The Lay of Havelok the Dane Part 9

[Headnote: G.o.dARD KILLS SWANBORGUGH AND HELFLED.]

[Sidenote: G.o.dard cares not.]

+G.o.dard herde here wa, Ther-offe yaf he nouth a stra, But tok e maydnes bothe same{n}, Al-so it were up-on hiis game{n}; 468 Al-so he wolde with he{m} leyke, at were{n} for hunger g{re}ne and bleike.

[Sidenote: He cuts the throats of the two girls.]

Of boen he karf on two here rotes, And sien [karf] he{m} alto grotes. 472 er was sorwe, we so it sawe!

Hwan e children bi [e][22] wawe Leyen and spraulede{n} in e blod: [Sidenote: Havelok sees it, and is afraid.]

Hauelok it saw, and e[r] bi stod. 476 Ful sori was at seli knaue, Mikel dred he mouthe haue, For at hise herte he saw a knif, For to reuen him hise lyf. 480 But e knaue,[23] at litel was, [Sidenote: He begs G.o.dard to spare him, offering never to oppose him, and to flee from Denmark.]

He knelede bifor at iudas, And seyde, "louerd, m{er}ci nov!

Ma{n}rede, louerd, biddi you! 484 Al denemark i wile you yeue, To at forward u late me liue; Here hi wile on boke swere, at neure more ne shal i bere 488

[Headnote: G.o.dARD SPARES HAVELOK FOR A TIME.]

Ayen e, louerd, shel ne spere, Ne oer wepne[24] that may you dere.

Louerd, haue m{er}ci of me!

To-day i wile fro denemark fle, 492 Ne neu{er}e more comen ageyn: Swere{n} y wole, at bircabein Neu{er}e yete me ne gat:"-- Hwan e deuel he[r]de[25] that, 496 [Sidenote: [Fol. 206b, col. 2.]]

Sum-del bigan him forto rewe; With-drow e knif, at was lewe [Sidenote: G.o.dard has pity on him.]

Of e seli children blod; er was miracle fair and G.o.d! 500 at he e knaue nouth ne slou, But fo[r] rewnesse him _w_it-drow.[26]

Of auelok rewede him ful sore, And oucte, he wolde at he ded wore, 504 But on at he nouth wit his hend Ne drepe him nouth,[27] at fule fend!

oucte he, als he him bi stod, Starinde als he were wod: 508 [Sidenote: But he reflects that, were Havelok dead, his children would be the heirs.]

"Yif y late him liues go, He micte me wirchen michel wo.

Grith ne get y neu{er}e mo, He may [me] waite{n} for to slo; 512 And yf he were brouct of liue, And mine childre{n} wolde{n} thriue, Lou{er}di{n}ges after me Of al denemark micten he be. 516 G.o.d it wite, he shal ben ded, Wile i take{n} non oer red;

[Headnote: G.o.dARD TELLS GRIM TO DROWN HAVELOK.]

[Sidenote: He determines to drown him.]

I shal do caste{n} hi{m} in e se,[28]

er i wile at he drench[ed] be; 520 Aboute{n} his hals an anker G.o.d, at he ne flete in the flod."

[Sidenote: He sends for a fisherman, and says to him, "Grim, I will make you free.]

er anon he dede sende After a fishere at he wende, 524 at wolde al his wille do, And sone anon he seyde him to: "Grim, ou wost u art mi ral, Wilte don mi wille al, 528 at i wile bidde{n} e, To-morwen [i] shal make{n} e fre, And aucte e yeuen, and riche make, With-a{n} u wilt is child[e] take, 532 And lede{n} him with e to-nicht, [Sidenote: Throw this child into the sea".]

an ou sest se[29] Mone lith, In-to e se, and don him er-i{n}ne, Al wile [i] take{n} on me e sinne." 536 [Sidenote: Grim binds the child.]

Grim tok e child, and bo{n}d hi{m} faste, Hwil e bondes micte laste; at weren of ful stro{n}g line:-- o was hauelok i{n} ful stro{n}g pine. 540 Wiste he neu{er}e her wat was wo: [Sidenote: [Fol. 207, col. 1.]]

[Sidenote: Christ wreak thee of G.o.dard, Havelok!]

Ih{es}u c{ri}st, at makede to go e halte, and e doumbe speke{n}, Hauelok, e of G.o.dard wreken! 544

[Footnote 22: MS. bi; of. l. 2470.]

[Footnote 23: MS. kaue.]

[Footnote 24: MS. "wepne bere," where "bere" is redundant.]

[Footnote 25: MS. hede.]

[Footnote 26: Printed thus in the former edition:-- "But to rewnesse him thit drow." But the MS. has _fo_, not _to_, where _fo_ is corruptly written for _for_, as in l. 1318; and the initial letter of the last syllable but one may be read as a Saxon _w_ (?), not a thorn-letter (). It merely repeats the idea in ll. 497, 498.]

[Footnote 27: Qu. mouth.]

[Footnote 28: MS. she.]

[Footnote 29: _So in_ MS. _Qu._ e.]

[Headnote: HAVELOK IS TAKEN TO GRIM'S COTTAGE.]

[Sidenote: Grim gags the child.]

+Hwan grim hi{m} hauede faste bou{n}de{n}, And sie{n} in an eld cloth wnden A keuel of clutes, ful, un-wraste, at he [ne] mouthe speke, ne fnaste, 548 Hwere he wolde him bere or lede.

Hwan he hauede don at dede, Hwa{n}[30] e swike him hauede hethede,[31]

at he shulde him forth [lede] 552 And him drinchen in e se; at forwarde makeden he.

[Sidenote: 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, 556 Ant bar him hom to hise cleue, And bi-taucte hi{m} dame leue, [Sidenote: He puts him in charge of his wife.]

And seyde, "wite ou is knaue, Al-so thou with[31*] mi lif haue; 560 I shal dreinche{n} him i{n} e se, For him shole we ben maked fre, Gold haue{n} ynou, and oer fe; at hauet mi louerd bihote{n} me." 564

[Footnote 30: We should rather read "_an_."]

[Footnote 31: MS. he ede.]

[Footnote 31* (from Emendations): "For _with_, Mr Garnett proposed to read _wilt_."]

[Headnote: GRIM SEES THAT HAVELOK IS THE KING'S SON.]

[Sidenote: She throws down Havelok violently.]

+Hwan dame [leue] herde at, Vp she stirte, and nouth ne sat, And caste e knaue adoun so harde, at hise croune he er crakede 568 Ageyn a gret ston, er it lay: o hauelok micte sei, "weilawei!

at eu{er}e was i kinges bern!"

at him ne hauede grip or ern, 572 Leoun or wlf, wluine or bere, Or oer best, at wolde him dere.

[Sidenote: The child lies there till midnight.]

So lay at child to middel nicth, at grim bad leue bringe{n} lict, 576 For to don on [him] his cloes: "Ne the{n}keste nowt of mine oes at ich haue mi louerd swore{n}?

Ne wile i nouth be forloren. 580 I shal beren him to e se, ou wost at [bi-]houes me; And i shal drenchen him er-inne; [Sidenote: Grim tells his wife to light the fire and a candle.]

Ris up swie, an go u binne, 584 And blou e fir, and lith a kandel:"

Als she shulde hise cloes handel [Sidenote: [Fol. 207, col. 2.]]

On forto don, and blawe e[32] fir, [Sidenote: She sees a light shining round the lad.]

She saw er-inne a lith ful shir, 588 Also brith so it were day, Aboute e knaue er he lay.

Of hise mouth it stod a stem, Als it were a su{n}nebem; 592 Also lith was it er-inne, So er brenden cerges i{n}ne:[33]

"Ih{es}u cr{i}st!" wat dame leue, "Hwat is at lith in vre cleue! 596 [Sidenote: She bids Grim come and see.]

Sir[34] up grim, and loke wat it menes, Hwat is e lith as ou wenes?"

He stirte{n} boe up to the knaue, For ma{n} shal G.o.d wille haue, 600 Vnkeuelede{n} him, and swie unbou{n}de{n}, [Sidenote: They find a mark on his shoulder.]

And sone anon [upon] him fu{n}den, Als he tirnede{n} of his serk, On his rith shuldre a kyne merk; 604 A swie brith, a swie fair: "G.o.ddot!" quath grim, "is [is] ure eir at shal [ben] louerd of denemark, [Sidenote: Grim says the lad is to be king.]

He shal be{n} king strong and stark; 608 He shal haue{n} in his hand A[l] denemark and engeland; He shal do G.o.dard ful wo, He shal him hangen, or quik flo; 612 Or he shal him al quic g{ra}ue, Of him shal he no m{er}ci haue."

us seide grim, and sore gret, And sone fel him to e fet, 616 [Sidenote: He prays Havelok to forgive him.]

And seide, "louerd, haue m{er}ci Of me, and leue, that is me bi!

Louerd, we aren boe ine, ine cherles, ine hine. 620

[Headnote: GRIM AND HIS WIFE FEED HAVELOK.]

Lowerd, we shole{n} e wel fede, Til at u cone ride{n} on stede, Til at u cone ful wel bere Helm on heued, sheld and sp{er}e. 624 [Sidenote: G.o.dard shall never know about this.]

He ne shal neuere wite, sikerlike, G.o.dard, at fule swike.

oru oer ma{n}, louerd, tha{n} oru e, Sal i neu{er}e frema{n} be. 628 ou shalt me, louerd, fre make{n}, For i shal yemen e, and wake{n}; oru e wile i fredom haue:"