:[Fol. 207, col. 1.]Christ wreak thee of Godard, Havelok!Ihesu crist, þat makede to goÞe halte, and þe doumbe speken,544Hauelok, þe of Godard wreken!22MS. biþ; of. l. 2470.23MS. kaue.24MS. “wepne bere,” where “bere” is redundant.25MS. hede.26Printed thus in the former edition:— “But to rewnesse him thit drow.” But the MS. hasfo, notto, wherefois corruptly written forfor, as in l. 1318; and the initial letter of the last syllable but one may be read as a Saxonw(ƿ), not a thorn-letter (þ). It merely repeats the idea in ll. 497, 498.27Qu. mouth.28MS. she.29So inMS.Qu.þe.HAVELOK IS TAKEN TO GRIM’S COTTAGE.Hwan grim himhauede faste bounden,And siþenin an eld cloth wndenGrim gags the child.A keuel of clutes, ful, un-wraste,548Þat he [ne] mouthe speke, ne fnaste,Hwere he wolde him bere or lede.550Hwan he hauede don þat dede,Hwan30þe swike him hauede hethede,31552Þat he shulde him forth [lede]And him drinchen in þe se;Þat forwarde makeden he.He puts him in a bag, and takes him on his back.In a poke, ful and blac,556Sone he caste him on his bac,Ant bar him hom to hise cleue,And bi-taucte himdame leue,He puts him in charge of his wife.And seyde, “wite þou þis knaue,560Al-so thou with*mi lif haue;I shal dreinchenhim inþe se,For him shole we ben maked fre,Gold hauenynou, and oþer fe;564Þat hauet mi louerd bihotenme.”30We should rather read “þan.”31MS. he þede.*Forwith, Mr Garnett proposed to readwilt.GRIM SEES THAT HAVELOK IS THE KING’S SON.She throws down Havelok violently.Hwan dame [leue] herde þat,Vp she stirte, and nouth ne sat,567And caste þe knaue adoun so harde,568Þat hise croune he þer crakedeAgeyn a gret ston, þer it lay:Þo hauelok micte sei, “weilawei!Þat euere was i kinges bern!”572Þat him ne hauede grip or ern,Leoun or wlf, wluine or bere,Or oþer best, þat wolde him dere.The child lies there till midnight.So lay þat child to middel nicth,576Þat grim bad leue bringenlict,For to don on [him] his cloþes:“Ne thenkeste nowt of mine oþesÞat ich haue mi louerd sworen?580Ne wile i nouth be forloren.I shal beren him to þe se,Þou wost þat [bi-]houes me;And i shal drenchen him þer-inne;Grim tells his wife to light the fire and a candle.584Ris up swiþe, an go þu binne,And blou þe fir, and lith a kandel:”Als she shulde hise cloþes handel[Fol. 207, col. 2.]On forto don, and blawe þe32fir,She sees a light shining round the lad.588She saw þer-inne a lith ful shir,Also brith so it were day,Aboute þe knaue þer he lay.591Of hise mouth it stod a stem,592Als it were a sunnebem;Also lith was it þer-inne,So þer brenden cerges inne:33“Ihesu crist!” wat dame leue,596“Hwat is þat lith in vre cleue!She bids Grim come and see.Sir34up grim, and loke wat it menes,Hwat is þe lith as þou wenes?”He stirtenboþe up to the knaue,600For manshal god wille haue,Vnkeueledenhim, and swiþe unbounden,They find a mark on his shoulder.And sone anon [upon] him funden,Als he tirnedenof his serk,604On his rith shuldre a kyne merk;A swiþe brith, a swiþe fair:“Goddot!” quath grim, “þis [is] ure eirÞat shal [ben] louerd of denemark,Grim says the lad is to be king.608He shal benking strong and stark;He shal hauenin his handA[l] denemark and engeland;He shal do godard ful wo,612He shal him hangen, or quik flo;Or he shal him al quic graue,Of him shal he no merci haue.”Þus seide grim, and sore gret,616And sone fel him to þe fet,He prays Havelok to forgive him.And seide, “louerd, haue merciOf me, and leue, that is me bi!Louerd, we aren boþe þine,620Þine cherles, þine hine.GRIM AND HIS WIFE FEED HAVELOK.Lowerd, we sholenþe wel fede,Til þat þu cone ridenon stede,Til þat þu cone ful wel bere624Helm on heued, sheld and spere.Godard shall never know about this.He ne shal neuere wite, sikerlike,Godard, þat fule swike.Þoru oþer man, louerd, thanþoru þe,628Sal i neuere fremanbe.Þou shalt me, louerd, fre maken,For i shal yemen þe, and waken;Þoru þe wile i fredom haue:”[Fol. 207b, col. 1.]632Þo was haueloc a bliþe knaue.Havelok is glad, and asks for bread.He sat him up, and crauede bred.And seide, “ich am [wel] ney ded,Hwat for hunger, wat for bondes636Þat þu leidest on min hondes;And for [þe] keuel at þe laste,Þat in mi mouth was þrist faste.y was þe[r]-with so harde prangled,640Þat i was þe[r]-withney[e]strangled.”“Wel is me þat þu mayth hete:Dame Leve brings him bread and cheese, butter, &c.Goddoth!” quath leue, “y shal þe feteBred an chese, butere and milk,644Pastees and flaunes, al with suilkShole we sone þe wel fede,Louerd, in þis mikel nede,Soth it is, þat menseyt and suereth:648‘Þer god wile helpen, nouth no dereth.’”32MS. þer.33Qu.þrinne. See ll. 716, 761, 2125.34Qu.stir,orstirt.GRIM SAYS HE HAS DROWNED HAVELOK.Þanne sho hauede brouth þe mete,Havelok eats all up greedily.Haueloc anon biganto eteGrundlike, and was ful bliþe;652Couþe he nouth his hunger Miþe.A lof he het, y woth, and more,For him hungrede swiþe sore.Þre dayes þer-biforn, i wene,656Et he no mete, þat was wel sene.Hwan he hauede eten, and was fed,Grim puts him to bed.Grim dede makena ful fayr bed;Vncloþede him, and dede himþer-inne,660And seyde, “Slep*sone, with michel winne;Slep wel faste, and dred þe nouth,Fro sorwe to ioie art þu brouth.”Sone so it was lith of day,Grim tells Godard he has killed Havelok,664Grim it under-tok þe weyTo þe wicke traitour godard,Þat was denemak a35stiward,And seyde, “louerd, don ich haue668Þat þou me bede of þe knaue;He is drenched inþe flod,Aboutenhis hals an anker god;He is witer-like ded,672Eteth he neure more bred;He liþ drenched in þe se:—and asks for his reward.Yif me gold [and] oþer fe,36Þat y mowe riche be;676And with þi chartre make [me] fre,[Fol. 207b, col. 2.]For þu ful wel bi-hetet me,Þanne i last[e] spak with þe.”Godard bids him go home, and remain a thrall;Godard stod, and lokede on him680Þoruth-like, with eyne grim;And seyde, “Wiltu [nou] ben erl?Go hom swiþe, fule drit, cherl;Go heþen, and be euere-more684Þral and cherl, als þou er wore.Shal [þou] haue non oþer mede;For litel i [shal]37do þe ledeTo þe galues, so god me rede!for he has done wickedly.688For þou haues don a wicke dede.Þou Mait stondenher to longe,Bute þou swiþe eþen gonge.”*Perhaps there should be a comma afterSlep, making the sense to besleep, son, notsleep soon.35Qu.Denemarkes.36Cf. l. 1225.37The MS. has “ig,” but thegis expuncted; and it omits “shal.”GRIM SETS SAIL FOR ENGLAND.Grim thoucte to late þat he ran692Fro þat traytour, þa wicke man;Grim fears that both himself and Havelok will be hung.And þoucte, “wat shal me to rede?694Wite he him onliue, he wile beþeHeye hangen on galwe-tre:696Betere us is of londe to fle,And berwen boþen ure liues,And mine children, and mine wiues.”Grim sells his live stock.Grim solde sone al his corn,700Shep wit wolle, neth wit horn,701Hors, and swin, [and gate] wit berd,Þe gees, þe hennes of þe yerd;Al he solde, þat outh douthe,704That he eure selle moucte,And al he to þe peni drou:He fits up his ship carefully.706Hise ship he greyþede wel inow,He dede it tere, an ful wel pike,708Þat it ne doutede sond ne krike;Þer-inne dide a ful god mast,Stronge kables, and ful fast,Ores god, an ful god seyl,712Þer-inne wantede nouth a nayl,Þat euere he sholde þer-inne do:He takes with him his wife, his three sons, his two daughters, and Havelok.Hwan he hauedet greyþed so,715Hauelok þe yunge he dide þer-inne,716Him and his wif, hise sones þrinne,And hise two doutres, þat faire wore,And sone dede he leyn in an ore,And drou him to þe heye se,720Þere he mith alþer-best[e] fle.Fro londe worenhe bote a mile,[Fol. 208, col. 1.]Ne were neuere but ane hwile,A north wind arises, called thebise, and drives them to England.Þat it ne bigan a wind to Rise724Out of þe north, mencalleth ‘bise’And drof hemintil engelond,Þat al was siþen in his hond,His, þat hauelok was þe name;728But or he hauede michel shame,Michel sorwe, and michel tene,And þrie he gat it al bidene;Als ye shulennou forthwar lere,38732Yf that ye wilenþer-to here.38MS. here;readlere. Cf. ll. 12, 1640.GRIM FOUNDS THE TOWN OF GRIMSBY.733Grim went up the Humber to Lindesey.IN humbergrim biganto lende,In lindeseye, Rith at þe north ende.Þer sat is ship up-on þe sond,736But grim it drou up to þe lond;And þere he made a litel cote,To him and to hise flote.Biganhe þere for to erþe,740A litel hus to maken of erþe,There he built a house.So þat he wel þore wereOf here herboru herborwed þere;And for þat grim þat place aute,744Þe stede of grim þe name laute;That place was called Grimsby, after Grim.So þat [hit] grimesbi calleth alleÞat þer-offe speken alle,*And so shulenmencallenit ay,748Bituene þis and domesday.
15MS. “boþe.” But “beþe” rimes to “Rede”; see l. 694.16MS. forthmto, thehmbeing expuncted.
15MS. “boþe.” But “beþe” rimes to “Rede”; see l. 694.
16MS. forthmto, thehmbeing expuncted.
BIRKABEYN SELECTS EARL GODARD TO BE GUARDIAN OF HIS THREE CHILDREN.
Hwanhe was hosled and shriuen,
His quiste maked, and for him gyuen,
His knictes dede he alle site,
For þorw hem he wolde wite,
He asks who will guard his children?
Hwo micte yeme hise childrenyunge,
Til þat he kouþen spekenwit tunge;
Spekenand gangen, on horse riden,
Knictes an sweynes bi here siden.
He spoken þer-offe, and chosen sone
A riche man was under mone,
He chooses Godard.
Was þe trewest þat he wende,
Godard, þe kinges oune frende;
And seyden, he Moucthe hembest loke,
Yif þat he hem vndertoke,
Til hise sone Mouthe bere
Helm on heued, and ledenvt here,
In his hand a spere stark,
And king ben maked of denemark.
He wel trowede þat he seyde,
And on Godard handes leyde;
He commends the children to Godard.
And seyde, “Here bi-teche i þe
Mine childrenalle þre,
Al denemark, and al mi fe,
Til þat mi sone of helde be;
He makes him swear to take care of them,
But þat ich wille, þat þo[u] suere
On auter, and on messe-gere,
On þe belles þat men ringes,
On messe-bok þe prest on singes,
Þat þou mine children shalt we[l] yeme,
Þat hire kin be ful wel queme,
Til mi sone mowe ben knicth,
and to give up the kingdom to the boy.
Þanne biteche him þo his Ricth,
Denemark, and þat þertil longes,
Casteles and tunes, wodes and wonges.”
Godard swears to do so.
Godard stirt up, an swor al þat
Þe king him bad, and siþen sat
Bi the knictes, þat þer ware,
Þat wepen alle swiþe sare
For þe king þat deide sone:
Ihesu crist, that makede mone
On þe mirke nith to shine,
Wite his soule fro helle pine;
And leue þat it mote wone
[Fol. 206, col. 2.]
In heuene-riche with godes sone!
GODARD IMPRISONS THE THREE CHILDREN.
Godard shuts up the children, Havelok, Swanborough, and Helfled, in a castle.
Hwan birkabeyn was leyd ingraue,
Þe erl dede sone take þe knaue,
Hauelok, þat was þe eir,
Swanborow, his sister, helfled, þe toþer,17
And in þe castel dede he hem do,
Þer non ne micte hem comento
Of here kyn, þer þei sperd wore;18
Þer he greten ofte sore,
Boþe for hunger and for kold,
Or he weren þre winterhold.
Feblelike he gaf hemcloþes,
He cares not for his oaths.
He ne yaf a note of hise oþes;
He hem [ne] cloþede rith, ne fedde,
Ne hem ne dede richelike be-bedde.
Þanne godard was sikerlike
He is a traitor.
Vnder god þe moste swike,
Þat eure in erþe shaped was,
With-uten on, þe wike Iudas.
May he be accursed!
Haue he þe malisun to-day
Of alle þat eure spekenmay!
Of patriark, and of pope!
And of prest with lokenkope!
Of monekes, and hermites boþe!19
And of þe leue holi rode,
Þat god him-selue ran on blode!
Cursed be he by north and south!
Crist warie him with his mouth!
Waried wrthe he of norþ and suth!
Offe alle man, þat spekenkunne!
Of crist, þat made20mone and sunne!
Þanne he hauede of al þe lond
Al þe folk tilled in-til his hond,
And alle haueden sworenhim oth,
Riche and poure, lef and loth,
Þat he sholden hise wille freme,
He plots against the children.
And þat he shulde[n] him nouth greme,
He þouthe a ful strong trechery,
A trayson, and a felony,
Of þe children forto make:
Þe deuel of helle him sone take!
17Corrupt? Lines 410, 411 do not rime well together.18MS. were. But see l. 237.19Lines 430, 431, 432 rime together. NB. The wordsholi rodeare written over an erasure.20MS. mande.
17Corrupt? Lines 410, 411 do not rime well together.
18MS. were. But see l. 237.
19Lines 430, 431, 432 rime together. NB. The wordsholi rodeare written over an erasure.
20MS. mande.
He goes to the tower where they are.
Hwanþat was þouth, onon he ferde
To þe tour þer he worensperde,
Þer he gretenfor hunger and cold:
Þe knaue þat was sumdel bold,
Kamhim ageyn, on knes him sette,
[Fol. 206b, col.1.]
And godard ful feyre he fer grette;
And Godard seyde, “Wat is yw?
Hwi grete ye and goulen nou?”
Havelok says they are hungry.
“For us hungreth swiþe sore:”—
Seyden he wolden[haue] more,
“We ne haue to hete, ne we ne haue
Herinne neyther knith ne knaue
Þat yeueth us drinken, ne no mete,
Haluendel þat we moun ete.
“Alas, that we were born!”
Wo is us þat we weren born!
Weilawei! nis it no korn,
Þat men micte makenof bred?
Vs21hungreth, we aren ney ded.”
21MS. þs; of. l. 455.
GODARD KILLS SWANBORGUGH AND HELFLED.
Godard cares not.
Godard herde here wa,
Ther-offe yaf he nouth a stra,
But tok þe maydnes bothe samen,
Al-so it were up-on hiis gamen;
Al-so he wolde with hemleyke,
Þat werenfor hunger grene and bleike.
He cuts the throats of the two girls.
Of boþen he karf on two here þrotes,
And siþen [karf] hemalto grotes.
Þer was sorwe, we so it sawe!
Hwan þe children bi þ[e]22wawe
Leyen and sprauledenin þe blod:
Havelok sees it, and is afraid.
Hauelok it saw, and þe[r] bi stod.
Ful sori was þat seli knaue,
Mikel dred he mouthe haue,
For at hise herte he saw a knif,
For to reuen him hise lyf.
But þe knaue,23þat litel was,
He begs Godard to spare him,
He knelede bifor þat iudas,
And seyde, “louerd, merci nov!
Manrede, louerd, biddi you!
Al denemark i wile you yeue,
To þat forward þu late me liue;
Here hi wile on boke swere,
Þat neure more ne shal i bere
GODARD SPARES HAVELOK FOR A TIME.
offering never to oppose him,
Ayen þe, louerd, shel ne spere,
Ne oþer wepne24that may you dere.
Louerd, haue merci of me!
and to flee from Denmark.
To-day i wile fro denemark fle,
Ne neuere more comen ageyn:
Swereny wole, þat bircabein
Neuere yete me ne gat:”—
Hwan þe deuel he[r]de25that,
[Fol. 206b, col. 2.]
Sum-del bigan him forto rewe;
With-drow þe knif, þat was lewe
Godard has pity on him.
Of þe seli children blod;
Þer was miracle fair and god!
Þat he þe knaue nouth ne slou,
But fo[r] rewnesse himwit-drow.26
Of auelok rewede him ful sore,
And þoucte, he wolde þat he ded wore,
But on þat he nouth wit his hend
Ne drepe him nouth,27þat fule fend!
Þoucte he, als he him bi stod,
Starinde als he were wod:
But he reflects
“Yif y late him liues go,
He micte me wirchen michel wo.
Grith ne get y neuere mo,
He may [me] waitenfor to slo;
that, were Havelok dead, his children would be the heirs.
And yf he were brouct of liue,
And mine childrenwoldenthriue,
Louerdinges after me
Of al denemark micten he be.
God it wite, he shal ben ded,
Wile i takennon oþer red;
GODARD TELLS GRIM TO DROWN HAVELOK.
He determines to drown him.
I shal do castenhimin þe se,28
Þer i wile þat he drench[ed] be;
Aboutenhis hals an anker god,
Þat he ne flete in the flod.”
He sends for a fisherman, and says to him,
Þer anon he dede sende
After a fishere þat he wende,
Þat wolde al his wille do,
And sone anon he seyde him to:
“Grim, I will make you free.
“Grim, þou wost þu art mi þral,
Wilte don mi wille al,
Þat i wile biddenþe,
To-morwen [i] shal makenþe fre,
And aucte þe yeuen, and riche make,
With-þanþu wilt þis child[e] take,
And ledenhim with þe to-nicht,
Throw this child into the sea”.
Þan þou sest se29Mone lith,
In-to þe se, and don him þer-inne,
Al wile [i] takenon me þe sinne.”
Grim binds the child.
Grim tok þe child, and bond himfaste,
Hwil þe bondes micte laste;
Þat weren of ful strong line:—
Þo was hauelok inful strong pine.
Wiste he neuere her wat was wo:
[Fol. 207, col. 1.]
Christ wreak thee of Godard, Havelok!
Ihesu crist, þat makede to go
Þe halte, and þe doumbe speken,
Hauelok, þe of Godard wreken!
22MS. biþ; of. l. 2470.23MS. kaue.24MS. “wepne bere,” where “bere” is redundant.25MS. hede.26Printed thus in the former edition:— “But to rewnesse him thit drow.” But the MS. hasfo, notto, wherefois corruptly written forfor, as in l. 1318; and the initial letter of the last syllable but one may be read as a Saxonw(ƿ), not a thorn-letter (þ). It merely repeats the idea in ll. 497, 498.27Qu. mouth.28MS. she.29So inMS.Qu.þe.
22MS. biþ; of. l. 2470.
23MS. kaue.
24MS. “wepne bere,” where “bere” is redundant.
25MS. hede.
26Printed thus in the former edition:— “But to rewnesse him thit drow.” But the MS. hasfo, notto, wherefois corruptly written forfor, as in l. 1318; and the initial letter of the last syllable but one may be read as a Saxonw(ƿ), not a thorn-letter (þ). It merely repeats the idea in ll. 497, 498.
27Qu. mouth.
28MS. she.
29So inMS.Qu.þe.
HAVELOK IS TAKEN TO GRIM’S COTTAGE.
Hwan grim himhauede faste bounden,
And siþenin an eld cloth wnden
Grim gags the child.
A keuel of clutes, ful, un-wraste,
Þat he [ne] mouthe speke, ne fnaste,
Hwere he wolde him bere or lede.
Hwan he hauede don þat dede,
Hwan30þe swike him hauede hethede,31
Þat he shulde him forth [lede]
And him drinchen in þe se;
Þat forwarde makeden he.
He puts him in a bag, and takes him on his back.
In a poke, ful and blac,
Sone he caste him on his bac,
Ant bar him hom to hise cleue,
And bi-taucte himdame leue,
He puts him in charge of his wife.
And seyde, “wite þou þis knaue,
Al-so thou with*mi lif haue;
I shal dreinchenhim inþe se,
For him shole we ben maked fre,
Gold hauenynou, and oþer fe;
Þat hauet mi louerd bihotenme.”
30We should rather read “þan.”31MS. he þede.*Forwith, Mr Garnett proposed to readwilt.
30We should rather read “þan.”
31MS. he þede.
*Forwith, Mr Garnett proposed to readwilt.
GRIM SEES THAT HAVELOK IS THE KING’S SON.
She throws down Havelok violently.
Hwan dame [leue] herde þat,
Vp she stirte, and nouth ne sat,
And caste þe knaue adoun so harde,
Þat hise croune he þer crakede
Ageyn a gret ston, þer it lay:
Þo hauelok micte sei, “weilawei!
Þat euere was i kinges bern!”
Þat him ne hauede grip or ern,
Leoun or wlf, wluine or bere,
Or oþer best, þat wolde him dere.
The child lies there till midnight.
So lay þat child to middel nicth,
Þat grim bad leue bringenlict,
For to don on [him] his cloþes:
“Ne thenkeste nowt of mine oþes
Þat ich haue mi louerd sworen?
Ne wile i nouth be forloren.
I shal beren him to þe se,
Þou wost þat [bi-]houes me;
And i shal drenchen him þer-inne;
Grim tells his wife to light the fire and a candle.
Ris up swiþe, an go þu binne,
And blou þe fir, and lith a kandel:”
Als she shulde hise cloþes handel
[Fol. 207, col. 2.]
On forto don, and blawe þe32fir,
She sees a light shining round the lad.
She saw þer-inne a lith ful shir,
Also brith so it were day,
Aboute þe knaue þer he lay.
Of hise mouth it stod a stem,
Als it were a sunnebem;
Also lith was it þer-inne,
So þer brenden cerges inne:33
“Ihesu crist!” wat dame leue,
“Hwat is þat lith in vre cleue!
She bids Grim come and see.
Sir34up grim, and loke wat it menes,
Hwat is þe lith as þou wenes?”
He stirtenboþe up to the knaue,
For manshal god wille haue,
Vnkeueledenhim, and swiþe unbounden,
They find a mark on his shoulder.
And sone anon [upon] him funden,
Als he tirnedenof his serk,
On his rith shuldre a kyne merk;
A swiþe brith, a swiþe fair:
“Goddot!” quath grim, “þis [is] ure eir
Þat shal [ben] louerd of denemark,
Grim says the lad is to be king.
He shal benking strong and stark;
He shal hauenin his hand
A[l] denemark and engeland;
He shal do godard ful wo,
He shal him hangen, or quik flo;
Or he shal him al quic graue,
Of him shal he no merci haue.”
Þus seide grim, and sore gret,
And sone fel him to þe fet,
He prays Havelok to forgive him.
And seide, “louerd, haue merci
Of me, and leue, that is me bi!
Louerd, we aren boþe þine,
Þine cherles, þine hine.
GRIM AND HIS WIFE FEED HAVELOK.
Lowerd, we sholenþe wel fede,
Til þat þu cone ridenon stede,
Til þat þu cone ful wel bere
Helm on heued, sheld and spere.
Godard shall never know about this.
He ne shal neuere wite, sikerlike,
Godard, þat fule swike.
Þoru oþer man, louerd, thanþoru þe,
Sal i neuere fremanbe.
Þou shalt me, louerd, fre maken,
For i shal yemen þe, and waken;
Þoru þe wile i fredom haue:”
[Fol. 207b, col. 1.]
Þo was haueloc a bliþe knaue.
Havelok is glad, and asks for bread.
He sat him up, and crauede bred.
And seide, “ich am [wel] ney ded,
Hwat for hunger, wat for bondes
Þat þu leidest on min hondes;
And for [þe] keuel at þe laste,
Þat in mi mouth was þrist faste.
y was þe[r]-with so harde prangled,
Þat i was þe[r]-withney[e]strangled.”
“Wel is me þat þu mayth hete:
Dame Leve brings him bread and cheese, butter, &c.
Goddoth!” quath leue, “y shal þe fete
Bred an chese, butere and milk,
Pastees and flaunes, al with suilk
Shole we sone þe wel fede,
Louerd, in þis mikel nede,
Soth it is, þat menseyt and suereth:
‘Þer god wile helpen, nouth no dereth.’”
32MS. þer.33Qu.þrinne. See ll. 716, 761, 2125.34Qu.stir,orstirt.
32MS. þer.
33Qu.þrinne. See ll. 716, 761, 2125.
34Qu.stir,orstirt.
GRIM SAYS HE HAS DROWNED HAVELOK.
Þanne sho hauede brouth þe mete,
Havelok eats all up greedily.
Haueloc anon biganto ete
Grundlike, and was ful bliþe;
Couþe he nouth his hunger Miþe.
A lof he het, y woth, and more,
For him hungrede swiþe sore.
Þre dayes þer-biforn, i wene,
Et he no mete, þat was wel sene.
Hwan he hauede eten, and was fed,
Grim puts him to bed.
Grim dede makena ful fayr bed;
Vncloþede him, and dede himþer-inne,
And seyde, “Slep*sone, with michel winne;
Slep wel faste, and dred þe nouth,
Fro sorwe to ioie art þu brouth.”
Sone so it was lith of day,
Grim tells Godard he has killed Havelok,
Grim it under-tok þe wey
To þe wicke traitour godard,
Þat was denemak a35stiward,
And seyde, “louerd, don ich haue
Þat þou me bede of þe knaue;
He is drenched inþe flod,
Aboutenhis hals an anker god;
He is witer-like ded,
Eteth he neure more bred;
He liþ drenched in þe se:—
and asks for his reward.
Yif me gold [and] oþer fe,36
Þat y mowe riche be;
And with þi chartre make [me] fre,
[Fol. 207b, col. 2.]
For þu ful wel bi-hetet me,
Þanne i last[e] spak with þe.”
Godard bids him go home, and remain a thrall;
Godard stod, and lokede on him
Þoruth-like, with eyne grim;
And seyde, “Wiltu [nou] ben erl?
Go hom swiþe, fule drit, cherl;
Go heþen, and be euere-more
Þral and cherl, als þou er wore.
Shal [þou] haue non oþer mede;
For litel i [shal]37do þe lede
To þe galues, so god me rede!
for he has done wickedly.
For þou haues don a wicke dede.
Þou Mait stondenher to longe,
Bute þou swiþe eþen gonge.”
*Perhaps there should be a comma afterSlep, making the sense to besleep, son, notsleep soon.35Qu.Denemarkes.36Cf. l. 1225.37The MS. has “ig,” but thegis expuncted; and it omits “shal.”
*Perhaps there should be a comma afterSlep, making the sense to besleep, son, notsleep soon.
35Qu.Denemarkes.
36Cf. l. 1225.
37The MS. has “ig,” but thegis expuncted; and it omits “shal.”
GRIM SETS SAIL FOR ENGLAND.
Grim thoucte to late þat he ran
Fro þat traytour, þa wicke man;
Grim fears that both himself and Havelok will be hung.
And þoucte, “wat shal me to rede?
Wite he him onliue, he wile beþe
Heye hangen on galwe-tre:
Betere us is of londe to fle,
And berwen boþen ure liues,
And mine children, and mine wiues.”
Grim sells his live stock.
Grim solde sone al his corn,
Shep wit wolle, neth wit horn,
Hors, and swin, [and gate] wit berd,
Þe gees, þe hennes of þe yerd;
Al he solde, þat outh douthe,
That he eure selle moucte,
And al he to þe peni drou:
He fits up his ship carefully.
Hise ship he greyþede wel inow,
He dede it tere, an ful wel pike,
Þat it ne doutede sond ne krike;
Þer-inne dide a ful god mast,
Stronge kables, and ful fast,
Ores god, an ful god seyl,
Þer-inne wantede nouth a nayl,
Þat euere he sholde þer-inne do:
He takes with him his wife, his three sons, his two daughters, and Havelok.
Hwan he hauedet greyþed so,
Hauelok þe yunge he dide þer-inne,
Him and his wif, hise sones þrinne,
And hise two doutres, þat faire wore,
And sone dede he leyn in an ore,
And drou him to þe heye se,
Þere he mith alþer-best[e] fle.
Fro londe worenhe bote a mile,
[Fol. 208, col. 1.]
Ne were neuere but ane hwile,
A north wind arises, called thebise, and drives them to England.
Þat it ne bigan a wind to Rise
Out of þe north, mencalleth ‘bise’
And drof hemintil engelond,
Þat al was siþen in his hond,
His, þat hauelok was þe name;
But or he hauede michel shame,
Michel sorwe, and michel tene,
And þrie he gat it al bidene;
Als ye shulennou forthwar lere,38
Yf that ye wilenþer-to here.
38MS. here;readlere. Cf. ll. 12, 1640.
GRIM FOUNDS THE TOWN OF GRIMSBY.
Grim went up the Humber to Lindesey.
IN humbergrim biganto lende,
In lindeseye, Rith at þe north ende.
Þer sat is ship up-on þe sond,
But grim it drou up to þe lond;
And þere he made a litel cote,
To him and to hise flote.
Biganhe þere for to erþe,
A litel hus to maken of erþe,
There he built a house.
So þat he wel þore were
Of here herboru herborwed þere;
And for þat grim þat place aute,
Þe stede of grim þe name laute;
That place was called Grimsby, after Grim.
So þat [hit] grimesbi calleth alle
Þat þer-offe speken alle,*
And so shulenmencallenit ay,
Bituene þis and domesday.