The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 15

[Sidenote: [Fol. 212b, col. 2.]]

[Sidenote: Bernard provides a rich supper for Havelok.]

Hauelok he gladlike under-stod, 1760 With mike loue, and herte G.o.d, And dide greye a super riche, Also he was no with chinche, To his bihoue euer-il del, 1764 at he mithe supe swie wel.

[Footnote 74: MS. is.]

[Footnote 74* (from Emendations): "Perhaps we should rather read--_is womman_ [_non_]."]

[Footnote 75: _Qu._ win.]

[Footnote 75* (from Emendations): "_Bidde_ must mean _offer_, rather than _bid_ (as in the Glossary); unless it be miswritten for _bide_ = tarry."]

[Footnote 76: Uncertain in MS. See note.]

[Footnote 76*: Changed by editor from "deled": see Emendations.]

[Footnote 77: MS. ymen.]

[Headnote: A GANG OF THIEVES BESET BERNARD'S HOUSE.]

[Sidenote: At suppertime sixty-one thieves come to the house, and bid Bernard open the door.]

+Also he seten, and sholde soupe, So comes a ladde in a ioupe, And with him sixti oer stronge, 1768 With swerdes drawen, and kniues lo{n}ge, Ilkan i{n} hande a ful G.o.d gleiue, And seyde, "undo, b{er}nard e greyue!

Vndo swie, and latus[78] in, 1772

[Headnote: THREE OF THE THIEVES ATTACK HAVELOK.]

Or u art ded, bi seint austin!"

[Sidenote: Bernard starts up, arms himself, and tells them to go away.]

Bernard stirt up, at was ful big, And caste a brinie up-on his rig, And grop an ax,[79] at was ful G.o.d, 1776 Lep to e dore, so he wore wod, And seyde, "hwat are ye, at are er-oute, at us bigi{n}ne{n} forto stroute?

Goth he{n}ne swie, fule eues, 1780 For, bi e louerd, at ma{n} on leues, Shol ich casten e dore open, Su{m}me of you shal ich drepen!

And e ore shal ich kesten 1784 In fet{er}es, and ful faste festen!"

[Sidenote: They defy him.]

"Hwat haue ye seid," quoth a ladde, "Wenestu at we ben adradde?

We shole at is dore gonge 1788 Maugre in, carl, or outh longe."

[Sidenote: They break the door open with a boulder.]

He gripe{n} sone a bulder ston, And let it fleye, ful G.o.d won, Agen e dore, at it to-rof: 1792 Auelok it saw, and ider drof, [Sidenote: Havelok seizes the bar of the door, and says, "Come here to me."]

And e barre sone vt-drow, at was unride, and gret ynow, And caste e dore open wide, 1796 And seide, "her shal y now abide: Comes swie vn-to me![80]

Datheyt hwo you he{n}ne fle!"

"No," quodh on, "at shaltou coupe," 1800 And bigan til him to loupe, [Sidenote: Three men attack Havelok.]

In his hond is swerd ut-drawe, Hauelok he wende ore haue slawe; And with [him] comen oer two, 1804 [Sidenote: [Fol. 213, col. 1.]]

at him wolde of liue haue do.

[Headnote: HAVELOK SLAYS SEVEN OF THE THIEVES.]

Hauelok lifte up e dore-tre, [Sidenote: He kills them all.]

And at a dint he slow he{m} re; Was non of hem at his h{er}nes 1808 Ne lay er-ute ageyn e sternes.

[Sidenote: A fourth he knocks down with a blow on the head.]

e fere at he sien mette, Wit e barre so he him grette, Bifor e heued, at e rith eye 1812 Vt of e hole made he fleye, And sie clapte him on e crune, So at he stan-ded fel or dune.

[Sidenote: A fifth he hits between the shoulders.]

e fifte at he ouer-tok, 1816 Gaf he a ful sor dint[e] ok, Bitwen e sholdres, er he stod, at he spen his herte blod.

[Sidenote: A sixth he smites on the neck.]

e sixte wende for to fle, 1820 And he clapte him with e tre Rith in e fule necke so, at he smot hise necke on to.

a{n}ne e sixe weren doun feld, 1824 [Sidenote: A seventh aims at Havelok's eye.]

e seuene brayd ut his swerd, And wolde hauelok Riht i{n} the eye; And haue{lok} le[t e][81] barre fleye, [Sidenote: Havelok kills him.]

And smot him sone ageyn e brest, 1828 at hauede he neu{er}e sch[r]ifte of p{re}st; For he was ded on lesse hwile, an me{n} mouthe re{n}ne a mile.

[Sidenote: The rest divide into two parties, and rush at him like dogs at a bear.]

Alle e oere were{n} ful kene, 1832 A red ei taken hem bi-twene, at he sholde him bi-halue, And brise{n} so, at wit no salue Ne sholde him helen leche non: 1836 ey drowen ut swerdes, ful G.o.d won, And shoten on him, so don on bere Dogges, at wolden him to-tere, a{n}ne men doth e bere beyte: 1840 e laddes were kaske and teyte, And vn-bi-yeden him ilkon, Su{m} smot with tre, and su{m} wit ston; Su{m}me putte{n} with gleyue, i{n} bac and side, 1844 [Sidenote: They wound Havelok in twenty places.]

And yeue{n} wundes longe and wide; In twenti stedes, and wel mo, Fro e croune til the to.

Hwan he saw at, he was wod, 1848 And was it ferlik hw he stod, [Sidenote: [Fol. 213, col. 2.]]

For the blod ran of his sides So water at fro e welle glides; But a{n}ne bigan he for to mowe 1852 With the barre, and let hem shewe, Hw he cowe sore smite, [Sidenote: He at last succeeds in killing twenty of them.]

For was er non, long ne lite, at he Mouthe ouer-take, 1856 at he ne garte his croune krake; So at on a litel stund, Felde he twenti to e grund.

[Footnote 78: _Sic_ in MS.]

[Footnote 79: MS. ar; _but see_ l. 1894.]

[Footnote 80: MS. vnto me datheit,--evidently the repet.i.tion of the first word in the succeeding line.]

[Footnote 81: _Qu._ Hauelok let the. MS. "haue le."]

[Headnote: THE THIEVES SHOOT AT HIM FROM A DISTANCE.]

[Sidenote: They throw stones at him.]

+o bigan gret dine to rise, 1860 For e laddes on ilke wise Him asaylede{n} wit grete dintes, Fro fer he stoden, him with flintes And gleyues schote{n} him fro ferne, 1864 For drepen him he wolden yerne; But durste{n} he newhe{n} him no more, a{n}ne he bor or leu{n} wore.

[Headnote: HUGH AND THE REST COME TO THE RESCUE.]

[Sidenote: Hugh Raven hears the noise, and comes to help.]

+Huwe raue{n} at dine herde, 1868 And owthe wel, at me{n} mis-ferde With his louerd, for his wif, And grop an ore, and a long knif, And ider drof al so an hert, 1872 And cham er on a litel stert, And saw how e laddes wode Hauelok his louerd umbistode, And bete{n} on him so doth e smith 1876 With e hamer on e st.i.th.

+"Allas!" hwat hwe, "at y was bore{n}!

at eu{er}e et ich bred of koren!

at ich here is sorwe se! 1880 [Sidenote: Hugh calls out to Robert and William.]

Roberd! willam! hware ar ye?

Gripeth eer unker a G.o.d tre, And late we nouth ise doges fle, Til ure louerd wreke [we]; 1884 Cometh swie, and folwes me!

Ich haue in honde a ful G.o.d ore: Datheit wo ne smite sore!"

[Sidenote: Robert comes to the rescue, and William too, and Bernard.]

"Ya! leue, ya!" quod roberd sone, 1888 "We haue{n} ful G.o.d lith of e mone."

Roberd grop a staf, strong and gret, at mouthe ful wel bere a net, And willam wendut grop a tre 1892 Mikel grettere an his e,[82]

And b{er}nard held his ax ful faste; [Sidenote: [Fol. 213b, col. 1.]]

I seye, was he nouth e laste; And lopen forth so he weren wode 1896 To e laddes, er he stode, And yaf hem wundes swie grete; [Sidenote: They fight with the thieves.]

er mithe men wel se boyes bete, And ribbes in here sides breke, 1900 And hauelok on hem wel wreke.

He broken armes, he broken knes, He broken shankes, he broke{n} thes.

He dide e blode ere re{n}ne dune 1904 To e fet rith fro the crune, [Sidenote: No head was spared.]

For was er spared heued non: He leyden on heuedes, ful G.o.d won, And made croune[s] breke and crake, 1908 Of e broune, and of e blake; [Sidenote: He made their backs as soft as their bellies.]

He made{n} here backes al so bloute Als h[{er}]e[83] wombes, and made he{m} rowte Als he weren kradelbarnes: 1912 So dos e child at moder arnes.