[Text from the Cambridge edition, 1894, ed. by A. J. Wyatt. The translation is from the beautiful Kelmscott edition (1895), pp. 48-9, of William Morris, author of the Earthly Paradise.] THE ACTS OF SEVERUS, by KING ALFRED. [See p. 12.] Efter bæm þe Romeburg was getimbred Dcccc wintra xliii, feng Seucrus to Romana onwalde, hiene hæfde xvii ger. He besæt Piscenius on anum fæstenne, ob he him on hond eodehe hiene sippan het ofslean, for bon he wolde ricsian on Sirie on Egypte. Efter pæm (he) ofslog Albinus pone mon on Gallium, for bon be he eac wolde on hine winnan. Sippan he fór on Brettanie, þær oft gefeaht wid Peohtas wid Scottas, æer he þa Brettas mehte wid hie bewerian.het ænne weall bwyres ofer eall þæt lond asettan from sæ ob sæ, rape bæs gefór on Eforwicceastre.' 'After Rome had been built nine hundred and forty-three years, Severus succeeded to the dominion of the Romans, and had it seventeen years. He besieged Pescennius in a fortress, until he surrendered to him, and he afterwards commanded him to be slain, because he would reign in Syria and in Egypt. After that, he slew the man Albinus in Gaul, because he also would war against him. He afterwards went to Britain and there often fought against the Picts and Scots, before he could protect the Britons against them; and commanded a wall to be constructed across over all that land from sea to sea; and shortly after, he died in the city of York.' [Text from the contemporary Lauderdale MS. of Alfred's Orosius, edited by Hy. Sweet, M.A., for the E. E. Text Soc., p. 270, 1883. Mr. Sweet's promised English rendering not having yet appeared, that of Thorpe (Bohn's Antiquarian Library) is given.] THE BATTLE OF BRUNANBURH. [Gained in 937 by King Athelstane and his brother, Edmund Atheling, over the Irish Danes under Anlaf, and the Scots under Constantine of Scotland. The following are parts only of the poem. See p. 12 and p. 181, s. 119.] "Hettend crungun Sccotta leoda and scipflotan of sio apele gesceaft •Gewitan him þa Norbmen nægled cnearrum⚫ on dinges mere. Letan him behindan hræ bryttian saluwig padan⚫ bone sweartan hræfn⚫ hyrned nebban⚫ and bane hasewan padan⚫ earn æftan hwit æses brucan grædigne guðhafoc and þæt græge deor wulf on wealde. Ne wærd wæl mare. on bis ciglande æfer gieta folces gefylled⚫ beforan þissum. sweordes ecgum bæs be us secgad bec ealde udwitan The foes lay low, the Scots' people, and the shipmen death-doom'd fell. The field stream'd with warriors' blood [or sweat], what time the sun up, at morning tide, until the noble creature • Departed then the Northmen in their nail'd barks, the darts' gory leaving, on the roaring sea,* o'er the deep water, Dublin to seek, Ireland once more, in mind abash'd. Likewise the brothers, both together, king and æthcling,t their country sought, the West Saxons' land, in war exulting. They left behind them, the carcases to share, with pallid coat, the swart raven, with horned neb, and him of goodly coat, the cagle [or erne] white behind, the carrion to devour, the greedy war-hawk, and that grey beast, the wolf in the weald. No slaughter has been greater in this island ever yet of folk laid low, before this, by the sword's edges, from what books tell us, old chroniclers, This is stated by the Translator to be a conjectural rendering of 'on dynges mere.' Athelstane and Edmund. sibban eastan hider Engle and Seaxe up becoman⚫ ofer brad brimu Brytene sohtan⚫ wlance wigsmipas Wealles ofercoman⚫ corlas arhwate eard begeatan.'* since hither from the east Angles and Saxons came to land, o'er the broad seas Britain sought, proud war-smiths, the Welsh o'ercame, men for glory eager, the country gain'd.' [Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 1861, i. 202–8, ii. 86-8; Thorpe's Translation, Rolls Collection.] A.D. 1000 (?) [The Speaker is Death. See p. 12.] Ne deo deopnes imeten; Nes til iloced, Hu long hit de were, Nu me de bringæ Wer du beon scealt, Nu me sceal de meten And a mold seorda: Ne bi no dine hus Healice itimbred, Hit bið unheh and lah; Donne du bist derinne, De helewages beod lage, Sidwages unhege. De rof bid ybild Deie brost full neh, Swa du scealt in mold Winnen ful cald, Dimme and deorca." Det clen fult on hod. Durelæs is æt hus, And deorc hit is wiðinnen; Dær Su bin fest bidyte, And Dad hefd da cægc. Laɣlic is Sæt eord hus, And grim inne to wunien. Der du scalt wunien, And wurmes de to-deler. For thee was a house built Thy breast full nigh; Doorless is that house, There thou shalt dwell And worms shall share thee * The Saxon text is that of the folio belonging to the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (C.LXXIII.). [Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, by J. J. Conybeare, 1826, pp. 271-3.] CLOSE OF THE ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE.' [See p. 14.] 'MILLESIMO. C.XXXVII. Dis gære for be k. Steph. ofer sæ to Normandi. and þer wes underfangen. forði þ hi uuenden þhe sculde ben alsuic alse be eom wæs. and for he hadde get his tresor. ac he todeld it and scatered sotlice. Micel hadde Henri k. gadered gold and syluer. and na god ne dide me for his saule tharof. pa be king S. to Englal. com ba macod he his gadering æt Oxeneford. and þar he nam be₺ Roger of Sereberi, and Alex. ₺ of Lincol. and te Canceler Roger hise neues. and dide ælle in prisun. til hi iafen up here castles. pa be suikes undergæton þhe milde man was. and softe. and god. and na justise ne dide. þa diden hi alle wunder. He hadden him manred maked, and athes suoren. ac hi nan treuthe ne heolden. alle hi wæron forsworen. and here treothes forloren. for æuric rice man his castles makede and agænes him heolden. and fylden þe land ful of castles.' 'Nu we willen sægen sum del wat belamp on Stephne kinges time. On his time be Iudeus of Noruuic bohton an Xristen cild beforen Estren. and pineden him alle be ilce pining Pure Drihten was pined. and on Lang Fredæi him on rode hengen. for ure Drihtines luue. and sythen byrieden him. Wenden þit sculde ben forholen, oc ure Drihten 'AN. MC.XXXVII. In this year king Stephen went over sea to Normandy, and was there received; because they imagined that he would be such as his uncle was, and because he had got his treasure: but he distributed it and scattered it foolishly. Much had king Henry gathered of gold and silver, and no good was done for his soul thereof. When king Stephen came to England (a. 1139), he held an assembly at Oxford, and there he took the bishop Roger of Salisbury, and Alexander bishop of Lincoln, and the chancellor Roger, his nephew, and put them all into prison, till they gave up their castles. When the traitors perceived that he was a mild man, and soft, and good, and did no justice, then did they all wonder. They had done homage to him, and sworn oaths, but had held no faith; they were all forsworn, and forfeited their troth; for every powerful man made his castles, and held them against him; and they filled the land full of castles.' 'Now we will say a part of what befel in king Stephen's time. In his time the Jews of Norwich bought a Christian child before Easter, and tortured him with all the same torture with which our Lord was tortured; and on Longfriday (i.e. Good Friday) hanged him on a rood, in love [ hatred] to our atywede he was hali martyr. and te munekes him namen, and bebyried him heglice in be minstre. and he maket þur ure Drihtin wunderlice and manifældlice miracles, and hatte he S. Willelm.' Lord, and afterwards buried him. They imagined that it would be concealed, but our Lord showed that he was a holy martyr. And the monks took him and buried him honourably in the monastery; and through our Lord he makes wonderful and manifold miracles, and he is called St. William.' [Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 1861, i., 382-3; ii., 230-2; Thorpe's Translation, Rolls Collection.] THE DREAM OF BRUTUS. By LAYAMON. [Brutus, great-grandson of Æneas, is banished from Italy for slaying his father Silvius. In the Island of Leogice (conjectured, without much probability, to be Leucadia or Lycia) he has a dream of Albion, in which he ultimately settles, and builds New Troy, or Trinovant, called afterwards Kaerlud by his successor Lud, and then Lunden or Lundres. See p. 25.] pa puhte him on his swefne: þar he on slepe læi. þat his lauedi Diana: hine leofliche biheolde. mid wnsume leahtren : wel heo him bi-hihte. and hendiliche hire hond: on his heued leide. and bus him to seide: þer he on slepe lai. Bi-gende France i bet west: þu scalt finden a wunsum lond. þat lond is bi-urnan mid þære sæ; þar on þu scalt wrban sael. bar is fugel bar is fisc: per wuniad feire deor. par is wode bar is water: bar is wilderne muchel. þat lond is swipe wunsum: weallen þer beod feire. wunia i bon londe : eotantes swide strōge, ALBION hatte þat lond: ah leode ne beoð þar nanc. per to bu scalt teman : and ane neowe Troje þar makian. per scal of bine cunne: Then seemed it to him in his dream, where he asleep lay, that his lady Diana beheld him lovingly, with winsome smiles, well she him promised, and courteously her hand on his head laid, and thus to him said, where he asleep lay: 'Beyond France, in the west, thou shalt find a winsome land; the land is by the sea surrounded thereon thou shalt prosper. There is fowl, there is fish ; there dwell fair deer; there is wood, there is water; there is much desert; the land is most winsome springs there are fair; dwell in the land Eotens [gian's] most strong ALBION is the land named, but men are there none. Thereto thou shalt proceed, and a new Troy there make there shall of thy kin. |