The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 10

[Sidenote: [Fol. 207b, col. 1.]]

o was haueloc a blie knaue. 632 [Sidenote: 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 at u leidest on min hondes; 636 And for [e] keuel at e laste, at in mi mouth was rist faste.

y was e[r]-with so harde prangled, at i was e[r]-with ney[e][34*] strangled." 640 "Wel is me at u mayth hete: [Sidenote: Dame Leve brings him bread and cheese, b.u.t.ter, &c.]

G.o.ddoth!" quath leue, "y shal e fete Bred an chese, butere and milk, Pastees and flaunes, al with suilk 644 Shole we sone e wel fede, Louerd, in is mikel nede, Soth it is, {a}t me{n} seyt and suereth: 'er G.o.d wile helpe{n}, nouth no dereth.'" 648

[Footnote 32: MS. er.]

[Footnote 33: _Qu._ rinne. See ll. 716, 761, 2125.]

[Footnote 34: _Qu._ stir, _or_ stirt.]

[Footnote 34*: Changed by editor from "ney": see Emendations.]

[Headnote: GRIM SAYS HE HAS DROWNED HAVELOK.]

+a{n}ne sho hauede brouth e mete, [Sidenote: Havelok eats all up greedily.]

Haueloc anon biga{n} to ete Grundlike, and was ful blie; Coue he nouth his hunger Mie. 652 A lof he het, y woth, and more, For him hungrede swie sore.

re dayes er-biforn, i wene, Et he no mete, at was wel sene. 656 Hwan he hauede eten, and was fed, [Sidenote: Grim puts him to bed.]

Grim dede make{n} a ful fayr bed; Vncloede him, and dede hi{m} er-i{n}ne, And seyde, "Slep[34**] sone, with michel wi{n}ne; 660 Slep wel faste, and dred e nouth, Fro sorwe to ioie art u brouth."

Sone so it was lith of day, [Sidenote: Grim tells G.o.dard he has killed Havelok, and asks for his reward.]

Grim it under-tok e wey 664 To e wicke traitour G.o.dard, at was denemak a[35] stiward, And seyde, "louerd, don ich haue at ou me bede of e knaue; 668 He is drenched i{n} e flod, Aboute{n} his hals an anker G.o.d; He is witer-like ded, Eteth he neure more bred; 672 He li drenched in e se:-- Yif me gold [and] oer fe,[36]

at y mowe riche be; And with i chartre make [me] fre, 676 [Sidenote: [Fol. 207b, col. 2.]]

For u ful wel bi-hetet me, a{n}ne i last[e] spak with e."

[Sidenote: G.o.dard bids him go home, and remain a thrall; for he has done wickedly.]

G.o.dard stod, and lokede on him oruth-like, with eyne grim; 680 And seyde, "Wiltu [nou] ben erl?

Go hom swie, fule drit, cherl; Go heen, and be euere-more ral and cherl, als ou er wore. 684 Shal [ou] haue non oer mede; For litel i [shal][37] do e lede To e galues, so G.o.d me rede!

For ou haues don a wicke dede. 688 ou Mait stonde{n} her to longe, Bute ou swie een gonge."

[Footnote 34** (from Emendations): "Perhaps there should be a comma after _Slep_, making the sense to be _sleep, son_, not _sleep soon_."]

[Footnote 35: _Qu._ Denemarkes.]

[Footnote 36: Cf. l. 1225.]

[Footnote 37: The MS. has "ig," but the _g_ is expuncted; and it omits "shal."]

[Headnote: GRIM SETS SAIL FOR ENGLAND.]

[Sidenote: Grim fears that both himself and Havelok will be hung.]

+Grim thoucte to late at he ran Fro at t{ra}ytour, a wicke man; 692 And oucte, "wat shal me to rede?

Wite he him onliue, he wile bee Heye hangen on galwe-tre: Betere us is of londe to fle, 696 And berwen boen ure liues, And mine childre{n}, and mine wiues."

[Sidenote: Grim sells his live stock.]

Grim solde sone al his corn, Shep wit wolle, neth wit horn, 700 Hors, and swin, [and gate] wit berd, e gees, e he{n}nes of e yerd; Al he solde, at outh douthe, That he eure selle moucte, 704 And al he to e peni drou: [Sidenote: He fits up his ship carefully.]

Hise ship he g{re}yede wel inow, He dede it tere, an ful wel pike, at it ne doutede sond ne krike; 708 er-inne dide a ful G.o.d mast, Stronge kables, and ful fast, Ores G.o.d, an ful G.o.d seyl, er-i{n}ne wantede nouth a nayl, 712 at eu{er}e he sholde er-i{n}ne do: [Sidenote: He takes with him his wife, his three sons, his two daughters, and Havelok.]

Hwan he hauedet greyed so, Hauelok e yunge he dide er-inne, Him and his wif, hise sones rinne, 716 And hise two doutres, at faire wore, And sone dede he leyn in an ore, And drou him to e heye se, ere he mith aler-best[e] fle. 720 Fro londe wore{n} he bote a mile, [Sidenote: [Fol. 208, col. 1.]]

Ne were neuere but ane hwile, [Sidenote: A north wind arises, called the _bise_, and drives them to England.]

at it ne bigan a wind to Rise Out of e north, me{n} calleth 'bise' 724 And drof he{m} intil engelond, at al was sien in his hond, His, at hauelok was e name; But or he hauede michel shame, 728 Michel sorwe, and michel tene, And rie he gat it al bidene; Als ye shule{n} nou forthwar lere,[38]

Yf that ye wile{n} er-to here. 732

[Footnote 38: MS. here; _read_ lere. Cf. ll. 12, 1640.]

[Headnote: GRIM FOUNDS THE TOWN OF GRIMSBY.]

[Sidenote: Grim went up the Humber to Lindesey.]

+IN humb{er} grim biga{n} to lende, In lindeseye, Rith at e north ende.

er sat is ship up-on e sond, But grim it drou up to e lond; 736 And ere he made a litel cote, To him and to hise flote.

Biga{n} he ere for to ere, A litel hus to maken of ere, 740 [Sidenote: There he built a house.]

So at he wel ore were Of here herboru h{er}borwed ere; And for at grim at place aute, e stede of grim e name laute; 744 [Sidenote: That place was called Grimsby, after Grim.]

So at [hit] grimesbi calleth alle at er-offe speken alle,[38*]

And so shule{n} me{n} calle{n} it ay, Bituene is and domesday. 748

[Footnote 38* (from Emendations): "For _alle_, Mr Garnett proposed to read _shalle_."]

[Headnote: HAVELOK DOES NOT LIKE BEING IDLE.]

[Sidenote: Grim was a good fisherman.]

+Grim was fishere swie G.o.d, And mikel coue on the flod; Mani G.o.d fish er-inne he tok, Boe with neth, and with hok. 752 [Sidenote: He caught sturgeons, turbot, &c.]

He tok e sturgiun, and e qual, And e turbut, and lax with-al, He tok e sele, and e hwel; He spedde ofte swie wel: 756 Keling he tok, and tu{m}berel, Hering, and e makerel, e b.u.t.te, e schulle, e ornebake: [Sidenote: He had four panniers made for himself and his sons.]

G.o.de paniers dede he make 760 Ontil him, and oer rinne, Til hise sones to bere{n} fish inne, Vp o-londe to selle and fonge; Forbar he neye[r] tun, ne gronge, 764 at he ne to-yede with his ware; Kam he neu{er}e hom hand-bare, [Sidenote: [Fol. 208, col. 2.]]

at he ne broucte bred and sowel, In his shirte, or in his couel; 768 In his poke benes and korn:-- Hise swink ne hauede he nowt forlorn.

[Sidenote: He used to sell lampreys at Lincoln, and bring home simnels, meal, meat, and hemp.]

And hwan he tok e grete laumprei, Ful we[l] he coue e rithe wei 772 To lincolne, e G.o.de boru; Ofte he yede it oru and oru, Til he hauede wol[39] wel sold, And er-fore e penies told. 776 a{n}ne he com, e{n}ne he were blie, For hom he brouthe fele sie Wastels, simenels with e horn, Hise pokes fulle of mele an korn, 780 Netes flesh, shepes, and swines, And hemp to make{n} of G.o.de lines; And stronge ropes to hise netes, In e se were{n} he ofte setes.[40, 40*] 784

[Footnote 39: _Qu._ ful _or_ al.]

[Footnote 40: _Sic_ in MS.]

[Footnote 40* (from Emendations: see also Errata) "Perhaps we should, however, read _se-weren_, and the note on the line may be wrong. See _Weren_ in the Glossary."]

[Headnote: HAVELOK SELLS FISH LIKE THE BEST.]

[Sidenote: Thus they lived for 12 years.]

+us-gate grim him fayre ledde.

Him and his genge wel he fedde Wel twelf wint{er}, oer more: Hauelok was war at gri{m} swa{n}k sore 788 [Sidenote: Havelok thinks he eats too much to be idle.]

For his mete, and he lay at hom: Thouthe, "ich am nou no grom; Ich am wel waxe{n}, and wel may ete{n} More a{n} euere Grim may geten. 792 Ich ete more, bi G.o.d on liue, an grim an hise children fiue!

It ne may nouth ben us lo{n}ge, G.o.ddot! y wile with e gange, 796 For to leren su{m} G.o.d to gete; Swinken ich wolde for mi mete.

[Sidenote: It is no shame for a man to work.]

It is no shame forto swinken; e ma{n} at may wel ete{n} and dri{n}ke{n}, 800 at nouth ne haue but on swi{n}k lo{n}g, To ligge{n} at hom it is ful strong.

G.o.d yelde him er i ne[41] may, at haueth me fed to is day! 804 [Sidenote: He determines to carry about panniers like the rest.]

Gladlike i wile e paniers bere; Ich woth, ne shal it me nouth dere, ey er be i{n}ne a birene gret, Al so heui als a neth. 808 Shal ich neuere lengere dwelle, To morwe{n} shal ich forth pelle."

[Footnote 41: MS. ine.]