ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

Ald Seaxum, of Anglum, of
Iotum. Of Iotum comon
Cantwara and Wihtwara,
thæt is seo megth
nu eardath on Wiht,
that cyn on West Sexum

the

and

Old Saxons, from the Angles, from the Jutes. From the Jutes came the Kent people and the Wight people, that is the tribe that now dwelleth in Wight, and that race among the man nu git hæt Iutna the West Saxons that one now cynn. Of Eald Seaxum yet calls the Jutes' race. From coman East Seaxa, and the Old Saxons came the East Suth Sexa, and West Sexa. Saxons, and the South Saxons, Of Angle comon-se â and the West Saxons. From syththan stod westig betwix Angel-which ever since has Iutum and Seaxum - East stood waste betwixt the Jutes Engla, Middel Angla, and the Saxons-came the East Mearca, and ealla North- Angles, the Middle Angles, the hymbra. Heora heretogan Mercians, and all the Northwæron twegen gebrothra, umbrians. Their leaders were Hengest and Horsa. That two brothers, Hengest and weron Wihtgilses suna; Horsa. They were Wihtgils' Wihtgils was Witting, sons; Wihtgils was Witta's Witta Wecting, Wecta son, Witta Wecta's son, Wecta Fram than Woden's son. From (that) ure Woden sprang all our kingly

Wodning.

Wodne awoc eall

cynecynn, and Suthanhymbra kin, and the Southumbrians'

[blocks in formation]

An., for 'anno,' 'in the year.'
Her, here, now; adv. of place used as
adv. of time. Cf. 'her-æfter,' here-
after, after now. The Chronicle
also often has 'on thissum (thisum,
or this) geare;' and not unfrequently
both expressions together: 'her on
thissum geare.'

Martianus was emperor of the east
division of the Roman world, 450-
457 A.D. He began life as a com-
mon soldier.

Valentinian III. was emperor of the

[blocks in formation]

Ebbsfleet in the isle of Thanet, N.E.
corner of Kent.
Pyhtas, the Picts or Caledonians, occu-
pying the country N. of the Forth.
Secgan: cg is for gg; pronounce as
'seggan.'

Brytwalana, of the Brito-Welsh, or of
the British strangers. The English
called the people of Britain Welsh,
meaning Strangers. (So the Ger-
mans call the Italians die Wälschen
—that is, the strangers, foreigners.)
The British called themselves, col-
lectively, not Welsh, but Kymry.
Of Ald Seaxum, The Old Saxons,
the Saxons of the continent, dwelt
between the lower course of the
Elbe and the Ems.

Of Anglum. The Angles or English occupied the south of modern Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. Of Iotum. The Jutes or Goths held the north-nearly the whole-of the mainland of modern Denmark, as well as a considerable part of the south of Sweden.

Cantwara.... Iutna cynn. The Jutes settled in Kent (east and west kingdoms), the Isle of Wight, and the coast of Hampshire (449-....A.D.), Their chief town was the capital of East Kent, Cant-wara-byrig, Kentmen's-borough, now Canterbury. Now' means

Nu (eardath on Wiht).

[ocr errors]

' in the time of Bæda;' for this part of the Engl. Chron. is based on the Church History of Bæda ('the Venerable Bede'), who lived in the last quarter of the 7th and the first half of the 8th century.

East Seaxa. The Saxons that settled in Essex were called the East Saxons; their chief town was Colchester. A part of these, called the Middle Saxons, held Middlesex, with London for chief town. Suth Sexa. The South Saxons were those that landed under Ella and his son Cissa at the Roman town Regnum (English Cissanceaster, Chichester, camp or city of Cissa), and took possession of the country between the two Jute settlements (477-491 A.D.). Sussex keeps their

name.

West Sexa. The West Saxons landed at Portsmouth under Cerdic and his son Cynric, took Winchester, and established the kingdom of Wessex in Hampshire (495-519 A.D.). By

dint of very hard fighting, they slowly extended their borders west and north; and at last Wessex grew into the kingdom of all England. Angle, Angel. The district between Flensburg and Schleswig-the heart of the land of the Angles-is called Angeln to this day.

East Engla. The East Angles (or English) peopled East Anglia (or England), the modern Norfolk (the north folk) and Suffolk (the south folk).

Middel Angla, Mearca. The Middle Angles (or English) were settled to the west of East Anglia. Thus they became borderers on the Welsh, and were called Marchmen, Mercians. They gradually absorbed the middle of England, from the Humber to the Thames, and from East Anglia to beyond the Severn. Northhymbra. The land of the North

Cf.

umbrians (547-....A.D.) stretched N. of the Humber as far as the Forth, and half across the island. Edinburgh is the burgh founded by and named after Edwin, the great Northumbrian king. The chief town was York (Eoforwic, Lat. Eboracum). Heretoga, leader, general, duke. Ger. herzog. From 'here' (army, host), and 'teôn' (pres. indic. 'teôge,' to tug, draw, lead). Hengest, Horsa. Both names mean 'horse.' 'The horse is now the badge of Kent, as you may see to this day on any sack of Kentish hops' (Freeman).

That. Cf. one of the uses of 'it.' Witting, Wecting, Wodning. 'Son of' is expressed by the suffix '-ing.'

THE FIGHT OF BRUNANBURH.

This ode is the earliest and the greatest of the poetic outbursts in the Chronicle. Brunanburh was somewhere in the north of England. Here Æthelstan and Edmund (see Notes) gained a splendid victory over Constantine, king of the Scots, and Anlaf, a Danish king from Ireland. Five Danish kings, seven earls (or jarls), and Constantine's son, with 'countless fighting men, fleetmen, and Scots,' were among the slain.

AN. DCCCC.XXXVII.

... Feld dennade secga swate, siththan sunne ûp, on morgen tid, mære tungol, glad ofer grundas, Godes candel beorht, eces Drihtnes, oth seo æthele gesceaft sah to setle....

Tha gebrothor,

begen ætsomne,

cyning and ætheling,

cyththe sohton,
West-seaxna land,
wiges hremige.

Leton him behindan,
hrâ brittigan,
salowig padan

thone sweartan hræfn,
hyrned nebban,
and thone hasupadan
earn æftan hwit,
æses brucan,
grædigne guthhafoc,
and that græge deor,
wulf on wealde.
Ne wearth wæl mare

on thys iglande

æfre gyta

folces gefylled

beforan thyssum

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

1Blood. 2Time.' 3 The sun (sunne) is fem. in Old English; now it is personified as masc. Eagle. 5 Behind. Beast (generally). 7 Wold, forest.

NOTES.

115. King. Æthelstan, son of Edward
the Elder, and grandson of Alfred,
reigned 925-940 A.D.
Etheling, prince:

son of the (preeminently) athele or noble man' (cf. 'Witting,' &c., last note to preceding extract). This is the old name for 'Prince,' 'Crown Prince,' or 'Heir-Apparent.' Robert of Gloucester (about 1300 A.D.) explains that whoso were next king by birth, people call him Athelyng.'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

116. Cyththe, kith, country, home, the
place (more particularly) known
(cuth, from 'cunnan,' to know).
126. Brucan, to eat, enjoy; later, to
bear, endure, brook.

128. Deor, deer, animal generally. Cf.
Shak., K. Lear, iii. 4: mice and
rats, and such small deer' (animals).
So, the regular word for animal
in German is thier; in Danish,
dyr.

The King

William that we speak about
was a very wise man, and very
powerful, and more dignified
and stronger than any of his
predecessors were.
He was
mild to the good men that
loved God, and over all measure
severe to the men that gain-
said his will.

he

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. MILLESIMO. LXXXVII.—. Se 1087. A.D.—. cyng Willelm the we embe specath was swithe wis man, and swithe rice, and wurthfulre and strengere thonne ænig his foregenggal wære. He was milde tham godum mannum the God lufedon, and ofer eall gemett stearc2 tham mannum the withcwædon his willan. Eac he was swythe wurthful: thriwa he bær his cynehelm3 ælce geare, swa oft swa he was on Englelande. On Eastron he hine bær on Winceastre, on Pentecosten on Westmynstre, on Midewintre on Gleaweceastre. . . . . Swilce he was eac swythe stearc man and ræthe, swa that man ne dorste nan thing ongean his willan dôn. He hæfde eorlas on his bendum, the dydan ongean his willan; biscopas he sætte of hcora biscoprice, and abbodas

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Also

dignified:

was very thrice he bare his crown each year, as oft as he was in England. At Easter he bare it in Winchester, at Pentecost in Westminster, at Midwinter in Gloucester. So he was also a very stark man and fierce, that nobody durst do thing against his He had earls in his that did against his bishops he cast from their bishoprics, and abbots

one

will.

bonds,

will;

SO

of heora abbodrice, and thægnas from their abbacies, and thanes

1 Foregoers. 2 Stark. 8 Royal helm.

on cweartern; and æt nextan he ne sparode his agene brothor Odo hêt..... Betwyx othrum thingum nis na to forgytane that gode frith the he macode on thisan lande; swa that ân man the himsylf aht wære3 mihte faran ofer his rice mid his bosum full goldes ungederad. And nan man ne dorste slean otherne man, næfde he næfre swa mycel yfel gedôn with thone otherne. Witodlice on his timan hæfdon men mycel geswinc and swithe manige teonan. Castelas he lêt wyrcean, and earme men swithe swencean.

[ocr errors]

He was on gitsunge befeallan, and grædinæsse he lufode mid ealle. He sætte mycel deor frith, and he lægde laga therwith, that swa hwa swa sloge heort oththe hinde, thæt hine man sceolde blendian. He forbead tha heortas, swylce eac tha baras: swa swithe he lufode tha headeôr, swilce he wære heora fæder. Eac he sætte be tham haran that hi mosten freo faran. His rice men hit mændon, and tha earme men hit becêorodan: ac he [was] swa stith that he ne rohte heora eallra nith, ac hi moston mid ealle thes cynges wille folgian, gif hi woldon libban, oththe land habban, oththe eahta, oththe wel his sehta. Wala wâ thæt ænig man sceolde modigan swa, hine sylf upp

into prison; and at last he spared not his own brother named Odo. Among other things is not to be forgotten the good peace that he made in this land; so that a man that had confidence in himself might fare over his realm with his bosom full of

....

[ocr errors]

gold, unhurt. And no man durst slay another man, had he never so great evil done to the other. Certainly in his time had men great hardship and very many injuries. Castles he caused to be built, and poor men to be greatly oppressed. He was into covetousness fallen, and greediness he loved altogether. He set up a great deer preserve, and he laid down laws thereanent, that whosoever slew hart or hind (that) him one should blind. He forbade the harts, as also the boars [to be slain]: as greatly he loved the tall deer as if he were their father. Also he set down concerning the hares that they must fare free. His powerful men moaned at it, and the poor men murmured at it: but he [was] so obdurate that he recked not of the hatred of them all, but they must wholly follow the king's will, if they would live, or have land, or property, or even his peace. Alas! that any man should be so proud, himself

4 Hight. 5 Lit., that to himself was aught.

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »