The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 6

Also, _Greting_ is wrongly placed before _Gres_.

_Hal_, more probably, is shortened from _half_, like _twel_ from _twelue_.

_Shoten_, in l. 1838, means _rushed_, _darted_, _flew_.

_Teyte_ may mean _lively_. My explanation is not generally accepted.

_Bise_ occurs in l. 724.

+Incipit vita Hauelok, quondam Rex Anglie et Denemarchie.+

[Sidenote: [Fol. 204, col. 1.]]

[Sidenote: Hearken!]

+Herknet to me, G.o.de men, Wiues, maydnes, and alle men, Of a tale at ich you wile telle, Wo so it wile here, and er-to duelle. 4 [Sidenote: I will tell you the tale of Havelok, a wight man at need.]

e tale is of hauelok i-maked; Wil he was litel he yede ful naked: Hauelok was a ful G.o.d gome, He was ful G.o.d in eueri trome, 8 He was e wicteste ma{n} at nede, at urte ride{n} on ani stede.

at ye mowen nou y-here, And e tale ye mowen y-lere. 12 At the begi{n}ning[1] of vre tale, [Sidenote: First, fill me a cup of ale.]

Fil me a cuppe of ful G.o.d ale; And [y] wile dri{n}ken her y spelle, at crist vs shilde alle fro h.e.l.le! 16 Krist late vs heu{er}e so for to do, [Sidenote: Christ grant we may do right!]

at we moten comen him to, And wit[e][2] at it mote ben so!

_Benedicamus domino!_ 20 Here y schal bigi{n}nen a rym, Krist us yeue wel G.o.d fyn!

[Sidenote: The rime is about Havelok.]

The rym is maked of hauelok, A stalwori man i{n} a flok; 24 He was e stalworeste ma{n} at nede, at may riden on ani stede.

[Footnote 1: MS. Begi{n}nig.]

[Footnote 2: _See_ ll. 517, 1316.]

[Headnote: THE GOOD KING ATHELWOLD / IS KING OVER ALL ENGLAND.]

[Sidenote: There was once a king who made good laws.]

+IT was a king bi are dawes, That i{n} his time were G.o.de lawes 28 He dede maken, an ful wel holden; Hym louede yu{n}g, him louede holde, Erl and barun, dreng and kayn, Knict, bondema{n}, and swain, 32 [Sidenote: All loved him.]

Wydues, maydnes, p{re}stes and clerkes, And al for hise G.o.de werkes.

He louede G.o.d with al his micth, And holi kirke, and soth, ant ricth; 36 Ricth-wise[3] man he louede alle, And ou{er}al made hem forto calle; [Sidenote: He hated traitors and robbers.]

Wreieres and wrobberes made he falle, And hated he{m} so ma{n} doth galle; 40 Vtlawes and theues made he bynde, Alle that he micthe fynde, And heye he{n}gen on galwe-tre; For hem ne yede gold ne fe. 44 [Sidenote: At that time, men could carry gold about safely, and boldly buy and sell.]

In that time a man at bore [Wel fyfty pund, y woth, or more,][4]

[Sidenote: [Fol. 204, col. 2.]]

Of red[e][4*] gold up-on hijs bac, In a male with or blac, 48 Ne funde he non that him misseyde, N[e] with iuele on [him] hond leyde.

a{n}ne micthe chapme{n} fare uruth englond wit here ware, 52 And baldelike beye and selle{n}, Oueral er he wilen dwellen, In G.o.de burwes, and er-fram Ne funde{n} he non at dede he{m} sham, 56 at he ne were{n} sone to sorwe brouth, An pou{er}e maked, and browt to nouth.

a{n}ne was engelond at hayse;[5]

[Sidenote: Then was England at ease.]

Michel was svich a king to preyse, 60 at held so eng[e]lond in grith!

Krist of heuene was him with.

He was engelondes blome; Was non so bold lond to rome, 64 at durste upon his [menie] bringhe Hunger, ne here[5*] wicke inghe.

Hwan he felede hise foos, [Sidenote: The king made his foes hide themselves.]

He made he{m} lurken, and crepe{n} in wros: 68 e hidde{n} he{m} alle, and helde{n} he{m} stille, And diden al his herte wille.

Ricth he louede of alle inge, To wronge micht hi{m} no man bri{n}ge, 72 Ne for siluer, ne for gold:-- So was he his soule[5*] hold.

[Sidenote: He befriended the fatherless.]

To e faderles was he rath, Wo so dede hem wrong or lath, 76 Were it clerc, or were it knicth, He dede hem sone to haue{n} ricth; And wo [so] dide{n}[5*] widuen wrong, Were he neure knicth so strong, 80 at he ne made hi{m} sone kesten, And in fet{er}es ful faste festen; [Sidenote: Them who wrought shame he punished.]

And wo so dide maydne shame Of hire bodi, or brouth i{n} blame, 84 Bute it were bi hire wille, He[6] made hi{m} sone of limes spille.

He was te[7] beste knith at nede, at heuere micthe ride{n} on stede, 88 Or wepne wagge, or folc vt lede; Of knith ne hauede he neu{er}e drede, at he ne spro{n}g forth so sparke of glede, [Sidenote: [Fol. 204b, col. 1.]]

And lete him [knawe] of hise hand-dede, 92 Hw he coue with wepne spede; [Sidenote: He made his foes cry for mercy.]

And oer he refte hi{m} hors or wede, Or made him sone ha{n}des sprede, And "louerd, me{r}ci!" loude grede. 96 He was large, and no wicth gnede; Hauede he non so G.o.d brede, Ne on his bord no{n} so G.o.d shrede, [Sidenote: He fed the poor.]

at he ne wolde orwit fede, 100 Poure at on fote yede; Forto haue{n} of him e mede at for vs wolde on rode blede, Crist, that al kan wisse and rede, 104 at euere woneth i{n} ani ede.

[Footnote 3: MS. "Rirth wise."]

[Footnote 4: Supplied from conjecture. Cf. v. 653, 787. A few more instances will be found where a similar liberty has been taken, for the purpose of completing the sense.]

[Footnote 4*: Changed by editor from "red": see Emendations.]

[Footnote 5: MS. athayse.]

[Footnotes 5* (all from Emendations): l. 66: "For the MS. reading _here_ Mr Garnett proposed to read _othere_, which is clearly right."

l. 74: "For _his soule_ (as in the MS.) we should probably read _of his soule_."

l. 79: "For _wo diden_ (as in the MS.) we should read _wo so dide_."]

[Footnote 6: MS. Ke.]

[Footnote 7: MS. Ke waste.]

[Headnote: ATHELWOLD IS ABOUT TO DIE.]

[Sidenote: His name was Athelwold.]

-- e ki{n}g was hoten aelwold, Of word, of wepne he was bold; In engeland was neure knicth, 108 at bet{er}e hel e lond to ricth.

[Sidenote: He had but a young daughter to succeed him.]

Of his bodi ne hauede he eyr Bute a mayden swie fayr, at was so yung at sho ne coue 112 Gon on fote, ne speke wit moue.

an him tok an iuel strong, at he we[l] wiste, and under-fong, [Sidenote: He feels he is dying, and says, "I am in trouble about her.]

at his deth was come{n} him on: 116 And seyde, "c{ri}st, wat shal y don!

Louerd, wat shal me to rede!

I woth ful wel ich haue mi mede.

W shal nou mi douhter fare? 120 Of hire haue ich michel kare; Sho is mikel in mi outh, Of me self is me rith nowt.

No selcouth is, ou me be wo; 124 Sho ne ka{n} speke, ne sho kan go.

[Sidenote: Were she but of age, I would not care for myself."]

Yif scho coue on horse ride, And a thousa{n}de me{n} bi hire syde; And sho were com{en} intil helde, 128 And engelond sho coue welde; And don hem of ar hire were q{ue}me, An hire bodi coue yeme; No wolde me neu{er}e iuele like 132 Me ou ich were i{n} heuene-riche!"

[Headnote: HE SUMMONS HIS LORDS TO WINCHESTER.]

+Qua{n}ne he hauede is plei{n}te maked, er-after stro{n}glike [he] quaked.

He sende writes sone on-on 136 [Sidenote: [Fol. 204b, col. 2.]]

After his erles eu{er}e-ich on; [Sidenote: He summons his lords, from Roxburgh to Dover.]

And after hise baru{n}s, riche and poure, Fro rokesburw al i{n}to douere, That he shulde{n} comen swie 140 Til him, that was ful vnblie; To at stede e[r] he lay, In harde bondes, nicth and day.

He was so faste wit yuel fest, 144 at he ne mouthe haue{n} no rest; [Sidenote: He can no longer eat.]