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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES 
 
 Dahlerup Library
 
 
 
 TWO LEAVES 
 
 
 
 OF 
 
 
 KING 
 
 WALDERE'S 
 
 FROM THE ORIGIN ALS 
 
 LAY; 
 
 IX THE 
 
 GREAT NATIONAL LIBRARY 
 
 i 
 
 CHEAPINGHAVEN , DENMARK. 
 
 
 
 NOW F1KST PUBLISHT, 
 
 
 WITH TRANSLATION, COMMENTS. WORD-ROLJ 
 
 AND FOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC FACSIMILES 
 
 
 
 KV 
 
 GEOBGE STEPHENS, ESQ. 
 
 
 ON KINK PAPER, 
 
 WITH THE FACSIMILES, lo SHILLINGS. — ON COMMON PAPER, 
 
 WITHOUT KACSI.MII.KS, 7 SHILLINGS AND 6 PENCE. 
 
 
 
 CHEAPINGHAVEN AND LONDON, 
 
 
 
 1860. 
 
 .1
 
 { 
 
 TWO LEAVES 
 
 OF 
 
 KING WA IDE RE'S LAV, 
 
 A HITHERTO UNKNOWN 
 OLD-ENGLISH EPIC OF THE EIGHTH CENTURY, 
 
 BELONGING TO THE SAGA-CYCLUS 
 
 KING THEODBIC AND HIS MEN. 
 
 NOW FIRST PUBLISHT 
 
 FROM THE ORIGINALS OF THE 9™ CENTURY 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE STEPHENS, ESQ., 
 
 PROFESSOR OF OLD-ENGLISH, AM) OF THE ENGLISH LANG! IGE AND LITERATURE, IN THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF CHEAP1NGHAVEN , DENMARK. 
 
 CHEAPINGHAVEN: 
 
 MICHAEL SEN AND TILLGE, 
 
 (C. C. ITgRSMS BOGIIIXDEL). 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 JOHN RUSSELL SMITH.
 
 
 PRINTED BY THIELE. CHEAPINGHAVEN.
 
 17*0 
 S0 ' 
 
 TO 
 
 THAT LABORIOUS SCHOLAR 
 
 THE REV. JOS. BOSWORTH , D. D. , F. R. S. , F. S. A. , 
 
 PROFESSOR OF OLD -ENGLISH 
 IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, — 
 
 WHERE ALONE 
 
 THROUGHOUT ALL THE BRITISH EMPIRE 
 
 A SHELTER 
 
 >- 
 
 HAS HITHERTO BEEN OPENED 
 
 QQ 
 
 —I 
 
 a, FOR 
 
 i 
 
 THE STUDY OF OUR NOBLE OLDEN MOTHER - TONGUE , — 
 
 <c 
 
 THESE PRECIOUS FRAGMENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE OLD-ENGLISH AMALING-SAGA 
 
 ARE 
 
 VERY RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 
 
 y S&
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 DEDICATION Page III 
 
 FORE-WORD ., VII 
 
 EDDA- GREETING » XV 
 
 OLD -ENGLISH WRITINGS IN SCANDLNAVIA: 
 
 I. Alfred's Deed of Gift ■ 1 
 
 n. The Craftsmen's Prayer » 10 
 
 III. Homiletic Fragment » 12 
 
 TV. King Waldere » 13 
 
 KING WALDERE: 
 
 General remarks » 19 
 
 The Theodoric-Saga in England » 27 
 
 Text and Translation » 45 
 
 Notes » 61 
 
 Proper Names » 63 
 
 Kennings » 63 
 
 Orthographical variations » 64 
 
 Word-roll 65-87
 
 FOBE-WOBD. 
 
 In presenting this imperfect attempt to the Public, I must 
 commence by an act of thanks and respectful acknowledgment 
 to the Danish Literary Veteran Prof. e. c. werlauff, for his great 
 courtesy in extending to me unwont facilities for copying the 
 two leaves now first publisht; and to the Secretary and Council 
 of our noble society of antiquaries of London , for the friendly- 
 readiness with which they have assisted me, by a pecuniary 
 grant, in procuring the facsimiles by which this work is guar- 
 anteed and accompanied. The World of Letters will join with 
 me in this expression of homage for such generous aid. 
 
 Next, altho all apologies of the kind are too commonly 
 and unfairly overlookt, I must plead for indulgence. All parties 
 were anxious that this remarkable discovery should be made 
 public with the least possible delay. I have therefore, as far as 
 other duties permitted, thrown everything else aside, and devoted 
 myself unremittingly to my charming task. But it has been one 
 of great labor and of great haste. No time was to be lost in 
 minutiae. So I at once give it to the world with all its imper- 
 fections on its head. It was better to send it out at once, 
 even tho there might be errors of critical detail, rather than 
 keep it back for months or years that I might have leisure for 
 further enquiry. A correct, transcript was the great point. This
 
 VI 11 
 
 I have given: and I have controlled myself by the facsimiles. 
 All the rest will come of itself. Abler pens than mine will 
 soon elucidate what I may have been compelled to leave dark 
 and doubtful; and (I hope) friendly scholars will in a friendly 
 spirit excuse the weaknesses of a first attempt (we all know 
 what that means!), and rectify without bitterness any mistakes 
 into which I may have fallen. I repeat, the object was — to 
 make it known, with reasonable correctness and a fair amount 
 of elucidation, as speedily as miylit be. And accordingly this 
 work lias been written within the space of one month. 
 
 With regard to the subject treated of in this find: — King 
 ah i in r and his Round Table, charlemagne and his Peers, each 
 of them the centres round which move a whole array of Knights 
 and Ladies and all sorts of ancient traditions and startling ad- 
 ventures — what a halo of glory surrounds them both! The 
 oni' the fruit of old Breton-'Welsh Bard-rhapsodies, and in 
 some degree a type of British exploit, the other bound up with 
 the special legends of the Franco-Gallic race, and enshrining the 
 memories of roland and Roncesvalles and so many other Pala- 
 dins, — what chords do they not strike, what recollections do 
 they not awake, how have they not become household words 
 with ns all, again and again revived by the Poet and the Ro- 
 mancer! 
 
 But even these — the latter borrowing much from the 
 former — were themselves preceded by older prototypes, which 
 tiny have largely imitated and echoed. Behind and side by side 
 with the Anglo-Norman and Kvmric cycles., we have traditions 
 >\\\\ more wild and dim and mythical, heroes connected with the 
 infancy of all the Northern, Gothic, Germanic and "Scythian" 
 races, stories full of life, of horror, of beauty, deeply inter- 
 esting to every student of our folk-lore and antiquities. 
 
 The great store-house of these particular champion-talcs 
 is that .Northern Thousand-and-one-Aights — the Theodric's or
 
 IX 
 
 Yilkina Saga, a delightful Romance-book from the 13th century 
 unfortunately not yet translated into English, but well known to 
 our Scandinavian scholars. 
 
 One of the Episodes in this Advcnturc-Cyclus relates to 
 King walther (the Old-English waldere) of Aquitaine. But what 
 is here only slightly referred to is found at large in a line Latin 
 Epic of the 1 Oth Century, evidently based on old German Po- 
 pular Ballads. 
 
 attila and his victorious Huns compel gibich of Franken- 
 land to pay tribute and to give hagan as an hostage, the same 
 necessity being afterwards imposed on heririch of Burgundy, 
 who surrenders his daughter hiltgund, and on alphere of Aqui- 
 taine, who delivers to the conqueror his son walther strong-hand, 
 whose youthful love had long been fixt on hiltgund. 
 
 The hostage princes become famous war -chiefs, and 
 walther is attilas Chosen General. But freedom and home in- 
 spire them. hagan escapes. walther gives a great banquet, 
 and, while the wine -drunk warriors slumber, he, too, happily 
 makes his way from the palace, bearing with him the beauteous 
 hiltgund and attila's choicest treasures. His tleet steed carries 
 them over hill and dale, and he is drawing near to his own 
 country when he is basely attackt by gunthar, king of the Franks, 
 and eleven other stalwart • swordsmen. The recreant sovereign 
 cannot resist the temptation of the solitary knight's costly gold- 
 hoard. A deadly combat ensues. This is described with great 
 splendor in the Latin Hexameters. The fidelity of hiltgund., who 
 acts as the page and guard and butler of her sore-prest lover, 
 is very touchingly dwelt upon. in spite of the over-match, 
 walther slavs ten of his foes, the one after the other, for onlv 
 one at a time could assail him in his impregnable mountain- 
 cave, gunthar now employs a stratagem. But the only result is, 
 that all three are dreadfully wounded, walther losing his right hand. 
 Mutual peace is now made. The hero enters his own land, is
 
 X 
 
 united with the partner of his dangerous flight, and in due time 
 succeeds to the sceptre of his hero-father. 
 
 Here the Latin versifier breaks off. He informs us that 
 he knows many a tale about walthers exploits after this period, 
 but he adds not one word as to their nature, nor are we able 
 to find any details hereon in any other work. 
 
 But here a happy accident comes to our rescue thro these 
 two Old-English parchment leaves, and I cannot usher these 
 fragments into the world, without at once calling attention to 
 their excessive value and importance. No such discovery has 
 been made in English Literature for a century past. Not only 
 do they add to our stock of Old-English words, but they present 
 us with 119 lines of an Epic Saga hitherto entirely unknown, 
 lost both in Scandinavia and in Germany, and, as far as I know, 
 never before heard of either in Old English or Early English or 
 Middle or Later English. This, of itself, is a most remarkable 
 fact. But it is still more so when we consider the results 
 which How from it. It is evident from the Epical breadth of 
 treatment which we find in these leaves, that the Lay has been 
 on an extensive scale, some 6 or 8,000 lines. But it was 
 utterly impossible for our forefathers to have possest such a 
 noble work of art on one of the heroes of ancient mythic tradition 
 — and he comparatively a minor member of the Walhall as- 
 sembly — wit hunt their having sung the deeds of the others 
 also, particularly the Adventures and Teachings of the Chief 
 Gods and Champions. — This points back to the existence of 
 Old-English Edda Songs, of which reminiscences exist in other 
 quarters, and of which the scop's complaint in the Exeter Book 
 is one, while, in a way, these fragments also belong thereto, 
 just as the VolundarkviSa, the JlclgakviSa, the Sigurdakvida, 
 Fafnismal and other fragments of the Theodric-Cyclus, &c, are 
 always printed with the Mythic Edda-songs.
 
 - » 
 
 XI 
 
 But this is not all. Our splendid beowulf, the nohlest 
 olden Epic posscst by any modern European race, has hitherto 
 been somewhat of a riddle, a kind of strange fossil creature 
 dug up from some stratum of the past, and apparently uncon- 
 nected with the rest of our literature. We have been almost 
 awed and shaken by its mysterious presence. It was, in some 
 degree, not of ourselves. — Now all is clear. Beowulf was 
 only one of many. The Epic and Legendary Heathen and Half- 
 heathen chant-rolls of the 'English Kin' have been rich and 
 manifold. They have been the work of our most gifted men, 
 and have been sung in the halls of our mightiest chieftains. 
 Accident alone has destroyed this school of Early Song. First 
 it was naturally but unnecessarily undermined by the jealousy 
 of the great Christian Corporation in England — many of them 
 Italians or other foreigners, and most of them anxious to speak 
 and write and read rather Latin than their Mother-tongue. In 
 this respect they acted with far less patriotism and real con- 
 servatism than their compeers in Iceland, where the oldest 
 Heathen Lays and Fables were happily rescued by Christian 
 Priests — whereby alone we have some tolerable idea of the 
 religion of our unconverted fore-elders. — Next it was supplanted 
 by the Christian poetical Legends and Bible-Lays produced in 
 rivalry, as in the spirit and language, of their heathen predeces- 
 sors, consequently abounding in precious words and phrases 
 borrowed from the oldest heathen poetical terminology, and as 
 we know often sung bv Missionaries at cross-roads and fairs 
 and markets to a curious and delighted crowd. Some fragments 
 of these, of great beauty, such as that magnificent torso Judith, 
 the Legend of s. Andrew, of s. Helen ; #c. have come down to 
 our times. Would that they were read in our great schools! 
 — Lastly, what had escaped these perils has almost all perisht 
 in the upheaving and modification of the Old English speech at 
 the Normannic period, in the bloody civil wars of the Middle Ages,
 
 XII 
 
 the iconoclastic barbarisms of the Reformation , and the scorn 
 and neglect of later times. — But, the fact is undeniable; it is 
 now clear and patent to all men, that England has had a hoard 
 of antique National Champion-Ballads no less varied and no less 
 splendid than her Scandinavian kinsmen — even Iceland not 
 excepted. 
 
 So much the more is it incumbent on us to study and 
 venerate the few remaining "inscribed bricks" of this buried 
 Temple of Song. . Including the two leaves now restored to us, 
 ami Beowulf and its episode (the Fight at Finnesburg) and what 
 else we may gather from roll and record, we still have a costly 
 Scaldic heirloom from our oldest annals. Possibly — for this 
 find is a proof that we should never despair — Providence may 
 one day permit other pieces to be rescued, at home or abroad. 
 At all events, no nation — Scandinavia our fatherland alone 
 excluded — can compete with us. In spite of fanaticism and 
 flames and damp and destruction, we have still enough left to 
 shew that the English Folk — instruments in God's hand for 
 spreading Law and Letters over the most distant shores, that 
 "Nation of Shopkeepers" which works hard and pays its debts 
 and prefers Bight and Freedom to "glory", Faith to pantheistic 
 fantasy — but which can light when need be, and think when 
 required — has been from the first what it was in the days of 
 chaucer and of spenser, of shakespear, milton and pope, of 
 BURNS and of woi'.DswoKTH, and what it is even at this moment, 
 shiningly distinguisht for Ideal Creation, for Fine Feeling, for a 
 gentle honest Love of Nature, and for a matchless flow of 
 Never-dying Poetry. May none dare to abuse this gift! May 
 the Lords of the Lyre among us alway w r rite over the door of 
 their garret or their studio, alway remember, when their trem- 
 bling hand period h the thoughts that breathe and the words that 
 burn: — soli df;o gloria!
 
 Mil 
 
 One word more and I have done. With regard to our- 
 selves as to the Scandinavians, Heathen or Christian, this opens 
 up another subject. We sometimes call the founders of the 
 free states in Europe — the Angles and other Northmen, the 
 Goths and the Germans — "Barbarians". Well. So be it. 
 (Only let us, in a parenthesis, thank God that the festering filth 
 and crushing yoke and beastly slavery of "the Holy Roman Em- 
 pire" fell before the sabres of these hardy warriors, however 
 untutored in mechanical spelling — which, by the bye, most of 
 "the Romans" were too.) Rut — establishing such States, and 
 laying down laws so wise (we still live under them!), and bal- 
 ancing the internal governing powers so judiciously, and gradu- 
 ally extirpating slavery itself, — and the while possessing Songs 
 and Sagas whose splendor never will be surpast, Robes and 
 Armor and Tools admirable in beauty, Dragon-ships glowing 
 with gold and tleet as the falcon: — merely because they had 
 not gone to a Sunday-school or been cowed or crammed to 
 meet some Mandarin Examination-board, were these stalwart 
 Men, our Hero-Ancestors, — 1 speak reverently, and pace hume 
 and his followers — really and of a sooth "savages" and 
 "Barbarians'"! 
 
 Cheapinghaven, Denmark, Feb. 11, ISGO. 
 
 GEORGE STEPHENS.
 
 ED DA-GREETING. 
 
 valdarr Donum 
 me5 Jarizleifi, 
 Eym68r \mh\ 
 me5 Jarizskari, 
 inn gengu |)a 
 jofrum likir; 
 LangbarBs liSar 
 hofSu loSa rauBa, 
 skreyttar brynjur, 
 steypta hjalma, 
 skalmum gyrSir 
 hofiu skarar jarpar. 
 
 waldar, from the Danskers, 
 and daring Jarizleif, 
 Eymoth third champion, 
 and Jarizskar with him — 
 came they in there, 
 kings in bearing. 
 
 Those lords of the Lombard [atli (attila)J 
 loths (cloaks) had of crimson, 
 damaskt brinies, 
 dainty-cast helmets; 
 with blades stept they belted, 
 and with brown -flowing hair-locks. 
 
 Giibvunar-kvi&a II, st. 19, Scemund's Edda, ed. P. A. Munch, 
 Chvistiania 1847, 4to, p. 156.
 
 OLD-ENGLISH WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA, 
 
 -As it cannot but be interesting and useful to know what Old- 
 English documents have hitherto been found in the Scandinavian North, 
 especially as they are little or incorrectly known in England , 1 here 
 bring together the few extant remains of this description. - No. 4 in 
 this list is the one just discovered, and the immediate subject of the 
 present publication. 
 
 I. 
 ALDORMAN ALFRED'S DEED OF GIFT. 
 
 (OLD- SOUTH -ENGLISH.) 
 WRITTEN BEFORE THE YEAR 871. 
 
 The oldest, most splendid and most precious codex preserved in 
 the National Library, Stockholm, is a folio so called Liber purpureus, 
 written and illuminated with great magnificence, chiefly in letters of 
 gold, and hence usually denominated Codex Aureus. It is an Evan- 
 geliarium, a book of the Four Gospels, in Saint Jerome's Latin version, 
 apparently of Italian workmanship, and executed not later than the 6th 
 Century, or possibly the beginning of the 7th. We know nothing of its 
 history, or how it was found in England in the 9th Century and again 
 in Mantua in the 17th. It was bought in that city by J. G. Sparfwenfei.t 
 in the year 1090, and was given by him to the Library where it at this 
 moment remains. The text contains valuable readings, and the first 
 page bears one of the richest illuminations anywhere known. Further 
 * 1
 
 2 0. E. WHITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 Information will be found in the work mentioned below*, from which I 
 repeat (and add to) what concerns the subject before us, especially as 
 the work in question is now scarce and is written in Swedish. 
 
 At the top and bottom of the illuminated title-leaf is written, in 
 a bold and clear hand, the following Deed of Gift, in tbe usual Old 
 South English dialect: — 
 
 -]- IN nomine dhi nril hv xpl, Ic aelfred aldormon 
 7werburg nn'ngefera begetan Sasbec a^t haeonu herge mid 
 uncre claenefeo daet Sonne waes mid clame golde ?Saet 
 wit deodan forgodes lnfan 7for uncre sauledearf Ond for- 
 9on dewit noldan 9aet 3as halgan beoc lencg InSaere Aelfre[d] 
 baeSenesse wunaden, Tnuwillaft heo gesellan Innto cristes 
 circan gode tolofe Ttowuldre 7toweor5unga This Srowunga 
 toooncunga, 7oami godcundan geferscipe tobrucenfne]** Werbur[g] 
 f)eincristes circan daeghwa^mlice godes lof raeraS, tooaern- 
 gerade 5aet heomon arede eghwelce mona9e for aelfred 
 7for werburge Tfor alhftrySe heora saulum to ecum lece 
 dome, 3a hwile Segod gesegen haebbe 3aet fulwiht set 
 3eosse stowe beon mote, , , Ecswelce Ic aelfred, dux, AlhdryS 
 Twerburg biddao" Thalsiacl ongodes almaehtiges noman eoru*** 
 Tmiallra bis haligra S;et nsenigmon seo toSon gedyr[s]tig [? m fdia] 
 Saette das halgan beoc aselle oSoe aSeode fromcristes 
 circan oahwile oe fulwiht stondan mote .... **** 
 
 " "Forteckning ofver de fornamsta Britliska och Fransyska Handskrifterna, uti Kongl. 
 Bibliotheket i Stockholm. Af Geobge Stephens, Esq. Stockholm. P. A. Norstedt & Soner. 
 1-17" pp. 1-17. 
 
 I Ik; letters [ne] have been cut away when the book was last rebound. 
 
 ' The last letters of this word, like as the d and g in the names above, cut away 
 at the said rebinding: — eoru is quite plain, and there are traces of the m, the last 
 being turned up as if for union with another wind, probably /ilia. Rask has the guess 
 
 mg', which, if it exist, makes no sense; and this guess he has printed as tho it 
 were really in the MS. 
 
 Some words, probably including the date, cut away at the last binding. — The 
 words i.n — saulebearf are at the upper part of the leaf; — Ond — mote are below; 
 — the names are on the right margin. All in the same hand. 
 
 'I hi- Legal Entry was first made public by M. (). Celsius, in his "Bibliothecsc 
 Regis Stockholmensis Historia, Holmiae 1751", p. 180, but very faultily; afterwards by 
 lt\>K, in hi- "Angelsaksisk Sproglare, Stockholm 1817, 8vo", p. 1G7, with tolerable cor- 
 rectness, hut the orthoL'iaph\ doctored according to his system. He also gave a facsi- 
 mile of some few lines. In Thorpe's translation (Copenhagen 1830) we have both text
 
 i. Alfred's deed ok gift. 3 
 
 I have printed the above as it stands in the MS., without separ- 
 ating the words so often joined in one, a custom at oik* time common 
 in all languages. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 -j- IN NOMINE Domini Nostri Jem Christi. I Aelfred Aldorman 
 (Karl), and Werburg my partner (Wife), got this hook from a heathen 
 war-troop with (in exchange for) of-both our clean fee (a sum in the per- 
 sonal property of us both), which then was with clean (pure) gold. And 
 that we-two did for God's love and for our soul's behoof, and for that 
 we-two would not that these holy hooks (writings) should longer abide 
 in heathenesse (heathen hands). And now will we give it into Christs- 
 Church, God to praise and glory and worship and in thankful remem- 
 brance of His passion; and for the use of the Sacred Community 
 (Brotherhood) which in Christs-Church is daily heard to magnify the 
 Lord, to the end that the same may be read each month for Aei.fred 
 and for Werburg and for Alhdryd, to the eternal health of their souls, 
 so long as God may have seen-fit (may permit) that Baptism (holy rites) 
 may continue at this place. And eke I, Aelfred, Duke, and Werburg, 
 pray and beseech, in the name of God Almighty and all His Hallows 
 (Saints), that no one shall dare to give or part these holy books (Gos- 
 pels) from Christs-Church, so long as Baptism may there abide — — . 
 
 Aelfred. Werburg. Alhdryd, their [daughter]. 
 
 Thus was this precious tome rescued by an act of costly sacrifice 
 from a Scandinavian Pagan wiking-force, and deposited among the shrines 
 and relics of our most splendid Cathedral; and we cannot but feel a 
 lively interest in the Giver and his family. It appears to me that I have 
 succeeded in finding some authentic facts respecting him. 
 
 and translation with little change. In my edition (printed at Stockholm) woruldre , in 
 7th line, is a misprint for wuldre. — In the "Appendix B to Mr. Cooper's Report ", printed 
 hy the English Government (? in 1836 or 1837) hut never publicly distributed, this 
 Inscription is given much more correctly, but there are some errors. The editor adds: 
 "See the accompanying facsimile ", but this facsimile has been supprest or forgotten , at 
 least in my copy. 
 
 1*
 
 -1 0. E. WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 In Kemble's "Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, Londini 1839, 
 Vol. 2", p. 120, we have the following document, copied from the Ap- 
 pendix to Lye's "Dictionarium", London 1772, Vol. 2, charter 2. 
 
 DUKE AELFRED, 871 — SS9. 
 
 Y \p. Ic Elfred dnx hatu writari 7 cySan an Sissum gewrite . 
 Lll'rede regi 7 eallnm his weotum 7 geweotan . 7 ec swylce minum 
 megum 7 minimi gefeorum . Sa men Se ic mines erfes 7 mines boclond- 
 cs seolest onn . 3a?t is Sonne Werhurg min wif 7 uncer gemene beam . 
 5a t is oonne set aerestan an Sonderstede 7 on Selesdnne xxxu hida . 7 
 • in Westarham xx hida . 7 on Cloppaham xxx hida . 7 on Leangafelda 
 vn hida . 7 on Horsalege x hida . 7 on Netelamstyde vu hida. Ic El- 
 fred dux sello Werbiirge 7 AlhSrySe uncum gemenum bearne . aefter 
 minum dege . Sas lond mid cwice erfe . 7 mid earSe . 7 mid allum 
 pingum Be to londum belimpaS . 7 twa pusendu swina ic heom sello mid 
 Sem londnm . gif hit bio gehaldeS mid Sare claennisse Se uncer word 
 gecwaedn seondan . 7 hio gebrenge set sancte Petre min twa wergeld gif 
 Set godes vville seo Sat heo dad faereld age; Ond aefter Werburge daege 
 seo AlhSrySe 5a lond unbefliten on Sonderstyde . 7 on Selesdune . 7 on 
 Leangafelda. Ond gif heo beam haebbe . feo Saet beam to Saem londum 
 .liter hire . gif heo beam naebbe . feo Sonne an hire rehtfaederen sio 
 neste bond to Bern londe . ond to Bern erfe . 7 swa hwylc minra faedren- 
 mega swa Seet sio Baet bine to San gehagige . Saet he 3a oSoro lond be- 
 geotan maege . 7 wide . Sonne gebycge he Ba lond aet hire mid halfe 
 weorBe. Ond swe hwylc mon swa Saet sio Saet Ses londes bruce ofer 
 minne daeg on Cloppaham Sanne geselle he cc peninga eghwylce gere 
 to Ceortesege for Elfredes sawle . to feormfultume. Ond ic sello jESel- 
 walde minum snna in hida hoc londes . u hida on l!\v;etedune . anes 
 bides an Gatatune . 7 him sello 5a>rto c swina . 7 gif se cyning him 
 geunnan wille Ses folclondes to Saem bo(donde . Sonne habbe 7 bruce . 
 gif hit S,et ne sio . Sonne selle hio him swa hwaSer swa hio vville . swa 
 Sel lornl on Horsalege . swa Set an Leangafelda; Ond ic sello Berhtsige 
 minum mege an hide boclondes on Laencanfelda . 7 Sa>rto c. swina . 7 
 • Ik bio i. swina to Cristes cirican for me . 7 for mine sawle . 7 c 
 to Ceortesege . 7 Bone oferecan mon gedaele gind mynsterhamas to godes 
 ciricum in SuSregum . 7 in Cent . Sa hvvile Se hio lestan widen: Ond 
 ic sello Sigewulfe minum mege . ofer Werburge daeg . 3a;t lond an Netel- 
 hamstyde. Ond Sigulf geselle of Sem londe . c peninga to Cristes ciri-
 
 I. ALFRED S DEED OF GIFT. .» 
 
 can. Ond eghwylc darn erfewearda de setter him to 5aem londe foe . 
 bonne ageofen hio 5a ilean elmessan to Cristes cifican for yElfredes 
 sawle . 5a hwile 5e fulwiht sio . 7 hit man on Baem lande begeotan maege; 
 Ond ic sello Eadrede minimi mege det lond on Fearnlege a:fter /Edel- 
 redes daege . gif he hit to him geearnian wile . 7 he geselle of 8em londe 
 xxx [sestraj cornes aeghwelce gere to Hrofescestre. Ond sio Sis lond 
 gewriten 7 imbefliten aefter Eadredes dsfige in iElfredes relit meodrencynn 
 5a hwile de fnlwihte sio on Angclcynnes ealonde. Deos foresprec . 7 das 
 gewriotn . de her beufan awreotene stondad . ic /Elfred willio . 7 wille Sad 
 hio sion sodfa3stlice foVSweard getrvmed me 7 minum aerfeweardum. Gif 
 dad bonne god allmaehtig geteod habbe . ond me dad on lame gelid deet 
 gesibbra aarfeweard fordcyined wepnedhades . 7 acenned weorded . danne 
 aim ic deem ofer minne dacg alles mines erfes to brucanne . swa him 
 leofust sio ; And swa hwylc mon swa das god . 7 das geofe . 7 das ge- 
 wrioto . 7 das word . mid rehte haldan wille . ond gelestan . gehalde hine 
 heofones cyning in dissuni life ondwardum . 7 eac swa in daem towardan 
 life; Ond swa hwylc mon swa hio wome . 7 breoce . gewome him God 
 almahtig his weorldare ond eac swa his sawle are; 
 
 Her syndon daera manna naman awritene 5e deosse wisan geweo- 
 tan sindon. 
 
 -J- Ic iEdered ar.bisc. mid deere halgan Cristes rode tacne das 
 word 7 das wisan faestnie 7 write, f Alfred dux. f Beorhtuulf dux. 
 •J- Beornhelm abb. f Earduulf abb. f Werburg. f Sigfred pr. 
 -j- Beonheah pr. f Beagstan pr. f Wulfheah. -j- jEBelwulf pr. 
 f Earduulf pr. f Beornod diac. f Wealdhelm diac. f Wine sb 
 diac. -J- Sad'red. f Ceolmund m. f Eadmund in. f Eadwald m. 
 j Siguulf m. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 f In the name of Christ. — 1 Elfked, Duke, bote (order) to write 
 and declare in this writ (document) to Elfred the King and to his Coun- 
 cilors and Parliament*, and eke to my kindred and my chief men, those 
 
 * The consent of the King and Council was required for the Folk-land (State-land) 
 enjoyed on lease, or otherwise, to pass to the person pointed oul by a testator. Other- 
 wise it lapst to the Crown (State). Bdok-land was in a differenl position. It was free- 
 hold, aedel or odal or aldd land. See Allkn, "An Inquiry into the Rise and Growth of 
 the Royal Prerogative in England, London lS.'jlf, pp U3-151 ; Kemble, Cod Dipt. 1, 
 p. cm-cvi; and the same scholar's "Saxons in England, Lond. 1849", Vol. 1, Chapter 
 "Folcland and B6cland'\
 
 C 0. E. WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 persons lu whom 1 am anxious to give my property and my book-land 
 that is, then, Werburg my Wife, and our mutual child.* That is 
 then lirst at Sonderstede [Sanderstead, Surrey, Kemble's Index o f Places, 
 Cod. Dipl. Vol. 0\ and at Selesdun [Selsdon, Surrey, K. 1. of PL] 32 
 hides", and at Westarham [Westerham, Surrey, K. I. of PL] 20 hides, 
 and al Cloppaham [Clapham, Surrey, K. I. of PI.] 30 hides, and at 
 Leangefeld [Lingfield, Surrey, K. I.) 7 hides, and at Horsaleah [Horsley, 
 Surrey, A'. I.] Id hides, and at Netelamstyde [INettlehampstead, Surrey, 
 A. 1. 1 7 hides. I Elfred, Duke, give to Werburg and to Alhdryd our 
 mutual child, after my day (death), these (said) lands, with the living 
 cattle and with the soil and with all things pertaining to those lands. 
 Ami besides those lands I give them 2000 swine, if that she (Werburg) 
 live with that purity which has been agreed on between us, and if she 
 present to S. Peter*** my two \\ere-gelds-j-, should it be God's will that 
 she receive those death-monies -j-f. 
 
 And after Werburg's day (demise), let Alhdryd take without dis- 
 pute the lands at Sonderstede and at Selesdun and at Leangefeld. And 
 if she bear a child let it take those lands after her. Hut if she have 
 no issue, then let the next of kin on the father's side take that land and 
 that inheritance, and let he of my paternal kinsmen that may please and 
 may wish to possess other estates buy those lands of her at half their 
 
 ' The original text lias uncer gmene b. Lye has erroneously translated this in 
 tin' plural "nostrum communibus liberis". Gemene is s. or p., but uncer is singl. 
 only. Besides, no other common child is mentioned than ALHDRYD. 
 A hide oi- hyde was 120 acres. 
 
 Doubtless the same as was commonly called Christs-Chnrch, Canterbury. This 
 Cathedral was dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul. 
 
 - The Wtre-yeld or W6re, the man-pinny or price at which every one was assest 
 <!'!iL' to his rank, during those early periods when every man's hand was against 
 man, answering to the Verildi of the Gotland Law, the Manngiald and Mans-bot 
 of tin- other Scandinavian codes, and the W'erit/ell of the Germans. Life and limb were 
 ; bj Hi'- E. Law by the WERE, paid to the sufferer or his family, the HALS- 
 FANG, a line to escape Ihe pillory, also paid to the relations, the BOT, paid to the Lord 
 ni Guardian of the slain, and the wite, for breaking the public peace. — The Wdrc-geld 
 of an Alderman Karl, Dux) was the same as for an Archbishop, or 15,000 thrymsas, a 
 Mercian coin, probably of silver, used in Mercia and worth 3 pennies. See Thorpe, An- 
 cient Laws, J, 187- — The two Were-gelds are doubtless the WERE and the hals-fa.ng. 
 See Laws of Edward and Guthrum, last sec. and p. 251, and Laws of K.Edmund, sec. 7. 
 ft Lyk's translation of 5»t heo dset faireld age, "ut ilia istud iter peragat", is 
 meaningless. I take faereld as equivalent to f aerel d-g i Id or faereld-sceat.
 
 I. ELFREI) S DEED OF GIFT. / 
 
 value. And whoever alter my day (time) may possess the land at Clop- 
 paham, let him give 200 pennies each year to Ceortesege [Chertsey, in 
 Surrey, K. I.|, for Ei.fred's soul, for the support of hospitality. 
 
 And I give to /Edelwu.d, my son, 'A hides of Hook-land, 2 hides 
 at Ilwietedun and 1 hide at Gatatun [Gatton, in Surrey, K. I.). And 
 I also give him 100 swine. And if the King will allow him the Folk- 
 land as well as the Book-land, then let him have and use the same. 
 But if that may not he, then let her (Alhdryd) give him whichever she 
 will, either the land at florsaleah or that at Leangefeld. 
 
 And i give to Berhtsige, my maeg (kinsman), one hide of Book- 
 land at Laencanfeld. [Lanktield, in Surrey, K. I.], and thereto 100 swine, 
 and let him give 100 swine to Christs- Church for me and for my soul, 
 and 10(» to Ceortesege, and let the rest he divided thro the minster- 
 houses to God's churches in Surrey and in Kent, as long as they may remain. 
 
 And I give to Sigewulf, my maeg (kinsmann), after Werbirg's day, 
 the land at Netelhamstyde. And let Sigllf (Sigewulf) give from that 
 land 100 pennies to Christs-Church , for Alfred's soul, while Baptism 
 remains there, and while it may be forthcoming from that estate. 
 
 And I give to Eadred, my maeg (kinsman), the land at Fearnleah 
 [Earleigh, in Kent, K. I.| after ^Edelred's day, if he will deserve the 
 same; and let him give of that land 30 [measures] of corn each year to 
 Hrofescester |Bochester, in Kent, ft". I.]. And after Eadred's day (decease) 
 let this land be written and acknowledged in yElfred's right maternal 
 kin, while Baptism remains in the Hand of the Angle kin (English). 
 
 This agreement and this scroll, as they stand written above , are 
 my, yElfred's, Will, and I will that they be truly hereafter assured to 
 me and my heirs. 
 
 But if so be that God Almighty hath so ordained, and the boon 
 uwaiteth me, that a male heir of my race should spring forth and be 
 born, then to him give 1 after my day my whole inheritance, to use as 
 to him may seem best. 
 
 And whoever these goods and these gifts and these writings and 
 these words will rightly keep, and perform the same, keep him Heaven's 
 King in this life onward, and eke in that lite which is to come; but 
 whoever shall overturn and destroy the same, God Almighty destroy his 
 glory and eke his soul's honor! 
 
 Here are the names of those men written who are the witnesses 
 of this act.
 
 8 0. E. WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 I, /Edered, Archbishop, sign and confirm these words and Ihis 
 agreement with the mark of the Holy Hood (Cross) of Christ. fyELFRED, 
 dux. y Bborhtuulf, dux. f Beornhelw, abbas, f Earduulf, abbas. 
 
 Y Werburg. -; Sigfred, presbyter, -j- Beonheah, presbyter, -j- Beagstan, 
 presbyter, t W ulfheah. f /Edeuyilf, presbyter, f Earduilf, presbyter. 
 
 Y Beornod, diaconus. f Wealdhelm, diaconus. f Wine, subdiaconus. 
 -|- S.ffref). -]- Ceolmund, minister, -j- Eadmund, minister, j Eadwald, 
 minister, f Sigiulf, minister. 
 
 \n\\ we here at once recognize the same names as in the ancient 
 Evangeliarium. 
 
 CODEX AUREUS. AELFIIEDS WILL. 
 
 Aelfred aldorman } \ 7Elfred } 
 
 Aelfked dux ) I K I. FRED \ 
 
 Werburg rnin gefera ..... Werburg min wif 
 
 Ai.iiokvi) eoru[m iiliaj Alhoryd uncer beam, 
 
 as also the same 
 
 Cristes (ir< an da hwile 5e fulwiht 1 Cristes cirican 5a hwile 5e ml- 
 
 stondan mote wiht sio 
 
 towards which yElfred continues to show such extreme generosity.* 
 
 ' There can be no doubt that this was Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, whose Arch- 
 bishop Ethelbed (spell .Edkuku in Aelfred's Will] signs as the first witness in that do- 
 cument. This Cathedral, in Old English Charters &c. is continually named Cristes 
 Circa, tlnisii ecclesia, <fcc , not as being dedicated to Our Saviour, but as being the 
 Hothei Church of all England, as its Archbishop has always been the Primate of the 
 English Church. This Archbishop is again mentioned in an Agreement drawn up by 
 Hi.- -aid Aldorman Aelfred, given by Kemble, Cod. I). 2, p. 96- The original is lost, 
 but v.< -till have a translation in the Early English of the 12th Century. Here again 
 \ FRED gives property to the same Cristes (iricu: — 
 
 "AELFRED, 871. 
 IN nomine domini Ic Kt.ir.M) dux and Ethelred archebiscop <Sf bo higen at 
 Cristes cheriche habbez wise ared cmbe bet land at Chertham bet is panne bet Elfred 
 efter hi.- dage banc/ bequepe pet land at Chertham in to pan higen to ogne eyte an gef 
 fiat sj pel higen pas londes enye men unnen willen bnten em selucn banne sellen hi 
 hit Elfbedes biernen oper bis meyn suithen suo hi willet an bo yrede bet he wiht hygen 
 arede suo on fye suo mi ferme suo trwader he abidden mage and se archebiscop selht 
 Elfrede pet land a croindune his dages to brukene and panne Elfbedes uorslth bitidep 
 and his biernes bos londes be |iisne panne begete hi hem land gef hi mage at swiche 
 louerde suo per panne sy and at pan hygen And gef eni man agt opathc cmbe bet lande
 
 I. ELFRED S l)EEI> OF GIFT. «.) 
 
 But that there should have existed, at one and tlie same period, 
 tiro men named /Ki.fked, and tnfth of them of such high rank — one 
 of the very highest in the country — and each of them with a wife 
 named Werburg and a daughter called Ai.hokvd, and both of them dis- 
 linguisht for a costly devotion to one and the same ecclesiastical locality, 
 — is, in my eyes, impossible. I cannot but regard the /Elfred of the 
 Gospel-Book and of the Testamentary Deed as identical. 
 
 There is only one point which suggests any douht. In the Will 
 we have a son named ^delwald, in the Gift- Writ we have no such 
 person. Hut he was probably of base or rather unequal birth , the fruit 
 of one of those multiplied lefthanded marriages so common among the 
 higher classes of the Northern races, but not tolerated by the Church, 
 which allowed only one wife, the .ew-wi'f or mace. This appears evident 
 from the fact that he receives only a pittance of his father's immense 
 estates, almost the whole being lavisht on "///<" heiress", the daughter, 
 and that in spite of the existence of a legal male heir! — an utter 
 impossibility — ; from the circumstance that, if Alhdryo died without 
 issue her lands should go — not to her brother, her natural and legal 
 successor, but to her kindred—; from the peculiar expressions employed, 
 he not being denominated uncum gemenum bearne four mutual 
 child), like his sister, but merely minum suna (my son) — ; but 
 particularly from the ardent desire exprest by ^Elfred for a male heir. 
 'But if so be', says this Magnate, — with a feeling of desolation amid all 
 his broad lands and rich possessions, and only a daughter to inherit 
 them, — 'that God Almighty hath so ordained, and the boon awaiteth me, 
 that a male heir of my race should spring forth and be bom, then to 
 him give I after my day my whole inheritance, to use as to him may 
 seem best.'* — Certain it is that this yEdelyvald was not horn when 
 
 at Chertheham panne hauc|) Elfred yhialde herevvynne hwer on eyhwet l>i worde auriten 
 is hwain him sell' hit ybauith to anwolde And bat wes on burg yred biuore ban wyteu 
 be hire names liier binepen axvritene synden Epelked archebiscop EpELWALD dux Elfred 
 dux Biornheln abot Eardwolf abot Gkol.iu.nd Sywolf Edmund & halle hysen." 
 
 * Since this opinion was first hazarded, in 1847, Mr. Kejible's "Saxons in England" 
 has appeared (1819), and I am gratified to find myself supported by his acceding to my 
 interpretation, which he had seen. He observes. Vol 1, p. 299: — 
 
 "Towards the end of the ninth century, iElfred, who appears to have been ealdor- 
 man or duke of Surrey, devised his lands by will. He left almost all his property to 
 his daughter; and to his son i*EG*elwald (perhaps an illegitimate child,) he gave only 
 three hides of hereditary land, bocland, expressing however his hope that the king would
 
 10 0. E. WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 Alfred inscribed his gift in the Codex Aureus, for he would then have 
 added his name also, that he might tte a partaker with himself in the 
 prayers of Holy Church and its Obituary Masses. 
 
 Hence this Deed of Presentation was entered in the Evangeliarium 
 before the date of the Will, that is, earlier than 871 — 889. 
 
 II. 
 THE CRAFTSMEN'S PRAYER. 
 
 (LATIN AND ENGLISH.) 
 WRITTEN ABOUT THE YEAR 871—889. 
 
 In what rich Abbey or Closter or Church or Palace of Italy or 
 France the heathen Wikings found their booty, the Codex Aureus, and 
 what tears and blood it may have cost, mi\t mayhap with raging flames 
 and general massacre, we know not. Of one thing we may be quite sure. 
 It had required years of patient labor and immense outlay — the trans- 
 parent thin delicate parchment alone was worth the value of a consider- 
 able estate — had been magnificently given or bought, and had rejoiced 
 in one of those master-pieces of bookbinding which were at that time 
 naturally provided for works of this costly description. The book-backs 
 were of i\ory or silver, beautifully carved, and profusely decorated and 
 inlaid with gold and niello and precious stones. — Now our good friends 
 the sea-rovers were always open to merits such as these. They devoutly 
 admired works of art, whenever they consisted of "red gold and gem- 
 stones" , and whenever they could conveniently lay hands upon them. 
 The holy text was not to their taste. They kept it indeed, with a 
 shrewd eye to profit in some Christian neighborhood. They might meet 
 some "Psalm-singer"' weak enough to give "clean gold" to save it from 
 their desecrating hands — which accordingly they did, probably at some 
 
 permit hi-, ton to Mold the folcland he himself had held. Rut as this was uncertain, in 
 order to meet the case of a disappointment, he directed that if the king refused this 
 his daughter should choose which she would give her brother, of two hereditary estates 
 which he had devised to her."
 
 II. the craftsmen's prayer. 1 1 
 
 camp-market they had establisht on the English coast. But the binding 
 — that they bad taken care of. As was their custom, they had imme- 
 diately cut it away from the hook it adorned. 
 
 Now when this splendid Manuscript came into the hands of the 
 Priests and Monks of Canterbury, their first care would be once more 
 to enshrine it in a fitting covering, probably as costly as the one it had 
 lost. Works of this sort were usually carried on by lay-brethren attacbt 
 to some Guild or Monastic Order, or by Ecclesiastics themselves of dis- 
 tinguish mechanical and artistical talent. We have many examples of 
 this. The famous St. Dunstan, to name only one, was the first Art- 
 workman of his time. The Cathedral officers would spare no expense 
 for such a purpose, and would employ their best artificers. This was 
 accordingly done. And we have written evidence of the fact. On nar- 
 rowly examining the MS. when I was in Stockholm, 1 discovered, what 
 had been previously overlookt by every one. probably in consequence of 
 the words not being easily read or written in a large hand, the following 
 inscription at the top margin of the first leaf; 
 
 [THE BEDE OF THE BINDERS.] 
 
 f oratepro ceolheardwr niclas 7 ealhhun 7 wulfhelm 
 aurifex 
 
 (-}- Pray for Ceolheardwer , Niclas, and Ealhhun and Wulfhelm 
 the Goldsmith!) 
 
 As we see, all these names are English, and the English Fine- 
 Art and Goldsmith's work was at that time the most famous in Europe. 
 
 The cunning craftsmen have finisht their labors. Their work is 
 ready. The Sacred Volume is again encased in a binding strong and 
 resplendent, according to the taste of the age. And, as was often the 
 case , they ask only for one reward — tin? prayers of their brethren. 
 This is proof sufficient that they were Ecclesiastics, or at least workmen 
 connected with some Cathedral-guild. 
 
 But greedy men tore away this second binding also. The 
 present one is modern, apparently of the 17th century, and may have 
 been executed at Mantua when the book was sold there to Sparfyvenfelt. 
 It has an Italian look. It was on this last occasion that the infamous 
 bookbinder cut away a part of the Old-English Deed of Gift, as aforesaid.
 
 12 0. li. WHITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 III. 
 
 HOMILETIC FRAGMENT. 
 
 (OLD-SOUTH-ENGLISH.) 
 WRITTEN IN THE 10TH CENTURY. 
 
 Some 7 or 8 years ago 1 carefully ransackt the great Libraries 
 of this City, in search of Old-English Manuscripts. 1 spared neither 
 time nor labor, but the harvest was very small. It consisted only in a 
 few lines of pious meditation. These I copied out, and forwarded to 
 "The Retrospective Review, No. 2, Feb. 1853, London, J. R. Smith", 
 where they will be found at page 206. 
 
 The MS. in which they occur is well worthy of further examination. 
 It is written in England, on vellum, in small folio or ito, of the 10th 
 century, and contains treatises and homilies and some very curious forms 
 for Ecclesiastical Certificates and Passports, all in Latin. It is preserved 
 in the "Great iNational Library, Cheapinghaven, No. 1595, 4 to, Gamla 
 Samlingen, fol. 60, vo." 
 
 But at an open space on one of the leaves the scribe has broken 
 out in his mother-tongue, and gives utterance to some simple exhortatory 
 words, as follows: — 
 
 HOMILETIC FRAGMENT. 
 
 Se be {jyses lytlan nele andgyt niman, ne truvvie ic get maran \uet 
 he wille gyman swa swa he scoide his agenre bearfe. Ac do swa ic 
 laere, lufa God georne; 7 beseoh on binre heortan gelome to his laran; 
 i>< in sceal be spowan 7 .be bet limpan, for Gode 7 for worolde. Gelyf 
 gif |>u wille. Elc man behofa9 gastlices fostres. 
 
 Se be bi3 of earde 7 feor of his cy3oe, hu maeghe ha cuman gif 
 be rifle leornian hu se weg liege be li9 to his cyScJe? 
 
 Hu mage we to hefenan rihtne weg aredian, buton we gewunian 
 \>iel we oft spyrian, 7 geornlice smeagean hu we magan dyder cuman? 
 
 So3 is [net ic secge, gelyfe se j>e wille. Se gefa;rb gesadlice be 
 godcunde lare oftost gehyreb 7 geomlicost gyme5. Amen. 
 
 Qui est ex Deo, verba l»<'i audit. Non in sola pane vivit homo, 
 Bed in omni verbo quod procedii de ore Dei. Beati qui audiunt verbum 
 Dei el custodiunl illud.
 
 111. EfOMILETIC FRAGMENT. 13 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 He who will not take care of this little, I trow not, so much the 
 more, that he will be mindful as he should of his own need. Hut do 
 as 1 teach: love; God earnestly, and have regard in thy heart ofttimes to 
 his doctrine; then shall it speed thee, and go better with thee, for God 
 and for the world. Believe if thou wilt. Each man hath behoof of 
 spiritual food. 
 
 He that is on earth*, and far from his kith, how may he home 
 come, if he will not learn how the way lies that leadeth to his kith? 
 
 How may we find the right way to Heaven, unless we are wont 
 oft to inquire thereof, and earnestly consider how we may come thither? 
 
 Sooth is what I say, believe he who will. lie fareth happily, 
 who the holy doctrine oftenest heareth and observeth most zealously. 
 Amen. 
 
 He who is of God, heareth the words of God. Not by bread 
 alone liveth man, but by every word which proceedeth from the mouth 
 of God. Blessed are they who hear the word oi God, and keep the same. 
 
 IV. 
 
 KING WALDERE AND KING GUDHERE. 
 
 (OLD-SOUTH-ENGLISH.) 
 
 TWO LEAVES, COPIED EN THE 9TH CENTURY. 
 
 On the 12th of January I860, Prof. E. C. Werlauff, Chief Librarian 
 of the Great National Library , Cheapinghaven , was engaged in sorting 
 some bundles of papers, parchment leaves and fragments, mostly taken 
 from books or book-backs, which had not hitherto been arranged. While 
 thus occupied, he lighted upon two vellum leaves of great antiquity and 
 
 Literally, away-from his-homestead. My translation has been defended by Mr. 
 E. Thomson, in some remarks on the passage, in the same Review, p. 420. He observes: 
 "The accompanying translation of the second paragraph presents a nice instance of such 
 interpretation as gives the true result of the whole by reversing the sense of each part."
 
 14 0. E. WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 bearing an Old-English text. He kindly communicated the discovery to 
 me, and the present work is the result. By adding the favor of per- 
 mission to examine them thoroly in various lights in my own house, 
 I have been enabled, as I hope, to give a text exactly correct, and to 
 procure photographic facsimiles of all the 4 pages. 
 
 Photographic facsimiles of old manuscripts, especially in dialects 
 where so much depends on grammatical niceties, on terminations, where 
 an e or an ce or a c, an f or f or /, &c. &c. makes all the difference, 
 are undoubtedly to be preferred to the best lithographic imitations. In 
 modern manuscripts, or where all is as plain as a pikestaff, the latter 
 are well enough, and where the number printed is large, are also incom- 
 parably cheaper. But we must not sacrifice truth and use to show or price. 
 The pretty mechanical copper or stone facsimile is inevitably, to a very 
 great degree, the work, the reading or guess or caprice, of the artist 
 himself. It is thus amusing to see how greatly 2 or 3 or 4 mechanical 
 facsimiles, taken by different men, often differ, not only in the general 
 air and character, but also, what is much more important, in the details. 
 Very nice wars are sometimes carried on by learned critics, each one 
 standing on his own facsimile. By the aid of the wonderful discovery 
 of Photography all this is impossible. Nature reflects herself. What 
 there is, we have. The resemblance is perfect. It is true that Photo- 
 graphy has its disadvantages, when thus applied to literary remains. 
 The older the parchment is, and thus the more anxious we may be to 
 obtain a perfect copy, the darker will it be, and often stained and spot- 
 lid and cruelly torn and twisted injuria lem/xtnnn. But all this is most 
 unfavorable to the art. Dark and yellow and brownish surfaces give, as 
 we know, a blackish ground, and the letters are no longer so visible as 
 might have been hoped, while every wound or tear or jag and wrinkle 
 produces a corresponding streak or chasm, or line of light or shade. 
 Even a powerful press applied to the parchment is only a partial remedy. 
 But still the greal fact remains. Photography is Nature. Altho not all 
 we could wish, it is infinitely better, especially for ancient remains, than 
 the clear arid elegant copy. It is therefore I have obtained photogra- 
 phical facsimiles of these 4 pages. As a last court of appeal, of course 
 tin- original vellum leaves must themselves be resorted to. But this 
 equally applies to all imitations. — Best of all would be, to have both 
 sorts (photographical ami lithographic) at once. But this would be a 
 double expense, and is not to be thought of by a poor scholar.
 
 IV. KING WALDERE'S LAY. If) 
 
 The history of these 2 leaves is involved in obscurity. They have 
 evidently been used as fly-leaves or strengthened on some old 8vo or 
 small 4to volume. Hut how they came into the National Library here, 
 is a mystery. They were not there some years ago in the bundles and 
 collections then brought together, which, as already mentioned, 1 literally 
 ransackt in search of just such fragments as these. The probability is, 
 that they were brought from England towards the close of the last cen- 
 tury by Thorkelin. When that learned gentleman was in London, copy- 
 ing the unique MS. of Beowulf, he pickt up a good many curious and 
 rare things. His collections and Manuscripts were afterwards disperst, 
 partly by sale and partly by gift, to certain societies or individuals here, 
 or to the King (Frederick vi). By degrees, most of them have found 
 their way to one or other of the great Libraries. Some of these Thorkelin 
 bundles have come to the Great National Library, and one of them has 
 doubtless contained the leaves in question. This is the best guess which 
 can be made here, by men conversant with the subject. 
 
 Each leaf is about 8 inches high by 5 broad, the parchment 
 rather stout than thin. Hence the facsimiles, for the sake of greater 
 distinctness, have been made a little smaller. The writing is in a line 
 large bold regular squarish hand, the es not rising above the line, as 
 is otherwise so common. Contractions there are very few, only the 
 usual 7 for and, for urn and o for om &c. In the last line of page 2 
 there is one Rune, ■%■ = tjeoel, (land or country). Accents are very 
 sparingly employed, not more than one or two in each page. As usual 
 in old times (for parchment was then precious) the whole is written as 
 prose in long lines, 15 to the page. What is very uncommon, there are 
 no points or commas or marks of any kind, scarcely a capital letter, and 
 not even the usual dot after each poetical versicle! This, in conjunction 
 with the peculiar nature of the scribe's errors and omissions (in which 
 he appears generally to have followed the sound of the words and not 
 their spelling) inclines me to believe that this text has been written from 
 dictation or recitation. — Some parts of the vellum have suffered from 
 abrasure or violence, and scars and stains disfigure them; but, generally 
 speaking, the leaves have been tolerably well preserved, in fact better 
 than might have been expected; and, fortunately, the few difficulties 
 cannot be said to affect any one really vital passage. 
 
 At the bottom of page 2 is a curious branching and winding 
 knot-and-leaf ornament, within 4 lines, apparently by the hand of the 
 scribe, at all events of the same age.
 
 16 0. E. WRITINGS IN SCANDINAVIA. 
 
 If we add together the evidence given by the language, which is 
 often archaic, the parchment, the subject and the very old hand, I think 
 we must decide that this transcript was made at the close of the 8th 
 or beginning of the 9th century. That it is a mere copy is evident. 
 Some words and letters have been forgotten, if not a line or two in one 
 place, and at the foot of page 4 we have 'mtoten' , which must be an 
 error for 'moten'. The original poem could not have been composed 
 later, in my opinion, than the beginning or middle of the 8th century. 
 
 An inspection of the facsimiles will show, that we have not only 
 •2 leaves, --but that the book-binder, the breadth of the leaf being insuf- 
 ficient for his purpose, has cut the quire in two, a little broader than 
 the folio, so that we have in fact to each leaf also a slip of another. 
 We can still perceive, especially on the one leaf, the letters which be- 
 gin the lines of the other. But unfortunately we have no whole 
 words. However, that nothing may be lost, and that they may be at 
 hand should the remainders ever be discovered on some other bookback, 
 I add what we have : — 
 
 Page I. Last letters of each line on opposite leaf. 
 
 Line I. n (?) — L. 2. turn (?) — L. 3. n {or m) 
 
 ., 4. r(?) - „ 5. t(?) - „ 6. ald(?) 
 
 „ 7. ac — „ 8. Id — „ 9. It)?) 
 
 ,, 10. pe — ,, //. ord — ,, 12. ge 
 
 ,, 13. do — ,, 14. or (?) — „ 15. swal 
 
 Page 2. First tellers of each line on opposite leaf. 
 
 — L. 3. h 
 „ 6. br 
 
 — „ 0. of 
 , 12. ba 
 
 — ,, 15. he (n ?m) 
 
 Un Page :; all is cut away. On Page 4 we can only read the 
 beginnings of the last 4 lines: 
 
 L. 12. t — /.. 13. s — L. 14. s - L. 15. f 
 
 In printing, I have made all tin 1 contracted letters Italics. Thus 
 
 imVu' is printed 'oiVii///, &c. The reader can therefore control everything. 
 
 Where absolutely necessary, 1 have added a letter or word which, in 
 
 Line 1. 
 
 M (?) 
 
 L. 
 
 2. 
 
 wr (?) 
 
 „ 4. 
 
 gin?) - 
 
 11 
 
 5. 
 
 h (i ?) 
 
 ,, 7. 
 
 ha — 
 
 11 
 
 8. 
 
 n(u?) 
 
 „ 10. 
 
 on 
 
 )5 
 
 II. 
 
 sc 
 
 „ 13. 
 
 on — 
 
 5? 
 
 14. 
 
 gu (3 ?
 
 IV. KING WALDEKES LAY. 17 
 
 my opinion, lias been omitted by the scribe. But these are always 
 printed within brackets [ ]. 
 
 It will be observed that the two leaves are not consecutive. How 
 many have intervened, it is impossible to say. Hence we cannot know 
 which of the two should be placed first. I have taken the one as first, 
 merely because the Hero's enemy is there spoken of\ the other appears 
 to be later as the Hero there speaks to his foe, who has thus had 
 time to come nearer. But all this is surmise, and can perhaps never 
 be settled , unless we should one day recover more of the poem. — 
 Something further on this head will be found in the "Remarks" which 
 follow. At all events, not to prejudge the question, I have markt the 
 chasm between the two so distinctly, that the reader can have no diffi- 
 culty in reversing their order, if be think proper. 
 
 It is also for this reason, that I have not numbered or paged the 
 facsimiles, but have left them just as they are. A choice, of some kind 
 or other, I was of course compelled to make.
 
 TWO LEAVES 
 
 OF 
 
 KING WALDERE AND KING GUDHERE. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 In approaching fragments of this nature, especially from a period 
 very far removed from onr own, hefore the Gleemen and Saga-men of 
 the Middle Age had moulded the floating traditions of the mythical and 
 heroical times into certain groups and tales more or less regular and 
 li\t, it is very difficult to place and identify some few lines of any par- 
 ticular story. We must always remember that myths existed before 
 Mythology. Much of the latter is the specific work of I'oets and 
 Schoolmen. 
 
 And the task is still more hazardous where many of these olden 
 traditions have altogether disappeared, or are only known by dim hints, 
 by a few proper names, or by some fragments. 
 
 But this is strikingly the case with that immense cluster of origi- 
 nally Heathen and Mythical Legends which float, as round a common 
 centre, about the person and exploits of Theodric, afterwards called 
 Amaling, of the race of Amal the Goth, and gradually confounded with 
 the historical Theodric of Verona. If we merely superficially compare 
 the Poetical Edda, the Scandinavian Theodric' s (or the Wilkina) Saga, 
 and the German Nibelungen Lied, we shall he struck with tin 1 multitude 
 of variations and the numerous traditions which are lost. l>ut if we de- 
 scend to details, if we take for instance Theodric himself, or Sigird the 
 Dragon-slayer (the German Siegfried), or Weland (the German Wielant, 
 
 2*
 
 20 KING WALDERE'S LAY 
 
 the Classical D.edalus and Hephaestus and Vulcan), the differences and 
 contradictions and omissions become still more apparent. 
 
 If we now turn to another of these Hero-tales, another episode 
 in the great drama of Theodric, the Saga of Walther, the same thing 
 holds good in a still higher degree. 
 
 We have a very One version of this tale, notwithstanding certain 
 clerical and classical affectations, in a Latin Hexameter-poem of the 10th 
 century*, the work of a German ecclesiastic and probably translated 
 from an old German Epic. But if we compare this with the other tra- 
 ditions in various dialects and with the outline of his adventures as given 
 in the Wilkina Saga**, ch. 241 — 244, we find facts and versions often 
 quite distinct. And, to throw us into entire despair, we find the writer 
 of the Latin Epic assuring us, as indeed we might expect from other 
 sources, that he had only brought down the history and exploits of 
 Walther to his marriage with Hildegund, but that he knew a whole 
 beadroll of tales about him after that happy event — these stories having 
 nearly all perisht. 
 
 The poet's words are, lines 1450, 1, edit, du Meril: 
 "Qualia bella dehinc, vel quantos saepe triumphos 
 Ceperit, ecce stylus renuit signare retunsus." 
 
 fn selecting, then, the title I have given to these few Old-English 
 lines, I have been of opinion — 1st, that they belong to the great Theod- 
 ric-cyclus, — - 2nd, that they concern the story of Walther, — and 
 lastly, that they appear to belong to an Epic which has described his 
 deeds, or a part of them, after his marriage with the fair Burgundian. 
 
 The indications and helps in the Old-English fragments are very 
 faint. But I have acted on the following grounds, which I submit to the 
 judgment of the reader: — 
 
 1 . I fancy that Walther bears the character of a man no longer 
 young. There is a certain something about him that reminds one of the 
 later Cantos in Beowulf. 
 
 2. He is distinctly addrest as 
 
 jEtlan ord-wiga 
 
 (jEtla's (Attila's) army-chief), 
 
 * Several times printed. Last and best edition in du Merh.'s "Poesies Pop. Lat. An- 
 terieures au 12me siecle. Paris 8vo. 1813." Hest German version by A. Geyder. 
 
 * Last and best edition by G. R. U.nger. "Saga Didriks Konungs of Bern. Ghristi- 
 ania. 8vo. 1853."
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 21 
 
 which he was before his flight with IIiluegund, when he will be too 
 young for the events in the 0. E. Poem, and after his escape, when 
 Eormanric, as we are told only in the Theodrics-Saga, ch. 244 ("Oc po 
 la heir Attila konungr halldit sinu vinfengi me3 fegiofum , er ^Ermlnrikr 
 konungr gaf Attila konungi"), reconciled him to tEtla by means of 
 costly presents. The events of the Epic are therefore after the Flight. 
 
 3. Walther is unjustly invaded by Gudhere (the Scandinavian 
 Gunnarr, German Gynther), who marches from his own country for that 
 purpose. This must be quite a different event from the cowardly attack 
 on the hero, in his flight, by Gudhere and his champions in or near 
 his ow?i land. 
 
 4. In the Latin Epic Walther's father, King .ZElfhere (the Alp- 
 here of the Latin text, the Alpher, Alpker, of German poems) is still 
 living till some time after his flight and marriage. But in the 0. E. the 
 epithet applied to the hero's sword: 
 
 iELFHERES laf {legacy) 
 shows that the old king had long been dead. 
 
 But should I be mistaken, I beg the reader's indulgence. 
 
 Not only is it difficult to give a title to a short ancient fragment, 
 it is often no less hazardous to translate it. We have to interpret a 
 speech, but know nothing of the speaker; to give emphasis to events 
 and hints, of which we are in ignorance ; to give a meaning to episodes, 
 of which we can make nothing. This will often influence not only the 
 meaning of words, but even certain grammatical constructions. There 
 is a plain instance of this at line 56: 
 
 hlafurd secan, 
 where 'hlafurd' may be in the nominative, and will then be an epithet 
 of Gudhere, or in the accusative, and would then give him a Master! 
 I have taken it in the former sense. 
 
 I have only one other observation to make, as to the style and 
 language. The Epic is of course in the Old-English stave-rhyme, the 
 stately metre of our oldest verse, of the Eddie Lays, and of the ancient 
 Northern races and Saxon and Germanic peoples. My translation is in 
 the same metre. We have no right to do injustice to these glorious
 
 22 king waldere's lay. 
 
 memorials of our hero-fathers. But we do so when we clothe their 
 thoughts in the emasculations of modern rhyme and sickly sentiment and 
 all sorts of classic metres. This is one reason why we have scarcely 
 any versions from Old-English masterpieces which can give us any real 
 idea or feeling of their peculiar character and distinctive beauty. Every 
 age and school has its own system, which must to a certain extent be 
 respected. Our ancestors grounded their verse on stave-rhyme and ac- 
 cent and parallel-lines and rich repetitions; ail these disappear in elabor- 
 ate modern versions, however smooth or talented. Even blank-verse 
 destroys the effect. One of our most elegant and admirable translators 
 of this school is J. J. Conybeare, whose "Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon 
 Poetry, Svo, London 1826", is still of great value. Cut even this 
 charming writer has broken down beneath the metres he so injudiciously 
 adopted. What idea do such lines as these give us of the wild 'Scopes 
 Widsi'5' or 'Song of the Traveler' (p. 22)? 
 
 "In phrase that spuke a poet's soul, 
 
 His treasured lore he 'gan unfold; 
 He that had wander'd far and wide , 
 
 The Bard his toils and travels told." 
 
 But take even blank-verse, and a favorable specimen, from the 
 mild flowing 'Song of the Phenix'. Conybeare's first extract is the com- 
 mencement, p. 225, 54 lines: — 
 
 "Oft have I heard that eastward, far from hence, 
 The noblest land that song may tell of lies. 
 Not by the countless host of men that hold 
 This middle earth, that country may be known. 
 Heaven hath removed it from the sinner's eye. 
 Fair is that land, with every pleasure blest; 
 In the sea's bosom , rich of odorous sweets , 
 The lonely islet stands. Divine was he, 
 And wondrous in his sovereign intellect, 
 The Artificer that gave that land its place. 
 There to his righteous servants stand unveil'd 
 In clearest light the joys of heaven's domain. 
 Beauteous in sooth that land beneath the sky 
 Spreads its green woodlands: there nor rain, nor snow, 
 ^or the frost's fetters, nor the blast of fire,
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 23 
 
 Nor hail swift falling, nor the hoary rime, 
 Nor the sun's parching heat, nor winter's cold, 
 May ought intrude; hut firm amid the wave, 
 Still clad in verdure, stands that hlessed realm. 
 Nor hill nor mountain there , nor stony cliff 
 (Such steeps as those our earthly mansion bears), 
 High towering rise; nor upland's long ascent, 
 Nor dell, nor vale is there, nor rocky cave. 
 Mars not that blessed isle unseemly ought, 
 But full of joys it flowereth under heaven. 
 
 Now take the translation of these same lines, as printed in the 
 Archaeologia. * Observe, I only speak of the effect gained by restoring 
 the metre and style of the original: — 
 
 Oaebbe ic ge-frugnen 
 baette is feor heonan, 
 east-daelum on, 
 aeBelast londa 
 brum ge-frtege. 
 Nis se foldan sceat 
 ofer middan-geard 
 mongum gefere 
 folc-agendra. 
 Ac he a-fyrred is, 
 burh Meotudes meaht, 
 man-fremmendum. 
 
 Wlitig is se wong eall 
 wynnum geblissad 
 mid pam faegrestum 
 foldan stencum. 
 iEnlic is beet iglond, 
 ae5ele se wyrhta 
 modig meahtum spedig 
 se ha moldan gesette. 
 
 1-2 
 
 Hi 
 
 20 
 
 Shineth far hence, — so 
 singen wise oldings, — 
 far to the fire-east, 
 the fairest of lands that 
 man's race wot of. 
 Mo there not many 
 folk-falcons flock them 
 to those fields ever smiling, 
 that mid-world's bright main. 
 No! the Great Maker 
 hath stern it shelter'd 
 sin-workers from — far! 
 
 Daintily dight 
 is that dearest of joy-fields; 
 balmiest breezes 
 still breathe its groves thro. 
 Meadow-isle matchless ! 
 What mightiest worker, 
 how peerless, how mind-rich 
 who planted thy mould! 
 
 * The King of Birds; or the Lay of the Phccnix; an Anglo-Saxon Song of the tenth 
 or eleventh century. — Now first translated into the metre and alliteration of the ori- 
 ginal, and communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, by George Stephens, Esq. Ar- 
 chaeologia, London 1844, Vol. 30, pp. 256—322.
 
 24 
 
 KING WALDERE S LAY. 
 
 I»aer bio oft open, 
 eadgum to-geanes, 
 on-hliden hleodra wyn, 
 heofon rices duru: 
 baet is wynsum wong. 
 Wealdas grene 
 riime under roderum. 
 Ne maeg bar ren ne snaw, 
 ne forstes fnsest, 
 ne fyres blaest, 
 ne haegles hryre, 
 ne hrimes dryre, 
 ne sunnan haetu, 
 ne sin-caldu , 
 ne wearm weder, 
 ne winter-scur — 
 wihte ge-wyrdan, 
 ac se wong seomad 
 eadig and onsund, 
 is baet ae3ele lond 
 blostmum ge-blowen. 
 
 lieorgas baer ne rnuntas 
 steape ne stondao, 
 ne stan-clifu 
 heali blifiaS 
 Bwa ber mid us; 
 in- dene ne dalu 
 ne dun-scrafu, 
 hlaewas ne blincas; 
 ae 5ar bleonad 60 
 unsmedea wiht. 
 \<- Be aedela feld 
 wriduo under wolcnum, 
 wynnum geblowen. 
 
 24 
 
 32 
 
 36 
 
 40 
 
 44 
 
 is 
 
 •fl 
 
 Tbe high' door of Heaven 
 to the happy there open — 
 song-waves oft sweetly 
 sweep them to earthward. 
 wong ever winsome! 
 How its wolds stretch greenly 
 summer-skies under ! 
 Snow nor eke rain there, 
 nor frost's fell snort-bite, 
 fire's ruddy glare-light, 
 hail's hard rush-fall, 
 hoar-rime's drear-pall , 
 sun-stroke blasting, 
 sharp-cold long-lasting, 
 deadly- hot drought, 
 nor dashing-show'r wintry — 
 scathe or shend mo 
 that sward aye on-biding 
 beamy and blissful 
 and blossom-deckt. 
 
 On those shores so lovely 
 steep not standen 
 hills nor rough heights, 
 nor hard-ribb'd stone-cliffs, 
 as aye with us they 
 eye far cloudlets; 
 dens nor dales, 
 nor darksomest fastness; 
 rock nor ridge, 
 nor rugged aught earthly 
 with grim crag glooming. — 
 But gay still buddeth 
 that winsomest woodland 
 the welkin under. 
 
 I have made these observations merely in self-defence, and I 
 would add that, in my opinion, neither is prose admissible, except for 
 merely prosaic purposes. The Old-English poetical vocabulary is very
 
 GENEKAL REMARKS. 25 
 
 ■ 
 
 rich and varied, but much of it is now dim and rusty, or belongs to 
 half-forgotten Myths. The mass of synonyms we can never equal, 20 or 
 30 words for a ship or shield or sword — is beyond our reach. And 
 many expressions now trivial or vulgar were once high and noble. This 
 must be remembered. It is in some degree the case with tbe Middle- 
 English — to go no higher up, — the comparatively modern master- 
 pieces of Chaucer and Wicliff; nay, even with the Later English, Shake- 
 spear himself, and the still nearer dialect of our precious and truly Clas- 
 sical Authorized Version of Holy Writ. How much more, with the oldest 
 monuments left us by our forefathers! Some of these fine and primitive 
 or suggestive and secondary words and meanings, the Fixt Stars of our 
 speech, — often vulgarly and flippantly and mechanically sneered at as 
 'obsolete' or 'obsolescent' by critics too finikin, or people too helpless I 
 will not say to learn anything but even to refer to a glossary or a note, 
 they not condescending to bestow any labor on their own beautiful 
 language (of which they are unworthy!) where they will often spend so 
 much on a foreign tongue — can and must and will be gradually and 
 judiciously restored to us. And why should they not? Why should we 
 voluntarily disentail ourselves of such a hoard of treasure? Mere 're- 
 translation' is a fatal error. (Only think of 'translating', fitting for 'tender 
 minds' , Chaucer and Shakespear and the Bible and 'Pilgrim's Progress' 
 and 'Robinson Crusoe* and 'The Vicar of Wakefield'! Ha! ha! ha!). 
 We should soon be bankrupts. Within a single century, if this tendency 
 were to go on uncheckt, we should lose large sections of our most 
 gifted and characteristic authors, the glories of our land and lights of 
 our homesteads.* Our whole book-language would be disrupted, and 
 would crumble away. It would become, not a Northern-Romance amal- 
 gam, but a mere bastard Gallic patois, full of slipshod vulgarities on the 
 one hand and of hard school-bred ink-horn sesquipedalianisms on the 
 other, a cross between the gibberish of 'smart' trade and the chaff and 
 husks of scientific -ologies. What can be more unreasonable than 
 the idea, of late gaining ground among certain classes, that an invaluable 
 word or phrase or idiom, racy and robust, fresh and full-breasted, merry 
 
 The right way is being pursued in the revived study of our Middle-English Clas- 
 sics and of Shakespear and his School, in the elegant and useful winks of Dean Trench, 
 in Hooker's excellent "Glossary of Obsolete Words and Phrases in the English Bible, 
 Apocrypha, and Prayer-book", and other such.
 
 26 king waldere's lay. 
 
 and melodious, simple and antique, is no longer to be used, is now to 
 be refused its place in the sweep of High Verse or High Prose — 
 merely because it has fallen away from the humble store of the half-edu- 
 cated mob or of the listless "popular reader" or of the Circulating-library 
 fed lounger or of the silly sempstress, and that motley tribe who daily 
 defile the Queen's English with a flood of Slang! Truly, the age of 
 Queen Anne, worshipt by these people if they worship anything, was but 
 of beggarly brass, at best French-gilt. If we must have a 'standard', 
 let us stick to the mighty men and golden age of Queen Bess! — 
 Scott, Dickens, Carlyle, Bulwer-Lytton, Tennyson and others have already 
 set a good example in this work of restoration. But still, mere words 
 are not sufficient. We must boldly meet the difficulty another way. 
 When we cannot verbally translate, we must dare — in the mirror and 
 with the music of our Modern English, in splendor and multitudinous 
 variety and strength and sweetness of diction as a whole a tongue 
 superior to every other, old or new, while in terseness and charming 
 simplicity it stands quite alone, — to reflect and echo and imitate these 
 \enerable lays. In a word, we must endeavor to translate this whole 
 class of Northern verse, whether Scandinavian or English, in the metre 
 and spirit of the original. Else it has no chance. The poet and the 
 linguist must work hand in hand. I am quite aware that I am speaking 
 as a heretic. Not one in twenty of my readers will agree with me; but 
 I fancy it is because this whole held of literature is almost uncultivated 
 among us. It must be studied and loved, in order to be appreciated. 
 At all events I may be allowed to give my opinion, the fruit of long 
 • \|»erience and many efforts. 
 
 The dialect of the Poem is Old South English. But, as is so 
 often the case in our ancient Epic poetry, there are traces of its being 
 copied from North-English, that broad Scandinavianizing idiom which 
 -'•••in- to have contained all our grandest verse. 1 would particularly 
 point out 'dag' and 'feta', for which I refer to the Wordroll.
 
 TRACES OF 
 
 THE THEODRIC-SAGA IN ENGLAND. 
 
 This is perhaps the place to point out to students of this ancient 
 Saga the surprising degree to which the names connected therewith have 
 left traces in Old-English Places and Patronymics. Eemble (Saxons in 
 England, I, 419—426) has toucht slightly on the subject, but a very 
 great deal remains to accomplish, and, unfortunately, his Codex Diplo- 
 maticus has no Index of Persons. I only give some few instances, for 
 I have not leisure to pursue the enquiry, and merely wish to direct 
 attention to these curious details. Besides such words as iun and its 
 compounds, and the less remarkable Hero names more or less connected 
 with this Legend which may be found in Beowulf, the Scop's Song, the 
 Traveler's Lay, the Codex Dipl. and elsewhere, 1 beg to throw together 
 the following incidental gatherings as to the more considerable figures. 
 
 ^Egel. — Kemble, S. in Engl. I, 422, observes: 
 "In the Northern tradition appears a brother of Wefand, named 
 Eigil or Egil, who is celebrated as an archer, and to whom belongs the 
 wide-spread tale which has almost past into accredited history in the 
 case of William Tell*; this tale given b\ Saxo Grammaticus to Toko, by 
 the Jomsvikinga Saga to Palnatoki, and by other authorities to other 
 heroes from the twelfth till the very end of the fifteenth century, but 
 most likely of the very highest antiquity in every part of Europe, was 
 
 * See the masterly paper on "The Wanderings of a Northern Tradition , particularly 
 as to the story of Wilhelm Tell" ("Et nordisk Sagns Vandringer, fornemmelig med Hen- 
 syn til Sagnet om Wilhelm Tell") by Prof. F. Schiebn, in his "Historiske Studier, 8vo, 
 Kjobenhavn 1856," Vol. I, pp. 40-109.
 
 28 king waldere's lay. 
 
 beyond doubt an English one also, and is repeated in the ballad of Wil- 
 liam of CLOUDESLEY; it is therefore probable that it belongs to a much 
 older cycle, and was as well known as the legends ofWADA and Weland. 
 with which it is so nearly connected. Eigil would among the Anglo- 
 Saxons have borne the form of JEgel, and accordingly we find places 
 compounded with this name, — thus [K. Cod. Dipl. No. 593, 1178 
 Mcelesbeorh,] Mg[e]lesburh, now Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire ; [No. 499] 
 JEglesford, now Aylsford in Kent; [No. 549, 1361] Mgleslona, [now 
 Ayleslane] in Worcester; [No. 423, 591] Mgleswurd, now Aylsworth in 
 Northamptonshire y also Mgleswyl [? JEgles nullan broc, in No. 1218]; 
 and lastly Aylestone in Leicestershire." 
 
 To these I would add JEgel-Byrhtinga Hyrst, JEg el- Berlin Herst 
 (Charters, No. 1041, 1042); JEgeles porp {JEgeles Threp, 0. E. Chron. 
 ad an. 455, Egeles T/trip , Flor. Wigorn. ad an. 455), JEgeles Treow 
 [Aeiles Trot, in Hen. of Hunt, ad an. 455), probably, as contracted 
 forms, Ml-Broc 3 K. Chart. No. 744, Mies Beorh, Ch. No. 193, Mies 
 I'd///. Ch. No. 685, and, if JEeel or Ecel is another form of Mgel, which 
 is likely enough (see JEgeles Bur//, Mceles Beorh above) also Ecles Beorh, 
 Eceles Beorh, Mceles Beorh, Charters, No. 1129, 1168, 1178, now 
 Ecclesborough in Berkshire; Ecles Broc, Eceles Broc, Nos. 126, 682, 
 1369, now Ecclesbrook in Worcestershire; Ecles Burne, No. 1102, now 
 Ecclesbourne in Hampshire; Ecles Cumb, Mccel-Cumbes Hedfdan, No. 
 157, 461, now Eclescombe in Wiltshire; Eceles Ford, No. 483, 555, now 
 Ecklesford in Middlesex; Eceles Hale, No. 62, 710, 1298, now Exhall in 
 Warwickshire; Eceles Ham, No. 1203, now Ecclesham in Berkshire ; /Ecles 
 Mur. No. 570, now Acklesmoor in Worcestershire; and Ecgeles Stiele, No. 
 1303. There are also the compounds Mgel-N6d and Mgel-Weard. 
 
 Elfhere (the Alphere of the German Epic, Alpker in Biterolf), 
 the Bistersoa of King Eormenric and father of King Wafdere, hero of 
 the Waldere's Lay, where he is mentioned 1. 18, 93. The name is 
 common in O. E. history, and also in K. Cod. Dipl., (Ml/here, Mlfhcere, 
 .El fere, Alfere, Elfere, Alferus) where we also find, Charter, No. 592, 
 a place called Mtfheres Stapol. 
 
 jEtla (the /Elli, Allila, Aklilia, Ak/ilius, of Scandinavia, Et%el of 
 thr Nibelungen, by the romancers usually made into the historical Allila 
 lite Hun). Appears in the (Ileeman's or Scop's Song, 1. 37, 246, and in 
 Waldere's Lay, 1. 9. The name is borne by an English bishop (Beda, 
 ch. 2:;; Flor. Wigorn. Norn. Ep. Hwiccia.)
 
 THE THEODRFC-SAGA IN ENGLAND. 29 
 
 Ahal, Amu, (Latin Arnold, Amalus), the chief and founder oi' the 
 Gothic Amalinps, from whom the great Theodric hoasted his descent. 
 We have an Amal-Bume in the Charters, K. No. 685- TElfred's Boetius, 
 ch. 1, has, of Theodric, both in the prose (beg.) and the poetry (1. 133) 
 Amuling, and the Charters, No. 33, 56, 58, give us an Omolincg, Omnl- 
 ung, Homolunch; (0 and A are sometimes interchanged, and H prefixt 
 or omitted, on the same page). 
 
 Becca J 
 
 ) (the Scand. Bicco, and Sifka, Seveke, Sowekin; the 
 
 o I F E C A i 
 
 Germ. Sibike, Sibich), the betrayer of Eormanric. In the Scop's Song. 
 1. 39, 231, we have Becca, and at 1. 233 Sifeca. The Charters, No. 
 994, have a Sicca, and many places beginning with Bcecce, Beccan, 
 Bicce, Biccah, some of which may refer to the same name. 
 
 Ekkisax, ^Egiasax (Scand. forms ; Ekesahs, Eckesahs, Germ, forms), 
 the famous sword of Ecki and afterwards of King Theodrik. We have 
 in the 0. E. Charters Ecgan Croft, K. No. 621; Eccen Ford, K. No. 
 1171; Egcean Leah, K. No. 714; Ecgheang Loud, K. No. 199; Eve an 
 Treo, Eccan Treuue, K. No. 570, 987; Eccing-Tun, Eccyncg-Tun, K. 
 No. 570, 1298, now Eckington in Worcestershire; and the name Egesa- 
 sus, K. No. 106. 
 
 Eormanric, Earmanric, Eormenric (the Scand. Erminrekr, Mrmin- 
 rekr, /Ermenrik , Ermentrig, Germ. Ermenrich), King of the Goths. 
 Besides several compounds of Eormen in the 0. E. historians, we have 
 Eormenric in the Chron. and in Ethelwerd's Chron., Eormenring in Flor. 
 Wigorn., Eormoric in Nennius, Ermenrieus and Irmenricus in Hen. of 
 Hunt., and Irmiricus in Sim. Dun. 
 
 Fitela (the Scandinavian Sin/tulle) Sigmunds son and nephew. 
 Flis deeds are recorded in the Volsunga Saga. Occurs in Beowulf, 
 1. 1763, 1783, and in the Charters, K. No. 1110, where we have a place 
 called Filelan Sladces Crundeel. 
 
 FREor-ERic, Freotuoruc, Frithuricus, the son of Eormanric, is found 
 at line 249 in the Scop's Song, and the name occurs in Charters No. 
 87, 98, 99. 
 
 Fritila, Fritilia (Scand. forms; Vridelo , Fritele, Frit/a, Germ, 
 forms), Eormanric s nephew. We have in K. Charters, No. 1216, Fri- 
 dela-Byrig; (? Writeles or Wryteles pom, No. 535, 597); and, No. 35, 
 Writola-Burne. now Writtle-bourne in Essex.
 
 30 KING WALDERE S LAY. 
 
 Gifica (Soand. Giuki, Germ. Gibich), King of the Burgundians. 
 In the Charters, No. 041, we have Gifican Cumb, now Gifcombe in 
 
 \\ iltshire. 
 
 Gislhere, Gislehere (Scand. Gisler, Germ. Gieselher), son of King 
 Gifica. In K. Charters, occur, No. 1012, Gislehere, and, No. 38, a 
 place Gislheres L'uyrth. 
 
 Gudhere (the Scand. Gunnar, Germ. Gunther), King of the Bur- 
 gundians. Is mentioned in Waldere's Lay, 1. 40, and in the Traveler's 
 Song, 1. 133. The same name occurs in the Fight at Finnesburg, but 
 nut, 1 believe, in the 0. E. Charters, unless we may use Cudering- 
 Coton, No. 1297, and Gun-Dorp, No. 984, now Gunthorp in Northamp- 
 tonshire. 
 
 Gubrdn, Grimhildr, Krimild.e , Crimlla (Scand. forms; Krimhilt, 
 KriemMld-i Grimhild, Germ, forms), the wife and avenger of Sigurd 
 [Sigfrid, Sigmund) the Drag on- Slayer. Does not occur in the O. E. 
 Charters. But I think this a favorable opportunity of making public a 
 hitherto (1 believe) unknown extract, from a M. H. G. Manuscript in my 
 possession, written anno 1450, on paper, folio. The extract is from 
 page 3, and is a part of a list or description called "Der ablas der 
 kirchen zu Bom" : — 
 
 "Item darnach kumbt man zu der spigelpurck vnd do siehet man 
 \il selczams vnd grosses gepews das ich nicht alles kan geschreiben 
 I »in man scheczts das alle herrn von peyren vmochten es nicht zu pawen 
 ein solches schloss oder purck / Vor dem Schloss stet ein holier steyner 
 stock auf dem ist gesessen Ckixhilt Do alle musten fewer do enczun- 
 den ale die hystorj auss weist von Virgilio dem Zauberer vnd Crinhilden." 
 
 IIwje.w (the Scand. Ilaugni, Ilogni, ffognar, Hag en, Germ. Hagen), 
 in -nine legends the friend or fellow-hostage or foe of Waldere; in 
 others, the brother or half-brother of Gudhere. In Waldere's Lay, 1. 80, 
 and in the Scdp's Song, 1. 43, we have the form llageua. In the O. E. 
 Charters, No. 11, 10, 35, 38, -10, 43, 50, 995. 997, we have the names 
 Hagana, Hagona, Haguna, Hut/anus; as also, No. 1270, Hagene-Ford, 
 and. No. 1011, Hagena-Treou. 
 
 IIwia (Scand. Reimir . ff&im, Hem, He/ame, the Ammius of Saxo 
 Grammaticus, Germ. Heime), the son of Gudrun and slayer of Eorman- 
 ric. Is found in Beowulf, 1. 2401, and in the Scup's Song, 1. 250, 202. 
 In Kemblf's Charters, No. 0S7, we have Hdmen-Eg, ffdmen-Ig, now 
 Bamnej in Surrey.
 
 THE THE0DRIC-8AGA IN ENGLAND. 31 
 
 Mimming (Scand. Mimungr, Mimming, Meming, Germ. Miminc, 
 Mimring, Meriting), the most famous of all swords, the masterpiece of 
 Weland the smith, and wielded by his son Widia (Widga, Vidga). It is 
 now first found in Old English in Waldere's Lay, 1. 4 ; but it is men- 
 tioned in a Middle English Romance, Horn child, as follows: — 
 
 "pan sche lete forb bring 
 A swerd hongand bi a ring, 
 
 To Horn she it bitauit: 
 'It is the make | = mate, fellow, equal] of jVIiming, 
 Of all swerdes it is king, 
 
 And Weland it wroust. 
 Bitterfer [>e swerd hi.it , 
 Better swerd bar never kni.it, 
 
 Horn, to be ich it bou3t; 
 Is nought a kni.it in Inglond 
 Schal sitten a dint of bine hond, 
 
 Forsake bou it nou3t.'"* 
 
 Nidhad (the Scandinavian Nidaudr, A'idudr, Nidung), the King 
 who tormented Weland, is in the Scald's Complaint, 1. 8, but not, I be- 
 lieve, in the Charters, which give however another name, similarly formed, 
 Nidmund (Kemble, Cod. Dipl. No. 270, 271.) 
 
 Sifeca — See Becca. 
 
 Sigfrid, Sigefrid, Sigheard, Sigeheard (the Scand. Sigurdr, Sigord, 
 Sigurlh, Sigifrodr, Sigisfrodr, Sigfrid, Sivard, Germ. Siegfried, Sigfred, 
 are common names in 0. English. But his place is taken in Beowulf 
 by Sigmund. 
 
 I'eodrk ithe Scand. ftidrikr, Didrik, Dydrek, Tidrik, Germ. 
 Dietrich), a Mythic personage, afterwards confounded with Theodoric the 
 Goth. He occurs in the 0. E. Chronicle, at line 65 of Waldere's Lay, 
 in the Travelers Song, 1. 49, 232, and in the Traveler's Complaint, 1. 35, 
 as well as in ^Elfred's Boetius, dec. Mr. Kemble has the following inter- 
 esting remarks (Saxons in England, I, p. 422): — 
 
 * First printed by Ritson, in his "Antient Engleish .Metrical Romancers, Svo. Lon- 
 don 1802', Vol. 3, p. 295; but I quote from the last and best edition, • ■ Second text 
 of the English Romance Horn Childe, stanza 30, printed in "Horn and Riuenild. Publie 
 par Fr. Michel, 4to, Paris 1845" (for the Rannatyne Club), p. 357.
 
 32 KING waldere's lay. 
 
 "The Wilkina Saga and the Scald's Complaint, already cited from 
 the Cpdex Exoniensis, lead ns next to the legends of Deodric {Dietrich 
 rou Bern) and Eormenric [Hermanaric,) and through the latter to Sig- 
 fried and the other heroes of the Nibelungen cycle. The heroic or 
 even godlike character of Dietrich has been well made out by Grimm*, 
 and the historical Theodoric the Ostrogoth vanishes in his traditional 
 representative. The Anglosaxon poet evidently refers to the latter, not 
 indeed from the story he tells, but from the collocation of Deodric 
 among merely mythical personages. Perhaps, as the whole scope of his 
 poem is to relate the misfortunes of the great and thus draw consolation 
 for his own, the thirty years' residence in Maeringaburg may be con- 
 sidered as a reference to Deodric 's flight from before Otachar** and 
 long-continued exile. In a Saxon [Mr. Kemble of course means Anglo- 
 saxon, or rather Old-English***] menologyf of great antiquity, the 
 
 ' D. Myth. p. 346. [K. Note.] 
 " The Hiltibrants Lied says, 
 
 Hiltibrant hactti min fater . ih heittu Hadubrant . 
 
 forn her ostar gihueit . floh her Otachres nkl . 
 
 hina mit Theotriiihe . enti sinero degano filu . 
 
 sid Detrihhk . darba gistontum . 
 fateres mines . dat uuas so friuntlaos man . 
 For remarks on Deodric's exile see W. Grimm , Deutsche Heldensage, pp. 22, 24, 34, 36, 
 37, 201, 204. [K. Note.] 
 
 * See my article on this subject, "English" or "Anglo- Saxon" in The Gentle- 
 man's Magazine, London, April and May 1852; translated into Danish, with additional 
 proofs and illustrations, by the learned Icelander G. Brynjulfsso.m, and printed in "Anti- 
 qvarisk Tidsskrift, Kjobenhavn 1854, 8vo", pp. 81 — 143. 
 
 ; MS. <;. (',. <;. Cantab. .No. 17'J. "On done eahtatcodan daeg daes mondes byd See 
 Johannes tyd 5aes papan 7 ftaes martyres, se gedydc purh Godes myht blyndum men 
 
 hide. Done Johannes for aifstum [heht cwellan] Tiieodoricus se waes Gotena cyning 
 in Rauenna daere ceastre; 7 sum westensetla on dam ealonde de is nemned Liparus, 
 he sfede Bciph'dendum mannum 5aet he gesawe Johannes sawle daes papan Iaedan done 
 cyning de bine ofsltih gebundenne on ecum wi'tum. He cwaed, se Godes l>edw, to dam 
 Bciplfdendum: Girsan daeg on da nigodan lid da3ges, daet is on done non, I>eouricus 
 waes gelaeded ungyrd 7 unscedd 7 eac gebunden he dam handum, betweoh Johanne dam 
 papan 7 Pinianum dam ealdormen, 7 he waes fram heom aworpen on byrnende sead on 
 dysuin neah-ealande, 7 dact is nemned Ulcania. And da sciplidende da daet gehyredon, 
 big ymbhydelice amearcodon done daeg, 7 him da cyrdon eft to Elelwara ma3gde, daer 
 ln_' done cyning aer lyfigende forlseton; hig da eft hine daer deadne gemetton, dy ylcan 
 dffige de his wfte dam Godes peowe tntywed waes. Da;t waes swi'de riht dact he fram 
 dam twain mannum waire sended on daet ece fyr dade he her unrihth'ce ofsldh on disum 
 life. Daet \va;s I'eoijoricus done we nemnad Dkodri'c." See further illustrations of this
 
 THE THKOIHUC-SUiA IN EN(il.AM). 
 
 33 
 
 author, after stating the eighteenth of May to be the commemoration of 
 St. John, Pope and Martyr, goes on to say, that an anchoret on Lipari 
 told certain sailors how at a particular time he had seen king Theodoric, 
 ungirt, barefoot, and bound, led between St. John and St. Finian, and 
 by them hurled into the burning crater of the neighbouring island Vul- 
 cano. That on their return to Italy the sailors discovered by comparison 
 of dates that Theodoric died on the day on which the anchoret noticed 
 his punishment by the hands of his victims. The author expressly tells 
 it was Theodoricus, the king of the Goths in Ravenna; and he concludes 
 by saying, "That was Theodoricus the king whom we call Deodric", 
 which we can only understand by supposing him to allude to the mythi- 
 cal Deodric. Alfred seems also to have known something of the myth- 
 ical Deodric when he says, "he wyes Amaling", a fact historically true 
 of the Ostrogoth Theodoric, but yet unlikely to have been contained in 
 yElfred's Latin authorities. The Travellers Song says (1. 47) u Deodric 
 weold Froncum", Theodoric ruled the Franks, but this I should rather 
 understand of one of the historical Merwingian kings, than of the 
 Ostrogoth." 
 
 This legend is somewhat differently told in the Old-Swedish Le- 
 gendarium (written between 1265 and 1270), page 700: — 
 
 "Wm then tima war iohannes 
 paue. d. xxvi vars herra are. ok 
 war thu aar iiii manada ok stod 
 paua stol tomber viij dagha. Thid- 
 rik Bcern gota konunger fanghade 
 han ok swelte til dodh thy at ban 
 mente kiaettarom messo (sang) \ 
 Han drap ok then aedhla maestara 
 Boecium ok doo siaelfuir sidhan. 
 En haelaghe.r man saa hans siael 
 siuda J heluitis kaetle." 
 
 At that time was Johannes Pope, 
 526 years after Our Lord, and re- 
 mained 2 years and 4 months, and 
 then was the Papal Chair empty 8 
 days. Thidrik of Bern, king of 
 the Goths, caught him and starved 
 him to death, because he forbade 
 to the heretics Mass-song. He slew 
 also the noble master Boetius, and 
 then died himself. A holy man 
 saw his soul seething in the Kettle 
 of Hell. 
 
 strange tale in the Deutsche Heldensage, p. 38, where Otto of Freisingen is quoted , but 
 who does not give nearly so many details as the Anglosaxon legend. [K. Note.] 
 
 * "Ett Forn-Svenskt Legendarium, innehallande Medeltids Kloster-Sagor om Helgon, 
 Pafvar och Kejsare ifran det lsta till det 13de arhundradet. Efter Gamla Handskrifter 
 af Geokge Stephens, Esq." Vol. 2. Stockholm 1858. 8vo. 
 
 3
 
 34 KING yvaldere's lay. 
 
 Wada (Scand. Vade, Wada, Germ. Wate), the Giant-father of 
 W eland the Smith. His name occurs in the Charters, K. No. 56, 58, 
 60, 100, tfcc. — 1 will here again quote Kemble (S. in Engl. I, 419): — 
 "Of Wada the Traveller's Song declares that he ruled the Hel- 
 sings*; and even later times had to tell of Wades boat**, in which the 
 exact allusion is unknown to us: the Scandinavian story makes him wade 
 across the Groenasund, carrying his son upon his shoulder; perhaps 
 our tradition gave a different version of this perilous journey. The 
 names of places which record his name are not numerous, but still such 
 are found, thus Wadanbeorgas , (Cod. Dipl. No. 55, Vol. 3, Ap.), Wa- 
 danhlcew, (Cod. Dipl. No. 18, Vol. 3, Ap.)." 
 
 Wtelse , Walse, the ancestor of Sigmund (and Sigfrid) the Dra- 
 gon-Slayer. We have the patronymic Wcetsingas (Scand. Vblsungar) in 
 Beowulf, 1. 1758, in K. Charters, No. 759, and also Wcelsinga Ham, 
 Wnlsing-Hdm, No. 759, 782, 1339, now Walsingham in Norfolk, and a 
 Wails- Leah, No. 816. 
 
 Waldere (Scand. Valtari, Waller, Volter, Lat. Waltharius, Germ. 
 Walt her) the son of Mlfhere and general of JFAla. Now first found in 
 Old-English in the Waldere's Lay, 1. 78. The name occurs often in the 
 
 * Line 44. See also Cod. Exon. pp. 320, 514. Ettmuller, Scopes widsi'd. [K. Note.] 
 
 * Chaucer once or twice refers to this in such a way as to show that the expres- 
 sion was used in an obscene sense. Old women, he says, "connen so moche craft in 
 Wade's boat." Again of Pandarus: 
 
 "He song, he plaied, he told a tale of Wade." 
 
 Troil Cressid. 
 In this there seems to lie some allusion to what anatomists have termed fossa navicti- 
 laris, though what immediate connection there could be with the mythical Wada, now 
 escapes us. It is sufficiently remarkable that the Greeks made a similar application of 
 d/dipog. 
 
 a fTayy.ard.ftvyov ■d-rjiiireoov anav yevog. 
 ova erog d(p Jjtiav eidiv ai rpcxytp^iui. 
 OvSev ydo editiv rtkrjv trodeidav v.ai dyidprj. 
 
 Aristoph. Lysistr. 137. [K. Note.] 
 To this I will add another note, from Ritson, (Engl. Rom. 3, 265): — "Sir Francis 
 Kinaston in his Commentary on "The loves of Troilus and Creseid", says that "Chaucer 
 means a ridiculous romance . . . , for, in his time, there was a foolish fabulous legend 
 of one Wade and his boate Gi-inoelot, wherein he did many strange things and had 
 many Wonderful) adventures.'' He is suspected to have been either a Scot or a Pict (or 
 Pik, as mister Pinkerton will have it), and to have been the chief or leader in an ir- 
 ruption through the Roman wall; in which there was a chasm known, in old time, 
 by the name of "Wades-gapp". See Wallises History of Northumberland, II, 3, n (e)."
 
 THE THEODRIC-SAGA IN ENGLAND. 35 
 
 Charters, K. No. 34, 57, 58, 60, 73, 79, &c, under the spellings Vnal- 
 dherus, Uualdharius ; in No. 774 we have a Wealderes Weg, now Wal- 
 dersway in Somersetshire, and in No. 355 a Walderes Wei, now Wal- 
 derswell in Wiltshire. 
 
 Weland the Smith (the Scand. Vulundr, Votond, Vaulundur , Ve- 
 lent, Veland, Vet/and, Germ. W'ieland, We/end, French Galannus, Ga- 
 lans, Galant, Gallant, — answering to the classical Ucedalos, Hephaes- 
 tus, Vulcan), is spoken of in Waldere's Lay, 1.2, 74, in Beowulf, 1.914, 
 in the Traveler's Complaint, 1. 1 , by king iElfred in Boetius de Cons. 
 2, 7, and, under the name Weland, Velond, Guielandus, by English 
 writers and romancers down thro the middle age. * Mr. Kemble writes 
 (S. in Engl. I, 420): — 
 
 "Weland is the most famous of smiths, and all good swords are 
 his work. In Beowulf, the hero when about to engage in a perilous 
 adventure, requests that if he falls his coat-of-mail may be sent home, 
 Welandes geweorc, either literally the work of Weland, or a work so 
 admirable that Weland might have made it. Alfred in his Boetius 
 translates fidelis ossa Fabrkii by "Saes wisan goldsmioes ban Welondes", 
 where, as Grimm** observes, the word Fabricius [faber) may have led 
 him to think of the most celebrated of smiths, Weland. The use made 
 by Sir W. Scott of Welands name must be familiar to all readers of 
 Kenilworth : from what has been said it will appear how mistaken in 
 many respects his view was. The place in Berkshire which even yet in 
 popular tradition preserves the name of Wat/land Smith, is nevertheless 
 erroneously called; the boundary of a[n Anglo-]Saxon charter names it 
 much more accurately Welandes Smidde , i. e. Weland 's Smithy, his 
 workshop (Cod. Dipl. No. 1172). The legend of Weland, identical in 
 many respects with that of the Wilkina Saga and other Northern versions, 
 is mentioned in the Cod. Exon. p. 377. Here we find notice taken of 
 his mutilation by Nidaudr, the violence done by him to Bbdhildr, and 
 other acts of his revenge***, all in fact that is most important in this 
 
 . * See "Wayland Smith. A dissertation on a tradition of the Middle Ages. From 
 the French of G. P. Depping and Francisque Michel. With additions by S. W. Singer 
 And the amplified legend by Oehlenschlager. 12mo. London 1847." 
 ** D. Myth. p. 351. [K. Note.] 
 *** Weland him be wurman 
 
 wraeces cunnade 
 
 3*
 
 36 king waldere's lay. 
 
 part of his history. Grimm reminds me (D. Myth. p. 351), that the Wil- 
 kina Saga makes \\ eland the constructor of a wondrous boat, and that 
 the act of the son may thus have been transferred to the father, Wel- 
 ands boat to Wade." 
 
 The legend of 11 eland has been localized in many parts of Scan- 
 dinavia and Germany, and, as we all know, in Berkshire in England. 
 Hut it strikes me that he has also found an abiding memorial in yet 
 another part of our country. 
 
 But first a little ingress. 
 
 These ancient mythic and heroic stories have endless variations, 
 especially until they become more or less stereotyped and fixt by Written 
 Runes. So with this one. 
 
 Our chief sources for WelaiuVs Saga are the episode about him 
 in the Theodric's (or Wilkina) Saga, and the Volundar-kvida in the Elder 
 Edda, — the former the more modern (from the 1 3th century) but far 
 more diffuse and complete and popular, — the latter the earlier (per- 
 haps from the 8th century, tho not written down till the 11th), but not 
 by far so well known. 
 
 Now there is a great divergence here between these two author- 
 ities. 
 
 In the primitive tradition, We/and, after being hamstrung by NiUiid\ 
 was undoubtedly supposed to have been imprisoned on an iland, — 
 whether a holm, surrounded by the water of a river, — or an ig (ee, 
 ay) round which flowed the waves of the sea, — or an isle in a lake 
 — is immaterial. This is clear from the terms employed in the Volund- 
 ar-kviSa, stanza 16, prose fragment (Ed. Munch, 4to, Christiania 1847): — 
 
 siMan hine Ni'dmad on 
 nede legde 
 swoncre seonobande, 
 onsyllan mon. 
 
 Beadohii.de ne waes 
 
 hyre brdflra dead 
 
 on sefan swa sar 
 
 swa hyre sylfra bing, 
 
 6a:t hcii gearoh'oe 
 
 ongieten haifde 
 
 daet heo eacen waes, etc. [K. Note.]
 
 THE THEODRK -SAGA IN ENGLAND. 
 
 37 
 
 "Sva var gort, at skornar vara 
 sinar i knesfotum, ok settr i holm 
 einn , er bar var fyr landi , er het 
 SaevarstaSr." 
 
 So was done, that cut were the 
 sinews in his kneejoints, and he 
 was set in a holm there, opposite 
 the land, hight S^var-Stadr (Sea- 
 stead). 
 
 It is probably correct to translate Sea-stead, but it may be also 
 rendered Lake-stead, for the 0. N. ster, gen. scerar , means both sea 
 and lake, as the word sjo, so\ does still in Scandinavia; and the other 
 words are not decisive; fyr landi may mean opposite the shore (of a 
 lake or river) or the strand (of the sea); while holm is properly an islet 
 (near a larger one or the shore). 
 
 However this may be, Volundr was imprisoned on an Hand, that 
 he might have no chance either of escape or of vengeance, and this 
 isle and water must have been a great feature originally, and must have 
 been accompanied by a boat, used when he was visited. 
 
 Yet in this same poem — 1 need not say, only a relic of a whole 
 Epic — no further mention is made of it. All passes as if on terra 
 firma. When the two sons of Nidud were curious to see his goldsmiths- 
 work, they came as if Sea-stead were land-fast (st. 19): — 
 
 "Drifu ungir tveir 
 a dyr sja 
 synir Nidadar 
 i SaevarstoS; 
 komu heir til kistu, 
 krufBu lukla; 
 opin var illuS 
 er beir i sa." 
 
 Came leaping two lads, 
 look thro the doorway, 
 those sons of* Nidud, 
 in Saevar-stead; 
 came to the kist so, 
 the keys ask for. — 
 Open was Evil 
 when in thev saw! 
 
 So again when they return a second time, and when their sister 
 comes that he may repair the broken jewel-ring. Not one word about 
 boat or water. 
 
 But in the Theodric's Saga the iland has disappeared altogether. After 
 his cruel treatment, (Ch. 72), "Velent liggr nv i konongs gar3i", Velent 
 lies (lives) now in the king's garth (hall or palace-yard). Afterwards he 
 is moved away to a Smithy, which Nidung has let build for him. But 
 no mention of river or sea or iland. On the contrary. He bids the 
 young princes go to him walking backwards, (Ch. 73), "pegar snior vseri 
 
 *'r° j*y 

 
 3S 
 
 KING WALDERE'S LAY. 
 
 nyfallin", as soon as snow should be new-fallen. This they did. And 
 accordingly he could prove that they had been indeed to visit him, but 
 that they had left him. And the king's daughter's bovver-maid and the 
 princess herself come and go, as if walking over the meadow or the 
 rock-path. — Yet the idea of a boat (and of water) clings also to this 
 form of the story; for the Smith comes sailing to the court of king 
 Nidung inside a wonderful log-canoe, whereas in the Edda that king 
 marches against him with an armed force and captures him. 
 
 We see then that the oldest tradition was distinguish by an 
 iland-prison and consequently by water and a boat. And that this isle- 
 cell would be desolate enough in the grand and gloomy old Saga, we 
 may be well assured. 
 
 Now let us turn to a curious passage in an Old-English para- 
 phrase* of a Latin biography of a famous English worthy. 
 
 "Ys on Bretone-lande sum fenn 
 unmaetre mycelnysse baet onginned 
 fram Grante ea naht feor fram baere 
 cestre, Sy ylcan nama ys nemned 
 Granteceaster. paer synd unmaete 
 moras, hwilon sweart waeter-steal, 
 and hwilon fule ea-ribas yrnende, 
 and swylce eac manige ealand and 
 hreod and beorhgas and treow-ge- 
 wrido, and hit mid menigfealdan 
 bignyssum widgille and lang purh- 
 wunaS on nord-sae. Mid ban se 
 foresprecena wer and baere eadigan 
 gemynde GuBlac baes widgillan west- 
 enes ba ungearawan stowe baer ge- 
 mette, ba- waes he mid godcunde 
 fultume gefylst, and pa sona bem 
 rihtestan wege byder togeferde. pa 
 waes mid bam be he byder com baet 
 
 "There is in Britain a fen of 
 immense size, which begins from 
 the river Granta not far from the 
 city, which is named Grantchester. 
 There are immense marshes, now 
 a black pool of water, now foul 
 running streams, and also many 
 islands, and reeds, and hillocks, 
 and thickets, and with manifold 
 windings wide and long it continues 
 up to the north sea. When the 
 aforesaid man, Guthlac of blessed 
 memory, found out this uncultivated 
 spot of the wide wilderness, he was 
 comforted with divine support, and 
 journeyed forthwith by the straightest 
 way thither. And when he came 
 there he inquired of the inhabitants 
 of the land where he might find 
 
 : The Anglo-Saxon Version of the Life of St. Guthlac, Hermit ofCrowland. Origi- 
 nally written in Latin, by Fklix (commonly called) ofCrowland. Now first printed from 
 a MS. in the Cottonian Library. With a translation and notes, by C. W. Goodwin, M. A. 
 12mo. London 184>T, pp. 20—23. 1 borrow Mr. Guudwi.ys excellent translation.
 
 THE THEODRK -SAGA IN ENGLAND. 
 
 39 
 
 he freegn ha bigengcan baes landes, 
 hwaer he on bam westene him 
 eardung-stowe findan mihte. Mid 
 |»y hi 1 1 i in menigfeald bing saedon 
 be baere wi'dgilnysse baes westenes. 
 pa waes Tatwine gehaten sum man, 
 seede ba bast he wiste sum ealand 
 synderlice digle, J>aet oft menige 
 men eardian ongunnon , ac for 
 menigfealdum brogum and egsum, 
 and for annysse b^s widgillan 
 westenes bast hit naenig man adre- 
 ogan ne mihte, ac hit aelc forban 
 befluge. Mid frnm be se halga wer 
 GuSlac ba word gehyrde, he bsed 
 sona beet he him ba stowe geteehte, 
 and he ba sona swa dyde ; eode ba 
 on scip, and ba ferdon begen burn 
 ba rugan fennas ob beet hi comon 
 to baere stowe be man hateo Cruw- 
 land; waes t>aet land on middan bam 
 westene swa gerad geseted baes 
 foresaedan fennes, swyoe digle, and 
 hit swybe feawa men wiston buton 
 bam anum be hyt him taehte; swylc 
 baer naefre naenig man aer eardian 
 ne mihte aer se eadiga wer Gudlae 
 tocom for baere eardunga b^ra 
 awerigedra gasta." 
 
 himself a dwelling-place in the 
 wilderness. Whereupon they told 
 him many things about the vastness 
 of the wilderness. There was a 
 man named Tatwine, who said that 
 he knew an island especially ob- 
 scure , which ofttimes many men 
 had attempted to inhabit , but no 
 man could do it on account of 
 manifold horrors and fears, and the 
 loneliness of the wide wilderness; 
 so that no man could endure it, 
 but every one on this account had 
 fled from it. When the holy man 
 Guthlac heard these words, he bid 
 him straightway show him the place, 
 and he did so; he embarked in a 
 vessel, and they went both through 
 the wild fens till they came to the 
 spot which is called Crowland; this 
 land was in such wise (as he said) 
 situated in the midst of the waste 
 of the aforesaid fen, very obscure, 
 and very few men knew of it except 
 the one who showed it to him; as 
 no man ever could inhabit it be- 
 fore the holy man Guthlac came 
 thither, on account of the dwelling 
 of the accursed spirits there." 
 
 Can any place be conceived more fitting to be imagined as the 
 solitary and melancholy abode of the unhappy smith, whose physical 
 sufferings from winter and hardships and want ("winter", "earfoba", 
 "wean") are distinctly remembered in the 0. E. legend (Deor the Scald's 
 Complaint, Thorpe, Exeter Book, p. 377, st. 1) which is apparently as 
 old as the Eddie fragment, altho these sufferings are omitted in the 
 latter! — (I translate after my method).
 
 40 
 
 KING \V\LDERE S LAY. 
 
 "Welamd him he wurman 
 
 wraeces cunnade, 
 
 anhydig eorl 
 
 earfoba dreag, 
 
 ha?fde him to gesibbe 
 
 sorge and longab, 
 
 winter-cealde wrasce, 
 
 wean oft onfond, 
 
 sibbcm hine Nidhad on 
 
 nede legde, 
 
 swoncre seono-bende , 
 
 on-syllan mon. 
 Daes ofereode, 
 bisses swa maeg." 
 
 Weland the worm 
 
 of wreak (exile) aye gnaweth, 
 
 that high-minded hero 
 
 hardships suffer'd, 
 
 dogging him daily 
 
 dole and longings, 
 
 * 
 winter- cold wreakment 
 
 and misery wounding him — 
 
 when that Nidhad 
 
 in need-links laid him, 
 
 heavy-pressing sinew-band , 
 
 him sadly claspt. 
 
 He that o'ermasterd, 
 
 and eke this may I! 
 
 * I cannot help differing from our excellent scholar Mr. Thorpe in his translation 
 of this passage. I think that another meaning must be given to 'ned\ and that 'swoncre 
 seono-bende' must be taken differently and are not in the dat. sing. fern, but in the 
 ac. sing, (or pi.). His version is: — 
 
 "When that on him Nithad 
 
 constraint had laid, 
 
 with a tough sinew-band." 
 
 First as to 'ned', n. fern. The primary signification in all dialects is of course 
 need, constraint, necessity; but it has also a distinct derivative sense, namely (Sv. 
 Egiisson's Lex. Poet. Ling. Sept. s. v. Naud, n. fem. definition No. 5) 
 
 "vincula (ut 'avdyxij)," 
 a bond, band, tie, fetter, and accordingly the 0. E. 'on nied', 'neode', frequently means 
 by force and violence. 
 
 Next as to 'swoncre', here made a d. s. f. from 'swonc'. The word occurs very 
 Bparingly, but there is no doubt that its proper form in the nom. sing, was 'swoncur', 
 BWoncOT, swoncer) 'swancnr' (swancor, swancer) 'swongur' (swongor, swonger) 'swangur' 
 ingor, Bwanger) -- A and 0, C and (i, continually interchanging in 0. Engl, even 
 in the same page. This old termination (UR, OR, ER) is found in several 0. E. adjec- 
 tive-, ri mi La properly the nom. sing. masc. (answering to the Gothic (U)S, the Old N. 
 I R, the 0. If. G. KM, the M H. G. ER) till it declines to E, and either hardens into 
 a termination common to all Die genders or falls away altogether, which latter is the 
 usual course. Thus in the extract above, I. 7, 'cealde' is the older form for the com- 
 mon 'ceald', answering to the 0. N. 'kaldr', ami agreeing with 'wrace', fem. or neut. 
 But there may al-<> have been a masc. 'wrace', like as in 0. H. G. we have a masc. 
 'ga-RiH' side by side with the fem. r&hha, revenge, exile, punishment. 
 
 In the Exeter Book, p. 220, I. 4 (line 629 of the Phenix Song) we have 
 
 "swar ne swongor" 
 pom. sing, masc, very properly rendered 
 
 "heavy nor dull' ,
 
 THE THEODKK-SAGA IN ENGLAND. 41 
 
 But a considerable marshy river ran along this district of Lincoln, 
 past the hermit St. Guthlac's retreat, Crowland. It was called in the 
 old times, before the arrival of the Angles. Lenda, derived by W. Baxter 
 (Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicarum, ed. 2, 8vo, Lond. 173' J >, p. 149) 
 
 both words in fact meaning the same thing — heavy, and therefore both of them used 
 for heavy-in-weight (iveighty) or heavy-in-motion or wit (dull, idle, sloiv). 
 
 The word 'swongur', 'swoncur', 'swangor', 'swancor' doubtless comes from SWiNGAN, 
 to swing (intens. heavily), go swinging!)/ (intens. heavily and wearily), and hereto be- 
 long the cognate words svvincan, to gain by heavy labor, and swencan, to make to labor 
 (heavily), with their scores of derivatives and various significations. — The modern 
 swinge (a swingeing blow) also gives the idea of heaviness, and swag and sway (to ba- 
 lance or dangle heavily), are by means of the sibilant prefix (S) the transitions to weigh 
 and weight. 
 
 Hence we see how easily this adjective got its principal meanings in so many- 
 dialects : 
 
 Heavy, 
 
 Heavy with child (pregnant), as the Latin gravida, O. N. 6-lettr, O. Swed. o-laett, 
 (un-light) &c. 
 
 Heavy in soul, slothful, idle. 
 
 Heavy in body, wearied, weak, hungry. 
 
 Either in continuation of this development, or directly taken from swingan, (to 
 swing, move quickly), we next have — empty, light, thin, meagre — sprightly, agile, 
 slim, graceful. This is its use in Beowulf, 1. 4356, MS. and Kemble's text, but altered 
 by Thorpe to 'swarte, 
 
 "prio wicg somod 
 swancor and sadolbeorht." 
 
 This is the North English (See Jamieson, Scot. Diet.) Swank and swanky, thin, 
 slender, agile, empty, hungry, and German schwank, mobile, frisky, light; cunning; 
 facetious. 
 
 The word occurs again in the full form in Alfred's Beda, 630, 37, as quoted 
 by Lye: 
 
 "Na lees eallum monnum aeghwaer Swong- 
 bii'M and heora lifes ungemyndum secgan 
 wolde." 
 
 "Non omnibus hominibus passim Desi- 
 diosis, ac eorum vitae incuriosis, referre 
 volebat."' 
 
 Here, if correctly copied, we have in the nom. s. swong(e)r(ig) or swong(e)r(i). 
 In the 0. N. we have the form swangb, but only in the sense "jejunus, esuriens, 
 famelicus." 
 
 I am aware of no authority for "flexible, tough" (Bosworth, s. v. 'swon::\. 
 
 Let us now take the parallel passage in the old Eddie Lay (Yolundarkvida, st. 11): 
 
 "Sat hann sva lengi 
 at hann sofnadi , 
 ok hann vaknaoM 
 viljalauss . 
 
 vissi ser a honduni 
 hofgar naudir, 
 en a fotum 
 fjotur um spentan." 
 
 So long sat lit: 
 till that he slumber'd, 
 waketh then, sudden , 
 will-less, helpless; 
 on his hands finds he 
 heavy need-links, 
 while a fetter fasteneth 
 his feet below.
 
 42 king waldere's lay. 
 
 from the British words len dav, Plena Aqua. However this may be, its 
 oldest English name was Welandes Ed or Welandes Stream, in Latin 
 Aqua de M eland. Unfortunately we have no document in which it is 
 given in the mother-tongue, but in all the Charters (K. No. 66, 233, 
 265, 207, 420, 520) where it occurs again and again in the Latin text, 
 it has always the same form, in various spellings, Aqua de Uueeland, 
 Aqua de Uueland, and the English name of which this is a translation 
 can only have been Welandes Ed [Stream], — Weland s River. This 
 is evident from the clerical error in the 0. E. Chron. ad an. 921, 
 "or) Weolud" , (to the Weland), a fault imitated in iEthelwerd's Lat. 
 Chron. ad an 895, "amnis Uueolod\* 
 
 It is now called the Welland, the vowel being made short, evi- 
 dently a mere corruption from its origin having long since been for- 
 gotten. 
 
 \\ idia, probably the same as the Wudga of the Scop's Song, 1. 252, 
 262, (the Scand. Vidga, Vidrik, Wideki, Vedeke, Gothic Vidigoia, 0. 
 H. G. Witugouwo, Germ. Wilege, Wideke, Wittich), a famous champion, 
 son of Weland the Smith. In B. E. Hildebrand's "Monnaies Anglos, 
 du Cab. Roy. de Stockholm, 4to, Stockholm 1846", p. 194, we have a 
 
 Surely we cannot but be struck by the almost verbal coincidence: — 
 
 The 0. E. Scald. 
 
 Thf. 0. Scand. Scald. 
 "vissi ser a hondum 
 
 H6KGAR NaI'DIR, 
 
 en a fotum 
 fjotur um spentan." 
 on his hands finds he 
 Heavy Need-Links, 
 while a fetter fasteneth 
 his feet below. 
 
 "sippan hine Nidiiad on 
 
 Nede legde, 
 
 Swoncrk seone-bende, 
 
 on-syllan mon." 
 
 vjhen that Nidhad 
 
 in Need-Links laid him, 
 
 Heavy-Pressing sinew-band 
 
 him sadly claspt. 
 
 I beg the reader's pardon for this long, perhaps uninteresting, digression; but I 
 thought it necessary to clear up this important passage, which is so strictly connected 
 with my argument on Welandes ea, and hope, all things considered, that I may have 
 thrown some light on the subject. 
 
 A word which certainly never existed. There never was and never will be such 
 a form in English, altho Baxter (Glos. Ant. Brit. p. 149,) knows all about it; he says: — 
 "Erat autem Saxonibus ibrida compositione H'elud tanquam Aquae ductus". All the 
 authorities, even the barbarisms, have the diphthongal, that is the long, ?.. This he 
 makes short and therefore quite another word) at a blow. So wel is the same as the 
 English wyl, a well, and ud is the same as the Welsh dav, water — and all is explained. 
 What happy dogs the old etymologists were! They had only to follow the sound!
 
 THE THEODRIC-SAGA IN ENGLAND. 43 
 
 Wudia as King Knut's Mintmaster at Steyning, and p. 232, 237, a Widia 
 as Harold I's Mintmaster(s) at London and Winchester. The 0. Engl.. 
 Chronicle has a Wudda at the year 994. In the Charters we have 
 Wyddan Beorh (No. 1186), Widian By rig (No. 633), Widan Crundel 
 (No. 1101), Vuidan Cmnb (No. 89), Wydan Curnb (No. 570), Widan 
 den (No. 506), Widan Goal (No. 1069), Widan Leah (No. 364, 422, 
 577), and others, some of which must belong to Widia or Wudga. 
 
 As I have already observed, this is only a little handful. It might 
 be largely increast, and the names of several other of these Knights of 
 King Theodric might be added. But I leave this to more able and more 
 leisure-blest pens.
 
 KENTt waldere. 
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION.
 
 OLD-ENGLISH STAVE-RHYME LAY. 
 
 * First *hyrde hyne georne 
 
 leaf, 
 
 p . i. hum weland[es] geworc 
 
 ne geswice5 monna aenigum 
 4. Sara 5e mimming can 
 hearne ge-healdan. 
 Oft set hilde gedreas, 
 swat-fag and sweord-wund, 
 8. sec aefter oSrum. 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 heard him willingly 
 how weland's work 
 not deceiveth of-men any
 
 ENGLISH STAVE-RHYME VERSION. 
 
 willingly heard too 
 
 how weland's work 
 
 man none faileth 
 4. who pale-shiny mimming 
 
 brandisheth bold. 
 
 In battle often, 
 
 gore-stain'd and gasht, 
 8. fore its glimmer kemps fell ! 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 4. of-those who mimming can 
 
 hoary hold. 
 
 Oft in battle fell, 
 
 sweat-(blood)-dyed and sword-wounded, 
 8. the-one-soldier after the-other.
 
 4S KING WALDERE'S LAY. 
 
 ■^etlan ord-wyga ! 
 ne lset Sin ellen nu-gyt 
 ge-dreosan to daege, 
 
 12. dryhtscipe [feallan]. 
 4c is se dag cumen, 
 ,\)cet Su scealt aninga oSer-twega 
 lif for-leosan 
 
 16. o35e lange 
 
 dom agan mid eldum, 
 
 ^ELFHERES SUIlll ! 
 
 'Nalles, ic 3e, wine min, 
 
 20. wordiiw ciSe Sv, 
 ic 5e ge-sawe 
 get 5am sweord-plegan, 
 Surh edwitscype 
 
 24. aeniges monnes, 
 wig for-biigan, 
 oSSe on weal fleon, 
 lice beorgan, 
 
 28. 9eah-[)e la5ra fela 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 '.ETLA's battle-front-leader ! 
 
 not let-thou thy strength now-yet 
 
 sink to-day, 
 12. thy- lordship [fall]. 
 
 But is that day come, 
 
 that thou shalt once-for-all either 
 
 life lose 
 16. or for-long 
 
 power (victory) owe (gain) among men, 
 
 tllOU-^ELFHERES SOI1 !
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION. 49 
 
 'yETLA's Army-chief! 
 
 all this day thro 
 
 keep thy matchless manhood, 
 12. thy mighty rule! 
 
 That time and tide 
 
 of a truth it come is, 
 
 when thy life thou shalt lose here, 
 16. or long-fam'd victory 
 
 earn among axemen, 
 
 thou iELFHERE'S SOn ! 
 
 'Never, dear friend-lord — 
 20. I fear not to say it — 
 
 saw I thee anywhere 
 
 in the heroes' sword-play, 
 
 thro the coward qualms 
 24. of quailing soldier, 
 
 wend from the warfare, 
 
 flee from the wong, 
 
 thy life to shelter — 
 28. tho loath' d foes many 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 'Never-was-it — 1 thee, friend mine 
 20. in -words say-it therefore — 
 
 that-I thee saw 
 
 at the sword-play, 
 
 thro the cowardice 
 24. of-any man 
 
 war bend-from, 
 
 or on (the-battle-)field flee, 
 
 thy-lyke (body) to-save, 
 28. tho-that of-loath'd-foes fele (many)
 
 50 KING WALDERES LAY. 
 
 * First Sinne byrn-*homon 
 
 leaf, 
 
 p . 2. billiiMi heowun. 
 
 Ac 3u symle furdor 
 32. feohtan sohtest, 
 
 masl ofer mearce; 
 
 dy ic Se, metod, on-dred 
 
 \)cet 3u to fyrenlice 
 36. feohtan sohtest 
 
 get 5am aet-stealle, 
 
 odres monnes 
 
 wig-rapdenne. 
 40. 'WeorSa 3e selfne 
 
 godum dsedum, 
 
 5enden bin god recce. 
 
 Ne murn 3u for 5i mece, 
 44. be wearB maSma cvst, 
 
 gifede to [g]eoce unc. 
 
 Dy 9u GUDHERE 
 
 scealt beot for-bigan, 
 48. 5a?s-Se he das beaduwe 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 thy brinie-hame (harness) 
 
 with-bills hew'd. 
 
 But thou alway farther 
 32. to-fight sough test, 
 
 thy-goal over the-march (border); 
 
 so-that I for-thee, prince, dreaded, 
 
 that thou too rashly 
 36. to-fight soughtest 
 
 at the camp-station, 
 
 liiat-otber man's
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION. 51 
 
 thy brinie-harness 
 
 with hills might hew. 
 
 Still farther, aye forward, 
 32. fight thou wouldest, 
 
 making o'er the march; 
 
 so that much I dreaded 
 
 too rash and redeless 
 36. thy rush mote he, 
 
 gainst the bristling bucklers 
 
 of the banded line 
 
 in Hilde's heat. 
 40. 'Thyself honor 
 
 with deeds worthiest, 
 
 while thy dignity lasteth. 
 
 Care not for the Cutlass, 
 44. costliest of treasures, 
 
 for gladness us-twain granted. 
 
 gudheres threatenings 
 
 shall not shake thee, 
 48 for with shameless insolence 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 battle-array. 
 40. 'Honor thy self 
 
 with-good deeds (exploits), 
 
 while-as thy good (power) may-last. 
 
 Not mourn thou for that make (sword), 
 44. which was of-treasurcs thc-choice, 
 
 given to (as) a-help to-us-two. 
 
 For thOU tO-GUDHERE 
 
 shall his-threat turn -aside, 
 
 48. for-that he these wars 
 
 4#
 
 52 king waldere's lay. 
 
 origan mid unryhte 
 
 serest secan; 
 
 for-soc he Sam swurde, 
 
 52. and Sam sync-fatum, 
 beaga rnsenigo, — 
 nu sceal beaga leas 
 hworfan from Sisse hilde, 
 
 56. hlafurd secan 
 ealdne •£• [aeSel], 
 oSSe her ger swefan, 
 gif he 5a ' 
 
 ♦second 60 , <[beado-me]*ce ba3teran, 
 
 leaf, 
 
 p. i. buton Sam anum 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 began with un-right 
 
 erst (first) to-seek. 
 
 Said-no (refus'd) he to-that sword, 
 52. and to-those gem-vats (dishes), 
 
 of-beighs to-a-many: — 
 
 now shall-he of-beighs loose (void) 
 
 turn from this combat, 
 56. that-lord shall-seek 
 
 his-old (own) land, 
 
 or here ere (first) slumber (die),
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION. 53 
 
 he wrongfully began 
 
 this woful strife. 
 Scorn'd he the sabre, 
 
 52. sparkling gem-dishes, 
 brooch and beigh: — 
 now, bearing no gold-ring, 
 he shall turn from this turmoil 
 
 56. be-take him homeward, 
 his fatherland seek; 
 or fall shall he here, 
 if he 
 
 60. '[battle-ma]ke better, 
 save that bright one 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 if he ' 
 
 60. '[battle-ma]ke (falchion) better 
 but (except) that one
 
 54 king waldere's lay. 
 
 Se ic eac hafa on stan-fate 
 stille gehided. 
 64. Ic wat \>cet ic 5ohte 
 
 DEODRIC WIDIAN 
 
 selfii/ft on-stodon, 
 and eac sine micel 
 
 68. maSma mid Si mece, 
 monig o9res mid him 
 golde ge-girwan. 
 [G]Ju lean genam 
 
 72. })ses-5e hine of nearwum 
 
 NIDHADES ma3g, 
 
 welandes beam, 
 
 widia ut-for-let; 
 76. ourh fifela ge-feald 
 
 ford onette.' 
 
 waldere maSelode, 
 
 wiga ellen-rof, 
 80. hoefde him on handa 
 
 hilde-frore, 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 which I eke have on stone-vat (chest) 
 stilly hidden. 
 64. I wote (know) that I thought 
 
 THEODRIC with- WIDIA - 
 
 -himself stood-forward, 
 and eke a-treasure-hoard mickle (great) 
 68. of-valuables with that make (cutlass), 
 many of-another- thing with them, 
 with-gold to-decorate. 
 Of-yore as-reward (booty) hc-nome (took) it,
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION. 55 
 
 which stilly and stealthily 
 
 1 hid in the stone-chest. 
 64. Thought I, I wote, 
 
 theodric stood there 
 
 and widia by him, 
 
 wielding spoils wondrous, 
 68. jewels, and that joy-blade, 
 
 gems fit for heroes, 
 
 golden deekments : 
 
 gain'd them of yore 
 72. noble widia, 
 
 nidhad s daughter-son , 
 
 welands child, 
 
 when that he rescued him; 
 76. thro the field of the foul-ones 
 
 forth he hasten'd.' 
 waldere answer'd, 
 
 war-man glorious; 
 80. holding in his hand 
 
 Hilde's ice-spike, 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 72. for-that him out of straits (or prison] 
 
 nithhad's maug (daughter-son), 
 
 welands child, 
 
 widia out-let-go; 
 76. thro of-the-fifels (monsters) the-lield 
 
 forth he-went-on.' 
 
 waldere mell'd (spake), 
 
 that -warrior strength-fam'd , 
 80. had to-him in his-hand 
 
 Hilde/s (Bellona's) icicle,
 
 56 king waldere's lay. 
 
 guS-billa gripe, 
 
 gyddode worduw: — 
 84. 'Hwaet! du huru wendest, 
 
 wine burgenda, 
 
 \>cet me hagenan hand 
 
 hilde gefremede, 
 88. and getwaemde feSe 
 
 wigges feta! 
 'Second ^yf Su dyrre *aet Sus [?=du(R)s] heaBo 
 
 leaf, 
 
 p . 2. werigan hare byrnan, 
 
 92. standaS me her on eaxelum 
 ^lfheres laf, 
 god and geap-neb, 
 golde geweor5od, 
 96. ealles unscende 
 seBelinges reaf, 
 [halwend] to habbanne 
 ])onne had wereS 
 100. feorh-hord feondum; 
 he biS fah wiS me 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 of-battle-bills the-grype (vulture), 
 
 utter'd in-words: — 
 84. 'What! (Lo!) Thou scarcely didst-ween (think), 
 
 O-friend (prince) of-the-Burgundians , 
 
 that me hagenas hand 
 
 in-war should-have-helpt , 
 88. and should-have-cut-oh" the-path 
 
 from-Strife's foot! 
 
 'If thou dare in tiiur's conflict 
 
 to-ware (defend) thy-hoary (white) brinie,
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION. 57 
 
 of gore-blades the grype ; 
 
 the gallant chief said : — 
 84. <Lo! didst look now, 
 
 Lord of the burgunders, 
 
 that the hand of iiaglwa 
 
 should help me in combat, 
 88. stay the swift footsteps 
 
 of truculent Strife? 
 
 'An thou car'st in thur's struggle 
 
 to ward thy white corslet — 
 92. lightens on my shoulder 
 
 ,elfhere's legacy, 
 
 keen and crook-neb'd, 
 
 carv'd and gold-prankt, 
 96. true and un-tarnisht 
 
 since that tomb'd prince swang it, 
 
 the glee of the grasper 
 
 while his harness guardeth 
 loo. life's flower from the foe; 
 
 soon flashes he blood-red, 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 92. standeth me here on my-shoulder 
 
 jElfhere's leef (leaving, relic, legacy, treasure), 
 
 good and crook-nib'd, 
 
 with-gold ornamented, 
 96. altogether unshent (unhurt) 
 
 the-etheling's (chieftain's) spoil (property), 
 
 [wholesome] to have 
 
 when hood (armor) wareth (defends) 
 loo. the-life-hoard (soul) from-foes; 
 
 he beeth blood-stain'd with me
 
 58 king waldere's lay. 
 
 \)onne yfle (?) unmsegas 
 
 eft-onginna5, 
 104. meeum ge-meta5, 
 
 swa ge me dydon. 
 c Deah mseg sige syllan 
 
 se 5e symle byS 
 108. recon- and rsed-fest 
 
 ryhta gehwilces. 
 
 Se Se him to 5am Halgan 
 
 helpe gelifeb, 
 112. to Gode gioce, 
 
 he |)3er gearo findeS. 
 
 Gif 5a earnunga (?) 
 
 ser [man] gedenced, 
 lie. \>onne mtoten [? moten or mosten] wlance 
 
 welan britnian, 
 
 sehtum wealdan, 
 
 \icet is [bet {)onne orlaeg].' 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 when evil unmaugs (strangers) 
 
 eft (again) on-gin (begin), 
 104. with-matchets (blades, swords) meet-me, 
 
 as ye me did. 
 
 Tho (yet) may victory give 
 
 He who alway beeth 
 108. reckon- and rede-fast 
 
 of-rights of-each (each right). 
 
 He who himself to that Holy-One 
 
 for-help trusteth,
 
 TEXT AND TRANSLATION. 59 
 
 when evil un-kin 
 
 to the onslaught hurry, 
 104. meet with matchets — 
 
 as you did me\ 
 
 'But trial and triumph 
 
 traceth He only 
 108. who rcckoneth and rendereth 
 
 the rights of each. 
 
 Whoso in that Holy-One 
 
 trustcth for help, 
 112. in God seeks guidance, 
 
 shall get it quickly. 
 
 If well we ponder'd 
 
 His priceless charities, 
 lie. then we lofty lordings 
 
 should laugh together peacefully, 
 
 while our hroad lands bloom — 
 
 that is [better than war!]' 
 
 PROSE TRANSLATION. 
 
 112. to-God for-succor, 
 
 he there it-yare (readily) findeth. 
 
 If those earnings (mercies) 
 
 ere (beforehand) [one] think-on, 
 116. then mote all-we-proud-ones 
 
 our-weal enjoy, 
 
 our possessions wield; 
 
 that is [better than war!]'
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Line i — 8. As we do not know who is speaking, so we cannot 
 understand why the famous sword humming is here introduced. In the 
 sequel, a sword is frequently referred to as wanting. This may apply 
 to mowing, yet it seems here to be present. But, if so, in whose hands? 
 It was, we know, especially wielded by widia (wudga, vidga), yet we 
 hear no more of it in these fragments. — If this passage signifies that 
 this sword is lent, or might be borrowed, then it will be in accordance 
 with tradition. For instance in Theodric's Saga, ch. 221, vidga lends 
 miming (mimming) to theodrk', when he fights against sigird ; and it was 
 once borrowed ("conveyed" not stolen) against vidga's own will. 
 
 Line 9 — 59. We here apparently find .elfhere borne down by a 
 feeling of military weakness, or of sickness or despair. His consoler 
 inflames his courage by the consideration that the coming engagement 
 will be decisive, — that his ancient victories are a pledge of triumph 
 now also, — that the falchion (now missing or borne by his foe) need 
 not alarm him, — that gudhere is the assailant, and has a bad cause, 
 and has refused offers of peace and friendship , — and that this foe 
 shall now be driven back or fall on the field. 
 
 Line 60 — 77. Seem to be uttered by gldhere (who again speaks 
 of an absent or hidden sword), who refers to his belief that the men he 
 saw had come with treasure to him. — The whole passage 1. 64 — 77 
 cannot be translated with absolute certainty because we are ignorant of 
 the episode or tale to which they belong. They seem to speak of some 
 adventure in which widia has freed theodric from some ('fifelas') dragons 
 or giants or monsters, thereby gaining a gold-hoard, which is given to
 
 62 NOTES. 
 
 him as his reward. There are many such dragon-fights, and victories 
 over monsters, in ancient story. In the oldest record (the English one), 
 Beowulf 1. 1753 — 1799, the exploit usually attributed to sigurd is given 
 to sigmund, who kills a dragon and wins the treasure. Afterward, beo- 
 wulf himself does the same thing, but dies. — In Theodric's Saga, ch. 
 16—17, and in the German Ecken Ausfahrt, theodric by the help of the 
 dwarf alfric gets the sword naglhrixg, with which he and hildebrand 
 slay the giant-monsters, grim and his wife hild , and obtain immense 
 riches. — In Theodric's Saga ch. 193 — 199, vidga, in company with but 
 not assisted by theodric and his companions, overcomes the giant et- 
 geirr (eddgeir, oddgeirr) in Bertangaland, and seizes his treasure-heap. 
 — In the German tlornern Siegfried (st. 37 fol.) Siegfried destroys a 
 giant and the dragons, and gets the gold-hoard. He is helpt by the 
 dwarf ei'glin. — Later song is full of the same thing, under the same 
 or different names. We cannot know whether the English Scop refers 
 to one of these events or no. 
 
 L. 78 — $3. waldere is here not spoken of as wounded or weak. 
 
 L. 84—89. Cannot be translated with certainty. We are not 
 sure whether the words imply that hagena acted the part of a friend or 
 an enemy, tho the former seems more likely. 
 
 L. 90 — 120. A noble passage. The contrast of war and peace is 
 perfect. It is in this sense I have supplied the 2 or 3 last words — 
 of course merely as a guess. — The expressions at the close apparently 
 imply that the retoucher of this lay was a Christian. This was to be 
 expected, and is also the case with Beowulf and our other olden pieces. 
 But the poetical vocabulary in England, as in Iceland after its conversion, 
 continues for a long time to be strongly impregnated with heathen remi- 
 niscences, and can only be fully understood by the help of pagan 
 Eddie lore.
 
 NOTES. 
 
 63 
 
 PROPER NAMES. 
 
 /Elfhere, line 18, 93. 
 
 £TLA, 9. 
 BURGENDAS, 85. 
 GUDHERE, 46. 
 HAGENA, 86. 
 HUMMING, 4. 
 
 N1DHAD, 73. 
 DEODRir, 65. 
 ?DUR, 90. 
 WALDERE, 78. 
 WELAND, 2, 74. 
 
 widia, 65, 75. 
 
 KENNINGS. 
 
 sword-plega. 
 dur's heaSo. 
 
 BATTLE. 
 
 sword-play. 
 thur's conflict. 
 
 (THE SWORD) MIMMING, 
 
 welandes geworc. weland's work. 
 
 SWORD. 
 
 hilde's icicle. 
 
 of gore-bills the grype (vulture i 
 
 WALDERE. 
 
 HiLDE-frore. 
 gud-billa gripe. 
 
 .ELFHERES Slinil. 
 
 iETLAN ord-wyga. 
 
 NiDHADES maeg. 
 welandes beam. 
 
 ELFHERE S SOn. 
 
 .etla's army-chief. 
 
 WIDIA. 
 
 niduad's daughter-son. 
 weland's child.
 
 64 NOTES. 
 
 ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIATIONS 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 COMMON SOUTH-ENGLISH. 
 
 A for JE. — dAg, fAte. 
 
 A •> E. — hafA, stand A3. 
 
 A » EA. — WAldere. 
 
 JE -> E. — b.Eteran. 
 
 C » CG. — seC. 
 
 D » D. — gifeDe. 
 
 E » M. — raed-fEst. 
 
 E •> 0. — mtotEn (moten or mosten). 
 
 E » Y. — Eldum, sElfum, un-scEnde. 
 
 EA >> A. — hEArne. 
 
 G omitted.— [G]eoce, [G]iu. 
 
 I for E. — gloce. 
 
 I .) Y. — brltnian, clSe, geglrwan, gehlded, gehwUces, 51. 
 
 » A. — byrn-homOn, frOm, mOnna, mOnnes. 
 
 » EO. — hwOrfan, wOrc. 
 
 U » EO. — swUrde. 
 
 U •» 0. — heowUn, hlafUrd. 
 
 Y » I. — drYhtscipe, edwitscYpe, fYrenlice , g\f, hYue, rYbta, 
 
 sYnc-fate, un-rYbte, vvYga. 
 
 Y » U. — dYrre.
 
 WORD-BOLL. 
 
 ac, line 13 and passim, but. 
 efter, 8, after. Prep. gov. Dal. 
 
 £HTU>i, 118, d. pi. of iHT (from again), anything owed, owned, 
 property, substance, possessions, goods, lands. 
 
 ELFHERES, 18, 93, g. S. of .ELFHERE, pi\ n. 
 
 #mges, 24, g. s. m., and .enigu.vi, 3, d. s. m. of .enig, any, any one. 
 £R, 59, 115, ere, before, erst, first. — .erest, 50, erst, first, sup. 
 
 Of £R. 
 
 /ET, 6, 22, 37, 90, at, in. Prep. gov. Dal. — See aet-STEALLE. 
 
 zetlan, 9, g. s. of ETI.A, pr. ii. While this work is passing thro 
 the press I add here the following observations , altho this is not the 
 best place for them. They rather belong to page 2S, under etla. I!ut 
 there has been some unavoidable delay in the arrival of the reply from 
 England. 
 
 In Vol. I, p. 42 (Sir F. Maddens Note) of the last and best edition 
 of Warton's History of English Poetry (London, Tegg, 1840, Svo) , at 
 page xlv of Fr. Michel's "Morn et Rimenhild" (Paris, 1S45, 4to, for the 
 Bannatyne Club), and perhaps elsewhere in works not at hand in this 
 Capital, reference is made to a Romance of king atla of East-Anglia, 
 in England. This is spoken of still more distinctly by the Hon. and 
 Rev. W. Herbert, in his curious and valuable prose work on Atlila, af- 
 fixt to his Epic Poem on that Conqueror. (See his "Attila, king of the 
 Huns", 8vo, London 1838, p. 547). He there observes: — "Whether 
 the Latin MS. of John Brame of Thetford, in the library of Bene't Col- 
 lege, Cambridge, translated, as he states, for the benefit of a lady who 
 neither understood Saxon [= Old English] nor French, relating the wars 
 
 5
 
 66 WORD-ROLL. — ETLAN. 
 
 of [bede] atling king of Attleburg in Norfolk and rond king of Thetford, 
 has any reference to the legends of attila the Hun or not, I am unable 
 to state; not having seen either it, or the fragment of the same work 
 unfinished in 27,000 French verses, of which the MS. was purchased at 
 Mr. Herbert's sale, as 1 understand, by Sir. Thos. Phillips; but I believe 
 it has not." 
 
 I was of course anxious to obtain some information on this point, 
 and requested the kind assistance of J. Y. Akerman, Esquire, the Se- 
 cretary of the Society of Antiquaries, London. With his usual courtesy 
 that gentleman immediately put himself in communication with Sir F. 
 Madden, Keeper of the MSS. in the British Museum, and Sir Frederick 
 very obligingly forwarded the following reply, dated March 19, 1860: — 
 
 "I have never seen the Anglo-Norman MS. of atla, from the time 
 it was purchased by Sir Thos. Phillips at Heber's sale in 1836. Cer- 
 tainly no English version of it now exists, although the Latin translator 
 (John Bramis, monk of Thetford) asserts that the romance was originally 
 written in English (which would carry us back to a Semi-Saxon [= Early 
 English] period) and afterwards translated into French (see MS. Corp. 
 Ch. Coll. Cambr. 329). I myself discovered in Trinity College Library 
 Wrekin, another but imperfect copy of the Latin legend. In the sale 
 catalogue of Heber, lot 1492, is a short abstract of the contents of the 
 French Romance, by which it would appear that atla was sovereign of 
 East Anglia, whose descendant [bede] married a Neustrian lady, by whom 
 he had a son waldef, whose adventures, I believe, are connected with 
 the German cycle. I add a short descent of the parties, taken from the 
 
 abstract: 
 
 "King ATLA. 
 
 bede = a daur. of odenild 
 
 king morgan a sister, 
 
 of Neuslria. 
 
 FLORENZ. 
 KRMLDA = WALDEF. 
 
 GIAC. GUTHLAC 
 
 who fought 
 Hi NEWALD 
 
 a gigantic 
 Dane.
 
 WORD-ROLL. — F.TLAN — BURGENDA. 67 
 
 "The French Government had at one time an intention of print- 
 ing the Anglo-Norman text, but it lias not yet been done." 
 
 It is to be hoped that this Romance, both in its Latin and Anglo- 
 Norman texts, will be given to the public, or at least a copious resume, 
 when further light will be thrown on the subject. At all events it is 
 clear that, from very ancient times, the name was localized in England 
 
 — at attleiu ri;h (= etlan bird, the burgh of etla) in Norfolk, 14 miles 
 from Tbelford and 94 from London, a place now decayed but formerly 
 very considerable, and one of the oldest towns in England. 
 
 edel, 57, here exprest by the Rune •£•, ac. s. of edel, edel, 
 freehold, land, country. 
 
 edelinges, 97, g. s. of edeling, an atheling, prince, noble, chief. 
 agan, 17, inf. to owe, own, have, hold, gain. 
 and, 6 and pas., and, also. 
 aninga, 14, at once, surely, truly. 
 anum, 61, d. s. m. of an, one. 
 
 beteran, 60, better, ac. s. of betera (=betera), comp. of [bat]. 
 
 — [bet] 120, adv., better. 
 
 beaduwe, 48, ac. s. of beado, bede, war, battle. This word is by 
 some given as neul., by others as fern. The fact is, it is both. It. is 
 here fern. , like the 0. N. bod; this is perhaps its original gender. — 
 [beadu-.me]ce, 60, ac. s. of beado-mece, a bede-make, battle-blade, war- 
 sword. 
 
 beaga, 53, 54, g. pi. of beah, beh, a beigh, ring, bracelet, brooch, 
 twisted ornament. 
 
 bearn, 74, n. s. a barn, bairn, son, child. 
 
 beorgan, 27, inf. to shelter, save. Gov. a Dat. 
 
 beot, 47, ac. s. of beot, threat. 
 
 [bet], 120. See u. beteran. 
 
 for-BiGAN, 47, inf. to bend down, resist, defy. Gov. Dat. — See 
 gudhere. 
 
 billa, 82, gen. pi. (see gud-b.), and — bilj.um, 30, d. pi. of bil(l), 
 a bill, axe, falchion, sword, any weapon of steel. 
 
 bid, 101, byd, 107, beeth, is, shall be, 3 s. pr. of beon. 
 
 britnian, 117, inf., to use, enjoy, employ. 
 
 for-BUGAN, 25, to bow, bend or retreat from, avoid. Inf. 
 
 burgenda, 85, of the Burgundians, g. pi. of blrgend. 
 
 5*
 
 6S WOKD-ROLL. — BUTON — EARNUNGA. 
 
 biton, 01, but, except; Prep. gov. Dat. (and abl.) 
 btrnan, 91, ac. s. of byrn(e), a birnie, brinie, burnie , barness, 
 coat-of-mail, corslet, cuirass. — byrn-homon, 29, ac. s. of byrn-ho.yia, 
 a brinie-hame, harness-coat, steel-covering, armor of defence. 
 byd, 107, see u. bid. 
 
 can, 4, can, 3 s. pr. of cunnan. — Observe the idiomatic use of 
 the singular (after 'eenigum', d. s.) in spite of the introduction of 'oara' 
 in the plural. 
 
 cide, 20, 1 s. pr. of cydan, to kithe , show, make known, an- 
 nounce, tell, declare. Gov. Dat. of person. 
 
 cumen, 13, come, arrived, p. p. n. s. of cuman. 
 
 cyst, 44, n. s. The choice, anything chosen (from ceosan, to 
 choose), anything fine, good, excellent, most valuable, the best. Gov. 
 a Gen. 
 
 d.edum, 41, with deeds, exploits, d. pi. of d,ed. 
 
 dag, 13, day, time, (South-English d.eg). — d.ege, 11, d. sing. 
 
 do.m, 17, doom, sentence, verdict, result, triumph, power, victory. 
 Ac. s. 
 
 geDREAS, 0, fell, 3 s. p. of dreosan, to fall, run down, drop, 
 droop, sink. 
 
 on-DKED, 34, dreaded, feared, 1 s. p. of on-dr.edan. 
 
 dryhtscipe, 12, lordship, power, rule. 
 
 dydon, 101, did, did do, 2 pi. p v of don. This idiom, without a 
 following verb in the Inf., as in Modern English, is as old as the lan- 
 guage itself. 
 
 dyrre, 90, thou dare, darest, 2 s. pr. subj. (but also used as 
 Indie, side by side with dearst) of dyrran or durran. 
 
 eac, 02, 07, eke, also, indeed. 
 
 eald.ne, .07, old (own). Ac. s. m. of eald. 
 
 ealles, 96, g. s. n. of ball, all. — Is used as an adverbial 
 genitive, altogether, in all things, quite, in every way. 
 
 earmnga, 111. (The word is not quite certain, hut there can be 
 Utile doubt of it, after repeated examinations of the MS.) Ac. pi. of 
 EARHUHG, an earning, reward, favor, gift, compassion, charity.
 
 WORD-ROLL. — EAXELUM— FETA. 69 
 
 eaxelum, 92, d. pi. emphatic for d. sing. Wo still use shoulders. 
 in the pi., in the same sense. From eaxel, shoulder. 'Me on eaxelum', 
 to-me on the-shoulder, on my shoulder; 'staiida3 me on eaxelum', / 
 have on my shoulder. 
 
 EDwrrsni'E, 23, ac. s., cowardice, infamy, shame. 
 
 BLDUM, 17, d. pi. of pi. m. n. ei.de — ylde, men. The phrase 
 'mid yldum', with men, among men, among mankind, is common. 
 
 ELi.EN, 10, ac. s., strength, power, courage. ei.len-kof, 79, n. 
 
 s., strength-famous, renowned, glorious. 
 
 eoce, 45, see [gjeoce. 
 
 faii, 101, fawe, stained, dyed, bloody. See swat-fag. 
 
 fate, 62, see stan-fate. — fatum, 52, see synofatum, under sinc. 
 
 [feallan], 12, inf. to fall. (Some such words seems absent.) 
 
 fela, 28, indecl., fele, multitude, many. Gov. Part. Gen. 
 
 feohtan, 32, inf., to fight. 
 
 feondum, 100, d. pi. of feond, a (fiend) foe, enemy. 
 
 feorh-hord, 100, ac. s. of feorh-hokd , life-hoard , soul-treasure. 
 the life, soul. 
 
 geFEALD, 76, a field, meadow, road, passage. The MS. is here 
 a little damaged, and the word is not quite certain. Possibly (but I 
 think not) it may be redd 'geFERELD', a faring-vuiy, path (from fakan), 
 which would come to much the same thing as 'geFEALD' itself. 
 
 fest, 108, see red-fest, recon-fest. 
 
 feta, 89, to or for the foot, d. s. of fot. This is a remarkable 
 archaism, and, as far as 1 know, not before met with. In the common 
 southern dialect we have: 
 
 N. s. fot, gen. FOTES^dat. fet, ac. fot, ///. //. and ac. fet. 
 
 In Old North Engl, we have only, hitherto, 
 N. s. fot, foot, pi. n. ac. foet. 
 
 But, by analogy of the 
 
 Gothic fotls, pi. fotjls, 
 
 O. N. FOTR, pi. FtETR, FE0TR, FOTR, 
 
 O. Swed. FOTER, pi. FOTLR, F0TER, FYTR (nOW FOTTEK), 
 
 O. fl. G. FUZ, pi. FtJOZE, 
 
 Germ, flss, pi. flsse, 
 compared with the
 
 70 WORD-ROLL. — FETA — FYRKXLIfE. 
 
 Hot hie dative s., fotau, 
 
 Q. N. » fo:ti, foti, 
 
 0. Sit'. » F0TE, fote, foti, 
 
 0. II. G. » fuoze, fuaze 
 
 and with the 0. S. Engl fet, 0. N, Engl. . . . (but n. pi. foet, point- 
 ing back to a similar form in the dat. sing.) — and as this oe, e, this 
 vowel-change, is as sure a sign of the vowel which followed trnd caused 
 it having once been there, tho it afterward fell away, as the swell and 
 ripple and rush still left on the waters of the usually placid stream is 
 an undoubted sign that the tiny steamer which made it has just past 
 on before, — we cannot but expect (and shall doubtless one day find) 
 an Old N. E. foeta (or foeti or foete) in the Dal. Sing., or, by con- 
 traction of the diphthong, a feta (or feti or fete). 
 
 And we here find this very word in the old Southern dialect, 
 copied probably from the Northern. 
 
 If, as 1 suspect, this MS. is a copy's copy from a Northumbrian 
 original, then the scribe may have known and respected the old-fashioned 
 vowel termination, and let it remain; but the broad open oe was too 
 much for his Southern nerves, so he narrowed it to the e with which 
 he was familiar. 
 
 fede, 88, ac. s. path, footway, road, career. The MS. is a little 
 damaged here, but, with some patience, the word can be redd. 
 
 fifela, 76, g. pi. of fifel (0. N. fi'fl and fimbdl) a monster, 
 giant, sprite. 
 
 Fi.NDED, 113, finds, obtains, 3 s. pr. of findan. 
 
 fleon, 26, inf. to flee, escape, run. 
 
 for, 43, for, on account of. Prep. gov. Dal. and Abl. (and Ac.) 
 
 — See for-BK.AN, for-SUGAN, llt-for-LF.TAN, for-LEOSAN. 
 
 ford, 76, forth, onward, forwards. 
 
 geFREMEDE, 87, 3 s. p. of frem(m)ian, to (frame) help, assist, further. 
 
 from. .",.">, from. Gov. Dot. (and abl.) 
 
 frore, 81, see hilde-frore. 
 
 fi rdor, 31, further, farther, onward. Comp. of ford (furd). 
 
 FYRENLir.'E, 35, rashly, impetuously, excessively, fast. — This, tho 
 not in the dictionaries, is the primitive meaning of the word. It is 
 curious to trace the way in which a first signification may disappear be- 
 fore the on-swell of a second. The word firen (here fvren) is derived 
 from faran, to fare, go, proceed. It first meant on-going, going ahead,
 
 WORD-ROLL. — FYRENLlfE — GEAP-NEB. 71 
 
 and so excessive going, violent advance. Hut this would of course soon 
 acquire a tinge of rashness, imprudence — and tins again treads on the 
 heels of recklessness, darederilism — and so, on to unscrupulosity — 
 till we rush into crime, wickedness, which last is its usual meaning in 
 0. E. and 0. Frisic (firne, ferxe). The same development has taken 
 place in the Latin word excess (from ex and eedo to go) and others of 
 the same class. — So the parallel simpler word f.er (also a derivative 
 from farax), properly meaning faring, on-rushing, came to signify sud- 
 den, excessive, extreme, or, as a subst., sudden or great danger. 
 
 It is from this its first meaning of rashly, as thus first found in 
 fyrenlke, that we have the firm m or fyrmm in Caedmon, properly an 
 Adverbial Dative Plural (firenum), excessively, prodigiously. This is the 
 sense which it also usually has in 0. N., where firing-mikill is used for 
 excessively mickle, very great, firin-yerk for a wondrous deed, fyris-illr 
 for a prodigious evil, &c. 
 
 The Gothic fairan, to blame, accuse, fairins, guilty, ln-fairins, 
 unblameworthy, fairlna, accusation, &c. have gone a different way, words 
 of faring, going, seeking, drawing having a strong tendency in the old 
 dialects to become words of accusation (to fare to a doomstool, go be- 
 fore a judge, seek justice, draw before a court &c.) 
 
 The 0. H. G. and 0. Sax. firina agrees with the common 0. E., 
 = crime; but here also we have the older use in the Adverbial dative 
 firinon, firinun, greatly, very, excessively. 
 
 But these meanings, as we know-, tend every where to intertwine 
 and intermix. They are in fact the same, but at different stages of de- 
 velopment. 
 
 on-GAN, 49, see under ginnan. 
 
 ge, 101, ye, you, n. pi. of du. 
 
 geap-neb, 94, crooked-neb'd, with a bent beak, archt as a scym- 
 itar. This is the meaning of the word geap in Beowulf, and at p. 329, 
 1. 12 of the Exeter Book. In the latter, p. 477, 1. 27, we have the 
 substantive geapu, an arch, vault. We have the same meaning in the 
 Mod. N. E. gaupen, two-hands full, govypen, the hollow of the hand. 
 This is the 0. N. gaupn, fern. Of course the root is the word gape, to 
 be hollow, bent open, wide A-c. — neb, neb, nib, beak, is here used 
 adjectively. — See the same bird-of-prey image in 'guo-billa gripe'.
 
 72 WORD-ROLL. — GEAP-NEB — GRIPE. 
 
 In the Brussels Glossary (Mone, Quellen u. Forsch. p. 314) we 
 have u Arpa, earn-geat." In the more correct edition, Ap. B. to Cooper's 
 Report, p. 36, this appears as "Arpa [Vultur], earn-geap." The geat is 
 therefore one of Mone's gross and multitudinous errors of transcript, 
 especially as Lye, Lex. s. v. gives "earn-geap. Vultur; R. 38. Cot. 159." 
 But what is this geap, and has it anything to do with our geap-neb? 
 
 gearo, 112, yare, readily, easily. 
 
 [g]eoce, 45, gioce, 112, d. s. of geot, help, comfort, succor. This 
 word is almost always found with the g, which is prohahly lost by a slip 
 of the pen, especially as this letter was often pronounced y before 
 vowels, and sometimes fell away altogether. It is better to retain it in 
 this line, as it is one of the 3 stave-rhymes. 
 
 georne, 1, (gerne, yerne), yearningly, willingly, eagerly. 
 
 GIF, 59, 114, gyf 90, if. 
 
 gifede, 45, n. s. Granted, allowed. This word (S. E. gifede, 0. 
 Sax. gibidi(g)) differs from gifen, as granted does from given, and implies 
 something graciously afforded or allowed by a divinity or superior power. 
 
 Gi.NNAN. — on-GAN, 49, began, commenced, 3 s. p. of ou-ginnan. 
 — eft-on-GiNNAD, 103, eft-ongin, again begin, recommence, 3 pi. pr. of 
 
 eft-On-GINNAN. 
 
 gioce, 112, under [g]eoce. 
 
 geciRWAN, 70, inf., to adorn, deck, decorate. 
 
 [g]iUj 71, of-yore, formerly, once. The g has probably fallen 
 away, as in [g]eoce. There is no g in the Gothic ju or the 0. H. G. 
 41, but we have it in the 0. Sax. gio, and almost always in the 0. E. 
 It appears necessary here, as one of the stave-rhymes. — The word 
 may of course be read in or ni, but I cannot see how this will help us. 
 in lean gexiMAN, to take as a reward, I have never seen in 0. E., which 
 affects the dative, leane, with or without to, or other expressions. 
 
 gode, 112, d. s. of god, God. 
 
 god, 42, n. s. good, power, weal, dignity. 
 
 god, 94, n. s., and godum, 41, d. pi., good, famous, excellent, keen. 
 
 G0LDE, 70, d. 8. Of GOLD, gold. 
 
 GRIPE, S2, ac s. a grip, grype, graip, griffin, griffon, vulture, the 
 grype of shakespear. Found here, I believe, for the first time in 0. E. 
 It is the 0. N. gkj'pr, gen. grips, pi. gri'par, masc, Swed. grip, gen. 
 grips, pi. gripar, masc, Dan. grib, gen. GRIB8, pi. GRIBBE (? masc), 0. 11. 
 
 G. GBJFE, GR1I0 (GRlF)j pi. GRIFEN, masc , M. H. G. GR1FE, gen. GRIFEN, pi.
 
 WORD-ROLL. — GRIPE. 73 
 
 GfliPEN [= grifun], niasc, &errh. cIreif, pi. greifen, masc. In the Northern 
 
 tongues, as we see, il has preserved its original declension, lost it in 
 the German, hut in all has retained its gender. the (>. E. has there- 
 fore been gripe, gen. gripes, pi. grhus, masc. 
 
 The whole expression — GOD -BILL A gripe, the grype (griffin, vul- 
 ture) of war-hlades — is a remarkable kenning (poetical synonym) which 
 I do not remember to have seen elsewhere, and means a sword of 
 swords. As the grype, the vulture, is terrible among birds, so was this 
 falchion the most fearful of war-gashers. 
 
 The word is as old as the hills in the North, even if prehisto- 
 rically borrowed from the Classical gkyps, with which it is certainly con- 
 nected. It was applied to a fierce species of vulture, as well as to the 
 fabulous cross between the eagle and the lion, jamieson, Lex. s. v. 
 graip , gives a good instance of its use in this correct ornithological 
 sense : 
 
 "And on his breste thare sat a grisely grype , 
 Quhilk wyth his bill his bally throw can bore." 
 
 Henrijsones Orpheus. Edin. Edit. 1508. 
 Another word has sometimes been mistaken for this. Lye, Lex. 
 s. v., gives "giu, giw, Gryps: Cot. 150"; "eow, fioer-fote fugel. Gryps; 
 II. IS"; and in the Brussels Glos. (Appendix H to Cooper's Rep. p. 36) 
 we have "Gr/p/ws, giow". — But this is the O.N. g.iodr (see Egilsson's 
 Lex. s. v.), the Norse jo or gjo'e, a fish-eagle or sea-falcon, Parr a 
 Aquila, llalketus s. Fatco, with dark feet and white head. As all these 
 species however are more or less cognate — the prevailing idea being 
 the bird of prey or of carrion — they were naturally used for each 
 other by the poets, and accordingly we have 
 
 disar gjodr, the war-nymph's bird, 
 
 geira hri'dar » , the raven of the spear storm, 
 hnikar » , Nick's [(W)Oden's] talk, 
 
 sigfljoda » , the victory-goddesses' fowl, 
 yggs » , Vgg's [(W)Oden's) falcon, 
 
 for the crow or raren, and, as one bird could be used for another, 
 yggjar mar, Vgg's f(W)Oden's) mew, 
 
 mava Rt'iST, the sea-mew's path = the Ocean, which can go 
 on branching out, as usual with these kennings, like hestr mvya rastar, 
 the horse of the sea-mew path = a ship, and so on. — The only bird 
 of this class and with a somewhat similar name which is yet tolerably
 
 71 WORD-ROLL. — GRIPE — GUDHERE. 
 
 familiar in England (for Falconry lias decayed, and wild birds are be- 
 coming scarcer and scarcer — as well as every thing else, good and 
 bad, that is wild) is the female gyr-falcon or ger-falcon or jer-falcon, 
 (Falco gyrfalco or Ivelandica), whose male is called the jerkin; this is 
 onr ger or geir, the 0. H. G. kir, gyr or gire, the Germ, geyer. — 
 Derived from the same root [g.esan, to drive, move vehemently] as our 
 Yeast and Ghost, this last word probably meant the rapid, impetuous, 
 greed I) . 
 
 gud-billa, 82, of war bills, battle-blades, g. pi. of gud-bil(l). — 
 See gripe. 
 
 gudhere, 46, d. s. of gud-here, a pr. ii. — We have here a gram- 
 matical peculiarity which explains the text. gudhere is not here nom. 
 or voc, nor is s omitted, and yet the whole is equivalent to a genitive. 
 The whole is an instance of the Constructive Dative, a Genitive-equiva- 
 lent* often found in the old dialects, in the form of a Dat. of the person 
 and a Nom. or Ac. of the thing, in connection with verbs of action and 
 motion. As this idiom has often been misunderstood, I will add a couple 
 of plain examples. Thus in Judith, 1. 218: 'baet him fraet heafod wand', 
 that to-hini the-head rolled, == his head. — Cnut's Dooms, Sec. 30, 
 Thorpe I, 394 : 'buton paet man ceorfe him ba handa of, except that one 
 cut to-him the hands off, = his hands. — Alfred's Dooms, 73, Thorpe 
 I, 98: 'Gif mon oorum ba sculdru for-slea', if one to-another the shoul- 
 der break, = another-vian's shoulder. 
 
 But we will take an example or two with this same word for- 
 biga.n. In Cu'dmon, 1. 107, (Thorpe p. 4, 1. 15): 
 
 Ac him se muera "for them the Mighty 
 
 mod getwaefde , deprived of courage , 
 
 bade for-bigde He bent their pride, 
 
 pa he ge-bolgen wearo. when He was angry." 
 
 him bale, to,-them the-pride, — hyra bade, their pride. — Again 
 in <.;i iJmoii. I. 140, Thorpe p. 5, 1. 12: 
 
 was him gylp forod, "Their vaunt was quailed, 
 
 beot for-borsten, their threat shattered, 
 
 and for-biged brym, and grandeur bowed, 
 
 wide ge-wemmed. their beauty corrupted." 
 
 him beot, to-them the-tbreat, = hyra beot, their threat. — So in 
 the Epical fragment Judith, I. 531 :
 
 WORD-ROLL. — GUDHERE -HAKE. 75 
 
 Assyria wean) That day tin; Assyrians 
 
 s 
 
 on 9am daege-weorce 
 dom geswidrod , 
 beelc for-biged. 
 
 reapt agony for insolence, 
 edge-wonnds for pride, 
 gashes for greediness. 
 
 Assyria (proper noun, nndeelined) to-the-Assyrians baelc the-pride, 
 = of-the-assy'rians the-pride. 
 
 In the Scop's Song, I. 98, (Thorpe's Beowulf, p. 220) we have the 
 usual Genitive, instead of this Dative construction: 
 
 and Ingeldes 
 ord for-bigdan, 
 
 •'and Ingeld's 
 point had bent,' 
 
 and had driven back the army-column-head of Ingeld. 
 gyddode, 83, spoke, said, 3 s. p. of gyddian. 
 gyt, 10, see under nu. 
 
 habban. — hafa, 62, I have, 1 s. pr. of hafan or habban. This 
 antique form occurs very sparingly in 0. E.; I only remember it once, 
 in Ceedmon, Thorpe p. 52, 1. I : 
 
 "now I my Lord's 
 favour have forfeited." 
 
 nu ic mines beodnes 
 hafa hyldo forworhte. 
 
 It is the Gothic haba, 1 have. We have some instances of hafo, in 0. 
 N. E., and of hafu in 0. S. E. The common form is hebbe. — hefde, 
 80, had, 3 s. p. — habbanne, 98, to have, hold, use, wield, gerund. 
 
 had, 99, n. s. of had, (hood), covering, defensive armor, harness. 
 This is the primitive meaning. 1 do not remember it before in this sense. 
 
 hefde, 80, see under habban. 
 
 hafa, 62, » » » 
 
 hagenan, 86, g. s. of hagena, pr. n. 
 
 halgan, 110, d. s. m. def. of halig, Holy, Holy-one. 
 
 [halwend], 98, participial adjective, making (w)HOLE, protecting, 
 healthful, excellent. (Some such word seems to have fallen out.) 
 
 hand, 86, n. s. — and handa, SO, d. s. — of hand, hand. 
 
 hare, 91, ac. s. f. — and hear.ne, 5, ac. s. m. — of har (hear), 
 hoar, hoary, white, pale, gray, bright, polisht, — a favorite epithet of 
 steel weapons and armor in ancient Gotho-Teutouic verse and prose. 
 Even in our later Komance literature the word is still used, or an equi- 
 valent still stronger in meaning. Thus in that very descriptive stanza: —
 
 76 WORD-ROLL. — HAKE— H1LDE. 
 
 "Than the kuy-,te in his colurs was armit ful clene, 
 
 With a crest comely, was dure to behold, 
 His brene, and his basnet was busket ful bene, 
 
 With a bordur a-boute, alle of brent gold: 
 his mayles were MYLKE ouyte [milk-white], euclawet full clene , 
 
 His stede trapput with that ilke, os true men me told; 
 With a schild on his shildur, of sillier so schene , 
 With bore-hedis of blakke, and brees full hold; 
 His stede with sandelle of Trise was trapput to the hele. 
 Opon his cheueronne be-forn, 
 Stode as a vnicorn, 
 Als scharpe as a thorn, 
 An uanlas of stele." 
 
 St. \\\ of "The Anturs of Arthur at the Tarnewathelan", a Middle-North- 
 English Metrical Romance of the 13th Century, p. 14 of J. robson's Three 
 Earl} English Metrical Romances, 4to, Camden Society, 1842. 
 
 he, 48 and pas., n. s. He. — 101 (of a sword) He, it. 
 
 geHEALDAN, 5, inf. to hold, wield. 
 
 hearne, 5, see under hare. 
 
 heado, 90, see under ous. 
 
 HELPE, 111, d. s. of help, help, aid. 
 
 heawun, 30 3 hewed, cut, 'A pi. p. of heawan. 
 
 her, 58, 02, here. 
 
 gemuED, 03, hidden, hid, concealed, p. p. or sup. of hi'dan (hydan). 
 
 hilde, 0, 55, 87; hilue or hild was the name given in the North 
 (England and Scandinavia) to the Goddess of War, Bellona. Thus it was 
 a Mythic personification. Hut. like other words of this class, it was also 
 often used unpersonified, for war, battle, fight. The distinction must be 
 carefully remembered in reading our oldest verse, as the splendor of the 
 passage often depends upon it. — ihi.de-frore, 81, ac. s. The word 
 frore I have not before seen in <). E.. in which we have only recorded 
 the ]i. t. pi. huhon, j). p. iroren (Engl, frore), and adj. freorig (Engl. 
 frory). All the other forms are in s (freosan, to freeze, frost, etc.). We 
 thus meet for the first time the suhst. frore, answering to the 0. IN. 
 freri, iikisc. ice, frozen ground, cold, pi. frerar. In East-Iceland (see 
 Egilsson, Lex. 1'oet. s. v. frerar) there is a ncut. iiul.m-frer, holm-frore, 
 shore-ice. The O. E. word is therefore probably frore, gen. frores, pi. 
 froras, masc. } frost, ice, icicle, cold.
 
 YVORD-Kol. 
 
 - HII.UE — IIW IT. 
 
 77 
 
 Tlie whole compound is a noble kenning, metaphorical counter- 
 part, for a sword; We have exactly similar ones in 0. N. Tints: 
 
 budyak jo'kull (which would be in 0. E. beadi-gkei.) Battle-icicle 
 
 *= a sword; 
 
 GUNN-iss or gunnar iss (would be in 0. E. gud-i's) War-ice = 
 a sword; 
 
 hlakkar is (hlokk, gen. hi.akkar, was a Scandinavian war-goddess) 
 llluklis ice — a sword. 
 
 In the same spirit a shield is called almdrosar iss, randa is, <kc. 
 
 The epithet has been suggested by the chilly shivering deathly 
 feeling caused by the touch of "cold iron". 
 
 We can now better understand the fine image in Beowulf, (1. 3217, 
 Thorpe), when the wondrous giant-made cutlass 'eald sweord eotenisc' 
 l giganta geweorc', which he had seized in the deep sea-halls of gren- 
 del's Mother, begins to melt with the etter, the rancorous poison, of 
 her blood: — 
 
 pa paet sweord ongan 
 a?fter heapo-swate , 
 hilde-gicelum, 
 wig-bil wanian. 
 
 "Then that sword began 
 
 after with battle-gore 
 
 in icicles of blood, 
 
 that war falchion to fade away. 
 
 him, 69, 110, him, them, d. s. or pi. of he. — hine, 72, hyne, 1, 
 him, ac. s. of he. Of course it may also be used reflectively, himself 
 (the Scand. sic). It will then apply to the nom. widia (I. 75), not to the 
 ac. DEOURic understood. It is all obscure here. 
 
 hlafurd, 56, n. s. (Loaf-ord, loaf-source, bread-giver), lord, laird, 
 chief, captain. 
 
 HOMON, 29, see under byrnan. 
 
 HORD, 100, See FEORH-HORl). 
 
 hurl', 2, how; — 84, anyhow, howsoever, at all, surely, truly — 
 seriously or, ironically, = not at all, didst thou really? —.The sense 
 depends on the context. I am not sure that my translation is correct, 
 as we do not know the particulars. 
 
 hwet!, 84, What! L6l This exclamation is scarcely yet extinct. 
 shakespear has it, in his Mer. Wives of Windsor, (First Sketch, 10(12, 
 4to, Shakespear Soc. reprint, p. 30): 
 
 "What)!] wines may be merry, and yet honest too." 
 This what is struck out in the enlarged edition of the play.
 
 78 WORD-ROLL. — geH\YIL< ES — gCLIFED. 
 
 geawiLOES, 109, g. s. m. of genvwLc, (whilk,) each, each one. 
 HWORFAN, 55, inf. to (wherf, wharf, wherve), turn, bend, flee. 
 HYXE, 1, see under him. 
 hyrde, 1, heard, s. p. of hyran. 
 
 ic, 19 and pas., n. s., I. 
 is, 13, is, 3 s. pr. of yyesan. 
 iu, 17, see [r.]iu. 
 
 l.etan. — let, 10, 2 s. imper. of l.etan, to let, permit. — ut- 
 for-LET, 75, out-let, let out, let go out, 3 s. p. of ut-for-l.*:tan. 
 
 laf, 93, a lafe, lave, leaving, anything left, remainder, particularly 
 after death, a legacy, treasure (left), family property, heirloom. This 
 word is particularly applied by the poets to that costliest heirloom — a 
 well-tried and famous hero-sword. 
 
 We find this expression used in old times in Scandinavia (espe- 
 cially Denmark, where it has still left hundreds of place-names) — 0. N. 
 leif, leifar, 0. D. lef, Mod. D. lev, leve — as the appellation of lands 
 or grounds or real property. But this -lev or -lef doubtless included, 
 not the mere idea of leaving or /eft, but also that of estate which could 
 be left, heritable estate, odel or odal or hookland, as distinguisht from 
 folkland, state-land, which could not be left at all by will. In this sense 
 it was therefore, like that similar word in Sweden — Serve 1 , — 'arf', 
 — 'arfvet' or — 'erve' &c, pretty much the same as our modern free- 
 hold, manor, domain, <kc. 
 
 lance, 16, long, for a long time; adv. 
 
 ladra, 28, g. pi. of lad, loathed, hated, foe, enemy. 
 
 lean, 71, ac. s. of lean, (lane), reward, prize, price. 
 
 leas, 54, loose, void, deprived, empty. Gov. a Gen. 
 
 for-LEOSAN, 15, inf., to lose. 
 
 ut-for-LET, 75, see under letan. 
 
 lick, 27, d. s. of Lie, lyke, litch, body. In Modern English the 
 word lyke or litch, which is happily now becoming common again, only 
 means a dead body. It originally meant the body, whether living 
 or dead. 
 
 lif, 15, ac. s. of li'f, life. 
 
 geLUED, 111, 3 s. pr. of li'fyn, to leave, trust, depend, confide. 
 This verb is here followed by 3 datives, 1, the personal reflective him
 
 WORD-ROLL. — geUFED — MBTOD. 7*1 
 
 (equivalent to mine, sig), 2, iielpe, for help, and 3, the person trusted in, 
 '5am llalgan', gov. hy 'to'. 
 
 meg, 106, see under magan. 
 
 meg, 73, n. s., a maug, daughter-son (as here); son-in-law; kins- 
 man in general. — un-M egas, 102, n. pi. of unmeg, an un-maug, un-kin, 
 un-kindred, no relation, a stranger, an enemy. 
 
 mel, 33, ac. s. of the neut. mel. It is here used in an uncom- 
 mon sense, yoal , object, mark or place aimed at (found in the word 
 m el-tang, compasses), and is the 0. N. mal (mel, mel), Swed. and 
 Dan. mal. 
 
 menigo, 53, ac. s. of menigo, fern. , a meiny, many, crowd, mul- 
 titude. 
 
 magan. — m.eg, 1 0G, may, can, is able, 3 s. pr. 
 
 [man], 115, [seems to have fallen out, as the verb is singular, and 
 ge would make it plural.] Man, one. 
 
 madelode, 78, 3 s. p. of madelian, to (mell, maddle), speak, say, 
 
 utter 
 
 madma, 44, 68, g. pi. of mad(u)m, a treasure, valuable, rarity, gift. 
 
 me, 92, to me, dat. s. — and, 86, me, ac. s. of ic. 
 
 mearce, 33, d. s. of mearc, fern., a mark, march, marches, border, 
 
 limit. 
 
 mece, 43, 68, abl. s. — and mectm, 100, d. pi. - of me< e. a 
 make, matchet, sword, falchion, knife, cutlass. The word is found in 
 many languages. — See [beado-me]ce. 
 
 ge.METAD, 100, meet, assail, attack, 3 pi. pr. of metan. 
 
 metod, 34, prince! — A very remarkable and antique use of the 
 word. It comes from the verb metan, to mete, measure, divide, cut off, 
 deal out (food, arms &c.) arrange, appoint, fix, rule, govern , and would 
 first signify the house-chief, as the governor of his family, servants, 
 warriors, slaves &c. Hence it came to signify master* lord, sir, my 
 chief, or, as we say, your lords/tip, my lord! — Afterwards it became 
 extended to a title of highest honor, and was exclusively used in later 
 times as an epithet of the Deity, not lord but lord, lord-god, creator, 
 
 ALMIGHTY. 
 
 It is this primitive sense of dividing which guides us thro the 
 apparently contradictory meanings this word has in O. IN., where mjotldr 
 is both divider and a sword and death (the cutter-off) and helper,
 
 SO WORD-ROLL. — METOD — MONNES. 
 
 which latter almost coincides with the O. L. metod. See Egilsson, Lex. 
 s. v. — In 0. Sax. the word (metod) also occurs (Heliand), signifying, as 
 in later 0. E. 3 Creator, God. 
 
 Its antique use in this passage explains a difficulty in Beowulf, 
 1. 5046, Thorpe: 
 
 swa unc wyrd geteoS, 
 metod manna gehwaes. 
 
 "as Fate shall to us decree 
 the lord of every man." 
 
 These lines are doubtless heathen in form and origin. But even in 
 Heathendom it was quite unheard-of to describe Fate as the Divine Lord 
 of man. Accordingly, if we interpret them in the heathen sense, Thorpe's 
 translation may stand. Else the proper word here for 'metod' would 
 be Mistress, for wyrd was a female divinity or nymph. But, whether 
 the Chief God, the Father of Gods and Men, All-Father, were called 
 Jupiter or (W)Oden, Destiny was always regarded as His servant, the 
 executor of His Will, which teas //natty in His own power. Hence the 
 Greeks called Molqa (the Divider) and Aha (the pronouncer) diog Bovlt), 
 /Jibg a'iaa, Moiqic Omv, and Zeus himself was MoiQaykijg — the Leader 
 of the Moiqui. So the Farcae of the Bomans were Birth-fays, foretelling 
 the Will of Heaven, and their FatUm (Spoken Word, the Fay of the 
 Bomance Nations, from fari to speak) was simply the Voice of Jupiter. 
 And equally so of the Norns and Volvur of Scandinavia. 
 
 wviU) then (our modern weird) is the lord [mistress) of each man, 
 hut the Servant and exprest mil of the lord, the almighty; and the 
 metod of this passage in Beowulf must be taken in this its antique sig- 
 nification. 
 
 M< el, 07, mickle, much, great. 
 
 mid, 17, 40, 08, 09, with, (another form of the prep. wid). Usually 
 gov. Dal. 
 
 H1MMIN6, 4, ac. s. m., the famous sword made by yyeland. 
 
 hiii, 19, n. s., mine, my. 
 
 HGitiG, 09, many, n. or ac. absolute of multitude, governing gen. 
 'ogres'. This idiom, found in the old dialects, is sometimes, as here, 
 difficult of translation. It may stand as nom. or as ac, and may mean 
 many another man, many another thing, or many other men and 
 things. This whole passage is, as already observed, very obscure. If 
 'monig <mVcs' be here ac, it apparently follows 'gegirwan'. 
 
 mohres, 24, 38} g. s. — and honna, 3, g.' pi. — of mon, a man.
 
 WORD-ROLL. — - MTOTEK — REAF. 81 
 
 mtoten, IK), probably an error for moten, 3 pi. pr. , may, mote, 
 or for hosten, might, mote, 3 pi. p. of m6t. 
 
 \h k.n, 43, 2 s. imper. of mlrnan , to mourn, grieve or care for, 
 regard. 
 
 nalles, 19, not-the-less, not-at-all, by no means. Contr. from 
 na (ne) dy l.es. 
 
 geNAM, 71, took, 3 s. p. of niman, to nim, seize, obtain. 
 
 ne, 3 and pas., not. 
 
 nearwum, 72, d. pi. of nearo, narrow, pinching. When used sub- 
 stantively, in the s. or pi. this word often means narrows, straits, dif- 
 ficulties, troubles, — or a narrow place, cave, prison <£c. 
 
 ner, 94, see geap-ner. 
 
 nidhades, 73, g. s. of nidhad, n. pr. 
 
 nu, 54, now. — nu-gyt, 10, now yet, as yet. This seems to be 
 the word, but the last letters are very faint, especially the 't'. 
 
 * 
 
 of, 72, of, off, from, out of. Prep. gov. Dat. (and abl.) 
 
 ofer, 33, over, beyond. Prep. gov. Dat. (and ac.) 
 
 oft, 6, oft, often. 
 
 on, '26, 62, 80, 92, on, upon; in, within. Prep. gov. Dat. land 
 ac.) — See oii-dred, oii-gan. eft-on-ciNNAD, on-sT0D0N. 
 
 onette, 77, he on'd, went on, hasten'd on, advanced quickly, 3 
 s. p. of onettan. 
 
 [or-l.eg], 119, war, fight, warfare. 
 
 ord-wyga, 9, n. s.j battalion-head-warrior, commander-in-chief. 
 
 oder. — odres, 38, 69, g. s. in. of oder, anotber. — odrlm, 8, 
 d. s. m. — oder-twega, 14, one of twain, one of the two, g. pi. of 
 oder-tvvegen. 
 
 odde, 16, 26, 58, or. 
 
 plegan, 22, see under sweord-plegan. 
 
 red-fest, 108, rede-fast, firm in good council, fast in affording 
 good help, a rewarder. Gov. gen. 
 
 redenne, 39, see yvig-r.edenne. 
 
 reaf, 97, ac. s. of reaf, rief, reaving, spoil, rich weapon or 
 
 garment. 
 
 6
 
 82 WORD-ROLL. — RECCE— aet-STEALLE. 
 
 recce, 42, 3 s. pr. subj. of reccan, to reach, stretch, endure, last. 
 
 recon-fest, 108, — (according to the Old Northern idiom, which 
 is still kept up in England as in Scandinavia, altho we now unfortunately 
 no longer mark the hyphen between the words, an epithet need not be 
 repeated to every word to which it belongs, — reckon-fast, a firm true 
 reckoner. Gov. Gen. 
 
 rof, 79, see ellen-rof. 
 
 ryhta, 109, g. pi. of ryht, right, just claim, privilege, merit. — 
 un-RYHTE, 49, d. s. of un-ryht, unright, injustice; 'mid unryhte' wrong- 
 fully, unjustly. 
 
 gesAWE, 21, I saw, 1 s. p. of seon. 
 
 sckal, 54, shall, 3 s. pr. — and scealt, 14, 47, shalt, 2 s. pr. 
 — of SCLLAN. 
 
 un-scEXDE, 96, adj., un-shent, un-stained, un-hurt, un-disgraced, 
 honorable. 
 
 se, 13, the, n. s. m. art. def. — se-de, 107, 110, he that, that 
 one who, he who. 
 
 sec, 8, n. s., a (sege, segge,) warrior, knight, man. 
 
 secan, 50, 56, inf., to seek, follow, seek out, go back to. 
 
 self. — selfl.m, 66, d. s. in. — and selfne, 40, ac. s. m. — of 
 self, self. 
 
 sige, 106, ac. s. of sige, victory, conquest, triumph. 
 
 sirc, 67, n. s., (a sink, anything sinkt , brought together) a hoard, 
 treasure, a valuable heap, riches. Gov. Gen. — sync-fatum, 52, d. pi. 
 of siNC-FET, (a sink-fat, hoard-vat,) treasure-trough, jewel-dish, gem- 
 plate, valuable beaker or cup. 
 
 for-soc, 51, 3 s. p. of for-sacan, to forsake, oppose, refuse, re- 
 ject, deny. Gov. Uat. (and Ac.) 
 
 sohtest, 32, 36, didst seek, 2 s. p. of secan. 
 
 stan-fate, 62, d. s. of stan-fat or f.et, a stone fat or vat or 
 trough or chest or case. 
 
 stamjan. — standad, 92, stands, is 3 s. pr. (North-English form, 
 instead of the South English standef) or stent) of the verb standan. 
 'Standad me' I have. — on-ST0D0N, 66, on-stood, stood by or near, 
 came on, 3 pi. p. of on-standan. 
 
 aet-STEALLE, 37, d. s. m. of kt-steal, an at-stell, stell or stall or 
 stead at a place, a fixt place, a station, camp-place, military post. The
 
 WORD-ROLL. — aet-STEALLE. 
 
 83 
 
 word is not in the dictionaries. It occurs in the Exeter Book, Thorpe 
 p. 112, 1. 26, where cuthlac's spiritual combat is spoken of: — 
 
 sibban biorg gestah 
 eadig oretta 
 and wiges heard 
 gyrede nine georne mid 
 gaestlicum wsepnum 
 wong bletsade 
 
 him to aet-staelle 
 aerest araerde 
 cristes rode. 
 
 "after that the hill ascended 
 
 the blessed champion ; 
 
 and, bold in war, 
 
 had himself girded zealously with 
 
 ghostly weapons ; 
 
 bless'd the plain 
 
 for his refection place, 
 first rear'd up 
 Christ's rood." 
 
 ['mid', above, should go with the next line]. 
 Here "refection-place" is evidently quite out of keeping. The 
 parallel passage in guthlac's Prose Life (Goodwin, p. 24) is, in like 
 manner, altogether military: 
 
 "Haefde he ba on ylde six and 
 
 twentig wintra ba he asrest se 
 
 Godes cempa on bam westene mid 
 
 heofenlicre gife geweorood gesaet. 
 
 Pa sona wi5 bam scotungum bara 
 
 werigra gasta faet he nine mid 
 
 gastlicum waepnum gescylde, he 
 
 nam bone scyld bass Halgan Gastes 
 
 geleafan; and hyne on baere byr- 
 
 nan gegearowode \>&s heofonlican 
 
 hihtes; and he him dyde heolm 
 
 on heafod claenera gebanca; and 
 
 mid him straelum bses halgan sealm- 
 
 sanges a singallice wiS bam awe- 
 
 rigedum gastum sceotode and cam- 
 
 pode." 
 
 ^et-steal, £T-st.el, then, in these passages, must mean a ca??ip, 
 
 military station, battle-array. — In Kemble's Charters, No. 741 (Vol.4, 
 
 p. 31) we have a place named "and swa on et-stealles beorh", which 
 
 apparently is the same as camp-mound, army-castle. — The 0. N. stilli 
 
 means a mound, pit or trap (to catch wild animals). 
 
 6* 
 
 "He was six and twenty years of 
 age when, endowed with heavenly 
 grace, God's soldier first settled in 
 the wilderness. Then straightway, 
 that he might arm himself against 
 the attacks of the wicked spirits 
 with spiritual weapons, he look the 
 shield of the Holy Spirit, faith; 
 and clothed himself in the armour 
 of heavenly hope ; and put on his 
 head the helmet of chaste thoughts ; 
 and with the arrows of holy psal- 
 mody he ever continually shot and 
 fought against the accursed spirits."
 
 S4 WORD-ROLL. — ST1LLE — DKS-DE. 
 
 stille, 63, stilly, quietly. 
 
 on-STODON, 66, see u. standan. 
 
 sunu, 18, n. s., son. 
 
 swa, 101, so, so-as, as. 
 
 swat-fag, 7, sweat-fawe, blood-stained, dyed with gore. 
 
 SWEFANj 5S, inf., to (swave, swiff), sleep, slumber, fall, die. (Hence 
 swefe.n, a dream). 
 
 sweord. — swi'rde, 51, d. s. of swt'RD (sweord), neut. a sword, 
 falchion. — sweord-plegan, 22, d. s. of sweord-plega, m. , sword-play, 
 battle-sport, conflict. — sweord-wund, 6, sword-wounded. 
 
 geswirED, 3, deceiveth, failetb, 3 s. pr. of swi'can, to (swik, sweak, 
 swike), give back, illude, betray. In this sense, governs a Dal. ; in the 
 sense of to cease, a Gen. 
 
 We have exactly the same expression in Beowulf (Thorpe 1. 2925): 
 
 "naefre hit set hilde ne swac 
 
 manna sengum 
 
 para pe hit mit mundum bewand. 
 
 "never in battle had it deceived 
 any man , 
 
 of those who brandish'd it with 
 
 hands." 
 
 swurde, 51, see sweord. 
 
 syllan, 106, inf. to (sell, which originally meant to deliver, hand 
 over), give, grant. 
 
 svmle, 31, 107, ever, alway. 
 sync-fatum, 52, see under sinc. 
 
 to, 11, 45, 110, 112, to. Prep. gov. Bat. — Used before ge- 
 rund, OS. — to, 35. too, too much. 
 
 geTWKMDE, 88, 3 s. p. of ind. or subj. of tw.eman, to make in 
 two. iJi\idc. separate, cut off, hinder. In this sense Dat. of person and 
 Ac. of thing. 
 
 twega, 14, see u. oder. 
 
 da, 59, the, that, those, ac. s. 1. or ac. pi. of se (de). — ac. 
 pi., 115. 
 
 Hi*, 113, there. 
 
 d.ks-de, 48, 72, for that, because, since, as. (Properly Gen. s. n. 
 of se IDE) and de indecl.)
 
 WOKD-KOIX. — DET — DUS. 85 
 
 df.t, 119, that, n. s. n. — and 21 and pas., properly ac. s. n. 
 
 — of se (de). — 14, that, when. 
 
 dam, 22, 37, 61, 110, the, d. s. m. — 51, d. s. n. — 52, d. pi. 
 
 — Of SE (DE). 
 
 dara, 4, of those, g. pi. Of SE. 
 
 das, 48, this, ac. s. f. of des. 
 
 de, 19, 34, to thee, for thee, d. s. — 21, 40, thee, ac. s. — 
 of du. 
 
 de, 4 and pas., who, which, that, indeclinable relative. 
 
 deah, 106, tho, yet, nevertheless, however. — deah-de, 28, tho- 
 that, altho. 
 
 geDENCED, 115, 3 s. pr. of dencan, to think, think upon, meditate, 
 consider. 
 
 denden, 42 (a derivative of se (de); during that, long as, while. 
 
 DEODRir, 65, n. s. pr. n. 
 
 di, 43, 68, that, abl. s. in. n. of se (de). 
 
 din, 42, n. s. — 10, ac. s. n. — dinne , 29, ac. s. in. of din, 
 thine, thy. 
 
 disse, 55, this, d. s. f. of des. 
 
 DOHTE, 64, I thought, I S. p. Of DENCAN. 
 
 tONNE, 99, 102, 116, then, then-when, when. — [1>onne], 119, than. 
 du, 14, and pas., thou. 
 
 durh, 23, 76, thro, on account of. Prep. gov. Ac. 
 aet dus heado, 90. 
 
 1 will take these words together. The difficulty, the only real 
 one in all these 119 lines, is in the word dus. 
 There are several ways of explaining it. 
 
 1. We may take it as the common word dus, English thus. This 
 word occurs seldom in O. E. verse. It is found only a couple of times 
 in all the 10,000 lines of Caedmon, and so elsewhere; in the Vercelli 
 poetry it is somewhat more common. But where it does occur, it is 
 always placed simply, never involutely. To set it between a Prep, and 
 a Noun is, in 0. E., as far as I know, absolutely impossible. And the 
 word itself, particularly in this "steeled" passage, is trivial. It must 
 therefore be dismist at once. 
 
 2. We may think of the word des, this. Now heado' is probably 
 masc. This must require in the Dat. disum in S. E. dis(S)1>i (or das(s)um) 
 in N. E. There must therefore be a violent change of the word, which
 
 86 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 
 
 all judicious interpreters willingly avoid as long as possible. If we take 
 'heado' as fern, we require disse in the South E. or disser (or d.esser) 
 in the North E. This is open to the same objection. And besides, 
 this combat is very tame in such a passage. 
 
 3. We may look about for words like it. We have I>yrs, Dat. 
 M'rse, a thruse, giant, goblin; (nsE, Dat. 1>isan, force; ^ys, Dat.—, storm, 
 and others, all which are inapplicable, and all which would compel us 
 to revolutionize the text. 
 
 I therefore prefer to let the words stand as they are, and to de- 
 fend and accept them. 
 
 .et, at, governs a Dat. 
 
 dus. — We have in 0. E. the wellknown word dunor or duner, 
 masc, the 0. H. G. donar, side by side with the (probably syncopated 
 or assimilated) word dlr or dor. These words were interchanged, but 
 the latter was the popular and common expression, exactly as it was 
 and is in Scandinavia, where I>undr, m., is found indeed, but only as an 
 old poetical word and an epithet of (W)Oden in his capacity as the God 
 of War, while the universal expression is otherwise (Hjr or t*OR on Rune- 
 stones) K)RR, W)R, TOR. 
 
 It is certain* that in the oldest English verse-dialect dur must 
 have been frequently employed in certain kennings and phrases, as in 
 Scandinavia, just as we still have so many epithets still left comprehend- 
 ing wode.n, frea, setkr, frige, baldor, hado, hild, wig, wusr, w?rd, and 
 many other Gods, Nymphs or Monsters. But, as we know, we have lost 
 almost all our oldest literature. Every new find, if really antique, as 
 here, may be expected to add something to our store. At first it may 
 appear strange, but if we were to discover a whole 0. E. Edda we should 
 soon become familiar with words stranger still. 
 
 This 0. E. dlr is now most familiar to us, and indeed also in 
 Scandinavia, as still subsisting in the name of thurs-day. Traces of 
 dl.no r on the contrary are now faint, for thunder very early became a 
 physical fact, not a mythical God. We have in Kemble and Bede a 
 proper name or two (such as tond-ber(t) which may be derived from 
 him, and Kemble (S. in Engl. 1, 346, 348) has collected some curious 
 local names and other fragments about him; but we have no leading 
 traditions extant in which he figures. 
 
 In the Gospels publisht by Marshall, we find in the Rubrics to 
 Matth. 15, 21; Luke 4, 38; John 5, 17; 8, 31; 13, 1, dunres dec; and
 
 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 87 
 
 at John 5, 30 ours dec In yElfred's Dooms, B, 5, 5; Rectitudines 
 Sing. Pers. 3, and Ecclesiastical Institutions Section 41, we find dunres 
 dec. But durs deg must rapidly have predominated, and the moment 
 we touch Early English dinres dec disappears. I do not know of one 
 instance later than the 0. E. period. Peter Langtoft has the form thtr 
 day. In fact dlr or dor doubtless advanced as the Scandinavian element 
 in England became stronger and stronger. In the well-known Homily 
 we have "dor eac and eowden" (not dunor and woden), and again gl. 
 Cott. (Lye, Notes to Jun. Lex. s. v.) "in joppiter, dunor odoe dor". 
 The stately and archaic dunor (= jupiter) gave way before the lighter 
 dlr (= Jove). It is this latter form which has remained in all Scandi- 
 navia, where we have only pors-dagr, tors- dag, and in some German 
 dialects we have durs-tag instead of diens-tag. 
 
 Besides the place-names in Kemble, we have many person-names 
 taken from this deity, which are also common in Scandinavia, where 
 there is no such echo of Rundr. Omitting those found in the Chronicle 
 and other such books, in Kemble's Charters we have dur-cytel (and 
 dyr-cytel), dur-ed (and DUR-.ED), dur-ferd (and the older form dure-ferd, 
 dure-ferd), dlr-stan, dor-ulf (also written dor-ulf) &c. &c. , and among 
 the Moneyers (See Ilildebrand, Collection, pp. 131, 216, 242) we find 
 thvr and thorr, THOR-rETEL (and the older form THORE-fETEL) , thvr-cil, 
 
 THOR-ETH, THVRE-FERTH, THVR-GRUI , THVR-RLN , THVR-SIGE , THVR-STAN , and 
 
 thvr-vlf (and thvr-olf), to which others might be added. 
 
 This will be sufficient for my argument, the familiar use among 
 our ancestors of the name of this Deity. 
 
 Now the Genitive of dur is dures, or. by a common contraction, 
 
 DURS. 
 
 But, in the passage above there is no R. We have dus. 
 
 In regard to this I might simply contend that it is a mere slip 
 of the pen, that the R has fallen out. We know how faulty these old 
 transcripts are (as faulty in fact as modern copies often are). In the 
 first 120 lines of Beowulf we have half a dozen such clerical errors. In 
 these 119 lines we have several, among them the mtoten above mentioned. 
 
 This indeed may be so. But I take other ground. I say that 
 many of the "errors' 1 found in old manuscripts — and often, unfortu- 
 nately for philology, silently corrected without notice by the editors — 
 are not faults at all, but depend upon some law of dialect or grammar 
 or popular usage.
 
 SS WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 
 
 And this brings me to the subject of elision and assimilation, 
 which play a part often not suspected, often scarcely enquired into, and 
 this from the earliest times, for they became less common in manu- 
 scripts as 'grammar' became better known. In our own language we 
 have them every where, both in the old dialect and in the new. They 
 perplex the foreigner in our chumley (cholmondeley), vvorster (Worcester), 
 beecham (beauchamp), our of(t)en, cas(t)le and a thousand other words, 
 they smile at us in our 0. E. wodnes-deg our educated weddns-day our 
 popular wensday, our 0. E. frige-d eg and present fri-day, they startle 
 us when we think of the fact that our r is scarcely pronounced at all 
 in whole masses of words under certain circumstances, that our l has 
 become vocalized in other groups (ta(L)k, wa(L)k, &c), and so on. In 
 the oldest 0. E. the same system was in full play. We need only open 
 Kemble's Charters passim, and examine even splendid documents, care- 
 fully penned and signed by Kings and Courtiers, to see, almost in the 
 same line or page, and of one and the same person, such forms as 
 che'ulf and ieoluulf, wul'hard and wulfhar' , si'red and sig'red and 
 sigered, wi'bert and wigbert, bal'hard and baldhard, wulf'uh and 
 wulfhun, wilf'e'h and wulfhe'h and wllfiieah, cy'degn and cynedegn, and 
 so on. I might till pages from one single volume. Indeed these words 
 can sometimes scarcely be recognized, save by comparison of various 
 charters, signed by the same King or Bishop, and where there can be 
 no mistake or ^-plicity. 
 
 But it is almost impossible to bring instances quite similar, in 
 which k has been assimilated in Old English in this very word dl:s, be- 
 cause, as we know, our mythic songs, where we might find the word, 
 are lost, while in the Charters <fcc. , where it might occur in the name 
 of the week-day, the dates are almost always given by Indictions or 
 Kalends or Saints-days &c. 
 
 But Scandinavia may help us, for there this same organic law of 
 elision and assimilation was from the oldest times in full play, and, the 
 mother-tongue being chiefly used, the week-days are often mentioned. 
 We there meet, both in old documents and in the language of cultivated 
 people, things which appear at first extraordinary, tis for ost and wes 
 for west, tho used by our forefathers, are now somewhat remarkable, in 
 spite of our still saying a NOR'wester and a sou'wester. But in looking 
 for examples we must remember that most editions of old works or 
 documents are silently altered, or invested with what the editors please
 
 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. V) 
 
 to call a normal orthography. If we add to this, that the great majority 
 of the Sagas and Charters tfcc. were written by regular curial officers or 
 school-educated men, as afraid of grammatical and orthographical "vul- 
 garisms" as ourselves, we shall see that it is only by accident, or strength 
 of local or provincial utterance, that these details have come down to us. 
 However, without entering on this large field — which, if it ever 
 be cultivated, will give valuable results as to the existence of word-forms 
 and genders not in our lexicons, as to the great antiquity of certain 
 peculiarities in what we call the vulgar tongue, and as to the frequent 
 disregard of what we call grammar (that is, the acknowledged existence 
 of the lingua rustic a side by side with the educated dialect), while they 
 show the surprising influence of euphony and that sinking of letters 
 which we now call elision and assimilation — I will give a few speci- 
 mens of what I mean, all taken at hap hazard within the compass of a 
 few pages in the Icelandic "Saga Olafs Konungsens Helga", edited, 
 (from a previously imprinted but most valuable MS. written about 1 200- 
 1250), without doctoring the text, except with due notice, by Professors 
 P. A. Munch and C. 11. linger, 8vo, Christiania, 1853: — 
 
 (ELIDED LETTERS.) 
 
 A. verit (A)vallt, ep(A), faeri(A) oc, haf(A), hvit(A), motst(A)vbvmenn, 
 tveggi(A); 
 
 C. ek(C)i, s(C)eica, sli(C)t; 
 
 D. avn(l))verbv, Englan(D)s, Islan(D)s; 
 
 E. er (E)rot; 
 
 F. cal(F)s, ha(F)3i; 
 
 G. einstrein(G)|)i, lav(G)ov, sav(G)o, bravn(G)t; 
 H. (H)allda, (H)efi, (H)ofgarbaress, (U)var; 
 
 I. bryn(l)vna, dryck(l)unni, e(I)pa, Eyste(I)ni, fiarr(I), fle(I)ra, flyt(I)- 
 andi, fylg(Iju, hef(I), h(I)avrnagla, kn(!)am, landil), leidd(I), ne(l)tti, re(l)oa, 
 scylld(i)r, Vaering(I)ar; 
 
 L. Hro(L)fr, scy(L)do; 
 
 M. avngv(M), co(M)tv, cv(M)l, eno(M) helga, hiabMisetr, scatt- 
 giofo(M), sino(M); 
 
 N. hrei(N)sfitionum. lirei|Nistavcur, stav(JN)gin; NN. l>ornriiNNi; 
 
 0. iatop(O); 
 
 P. hlio(P) upp; 
 
 R. apt(R), A(R)mods, bra?st(R)inn, dy(R) var, elR), forell(R)ar, 
 havllda(R). hraomaelt(Hi, hvatrao(H), Leif(R), nio(R)8r, noiRior, orscvrSa(R), 
 scotsilf(R), Tvng(R), MR), ve(R)9r;
 
 90 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 
 
 S. bv(S) sins, heim(S), kavpscip(S)ens, scip(S) sins, si5aar(S)t, 
 breif(S)c; 
 
 T. a(T), hcTt(T)a, lang(T), scam(T), slic(T), br6ng(T), utars(T); 
 
 D. bro(D|r, hir(D)byscop, hir(D)10g, leyf(D)r, or(D), or(t>)tac, re(D) 
 liann, \i(D) tocur, mest (P)at; 
 
 DV. lavg(DV) beir; 
 
 U. bra(V)t, mnn(U); 
 
 V. SlVieinn; 
 
 Y. ble(Y)pa. 
 
 I need not add that Middle-age MSS. and printed books, English 
 and Scandinavian, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, before the 
 Schoolmaster came in with his ferule, swarm with these assimilations. 
 Even in shakespear's Merry Wives (first sketch) we have within a conple 
 of leaves, a = have, cdsse = curse, horsehoo = horseshoe, sed = said, 
 
 SES = SAYS, WOREIX = WORLD, &C. 
 
 In the remaining observations, I will of course not trouble my- 
 self with forms where the r is not a part of the root but merely a mark 
 of the nomin. ; nor such words as kall for karl, a carle, fy'st for 
 fyrst, first, where it is essential, but will chiefly confine myself to this 
 doctrine of assimilation with regard to the r in durs. 
 
 Of course it would be most satisfactory to commence with the 
 Runic Inscriptions of England and Scandinavia, for these come nearest 
 in antiquity to the fragments here edited. But this heathen word is one 
 which seldom occurs, still more so in the genitive (in S). As the name 
 of a weekday it cannot be expected at all, in the oldest monuments. 
 Besides, the great mass of Rune-stones is Swedish, and these, with 
 some few exceptions, have not yet been correctly edited. It is only of 
 late that a couple of distinguisht Swedish scholars (Prof. c. save and 
 Herr r. dybeck) have directed their attention to this important field. 
 
 A general remark may not, however, be out of place. The farther 
 back we can go in these Hunic studies, the more are we struck with 
 this custom of elision and assimilation. It is commonest with the liquids 
 (l, m, n, r) but is also found with other consonants, the vowels and the 
 aspirate (h). And this, not only where the letter is non-essential, but 
 also where it is pari of the root (as in DUR). We have an instance of 
 this on the Swedish Ilune-stone at Lofstalund in Sodermanland (com- 
 monly pronounced Sb'rmlari). See c. save, Annate? for INord. Oldkyn- 
 dighed, Kjubenhavn 1So2, p. 237, where we have * I R.'t r-tH(h) hirnfas(u),
 
 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 91 
 
 instead of hirnfast(u). And Prof, thorsen, whose long-expected and in- 
 valuable work "The Runic Inscriptions of the Danes" is at last in the 
 press, has kindly informed me that the Danish Ravnkilde Stone, near 
 Hobro, found in 1847, still overtopping the barrow which it commemor- 
 ates, and belonging to the heathen period, is raised after (in memory 
 of) a brother named \HY\ (in the ac. s.). As I stands for i or e, the 
 word is iski or esge, which is = esger. Prof. t. has remarkt, that the 
 same proper name is found in the gen. sing, on the Grensten Stone 
 near Randers, from the Christian period, but not later than about 1025. 
 Here we have W +hK IH W\kk hfM-+/k sun askis (esges) bianar sunar, 
 = esgers. I lay stress upon this last inscription, because the following 
 word does not begin with the same letter, for then asges might stand 
 for asgess, which would be an assimilation of another kind; for the 
 letter, in these cases, need not be repeated. This law of reduplication 
 in Runic inscriptions (and sometimes in books) should not be forgotten; 
 when two letters of the same kind would otherwise come together, es- 
 pecially at the end of one word and beginning of another, then — to 
 spare the labor of the stone-cutter and the precious space on the stone 
 itself — only one is frequently carved. It is by neglect of observing 
 this, that Dr. haigh, in his excellent paper on the North-English Runic 
 Monuments (in "Archaeologia iEliana", Nov. 1856, Newcastle-upon-Tyne) 
 has been led into error. He has read on the Falstone Stone eom.er the 
 sett.e, instead of eomkr thes sett.e. 
 
 There are also a couple of Runic Inscriptions which apply to this 
 argument in the Collection just publisht by that learned and exact scholar 
 Prof. c. save of Upsala ("Gutniska Lrkunder: Guta Lag, Guta Saga och 
 Gotlands Run-inskrifter, sprakligt behandlade. 8vo, Stockholm 1S59"). 
 The two which I refer to are late, from the beginning of the 16th Cen- 
 tury, but Runic writings keep up the oldest traditions. The Grst (No. 20, 
 p. 40) has (Save here uses Roman letters) hv war ur prim stafr ok f>os 
 sunl'tahr, then icas ur Prime Stave (the Golden Number) and tos 
 (= I>ors) Sunday [letter). — The other is No. 147 (p. 48), and gives a 
 tos dahtnom, on tos (= tors, Thurs-)day. 
 
 In parchment writings the number of these examples is very con- 
 siderable. I will mention a few. 
 
 "Diplomatarium Islandicum, 8vo , Vol. 1, Kaupmannahofn, 1859", 
 has, at p. 399, anno 1220, ber^ori (= berg!>ori), and asgei's (= asgeirs).
 
 92 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 
 
 Waldemar H's (Danish) Land-Cartulary, written about 1250, men- 
 tions the little iland thursland , afterwards called Taasinge or Thorseng, 
 close S. W. of Fyen. In this document, as printed in Langebek's Scrip- 
 tores Her. Dan. Vol. 7, p. 524, we have, in large letters, u g thosland", 
 and again, at p. 531, "in thosland". The note at p. 581, says: — 
 "Ilodie Taasingeland, insula quaedam. Scribitur etiam Thorsland, forte 
 a deastro Thor, quod confirmatur nomine parvae adjacentis insulae Thoroe". 
 
 In an (). N. official document, the Boundary-line between Norway 
 and Sweden, written between the years 1263 and 1283, and publisht by 
 Prof, weruuff in "Annaler for Nordisk Oldk. Kjob. 1 844-45", we have, 
 p. 1 (32 , among the witnesses, nichulas Posteinsson (= Porsteinsson), 
 again at p. 164, geileifuer (=== geirleifuer), and I>ostein (= Porsteus) 
 hakonerso.n, and again at p. 166, stecla I»ostein. 
 
 In "Diplomatarium Norvegicum, Ed. c. c. a. lange & c. r. *unger, 
 s \o. Vol; 1, Christiania 1847", we find at p. 143 a document dated 
 1322, "a I'os (--= I>ors) daghesn nesta epter Gregorius messu dagh", — 
 at p. 158, an. 1327, "j 1'Ollaaghs garde", in Por-laks garth, — and 
 again "i 1>ollaks garde", — and at p. 182 (an. 1333) and in very many 
 other places thostein, — and, at p. 206, {-orbio'n side by side with 
 Porbiorn. gu's for GLDS, erlen's for erlends, &c. 
 
 In "c. g. komxgsvards Diplomatarium Dalecarlicum, 4to, Vol. 2, 
 Fahlun 1814", we have an interesting example in documents dating from 
 1486 and fol. years. The word in question is thoris aryve by (would be, 
 in 0. English, dores erfe by) the BY or homestead or hamlet consisting 
 of the erf — inheritance, heritable property — left by thorir (thor). 
 Now this, in different places, according as it nears the popular pronun- 
 ciation, is spelt: 
 
 THORIS ARUA BY 
 TIIORESS ARFWE BY 
 TOORS ARE BY 
 
 TOSS ARA BY 
 
 tos ara by, and 
 
 TOS-AR-BY. 
 
 W itb regard to this from the earliest times traceable '-popular 
 pronunciation" it will be sufficient to add, that there are at this moment 
 in different parts of Scandinavia, especially in Denmark, .scores of places 
 connected with the worship of thor or the residence of men called after 
 his name, always, when a prefix, pronounced (and markt on most maps) 
 as toos-, tos-, tlss-, TLS-, <fcc, and that the yeomanry of West Jutland 
 still, in spite of schools and schoolmasters, know of no oilier name for 
 Thursday iDanish Book-language thors-dag) than thos-da(g).
 
 WORD-ROLL. — DUS. 93 
 
 But manum dc tabuld. I have not time to continue. I can only 
 
 assure my readers, that hundreds of additional instances could be col- 
 lected from every part of Scandinavia. 
 
 1 now come to heado (hado, hado, 0. IN. hSdr, older form hadr, 
 hadur, gen. hadar, masc.) the mythical blind kemp who slew the White 
 God baldor, but also used for war in general, — (the 0. H. G. hadu). 
 — heado is here dat. sing, after e.t. — In 0. U. G. the word is not 
 used alone, but it is frequent in compounds, both as a prefix and an 
 affix, and is probably masc. 
 
 In 0. E. it has never before been found standing alone; but we 
 have a great number of compounds, of which it is the first word, and 
 to these many Proper names (such as heado- or hado-berht, heado- or 
 hado-red, hado-wald) may be added. I have not seen one, in which it 
 is an affix. It is given by Bosworth as fern. , Ettmuller says "? masc." 
 The latter is probably correct. 
 
 If we now sum up what has been thus remarkt, it will be evident 
 that the simplest, most natural and most beautiful version of et di's 
 heado will be, at or in thur's struggle, in our bloody quarrel, in our 
 fierce feud. — Intensitive prefixes of this kind, all of them originally 
 more or less mythical, such as beado-, krea-, gin-, heado-, hii.de-, or-, 
 &c. are common in 0. E., and are also found in 0. N. 
 
 But this translation meets an unexpected illustration and confir- 
 mation. We have exactly the same kind of expression in the 0. N. 
 Scaldic poetry, where we find such kennings as 
 
 K'ndar furr = Kjnor's or di'r's or (w)oden's fire, = a sword, 
 
 Rwdar skur = Honor's or dur's or (w)oden's shower, = arrow- 
 rain, battle. 
 
 dy, 20, 34, 46, for-that, so-that, for, because, therefore, abl. s. m. 
 n. of se (de). — At line 20, the word may possibly he redd 'ciref. 
 
 un, see un-M egas, iui-ryhte, un-srEXDE. 
 
 INC, 4 5, to-us-two, dat. dual of ic. The word may possibly be 
 read mic, but such words as to ceoce (a prep, and noun forming a new 
 compound prep.) take their following word in the dat. , and >nr is in 
 the accas. 
 
 ut-for-LET, 75, see under letan.
 
 y 
 
 94 WORD-ROLL. — DY— YFLE. 
 
 waldere, 78, n. s. pr. n. 
 
 wat, 64, 1 wote, wot, know, 1 s. pr. of witan. 
 
 weal, 26, ac. s., (wall, rampart), high ground, plain, wong, open 
 land, battle-field. 
 
 wealdan, 118, inf., to wield, use, employ, rule, enjoy, govern. 
 Gov. Bat. 
 
 weard, 44, was, worth, 3 s. p. of weordan. 
 
 welan, 117, ac. s. or pi. of wela, weal, wealth, riches, treasures. 
 
 weland[es], 2, 74, g. s. of weland, n. pr. — The MS. is obscure 
 here, from abrasion. We may read 'weland geworc' or 'welandes wore'; 
 in the former case the es of the genitive has been accidentally omitted. 
 
 wendest, 84, thou didst ween, think, imagine, 2 s. pr. of wenan. 
 
 weorda, 40, honor, deck, adorn, 2 s. imper. of weordian. — 
 geWEORDOD, 95, p. p. 
 
 werigan", 91, inf., to ware, defend. — wered, 99, 3 s. pr. defends, 
 guards, preserves. Gov. Bat. 
 
 widia, 75, n. s., and widian, 65, d. s. proper name. 
 
 wigges, 89, g. s. of wig, here personified, War, Strife. — wig, 
 25, ac. s., here not personified, war, strife, battle. — wig-r.edenne, 39, 
 ac. s. of wig-R.Eden, fern., a war-stead, battle-line, camp. 
 
 wiga, 79, n. s., a (wigger), warman, fighter, hero, soldier, brave, 
 chief. — See ord-wyga. 
 
 wine, 19, 85, a friend; but also, as applied to a prince, a friend- 
 lord, protector, lord-chief, king. 
 
 wid, 101, with, usually gov. Dat. and Ac. (Is another form 
 of mid). 
 
 WLANCE, 116, n. pi. of wlanc, lofty, proud, a high one, hero. 
 
 gewoRC, 2, work, workmanship. N. s. — See weland[es]. 
 
 wordum, 20, 83, with words, in words, d. pi. of word. 
 
 wind, 6, see sweord-wund. 
 
 yfle, 102, evil, bad, savage, n. pi. of yfel. (The word is doubt- 
 ful. Possibly we may read alle, all.)
 
 MISPRINTS 
 
 already observed. 
 
 Page 3, Line 1 (note), read 'facsimile' for 'translation'. 
 
 » 7, » 15, read 'kinsman'. 
 
 » 12, » 15,16,» 'Gammel Samling'. 
 
 » 68, » 15, » 'd.eduji'.
 
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 Ghost-thanks or the Grateful Lnburied, a Mythic tale in 
 its oldest European form. Sir A.yiadace, a Middle-North-English Metrical 
 Bornance of the Thirteenth Century. Beprinted from two texts, with an 
 Introduction. Svo. Eighteen Pence. 
 
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