Havelok the Dane (Legendary character) -- Romances
And seyde til hire, [false][58] and slike,
[Sidenote: Godrich next threatens Goldborough.]
Þat wicke þral, þat foule swike:
“But þu þis ma{n} under-stonde,
I shal fleme{n} þe of londe; 1160
Or þou shal to þe galwes re{n}ne,
And þer þou shalt i{n} a fir bre{n}ne.”
Sho was adrad, for he so þrette,
And durste nouth þe spusi{n}g lette, 1164
But þey hire likede swiþe ille,
[Sidenote: She consents, thinking it is God’s will.]
Þouthe it was godes wille:
God, þat makes to growe{n} þe korn,
Formede hire wi{m}ma{n} to be born. 1168
Hwan he hauede don him for drede,
Þat he sholde hire spuse{n}, and fede,
And þat she sholde til him holde,
[Sidenote: A dowry is given her.]
Þer were{n} penies þicke tolde, 1172
Mikel plente upon þe bok:
He ys hire yaf, and she as tok.
[Sidenote: [Fol. 210b, col. 1.]]
He weren spused fayre and wel,
Þe messe he deden eueridel, 1176
Þat fel to spusing, and god cle[r]k,
[Sidenote: The archbishop of York marries them.]
Þe erchebishop uth of yerk,
Þat kam to þe p{ar}leme{n}t,
Als god him hauede þider sent. 1180
[Footnote 56: The first letter of this word is either _þ_ or a
Saxon _w_ (ƿ). I read it as the latter.]
[Footnote 57: MS. ine.]
[Footnote 58: Both sense and metre require this word.]
[Headnote: HAVELOK RESOLVES TO GO TO GRIMSBY.]
+Hwan he were{n} togydere i{n} godes lawe,
Þat þe folc ful wel it sawe,
He ne wiste{n} hwat he mouthe{n},
[Sidenote: Havelok knows not what to do.]
Ne he ne wiste{n} wat hem douthe; 1184
Þer to dwelle{n}, or þe{n}ne to gonge,
Þer ne wolde{n} he dwelle{n} lo{n}ge,
For he wiste{n}, and ful wel sawe,
Þat godrich he{m} hatede, þe deuel hi{m} hawe! 1188
And yf he dwellede{n} þer outh--
Þat fel hauelok ful wel on þouth--
Men sholde don his leman shame,
Or elles bringe{n} i{n} wicke blame. 1192
Þat were him leuere to ben ded,
[Sidenote: He determines to go to Grimsby.]
For-þi he toke{n} anoþer red,
[Headnote: GRIM’S CHILDREN WELCOME HAVELOK.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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