Havelok the Dane (Legendary character) -- Romances
Le Roi Edelfi, q{e} fust vncle a la Damoysele Argentille, pensa
fausement coment il porreit la terre sa Nece auoir par touz iours, &
malueisement countre soun serment pensa a deceiure la pucelle, si la
maria a vn quistroun de sa quisyne q{e} fust apellée Curan, si
esteit il le plus haut, le plus fort, & le plus vaillaunt de corps,
q{e} hom sauoit nulle part a cel temps, & la quidoit hountousement
marier, pur auoir sa terre a remenaunt, Mais il fust deceu. Car cest
Curan fust [le Roi] Hauelok, filz le Roi Kirkebain de Denemarche, &
il conquist la terre sa femme [en Bretaigne], & occist le Roi
Edelfi, vncle sa femme, & conquist tote la terre, _si com aillours
est trouée plus pleinement_ [_en l’estorie_], & il ne regna q{e}
treis aunz. Car Saxsouns & Danoys le occirent, & ceo fust grant
damage a tote la grant Brutaigne. Et les Brutouns le porterent a
Stonhenge, & illoeqes ly enterrerent a grant honour.’
[Footnote 12: Sir F. Madden adds-- “collated with another of the
same age, MS. Cott. Dom. A. x, and a third, of the 15th century,
MS. Harl. 200.” I omit the collations; the words within square
brackets are supplied from these other copies.]
§ 13. “With the above may be compared the English version, as extant in
MS. Harl. 2279, which agrees with the Ed. of Caxton, except in the
occasional substitution of one word for another.”[13]
‘MS. Harl. 2279, f. 47._ Of the kinges Albright & of Edelf._ Ca^o
IIII^xx. XI^o.
After kyng Constantinus deth, ther were .ij. kynges in Britaigne,
that one men callede Adelbright, that was a Danoys, and helde the
cuntray of Northfolk and Southfolk, that other hight Edelf, and was
a Britoun & helde Nichole, Lindeseye, and alle the lande vnto
Humber. Thes ij. kynges faste werred togeders, but afterward thei
were acorded, and louede togedere as thei had ben borne of o bodie.
The kyng Edelf had a suster that men callede Orewenne, and he yaf
here thurghe grete frenshipe to kyng Adelbright to wif, and he
begate on here a doughter that men callede Argentille, and in the
.iij. yeer after him come vppon a strong sekenesse that nedes he
muste die, and he sent to kyng Edelf, his brother in lawe, that he
shulde come and speke with him, and he come to him with good wille.
Tho prayed he the kyng and coniurede also in the name of God, that
after whan he were dede, he shulde take Argentil his doughter, and
the lande, and that he kepte hir wel, and noreshed in his chambre;
and whan she were of age he shulde done here be mariede to the
strongest and worthiest man that he myȝt fynde, and than he shulde
yelde vp her lande ayen. Edelf hit grauntid, and bi othe hit
confermede his prayer. And whan Adelbright was dede and Enterede,
Edelfe toke the damesel Argentil, and noreshid her in his chambre,
and she become the fayrest creature th^t myȝt lif, or eny man finde.
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