"Saw then the bold thane Treasure jewels many, Glittering gold Heavy on the ground, Wonders in the mound And the worm's den, The old twilight flier's, Bowls standing; Vessels of men of yore, With the mountings fall'n off. There was many a helm Old and rusty, Armlets many Cunningly fastened. He also saw hang heavily An ensign all golden High o'er the hoard, Of hand wonders greatest, Wrought by spells of song, From which shot a light So that he the ground surface Might perceive, The wonders overscan." _Beowulf_ (Metcalfe's tr.). [Sidenote: Death of Beowulf.] The mighty treasure was all brought forth to the light of day, and the followers, seeing that all danger was over, crowded round their dying chief. He addressed them affectionately, and, after recapitulating the main events his career, expressed a desire to be buried in a mighty mound on a projecting headland, which could be seen far out at sea, and would be called by his name. "'And now, Short while I tarry here--when I am gone, Bid them upon yon headland's summit rear A lofty mound, by Rona's seagirt cliff; So shall my people hold to after times Their chieftain's memory, and the mariners That drive afar to sea, oft as they pass, Shall point to Beowulf's tomb.'" _Beowulf_(Conybeare's tr.). These directions were all piously carried out by a mourning people, who decked his mound with the gold he had won, and erected above it a Bauta, or memorial stone, to show how dearly they had loved their brave king Beowulf, who had died to save them from the fury of the dragon. CHAPTER II. GUDRUN. Maximilian I., Emperor of Germany, rendered a great service to posterity by ordering that copies of many of the ancient national manuscripts should be made. These copies were placed in the imperial library at Vienna, where, after several centuries of almost complete neglect, they were discovered by lovers of early literature, in a very satisfactory state of preservation. These manuscripts then excited the interest of learned men, who not only found therein a record of the past, but gems of literature which are only now beginning to receive the appreciation they deserve.