Then, full of his evil purpose, Godrich thought no more of his oath to the dead king, but cast Goldboru into a darksome prison, where she was poorly clad and ill-fed. Now it befell that at this time there was a right good king in Denmark. He had a son named Havelok and two fair daughters. And feeling death come upon him, he left his children in the care of his dear friend Godard, and so died. But no sooner was the King in his grave than the false Godard took Havelok and his two sisters and thrust them into a dungeon. "And in the castle did he them do Where no man might come them to, Of their kin. There they prison'd were, There they wept oft sort, Both for hunger and for cold, Ere they were three winters old. Scantily he gave them clothes, And cared not a nut for his oaths, He them nor clothed right, nor fed, Nor them richly gave to bed. Thane Godard was most sickerly Under God the most traitorly That ever in earth shapen was Except the wicked Judas." After a time the traitor went to the tower where the children were, and there he slew the two little girls. But the boy Havelok he spared. "For the lad that little was, He kneeled before that Judas And said, 'Lord, mercy now! Homage, Lord, to you I vow! All Denmark I to you will give If that now you let me live.'" So the wicked Earl spared the lad for the time. But he did not mean that he should live. Anon he called a fisherman to him and said:-- "Grim, thou wist thou art my thral, Wilt thou do my will all That I will bid thee? To-morrow I shall make thee free, And give thee goods, and rich thee make, If that thou wilt this child take And lead him with thee, to-night, When thou seest it is moonlight, Unto the sea, and do him in! And I will take on me the sin." Grim, the fisherman, rejoiced at the thought of being free and rich. So he took the boy, and wound him in an old cloth, and stuffed an old coat into his mouth, so that he might not cry aloud. Then he thrust him into a sack, and thus carried him home to his cottage. But when the moon rose, and Grim made ready to drown the child, his wife saw a great light come from the sack. And opening it, they found therein the prince. Then they resolved, instead of drowning him, to save and nourish him as their own child. But they resolved also to hide the truth from the Earl. At break of day, therefore, Grim set forth to tell Godard that his will was done. But instead of the thanks and reward promised to him, he got only evil words. So, speeding homeward from that traitor, he made ready his boat, and with his wife and three sons and two daughters and Havelok, they set sail upon the high sea, fleeing for their lives.