PART III.
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SELECTIONS FOR READING.
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PROSE.
Introductory.
I. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
This famous work, a series of progressive annals by unknown hands, embraces a period extending from Cæsar’s invasion of England to 1154. It is not known when or where these annals began to be recorded in English.
“The annals from the year 866—that of Ethelred’s ascent of the throne—to the year 887 seem to be the work of one mind. Not a single year is passed over, and to several is granted considerable space, especially to the years 871, 878, and 885. The whole has gained a certain roundness and fulness, because the events—nearly all of them episodes in the ever-recurring conflict with the Danes—are taken in their connection, and the thread dropped in one year is resumed in the next. Not only is the style in itself concise; it has a sort of nervous severity and pithy rigor. The construction is often antiquated, and suggests at times the freedom of poetry; though this purely historical prose is far removed from poetry in profusion of language.” (Ten Brink, Early Eng. Lit., I.)
II. The Translations of Alfred.
Alfred’s reign (871-901) may be divided into four periods. The first, the period of Danish invasion, extends from 871 to 881; the second, the period of comparative quiet, from 881 to 893; the third, the period of renewed strife (beginning with the incursions of Hasting), from 893 to 897; the fourth, the period of peace, from 897 to 901. His literary work probably falls in the second period.*
The works translated by Alfred from Latin into the vernacular were (1) Consolation of Philosophy (De Consolatione Philosophiae) by Boëthius (475-525), (2) Compendious History of the World (Historiarum Libri VII) by Orosius (c. 418), (3) Ecclesiastical History of the English (Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum) by Bede (672-735), and (4) Pastoral Care (De Cura Pastorali) by Pope Gregory the Great (540-604).
The chronological sequence of these works is wholly unknown. That given is supported by Turner, Arend, Morley, Grein, and Pauli. Wülker argues for an exact reversal of this order. According to Ten Brink, the order was more probably (1) Orosius, (2) Bede, (3) Boëthius, and (4) Pastoral Care. The most recent contribution to the subject is from Wülfing, who contends for (1) Bede, (2) Orosius, (3) Pastoral Care, and (4) Boëthius.
* There is something inexpressibly touching in this clause from the great king’s pen: gif wē ðā stilnesse habbað. He is speaking of how much he hopes to do, by his translations, for the enlightenment of his people.
I. THE BATTLE OF ASHDOWN.
[From the Chronicle, Parker MS. The event and date are significant. The Danes had for the first time invaded Wessex. Alfred’s older brother, Ethelred, was king; but to Alfred belongs the glory of the victory at Ashdown (Berkshire). Asser (Life of Alfred) tells us that for a long time Ethelred remained praying in his tent, while Alfred and his followers went forth “like a wild boar against the hounds.”]
1 871. Hēr cuōm1 sē hęre tō Rēadingum on Westseaxe,
2 ǫnd þæs ymb iii niht ridon ii eorlas ūp. Þa gemētte hīe
1 Æþelwulf aldorman2 on Ęnglafelda, ǫnd him þǣr wiþ gefeaht,
2 ǫnd sige nam. Þæs ymb iiii niht Æþered cyning
3 ǫnd Ælfred his brōþur3 þǣr micle fierd tō Rēadingum
4 gelǣddon, ǫnd wiþ þone hęre gefuhton; ǫnd þǣr wæs
5 micel wæl geslægen on gehwæþre hǫnd, ǫnd Æþelwulf
6 aldormǫn wearþ ofslægen; ǫnd þa Dęniscan āhton wælstōwe
7 gewald.
8 Ǫnd þæs ymb iiii niht gefeaht Æþered cyning ǫnd
9 Ælfred his brōþur wiþ alne4 þone hęre on Æscesdūne.
10 Ǫnd hīe wǣrun5 on twǣm gefylcum: on ōþrum wæs
11 Bāchsęcg ǫnd Halfdęne þā hǣþnan cyningas, ǫnd on
12 ōþrum wǣron þā eorlas. Ǫnd þā gefeaht sē cyning
13 Æþered wiþ þāra cyninga getruman, ǫnd þǣr wearþ sē
14 cyning Bāgsęcg ofslægen; ǫnd Ælfred his brōþur wiþ
15 þāra eorla getruman, ǫnd þǣr wearþ Sidroc eorl ofslægen
16 sē alda,6 ǫnd Sidroc eorl sē gioncga,7 ǫnd Ōsbearn eorl,
17 ǫnd Frǣna eorl, ǫnd Hareld eorl; ǫnd þā hęrgas8 bēgen
18 geflīemde, ǫnd fela þūsenda ofslægenra, ǫnd onfeohtende
19 wǣron oþ niht.
20 Ǫnd þæs ymb xiiii niht gefeaht Æþered cyning ǫnd
21 Ælfred his brōður wiþ þone hęre æt Basengum, ǫnd þǣr
22 þa Dęniscan sige nāmon.
23 Ǫnd þæs ymb ii mōnaþ gefeaht Æþered cyning ǫnd
24 Ælfred his brōþur wiþ þone hęre æt Męretūne, ǫnd hīe
25 wǣrun on tuǣm9 gefylcium, ǫnd hīe būtū geflīemdon, ǫnd
26 lǫnge on dæg sige āhton; ǫnd þǣr wearþ micel wælsliht
27 on gehwæþere hǫnd; ǫnd þā Dęniscan āhton wælstōwe
1 gewald; ǫnd þær wearþ Hēahmund bisceop ofslægen,
2 ǫnd fela gōdra mǫnna. Ǫnd æfter þissum gefeohte cuōm1
3 micel sumorlida.
4 Ǫnd þæs ofer Ēastron gefōr Æþered cyning; ǫnd hē
5 rīcsode v gēar; ǫnd his līc līþ æt Wīnburnan.
6 Þā fēng Ælfred Æþelwulfing his brōþur tō Wesseaxna
7 rīce. Ǫnd þæs ymb ānne mōnaþ gefeaht Ælfred cyning
8 wiþ alne4 þone hęre lȳtle werede10 æt Wiltūne, ǫnd hine
9 lǫnge on dæg geflīemde, ǫnd þā Dęniscan āhton wælstōwe
10 gewald.
11 Ǫnd þæs gēares wurdon viiii folcgefeoht gefohten wiþ
12 þone hęre on þȳ cynerīce be sūþan Tęmese, būtan þām þe
13 him Ælfred þæs cyninges brōþur ǫnd ānlīpig aldormǫn2 ǫnd
14 cyninges þegnas oft rāde onridon þe mǫn nā ne rīmde;
15 ǫnd þæs gēares wǣrun5 ofslægene viiii eorlas ǫnd ān cyning.
16 Ǫnd þȳ gēare nāmon Westseaxe friþ wiþ þone hęre.
100.8. gefeaht. Notice that the singular is used. This is the more common construction in O.E. when a compound subject, composed of singular members, follows its predicate. Cf. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. See also p. 107, note on wæs.
100.18. ǫnd fela þūsenda ofslægenra, and there were many thousands of slain (§ 91).
101.12. būtan þām þe, etc., besides which, Alfred ... made raids against them (him), which were not counted. See § 70, Note.
Consult Glossary and Paradigms under Forms given below.
No note is made of such variants as y (ȳ) or i (ī) for ie (īe). See Glossary under ie (īe); occurrences, also, of and for ǫnd, land for lǫnd, are found on almost every page of Early West Saxon. Such words should be sought for under the more common forms, ǫnd, lǫnd.
1 = cwōm.
2 = ealdormǫn.
3 = brōþor.
4 = ealne.
5 = wǣron.
6 = ealda.
7 = geonga.
8 = hęras.
9 = twǣm.
10 = werode.
II. A PRAYER OF KING ALFRED.
[With this characteristic prayer, Alfred concludes his translation of Boëthius’s Consolation of Philosophy. Unfortunately, the only extant MS. (Bodleian 180) is Late West Saxon. I follow, therefore, Prof. A. S. Cook’s normalization on an Early West Saxon basis. See Cook’s First Book in Old English, p. 163.]
1 Dryhten, ælmihtiga God, Wyrhta and Wealdend ealra
2 gesceafta, ic bidde ðē for ðīnre miclan mildheortnesse,
3 and for ðǣre hālgan rōde tācne, and for Sanctæ Marian
4 mægðhāde, and for Sancti Michaeles gehīersumnesse, and
5 for ealra ðīnra hālgena lufan and hīera earnungum, ðæt
6 ðū mē gewissie bęt ðonne ic āworhte tō ðē; and gewissa
7 mē tō ðīnum willan, and tō mīnre sāwle ðearfe, bęt ðonne
8 ic self cunne; and gestaðela mīn mōd tō ðinum willan and
9 tō mīnre sāwle ðearfe; and gestranga mē wið ðæs dēofles
10 costnungum; and āfierr fram mē ðā fūlan gālnesse and
11 ǣlce unrihtwīsnesse; and gescield mē wið mīnum wiðerwinnum,
12 gesewenlīcum and ungesewenlīcum; and tǣc mē
13 ðīnne willan tō wyrceanne; ðæt ic mæge ðē inweardlīce
14 lufian tōforan eallum ðingum, mid clǣnum geðance and
15 mid clǣnum līchaman. For ðon ðe ðū eart mīn Scieppend,
16 and mīn Alīesend, mīn Fultum, mīn Frōfor, mīn Trēownes,
17 and mīn Tōhopa. Sīe ðē lof and wuldor nū and
18 ā ā ā, tō worulde būtan ǣghwilcum ęnde. Amen.
102.3-4. Marian ... Michaeles. O.E. is inconsistent in the treatment of foreign names. They are sometimes naturalized, and sometimes retain in part their original inflections. Marian, an original accusative, is here used as a genitive; while Michaeles has the O.E. genitive ending.
III. THE VOYAGES OF OHTHERE AND WULFSTAN.
[Lauderdale and Cottonian MSS. These voyages are an original insertion by Alfred into his translation of Orosius’s Compendious History of the World.
“They consist,” says Ten Brink, “of a complete description of all the countries in which the Teutonic tongue prevailed at Alfred’s time, and a full narrative of the travels of two voyagers, which the king wrote down from their own lips. One of these, a Norwegian named Ohthere, had quite circumnavigated the coast of Scandinavia in his travels, and had even penetrated to the White Sea; the other, named Wulfstan, had sailed from Schleswig to Frische Haff. The geographical and ethnographical details of both accounts are exceedingly interesting, and their style is attractive, clear, and concrete.”
Ohthere made two voyages. Sailing first northward along the western coast of Norway, he rounded the North Cape, passed into the White Sea, and entered the Dwina River (ān micel ēa). On his second voyage he sailed southward along the western coast of Norway, entered the Skager Rack (wīdsǣ), passed through the Cattegat, and anchored at the Danish port of Haddeby (æt Hǣþum), modern Schleswig.
Wulfstan sailed only in the Baltic Sea. His voyage of seven days from Schleswig brought him to Drausen (Trūsō) on the shore of the Drausensea.]
Ohthere’s First Voyage.
1 Ōthęre sǣde his hlāforde, Ælfrede cyninge, þæt hē
2 ealra Norðmǫnna norþmest būde. Hē cwæð þæt hē būde
3 on þǣm lande norþweardum wiþ þā Westsæ. Hē sǣde
4 þēah þæt þæt land sīe swīþe lang norþ þonan; ac hit is
5 eal wēste, būton on fēawum stōwum styccemælum wīciað
6 Finnas, on huntoðe on wintra, ǫnd on sumera on fiscaþe
7 be þǣre sǣ. Hē sǣde þæt hē æt sumum cirre wolde
8 fandian hū lǫnge þæt land norþryhte lǣge, oþþe hwæðer
9 ǣnig mǫn be norðan þǣm wēstenne būde. Þā fōr hē
10 norþryhte be þǣm lande: lēt him ealne weg þæt wēste
11 land on ðæt stēorbord, ǫnd þā wīdsǣ on ðæt bæcbord þrīe
12 dagas. Þā wæs hē swā feor norþ swā þā hwælhuntan
13 firrest faraþ. Þā fōr hē þā gīet norþryhte swā feor swā
14 hē meahte on þǣm ōþrum þrīm dagum gesiglan. Þā bēag
15 þæt land þǣr ēastryhte, oþþe sēo sǣ in on ðæt lǫnd, hē
16 nysse hwæðer, būton hē wisse ðæt hē ðǣr bād westanwindes
17 ǫnd hwōn norþan, ǫnd siglde ðā ēast be lande
18 swā swā hē meahte on fēower dagum gesiglan. Þā
19 sceolde hē ðǣr bīdan ryhtnorþanwindes, for ðǣm þæt
20 land bēag þǣr sūþryhte, oþþe sēo sǣ in on ðæt land, hē
21 nysse hwæþer. Þā siglde hē þǫnan sūðryhte be lande
1 swā swā hē męhte1 on fīf dagum gesiglan. Ðā læg þǣr
2 ān micel ēa ūp in on þæt land. Þā cirdon hīe ūp in on
3 ðā ēa, for þǣm hīe ne dorston forþ bī þǣre ēa siglan for
4 unfriþe; for þǣm ðæt land wæs eall gebūn on ōþre healfe
5 þǣre ēas. Ne mētte hē ǣr nān gebūn land, siþþan hē
6 frǫm his āgnum hām fōr; ac him wæs ealne weg wēste
7 land on þæt stēorbord, būtan fiscerum ǫnd fugelerum ōnd
8 huntum, ǫnd þæt wǣron eall Finnas; ǫnd him wæs ā
9 wīdsǣ on ðæt bæcbord. Þā Beormas hæfdon swīþe wel
10 gebūd hira land: ac hīe ne dorston þǣr on cuman. Ac
11 þāra Terfinna land wæs eal wēste, būton ðǣr huntan
12 gewīcodon, oþþe fisceras, oþþe fugeleras.
13 Fela spella him sǣdon þā Beormas ǣgþer ge of hiera
14 āgnum lande ge of þǣm landum þe ymb hīe ūtan wǣron;
15 ac hē nyste hwæt þæs sōþes wæs, for þǣm hē hit self ne
16 geseah. Þā Finnas, him þūhte, ǫnd þā Beormas sprǣcon
17 nēah ān geþēode. Swīþost hē fōr ðider, tō ēacan þæs
18 landes scēawunge, for þǣm horshwælum, for ðǣm hīe
19 habbað swīþe æþele bān on hiora2 tōþum—þā tēð hīe brōhton
20 sume þǣm cyninge—ǫnd hiora hȳd bið swīðe gōd tō
21 sciprāpum. Sē hwæl bið micle lǣssa þonne ōðre hwalas:
22 ne bið hē lęngra ðonne syfan3 ęlna lang; ac on his āgnum
23 lande is sē bętsta hwælhuntað: þā bēoð eahta and fēowertiges
24 ęlna lange, and þā mǣstan fīftiges ęlna lange;
25 þāra hē sǣde þæt hē syxa sum ofslōge syxtig on twām
26 dagum.
1 Hē wæs swȳðe spēdig man on þǣm ǣhtum þe heora2
2 spēda on bēoð, þæt is, on wildrum. Hē hæfde þā gȳt, ðā
3 hē þone cyningc5 sōhte, tamra dēora unbebohtra syx hund.
4 Þā dēor hī hātað ‘hrānas’; þāra wǣron syx stælhrānas;
5 ðā bēoð swȳðe dȳre mid Finnum, for ðǣm hȳ fōð þā
6 wildan hrānas mid. Hē wæs mid þǣm fyrstum mannum
7 on þǣm lande: næfde hē þēah mā ðonne twēntig hrȳðera,
8 and twēntig scēapa, and twēntig swȳna; and þæt lȳtle
9 þæt hē ęrede, hē ęrede mid horsan.4 Ac hyra ār is mǣst
10 on þǣm gafole þe ðā Finnas him gyldað. Þæt gafol bið
11 on dēora fellum, and on fugela feðerum, and hwales bāne,
12 and on þǣm sciprāpum þe bēoð of hwæles hȳde geworht
13 and of sēoles. Ǣghwilc gylt be hys gebyrdum. Sē byrdesta
14 sceall gyldan fīftȳne mearðes fell, and fīf hrānes,
15 and ān beren fel, and tȳn ambra feðra, and berenne kyrtel
16 oððe yterenne, and twēgen sciprāpas; ǣgþer sȳ syxtig
17 ęlna lang, ōþer sȳ of hwæles hȳde geworht, ōþer of sīoles.6
18 Hē sǣde ðæt Norðmanna land wǣre swȳþe lang and
19 swȳðe smæl. Eal þæt his man āðer oððe ęttan oððe ęrian
20 mæg, þæt līð wið ðā sǣ; and þæt is þēah on sumum
21 stōwum swȳðe clūdig; and licgað wilde mōras wið ēastan
22 and wið ūpp on emnlange þǣm bȳnum lande. On þǣm
23 mōrum eardiað Finnas. And þæt bȳne land is ēasteweard
24 brādost, and symle swā norðor swā smælre. Ēastewęrd7
25 hit mæg bīon8 syxtig mīla brād, oþþe hwēne brǣdre;
26 and middeweard þrītig oððe brādre; and norðeweard hē
27 cwæð, þǣr hit smalost wǣre, þæt hit mihte bēon þrēora
28 mīla brād tō þǣm mōre; and sē mōr syðþan,9 on sumum
1 stōwum, swā brād swā man mæg on twām wucum oferfēran;
2 and on sumum stōwum swā brād swā man mæg
3 on syx dagum oferfēran.
4 Ðonne is tōemnes þǣm lande sūðeweardum, on ōðre
5 healfe þæs mōres, Swēoland, oþ þæt land norðeweard;
6 and tōemnes þǣm lande norðeweardum, Cwēna land. Þā
7 Cwēnas hęrgiað hwīlum on ðā Norðmęn ofer ðone mōr,
8 hwīlum þā Norðmęn on hȳ. And þǣr sint swīðe micle
9 męras fersce geond þā mōras; and berað þā Cwēnas hyra
10 scypu ofer land on ðā męras, and þanon hęrgiað on ðā
11 Norðmęn; hȳ habbað swȳðe lȳtle scypa and swȳðe
12 leohte.
104.6. frǫm his āgnum hām. An adverbial dative singular without an inflectional ending is found with hām, dæg, morgen, and ǣfen.
104.8. ǫnd þæt wǣron. See § 40, Note 3.
104.15. hwæt þæs sōþes wæs. Sweet errs in explaining sōþes as attracted into the genitive by þæs. It is not a predicate adjective, but a partitive genitive after hwæt.
104.25. syxa sum. See § 91, Note 2.
105.2. on bēoð. See § 94, (5).
105.19. Eal þæt his man. Pronominal genitives are not always possessive in O.E.; his is here the partitive genitive of hit, the succeeding relative pronoun being omitted: All that (portion) of it that may, either-of-the-two, either be grazed or plowed, etc. (§ 70, Note).
106.11-12. scypa ... leohte. These words exhibit inflections more frequent in Late than in Early West Saxon. The normal forms would be scypu, leoht; but in Late West Saxon the -u of short-stemmed neuters is generally replaced by -a; and the nominative accusative plural neuter of adjectives takes, by analogy, the masculine endings; hwate, gōde, hālge, instead of hwatu, gōd, hālgu.
1 = meahte, mihte.
2 = hiera.
3 = seofon.
4 = horsum.
5 = cyning.
6 = sēoles.
7 = -weard.
8 = bēon.
9 = siððan.
Ohthere’s Second Voyage.
13 Ōhthęre sǣde þæt sīo1 scīr hātte Hālgoland, þe hē on
14 būde. Hē cwæð þæt nān man ne būde be norðan him.
15 Þonne is ān port on sūðeweardum þǣm lande, þone man
16 hǣt Sciringeshēal. Þyder hē cwæð þæt man ne mihte
17 geseglian on ānum mōnðe, gyf man on niht wīcode, and
18 ǣlce dæge hæfde ambyrne wind; and ealle ðā hwīle hē
19 sceal seglian be lande. And on þæt stēorbord him bið
20 ǣrest Īraland, and þonne ðā īgland þe synd betux Īralande
21 and þissum lande. Þonne is þis land, oð hē cymð
22 tō Scirincgeshēale, and ealne weg on þæt bæcbord Norðweg.
1 Wið sūðan þone Sciringeshēal fylð swȳðe mycel
2 sǣ ūp in on ðæt land; sēo is brādre þonne ǣnig man ofer
3 sēon mæge. And is Gotland on ōðre healfe ongēan, and
4 siððan Sillęnde. Sēo sǣ līð mænig2 hund mīla ūp in on
5 þæt land.
6 And of Sciringeshēale hē cwæð ðæt hē seglode on fīf
7 dagan3 tō þǣm porte þe mǫn hǣt æt Hǣþum; sē stęnt
8 betuh Winedum, and Seaxum, and Angle, and hȳrð in
9 on Dęne. Ðā hē þiderweard seglode fram Sciringeshēale,
10 þā wæs him on þæt bæcbord Dęnamearc and on
11 þæt stēorbord wīdsǣ þrȳ dagas; and þā, twēgen dagas ǣr
12 hē tō Hǣþum cōme, him wæs on þæt stēorbord Gotland,
13 and Sillęnde, and īglanda fela. On þǣm landum eardodon
14 Ęngle, ǣr hī hider on land cōman.4 And hym wæs
15 ðā twēgen dagas on ðæt bæcbord þā īgland þe in on
16 Dęnemearce hȳrað.
107.7. æt Hǣþum. “This pleonastic use of æt with names of places occurs elsewhere in the older writings, as in the Chronicle (552), ‘in þǣre stōwe þe is genęmned æt Searobyrg,’ where the æt has been erased by some later hand, showing that the idiom had become obsolete. Cp. the German ‘Gasthaus zur Krone,’ Stamboul = es tān pólin.” (Sweet.) See, also, Atterbury, § 28, Note 3.
107.14-15. wæs ... þā īgland. The singular predicate is due again to inversion (p. 100, note on gefeaht). The construction is comparatively rare in O.E., but frequent in Shakespeare and in the popular speech of to-day. Cf. There is, Here is, There has been, etc., with a (single) plural subject following.
Wulfstan’s Voyage.
17 Wulfstān sǣde þæt hē gefōre of Hǣðum, þæt hē wǣre
18 on Trūsō on syfan dagum and nihtum, þæt þæt scip wæs
19 ealne weg yrnende under segle. Weonoðland him wæs
1 on stēorbord, and on bæcbord him wæs Langaland, and
2 Lǣland, and Falster, and Scōnēg; and þās land eall
3 hȳrað tō Dęnemearcan. And þonne Burgenda land wæs
4 ūs on bæcbord, and þā habbað him sylfe1 cyning. Þonne
5 æfter Burgenda lande wǣron ūs þās land, þā synd hātene
6 ǣrest Blēcinga-ēg, and Mēore, and Ēowland, and Gotland
7 on bæcbord; and þās land hȳrað tō Swēom. And Weonodland
8 wæs ūs ealne weg on stēorbord oð Wīslemūðan.
9 Sēo Wīsle is swȳðe mycel ēa, and hīo2 tōlīð Wītland and
10 Weonodland; and þæt Wītland belimpeð tō Estum; and
11 sēo Wīsle līð ūt of Weonodlande, and līð in Estmęre;
12 and sē Estmęre is hūru fīftēne3 mīla brād. Þonne cymeð
13 Ilfing ēastan in Estmęre of ðām męre, ðe Trūsō standeð
14 in stæðe; and cumað ūt samod in Estmęre, Ilfing ēastan
15 of Estlande, and Wīsle sūðan of Winodlande. And
16 þonne benimð Wīsle Ilfing hire naman, and ligeð of þǣm
17 męre west and norð on sǣ; for ðȳ hit man hǣt
18 Wīslemūða.
19 Þæt Estland is swȳðe mycel, and þǣr bið swȳðe manig
20 burh, and on ǣlcere byrig bið cyning. And þǣr bið
21 swȳðe mycel hunig, and fiscnað; and sē cyning and þā
22 rīcostan męn drincað mȳran meolc, and þā unspēdigan
23 and þā þēowan drincað medo.4 Þǣr bið swȳðe mycel
24 gewinn betwēonan him. And ne bið ðǣr nǣnig ealo5
25 gebrowen mid Estum, ac þǣr bið medo genōh. And þǣr
26 is mid Estum ðēaw, þonne þǣr bið man dēad, þæt hē līð
27 inne unforbærned mid his māgum and frēondum mōnað,
28 ge hwīlum twēgen; and þā cyningas, and þā ōðre hēahðungene
29 męn, swā micle lęncg6 swā hī māran spēda
30 habbað, hwīlum healf gēar þæt hī bēoð unforbærned, and
1 licgað bufan eorðan on hyra hūsum. And ealle þā hwīle
2 þe þæt līc bið inne, þǣr sceal bēon gedrync and plega,
3 oð ðone dæg þe hī hine forbærnað. Þonne þȳ ylcan dæge
4 þe hī hine tō þǣm āde beran wyllað, þonne tōdǣlað hī
5 his feoh, þæt þǣr tō lāfe bið æfter þǣm gedrynce and þǣm
6 plegan, on fīf oððe syx, hwȳlum on mā, swā swā þæs fēos
7 andēfn bið. Ālęcgað hit ðonne forhwæga on ānre mīle
8 þone mǣstan dǣl fram þǣm tūne, þonne ōðerne, ðonne
9 þone þriddan, oþ þe hyt eall ālēd bið on þǣre ānre mīle;
10 and sceall bēon sē lǣsta dǣl nȳhst þǣm tūne ðe sē dēada
11 man on lið. Ðonne sceolon7 bēon gesamnode ealle ðā
12 męnn ðe swyftoste hors habbað on þǣm lande, forhwæga
13 on fīf mīlum oððe on syx mīlum fram þǣm fēo. Þonne
14 ærnað hȳ ealle tōweard þǣm fēo: ðonne cymeð sē man
15 sē þæt swiftoste hors hafað tō þǣm ǣrestan dǣle and tō
16 þǣm mǣstan, and swā ǣlc æfter ōðrum, oþ hit bið eall
17 genumen; and sē nimð þone lǣstan dǣl sē nȳhst þǣm
18 tūne þæt feoh geærneð. And þonne rīdeð ǣlc hys weges
19 mid ðǣm fēo, and hyt mōtan8 habban eall; and for ðȳ
20 þǣr bēoð þā swiftan hors ungefōge dȳre. And þonne his
21 gestrēon bēoð þus eall āspęnded, þonne byrð man hine ūt,
22 and forbærneð mid his wǣpnum and hrægle; and swīðost
1 ealle hys spēda hȳ forspęndað mid þǣm langan legere
2 þæs dēadan mannes inne, and þæs þe hȳ be þǣm wegum
3 ālęcgað, þe ðā fręmdan tō ærnað, and nimað. And þæt
4 is mid Estum þēaw þæt þǣr sceal ǣlces geðēodes man
5 bēon forbærned; and gyf þār9 man ān bān findeð unforbærned,
6 hī hit sceolan7 miclum gebētan. And þǣr is mid
7 Estum ān mǣgð þæt hī magon cyle gewyrcan; and þȳ
8 þǣr licgað þā dēadan męn swā lange, and ne fūliað, þæt
9 hȳ wyrcað þone cyle him on. And þēah man āsętte
10 twēgen fǣtels full ealað oððe wæteres, hȳ gedōð þæt
11 ǣgþer bið oferfroren, sam hit sȳ sumor sam winter.