The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 12

And putte{n}[51] with a mikel ston e starke laddes, ful G.o.d won. 1024

[Headnote: HE "PUTS THE STONE" FURTHER THAN ANY.]

e ston was mikel, and ek greth, And al so heui so a neth; Grund stalwrthe ma{n} he sholde be, at mouthe lifte{n} it to his kne; 1028 [Sidenote: Few can lift it.]

Was er neyer clerc, ne prest, at mithe liften it to his brest: erwit putte{n} the chaunpiouns, at ider come{n} with e barouns. 1032 Hwo so mithe putten ore Biforn a-noer, an inch or more, Wore ye yung, [or] wore he hold, He was for a ke{m}pe told. 1036 [Sidenote: Whilst this is going on, Havelok looks on at them.]

Al-so e[i] stoden, an ofte starede{n},[51*]

e chaunpiouns, and ek the ladde{n}, [Sidenote: [Fol. 209b, col. 2.]]

And he maden mikel strout Abouten e alerbeste but, 1040 Hauelok stod, and lokede er-til; And of putti{n}gge he was ful wil, For neu{er}e yete ne saw he or Putte{n} the stone, or a{n}ne or. 1044 [Sidenote: His master tells him to try.]

Hise mayst{er} bad him gon er-to, Als he coue er-with do.

o hise mayst{er} it him bad, He was of him sore adrad; 1048 erto he stirte sone anon, And kipte up at heui ston, at he sholde puten wie; [Sidenote: He puts the stone 12 feet beyond the rest.]

He putte at e firste sie, 1052 Ouer alle at er wore, Twel fote, and su{m}del more.

e chaunpiouns at [at] put sowen, Shuldrede{n} he ilc oer, and lowen; 1056 Wolde{n} he no more to putti{n}g gange, But seyde, "_w_e[52] dwelle{n} her to longe!"

[Headnote: G.o.dRICH HEARS OF HAVELOK'S STRENGTH.]

[Sidenote: This feat is everywhere talked about.]

is selkouth mithe nouth be{n} hyd, Ful sone it was ful loude kid 1060 Of hauelok, hw he warp e ston Ouer e laddes euerilkon; Hw he was fayr, hw he was long, Hw he was with, hw he was stro{n}g; 1064 oruth england yede e speke,[53]

Hw he was strong, and ek meke; In the castel, up in e halle, e knithes speke{n} er-of alle, 1068 [Sidenote: G.o.drich hears the knights talking of it.]

So that G.o.drich it herde wel e[r] speke{n} of hauelok, eueri del, Hw he was stro{n}g man and hey, Hw he was stro{n}g and ek fri, 1072 And outhte G.o.drich, "oru is knaue Shal ich engelond al haue, And mi sone after me; For so i wile at it be. 1076 [Sidenote: "Athelwold said I was to marry his daughter to the strongest man alive.]

The king aelwald me dide swere Vpon al e messe-gere, at y shu[l]de his douthe[r] yeue e hexte [man][53*] at mithe liue, 1080 e beste, e fairest, e stra{n}gest ok; at gart he me swere{n} on e bok.

Hwere mithe i finden ani so hey [Sidenote: [Fol. 210, col. 1.]]

So hauelok is, or so sley? 1084 ou y southe heen in-to ynde, So fayr, so strong, ne mithe y finde.

Hauelok is at ilke knaue, at shal goldeborw haue." 1088 [Sidenote: That is Havelok."]

is outhe [he] with trechery, With t{ra}ysoun, and wit felony; For he wende, at hauelok wore Sum cherles sone, and no more; 1092 Ne shulde he haue{n} of engellond Onlepi forw in his hond, With hire, at was erof eyr, at boe was G.o.d and swie fair. 1096 [Sidenote: He thought Havelok was only a thrall.]

He wende, at hauelok wer a ral, er-oru he we{n}de haue{n} al In engelond, at hire rith was; He was werse an sathanas, 1100 at ih{es}u c{ri}st in ere shop:[54]

Hanged wore he on an hok!

[Footnote 49: _Qu._ so; see l. 991.]

[Footnote 50: _Qu._ wit = with: miswritten owing to confusion of with ? (_w_)?]

[Footnote 51: MS. pulten. But see ll. 1031, 1033, 1044, 1051, &c.]

[Footnote 51* (from Emendations): "For _stareden_ we should perhaps read _stradden_; see the Glossary."]

[Footnote 52: In the former edition-- "ye". But the _y_ is not dotted, and it may be "?e."]

[Footnote 53: MS. speche. Read "speke," as in l. 946.]

[Footnote 53*: Word added by editor: see Emendations.]

[Footnote 54: _Qu._ shok _or_ strok.]

[Headnote: GOLDBOROUGH IS SENT FOR TO LINCOLN.]

[Sidenote: He sends for Goldborough to Lincoln.]

+After goldebo[r]w sone he sende, at was boe fayr and hende, 1104 And dide hire to lincolne bringe, Belles dede he ageyn hire ringen, And ioie he made hire swie mikel, But neeles he was ful swikel. 1108 He seyde, at he sholde hire yeue e fayrest ma{n} that mithe liue.

[Sidenote: She says she will marry none but a king.]

She answerede, and seyde anon, Bi crist, and bi seint iohan, 1112 at hire sholde noma{n} wedde, Ne noma{n} bringen to hire[55] bedde, But he were king, or ki{n}ges eyr, Were he neuere ma{n} so fayr. 1116

[Footnote 55: _Qu._ hise.]

[Headnote: G.o.dRICH ASKS HAVELOK IF HE WILL MARRY.]

[Sidenote: G.o.drich is wrath at this.]

+G.o.drich e erl was swie wroth, at she swore swilk an oth, And seyde, "hwor ou wilt be Quen and leuedi ouer me? 1120 ou shalt haue{n} a gadeling, Ne shalt ou haue{n} non oer ki{n}g; [Sidenote: He says she shall marry his cook's servant.]

e shal spusen mi c.o.kes knaue, Ne shalt ou non oer lou{er}d haue. 1124 Daeit at e oer yeue Eu{er}e more hwil i liue!

To-mo[r]we ye shole{n} ben weddeth, And, maugre in, to-gidere beddeth." 1128 [Sidenote: [Fol. 210, col. 2.]]

Goldeborw gret, and _w_as[56] hire ille, She wolde ben ded bi hire wille.

On the morwen, hwa{n} day was spru{n}ge{n}, And day-belle at kirke rungen, 1132 [Sidenote: He sends next day for Havelok, and says, "Master, wilt wive?"]

After hauelok sente at iudas, at werse was a{n}ne sathanas: And seyde, "mayst{er}, wilte wif?"

"Nay," quoth, hauelok, "bi my lif! 1136 Hwat sholde ich with wif do?

I ne may hire fede, ne cloe, ne sho.

Wider sholde ich wimma{n} bringe?

[Sidenote: Havelok refuses.]

I ne haue none kines inge. 1140 I ne haue hws, y ne haue cote, Ne i ne[57] haue stikke, y ne haue sprote, I ne haue neyer bred ne sowel, Ne cloth, but of an hold with couel. 1144 is cloes, at ich onne haue, Aren e kokes, and ich his knaue."

[Sidenote: G.o.drich beats him, and threatens to hang him.]

G.o.drich stirt up, and on him dong [With dintes swie hard and strong,] 1148 And seyde, "But ou hire take, at y wole yeue{n} e to make, I shal hange{n} e ful heye, Or y shal risten vth in heie." 1152 Hauelok was one, and was odrat, [Sidenote: Havelok consents.]

And grauntede hi{m} al at he bad.

o sende he after hire sone, e fayrest wymman under mone; 1156 And seyde til hire, [false][58] and slike, [Sidenote: G.o.drich next threatens Goldborough.]

at wicke ral, at foule swike: "But u is ma{n} under-stonde, I shal fleme{n} e of londe; 1160 Or ou shal to e galwes re{n}ne, And er ou shalt i{n} a fir bre{n}ne."

Sho was adrad, for he so rette, And durste nouth e spusi{n}g lette, 1164 But ey hire likede swie ille, [Sidenote: She consents, thinking it is G.o.d's will.]

outhe it was G.o.des wille: G.o.d, at makes to growe{n} e korn, Formede hire wi{m}ma{n} to be born. 1168 Hwan he hauede don him for drede, at he sholde hire spuse{n}, and fede, And at she sholde til him holde, [Sidenote: A dowry is given her.]

er were{n} penies icke tolde, 1172 Mikel plente upon e bok: He ys hire yaf, and she as tok.

[Sidenote: [Fol. 210b, col. 1.]]

He weren spused fayre and wel, e messe he deden eueridel, 1176 at fel to spusing, and G.o.d cle[r]k, [Sidenote: The archbishop of York marries them.]

e erchebishop uth of yerk, at kam to e p{ar}leme{n}t, Als G.o.d him hauede ider sent. 1180

[Footnote 56: The first letter of this word is either __ or a Saxon _w_ (?). I read it as the latter.]

[Footnote 57: MS. ine.]

[Footnote 58: Both sense and metre require this word.]

[Headnote: HAVELOK RESOLVES TO GO TO GRIMSBY.]

+Hwan he were{n} togydere i{n} G.o.des lawe, at e folc ful wel it sawe, He ne wiste{n} hwat he mouthe{n}, [Sidenote: Havelok knows not what to do.]

Ne he ne wiste{n} wat hem douthe; 1184 er to dwelle{n}, or e{n}ne to gonge, er ne wolde{n} he dwelle{n} lo{n}ge, For he wiste{n}, and ful wel sawe, at G.o.drich he{m} hatede, e deuel hi{m} hawe! 1188 And yf he dwellede{n} er outh-- at fel hauelok ful wel on outh-- Men sholde don his leman shame, Or elles bringe{n} i{n} wicke blame. 1192 at were him leuere to ben ded, [Sidenote: He determines to go to Grimsby.]

For-i he toke{n} anoer red,

[Headnote: GRIM'S CHILDREN WELCOME HAVELOK.]

at ei sholden enne fle Til grim, and til hise sones re; 1196 er we{n}den he aler-best to spede, Hem forto cloe, and for to fede.

e lond he token under fote, Ne wisten he non oer bote, 1200 And helden ay the rie [sti][59]

Til he kome{n} to grimesby.

[Sidenote: He finds that Grim is dead, but his five children are alive.]