See p. 11, and p. 181, s. 119.]

'Hettend crungun

Sceotta leoda

and scipflotan fæge feollan. Feld dænnede secgas hwate

si ban sunne up on morgen tid. mære tungol glad ofer grundas Godes condel beorht eces Drihtnes

o sio apele gesceaft sah to setle.'

'Gewitan him þa Norpmen

nægled cnearrum.
dreorig daraða laf
on dinges mere
ofer deop wæter
Difelin secan
and eft hira land⚫
æwisc mode.
Swilce pa gebroper
begen ætsamne
cyning and æbeling
cyppe sohton
Wesseaxena land.
wiges hreamige.

Letan him behindan

hræ bryttian
saluwig padan
bone sweartan hræfn
hyrned nebban

and bane hasewan padan
earn æftan hwit
æses brucan'
grædigne gu hafoc
and þæt græge deor
wulf on wealde.
Ne wærd wæl mare.
on þis eiglande.
æfer gieta
folces gefylled⚫

beforan pissum.

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,
the glorious star,
glided o'er grounds,
God's candle bright,
the eternal Lord's,

until the noble creature
sank to its setting.'

'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 ætheling,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 eagle [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,

ealde uowitan⚫

† Athelstane and Edmund.

sippan 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.'

'De wes bold gebyld

Er du iboren were ; De wes mold imynt Er du of moder come. De hit nes no idiht, Ne Seo deopnes imeten; Nes til iloced, Hu long hi 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 beoð lage, Sidwages unhege. De rof bid ybild Deie brost full neh, Swa du scealt in mold Winnen ful cald, Dimme and deorcæ. Det clen fulæt on hod. Durelæs is æt hus, And deorc hit is wiðinnen; Dær Su bin fest bidyte, And Dæð hefð da cæge. Laɣlic is æt eord hus, And grim inne to wunien. Der Su scalt wunien, And wurmes de to-deler.

'For thee was a house built

Ere thou wast born,
For thee was a mould shapen
Ere thou of mother camest.
Its height is not determined,
Nor its depth measured,
Nor is it closed up

(However long it may be)
Until I thee bring

Where thou shalt remain,
Until I shall measure thee
And the sod of earth.
Thy house is not
Highly timbered,
It is unhigh and low;
When thou art in it
The heel-ways are low,
The side-ways unhigh.
The roof is built

Thy breast full nigh ;
So thou shalt in earth
Dwell full cold,
Dim, and dark.

Doorless is that house,
And dark it is within;
There thou art fast detained,
And Death holds the key.
Loathly is that earth-house,
And grim to dwell in ;
There thou shalt dwell
And worms shall share thee

pp. 271-3.]

'MILLESIMO. C.XXXVII. Dis gære for be k. Steph. ofer sæ to Normandi. and þer wes underfangen. fordi þ hi uuenden he 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 þe king S. to Englal. com þa macod he his gadering æt Oxeneford. and þar he nam þ 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 he 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

kine-bearn arisen.

and scal þin mære kun : wælden þus londes.

geond ba weorld beon ihæged:

and bu beo hæl and isund. pæ awoc Brutus: wel was hi on life.

He boute of his swefne :

and hou be laefdi him sæide. mid muchelere lufe:

he seide hit his leoden.

hu him imette:

and þa læfdi hine igrette.

royal progeny arise,

and thy powerful kin shall rule this land;

over the world they shall be cèlebrated,

and thou be whole and sound.'— Then awoke Brutus ;

well was he alive!

He thought of his dream,
and how the lady said to him;
with much love

he told it to his people,

how he had dreamt

and the lady greeted him.

EXTRACT VII.

& tegg þa wenndenn efft onngan batt dere child to sekenn,

& comenn efft till gerrsalæm

To sekenn himm þær binnenn. & tegg him o be bridde dagg

þær fundenn i be temmple Bitwenenn þait Judisskenn flocc batt læredd wass o boke; & tære he satt to fraggnenn hemm Off þeggre bokess lare,

& alle batt himm herrdenn þær, Hemm þuhhte mikell wunnderr Off batt he wass full gæp & wis To swarenn & to fraggenn. & Sannte Marge comm till himm & seggde himm þuss wipp worde Whi didesst tu, lef sune, buss

Wibb uss, for uss to swennkenn? Witt hafenn sohht te widewhar

Icc & ti faderr babe Wipp serrhfull herrte & sarig mod, Whi didesst tu biss dede? & tanne seggde Jesu Crist Till babe buss wibb worde What wass guw swa to sekenn me,

Whatt was guw swa to serrghenn?

[See p. 25.]

'And they then turned back again that dear child to seek,

and came again to Jerusalem.

to seek him there within. and they him on the third day there found in the temple among the Jewish flock

that learned was in book; and there he sat to ask them

of their book's lore,

and all that him heard there,

them thought much wonder of that he was full shrewd and wise to answer and to ask.

and Saint Mary came to him

and said [to] him thus with word, Why didst thou, dear son, thus

with us, for us to trouble? we-two have sought thee wide.where

I and thy father both

with sorrowful heart and sorry mcod, why didst thou this deed? and then said Jesus Christ,

to both thus with word, what was [there to] you so to seek

me,

what was [there to] you so to sorrow?