The Wake.

Kingsnorth, Paul.

I have persecuted the natives of England beyond all reason. Whether gentle or simple I have cruelly oppressed them.

Many I unjustly disinherited; innumerable mult.i.tudes

perished through me by famine or the sword.

Having gained the throne of that kingdom by so many crimes,

I dare not leave it to anyone but G.o.d.

Deathbed confession of Guillaume le Batard, 1087.

England is become the residence of foreigners and the property of strangers...they prey upon the riches and vitals of England; nor is there any hope of a termination of this misery.

William of Malmesbury, 1125 the night was clere though i slept i seen it. though i slept i seen the calm hierde naht only the still. when i gan down to sleep all was clere in the land and my dreams was full of stillness but my dreams did not cepe me still when i woc in the mergen all was blaec though the night had gan and all wolde be blaec after and for all time. a great wind had c.u.m in the night and all was blown then and broc. none had thought a wind lic this colde c.u.m for all was blithe lifan as they always had and who will hiere the gleoman when the tales he tells is blaec who locs at the heofon if it brings him regn who locs in the mere when there seems no end to its deopness none will loc but the wind will c.u.m. the wind cares not for the hopes of men the times after will be for them who seen the c.u.man the times after will be for the waecend who is thu who is thu i can not cnaw what is angland to thu what is left of angland i specs i specs but no man lystens songs the songs from the holt songs yes here is songs from a land forheawan folded under by a great slege a folc harried beatan a world brocen apart. all is open lic a wound unhealan and grene the world open and grene all men apart from the heorte. deofuls in the heofon all men with sweord when they sceolde be with plough the ground full not of seed but of my folc aefry ember of hope gan lic the embers of a fyr brocen in the daegs beginnan brocen by men other than us. hope falls harder when the end is cwic hope falls harder when in the daegs before the storm the stillness of the age was writen in the songs of men so it is when a world ends who is thu i can not cnaw but i will tell thu this thing be waery of the storm be most waery when there is no storm in sight feoht tell them feoht loc it is well cnawan there is those wolde be tellan lies and those with only them selfs in mynd. there is those now who specs of us and what we done but who cnawan triewe no man cnawan triewe but i and what i tell i will tell as i sceolde and all that will be telt will be all the triewth. triewth there is lytel of now in this half broc land our folc wepan and greotan and biddan help from their crist who locs on in stillness saen naht. and no triewth will thu hiere from the h.o.r.e who claims he is our cyng or from his biscops or those who wolde be his men by spillan anglisc guttas on anglisc ground and claiman anglisc land their own ah but we is broc now dreaned we is too small to feoht mor we has borne it too hard we secs now only to lif. and if there is any left who thincs to lif after his triewth or after the laws of the crist if there is any thincs him self abuf this through luf or through mildness of heorte then he will die with his wif and his cildren for all is broc now all is broc still i will stand and i will tell the triewth the triewth of what i done and for what i was feohtan and how i was brocen by those ficol h.o.r.es what i stood and cwelled for. i has not forgot i has cept it for there is micel must be telt and words now is left my only waepens and none wolde sae i has efer been afeart to wield what waepens i has because of what is wispred it moste be telt what befell i was a socman of the blaec fenns a free man of the eald danelaugh where there was no ealdors too high for the folc to c.u.m to and if they wolde pull down. thu wolde not cnaw it to see me now my nebb blaec all is broc a lif in fenn and holt but i was a free man of angland a man of parts in my land i was born this way i is still a free man i is still a free man to them i wants to cnaw it i is named buccmaster of holland the songs will be sung for a thousand years our fathers was freer than us our fathers fathers stalcced the wilde fenns now the fenns is bean tamed efry thing gets smaller. for efry cilde born there is sum new law a man sceolde be free and alone on his land the world sceolde not c.u.m in until he ascs it. freodom sceolde there be in angland again lic there was in the eald daegs in the first daegs of the anglisc freodom in angland now if this b.a.s.t.a.r.d is gifan to lif the fenns will be succd of the sea and gifan to the land gifan ofer to man and the G.o.ds of the secg and the water will die and the spirit of our folc in these lands will die. the wilde will be tacan from these fenns and the wilde will be tacan from in me for in efry man there is the wind and the water and his worc until he is tacan is to cepe the wilde lands from the tamers cwell the b.a.s.t.a.r.d cwell the b.a.s.t.a.r.d cwell the b.a.s.t.a.r.d in these places there is wihts uncnawan to man there moste be no law put on us by sweord or by word of ingenga cyng b.a.s.t.a.r.d tamer with stan and style the wilde is all wood not stan it will tac thu baec water not the lea it can wait long the hafoc not the ox but we colde not wait long we colde wait no mor an unfree land breeds an unfree folc and i moste go baec now baec before the storm baec to when things was still lic the springmere go baec yes go baec see i had cnawan yfel was c.u.man when i seen this fugol glidan ofer a great blaec fugol it was not of these lands it flown slow ofer the ham one daeg at the time of first ploughan. its necc was long its eages afyr and on the end of its fethra was a mans fingors all this i seen clere this was a fugol of deofuls. in stillness it c.u.m and slow so none may miss it or what it had for us. this was eosturmonth in the year when all was broc what is this fugol i saes to my wifman i cnaw naht of fugols she saes why does thu asc me of these things wifman i saes lysten this is sum scucca glidan ofer us what does thu mac of this naht she nefer saes naht i tell thu sum thing is c.u.man sum thing is c.u.man she saes lic specan my words will scut the mouth they c.u.m from. sum times this wif she needed laws though there was many wimman things she was learned in. it is not a mans job to spec of the loom nor the water pael nor to asc of brewan nor of reapan all these things my wif done well and in stillness. many was called to beat their wifs mor than i many there was whose cildren ran wilder sum whose wifmen was drifan nacod from their hus for the fuccan of their neighbours behind the raecs at haerfest but this wif of mine most times she was a good wif only she did not lysten it is no good to spec to thu i saes these is not wifman things i will spec to sum other what thu wysc my husbond she saes so what i done i gan to the ham. my land and my hus was apart from the ham as is right for a socman this land was good land good ground it was the land of my father i will not spec of my father to thu i was no i is a socman of holland a part of the scir of lincylene where the ground was blaec and good and deop. our ham was an ealond in the fenns on all sides the wilde on all sides the dabcic the water wulf the lesch and the deorc waters. our folc cnawan this place lic we cnawan our wifmen and our cildren. we cnawan fiscan and fowlan the gathran of the lesch the ploughan and the pannan of the salt we cnawan the paths through the fenns the ways with the ael and the alor mastors we was of the blaec lands so i will go to the ham i saes to my wifman and i will asc what the gerefa macs of this fugol. she was wefan on her great loom in my great hus as i left this hus was sum thing to see. raised of ac timber it was the roof laid with secg from the fenn all carfan on the door frames wyrms and the runes of the eald times. treen we had and sum seolfor things a great crocc greater than many in the ham many men was l.u.s.tan after my hus three oxgangs of good land i had and two geburs to worc for me on it and four oxen of my own for the plough this was mor than any other man in this ham. baerlic i had and rye sceap and hors also i had swine pasture holt my own water aeppels on many good treows a great man i was in my ham all cnawan me a seat i had on the wapentac and free i was from the worc of other men. this was my land it was my fathers land i will not spec of my father. geld wolde i gif but only to the cyng not to the thegn. sum lytel worc wolde i do for the thegn for this was how things was but no man was ofer me no man will be ofer me socmen was free men socmen is free men still. in other parts of angland men was thralls in thrall to the thegn their land their lifs gifen to ealdors and higher men and now to the frenc men but not in holland not in lincylene not in the east. free men we was in the fenns free on our land free men we is still naht will mof us not the frenc i was specan of this fugol i will not spec yet of the frenc i gan through my lands i gan along the path to the ham where there was six hus six cynns most not free men with land but with micel owed to the thegn. when i was seen these men was always in awe buccmaster they all saes gretans to thu buccmaster sum times i wolde sae naht to this for i was a socman with my own lands with three oxgangs and they was thralls but this daeg this fugol was in my thincan what of this fugol i saes what of this fugol thu has seen this yes fugol they saes fugol. dumb lic hunds was these men this fugol i saes this great blaec fugol c.u.man ofer fugol oft i lost my mynd with them the heofon is full of eorcas this daeg has thu men seen naht well saes one jalf was his name sum gebur he was sum esol not free. well saes this jalf there is many fugols here of course buccmaster it is odd thu sceolde spec of one when all is the same to mine eages fewer of these fugols wolde be better saes sum other they eats my beans there is noddan at this. fewer fugols saes all these esols has thu no eages thu nithings blind thu moste all be blind of course they saes naht to this only locs at their feet thu wasts my time thu geburs where is ecceard find me ecceard ecceard was the gerefa of this ham in sum ways a man to tac care around. he colde tac geld or spec of thu to the thegn micel colde he do to harry thu if he ceos. but ecceard was also a plough owner of sum greatness ecceard wolde cnaw about this fugol ecceard was in his hus doan naht drincan ealu only sittan. his hus was smaller than my hus though he was gerefa his floor all straw not clene his windows smaller his fyr smaller though his ealu was well brewed it is a good lif as gerefa yes ecceard buccmaster thu is well c.u.m here it is always good to see an eornost man has thu not worc ecceard sum geburs to harry sum hors to loc at sum geld to tac from sum eornost man has thu c.u.m here to tell me my worc buccmaster i jocs i saes and i laughs. no i has c.u.m here to spec with thu of this fugol the great buccmaster c.u.ms to spec to me of fugols well this is an odd daeg now lysten i saes i is sic of this ham. lysten i was standan in my feld and abuf me pa.s.sed this great blaec fugol this was a scort time baec. this fugol its eages were afyr it had arms lic any man it s.p.a.c to me lysten. this fugol i seen it it was glidan ofer the ham there is sum thing c.u.man a fugol of the deoful then saes ecceard well these is sum tidans indeed this is no cristian fugol there is no cristian fugols ofer thy land buccmaster do not joc with me ecceard this is a graef thing none wolde dare joc with thu buccmaster of holland my wise freond. well sceal we send to the preost to ring the bell or sceal we call to the thegn to c.u.m and hiere us spec of fugols or sceal we call a moot of the wapentac to thinc on this. it may be we colde mac this fugol gif geld for its misdeeds does thu mocc me ecceard buccmaster i moccs thu only with mildness this fugol was an yfel thing well i has seen no fugol none here has seen such a fugol buccmaster or i wolde haf hierde of it. men in this ham thu cnawan them sum hara pa.s.san through their baerlic at night they tacs as a word from crist their cildren coughs and it is the deoful specan. a specan bird with eages of fyr if this had c.u.m here i colde not cepe down the madness across all this scir it was a word but not from the crist then what sceolde i do buccmaster about this thing what wolde thu haf me do sum thing is c.u.man ecceard what wolde thu haf me do tell me what is c.u.man this is what i want to cnaw then go buccmaster and loc to the heofon again and it may be thy fugol will tell thu well ecceard was no help these geburs they was no help the smith the fuccan preost the cottars none seen this fugol. this is why i is a man of greatness while others still lifs off water snaecs from the fenn these men has no eages in their fuccan heafods. o fugol they saes...o...b..ccmaster has thu hierde he talcs of sum fugol o next month it was next fuccan month they c.u.ms to me and now there is no smerc on their nebbs not three wices after the fugol and now buccmaster is sum wis man next fuccan month we seen the star a grene treow will be heawan in two and one half of this treow will be tacan awaeg three furlongs and there planted deop in anglisc ground. and not until this treow is hol again and bers aeppels again with no help from man will angland be hol also for thy G.o.d has ceosan this folc to feel his wrath synn is upon this grene land biscops moccs the word of G.o.d earls fucc in the sight of the crist ceorls drincs ealu and is druncen. there is deop synn all through this land and thu will be strac down o angland for what thu has done i see in the heofon a haeric star this star will beorn for eight daegs and nine nights G.o.ds hand is upon thu the word of his wrath is upon thu. and in my bed my death bed now two capd men of the crist i sees and they specs to me o edweard cyng they saes o ealdor of angland thy folc is in thrall to the eald deorc deoful they has wandred from the path and now the lord will stric them down. soon thy sawol will be tacan o edweard cyng and thu will be gifted the cyngdom of heofon for thy worc but on thy folc there will c.u.m a great fear. the sea will teorn to blud and braec upon thy southern strand and thy cyngdom will be gifan into the hands of the deoful for this be his will o what can be done i saes to them what can be done for my poor folc and they saes there is naht to be done edweard cyng that thu has not done by now through thy triewe cristian luf. the treow will be heawan it is the will of the crist and time alone and death will bring it together. lie in thy bed o cyng of men and c.u.m now to the end that will bring thu to the wide felds of heofon and thy folc to the open gaets of hel when we was in the brunnesweald nebbs all blaec hydan in the grene holt lic the afeart bucc oft i was thincan of my grandfather. a great man he was strong in all he wolde weep to see what angland has bec.u.m. efen he strong man that he was wolde weep lic a cilde to see us hidan there runnan from ingengas in our own land that is no longer our own land tales he wolde tell me of many things. of the great scips he seen c.u.man in from the sea with the wilde denes all afyr callan for the blud of their G.o.ds. of eald aethelred cyng he who broc us of the great death at maldon the sea druncen with anglisc blud. of c.n.u.t who was denisc then bec.u.m anglisc and other tales from farther baec of the time of his grandfather of great aelfred and of aethelstan of the eald wundors of angland of this haeric star i was specan but my grandfather a great tall man he was hwit beard hwit haer his own sweord all on the beam of his hus what bec.u.m my hus. he wolde spec micel of the eald daegs of the anglisc of our folcs c.u.man here to these grene lands from across the wid sea. and those daegs he wolde always sae those daegs was best for our folc for we was as one agan the ingenga and we was free. no thegns there was then no preosts no crist no cyng of angland but free men alone in the wilde tacan the land men in freodom not in thrall. marc this he saes this is how angland moste always be gif no geld lysten to no law if thu can run from it for always they will c.u.m to tac from thu what is thine always the gerefa the thegn the wapentac the eorl the cyng always this thought is in them what can i get from these free men how can i tac from them and cepe them down. mor years of this saes my grandfather mor years of this and we will be thralls lic the wealsc tac heed thu will see why i tells thu these things but lysten now the haeric star o but why sceolde i spec now of these things why sceolde i tell thu all is gan now all is too laet. what can c.u.m now by specan of these things at efry teorn the G.o.ds was agan us for so long i felt sum thing was c.u.man try to lif thy lif when sum thing is c.u.man when ahead of thu on the path is sum deorcness. try to lif lic this none can lif lic this the deorcness waitan for thu i will not tell thu mor i can not no i will go on i will tell it i moste it is early in the mergen it is gan eostur now when the land waecens from winter all the land is c.u.man open all is grene and waecnan. water crows is callan in the fenn the alor treow is grene haras is in the felds fugols in the water and the heofon there is micel goodness here beyond what man has macd. my folc was in the fenns before the crist c.u.m to angland this ground is in our bodigs deop two geburs i had to worc for me on my land these geburs was bound first to my father they did not loc up to him none did but they locd up to me for what i done. they was bound to me two daegs in efry wice and three daegs at haerfest this mergen early with the sunne high in the heofon the wind clene a wundor it is to be in the fenns in these times a wundor it was before the beornan c.u.m. this mergen i was on my land i was sean to my geburs they was sawan flax. one man he was called gamel i had put him to haro the blaec ground with blaec thorn twigges the other he was called asger he was sawan the seed after. this asger i moste tac care of always for he was an esol of a man. bound to me he was but it wolde be better sum times for my swine to do this worc so dumb was he thu will haf my wifman to answer to if this does not c.u.m up i saes to this gebur. my wifman she colde spin flax from all of angland so micel linen does she mac if there is no flax i will haf no scyrte and thu will haf no hands a blue feld i wants to see two month from now. asger he saes naht to this only locs at me. to be triewe to him i wolde haf to sae that asger is a good man though with no wifman and no cildren thus he must worc for me but his hus is not the wyrst still he is a gebur and dumb lic a hund there was a barn by my hus and ofer the winter sum timber had gan rotin and i was needan to see to this. i was about to be leafan this asger to his luc when i hierde the sound of folc from the path what c.u.m ofer the fenn from the ham buccmaster c.u.ms this call buccmaster and ecceard is c.u.man up to me under the welig and alor treows from the west and not alone. ecceard has with him two men from the wapentac of course i is thincan they is c.u.man to put sum thing on me this is my ground ecceard i saes and there is naht thu has on me. i can find twentig oath helpers in one daeg to spec agan what efer thu puts on me do not c.u.m here with these men to afryht me on my own ground my grandfathers sweord is in my hus i is a free man ecceard c.u.ms to me with these two ealdors eadbert it is from crugland where there is a great abbodrice and also lidmann of the holt by durwins water. these is high men of the wapentac nefer has i seen them near this ham befor buccmaster of holland saes ecceard thu is thincan wrong now loc thu cnawan these men. he is right i cnawan these men lic them i has a seat on the wapentac as a great man i greets them well now as i seen they is c.u.m in freondscipe buccmaster saes ecceard how is it thu is worcan on thy ground lic it is any daeg thy ham is all afeart saes this lidmann all hams in these parts is sum thing is c.u.man saes ecceard this is what thu saed buccmaster thu s.p.a.c to me of sum fugol and i mocced thu well it colde be this was wrong of me it cannot be seen from this ground saes eadbert he is locan to the heofon all these treows lic him i locs to the heofon then and my geburs they locs too the fugol is baec i saes does thu smerc now ecceard no saes ecceard no there is no fugol c.u.m with me we moste go a lytel way. he walcs then ofer to my hus and past my hus and my barn we gan beyond the ox hege and to the east of the strips to the ecg of the holt where i has my swine now loc saes ecceard and i locs baec ofer to where these geburs sceolde be sawan my flax but they has c.u.m with me and i cannot harm them now for the heofon has sum thing greater for all of us and it is scinan lic another sunne efen in the daegs bryhtness what is this fuccan thing i saes this is a haeric star saes lidmann buccmaster of holland it is c.u.m to spec to us we is telt thu seen sum other sign before saes eadbert a fugol this is triewe i saes it was wid lic a hus it s.p.a.c to me it breathed fyr it saed buccmaster of holland sum thing is c.u.man this fugol s.p.a.c thy name saes eadbert in sum wundor. of course i colde haf saed mor but loc at this haeric star. the daeg was high and clere but this star it was bright lic the mona as if it was mid night and lic the mona it c.u.m ofer the heofon and from it a tael lic fethras we has spoc to the preost saes eadbert he has hierde from the biscop this haeric star it is bad for angland the preost i saes thu might as well spec to my oxen buccmaster thu will not spec these things to the men of the wapentac saes ecceard and he specs to me lic it is a warnan it is the cyng saes lidmann then and he specs lic a man what is dragged from water what saes ecceard it is this cyng the crist is agan him spec not this way of our cyng saes eadbert well there is none to hiere in this fenn the biscop specs thus when there is none to hiere. this cyng he is not of cyngs blud he brings the frenc man and the dene on us for his corona now there is this haeric star the crist is tellan us our cyng has synned harald G.o.dwineson is our cyng saes ecceard gifan the corona by a witan of triewe anglisc men. who wolde thu haf as thy cyng there is none other he is an anglisc man a man of wess.e.x not to be tacan from his place by ingengas the crist will tac him if he ceoses saes lidmann there has not been a thing lic this in angland that any lifan has seen. fugols specan to thy socman here now this haeric star in the heofon sum thing is c.u.man i saes i has telt thu then it may be sige saes ecceard sige for angland thu will lysten next time ecceard i saes this is from the deoful saes lidmann it is from the deoful so thu seen what men was lic in these lands thu seen they was not ready for what was c.u.man. i saes men but they was mor lic wifmen sum of them runnan lic cycens round their ground not ready for fuccan their wifmen not ready for what was c.u.man all afeart of sum star. but who wants to see what is c.u.man who wants to see if what is c.u.man is blaec lic the graef. none wants to see all wants to haro and plough and drinc and fucc lic the blaec will nefer c.u.m lif is a raedel for dumb folc but the things i has seen it is not lic they sae. the bocs and the preosts the bells the laws of the crist it is not lic they sae to the cros road i walc to the wilde cros road by the wilde grene holt where there is no hus of man and at the cros road a man hangs from a pal for crimes agan his folc by law of the wapentac after ordeal and beneath this pal is an other man and this man he lifs this man capd he is in grene and he wers upon his heafod a wid hat and until i is near i can not see his nebb. and then he teorns to me he locs at me with his one eage one beornan eage upon the pal then there is a raefen from the holt then a wulf calls to an other this man then he specs to me he saes only one word it is lic my grandfather saed to me lic what i saed to ecceard to these wapentac men this hwit crist he lies. it is hard to sae these things they moste be saed in thy hus only if thu is hierde the preost and the thegn and the gerefa and the wapentac they will tac thu down. but it is lic my grandfather saed before the crist c.u.m our folcs G.o.ds was of anglisc wind and water now this ingenga G.o.d from ofer the sea this G.o.d he tacs from us what we is. there is sum of us saes my grandfather still cepan alyf the eald G.o.ds of angland efen in these times and he wolde spec to me of these things when my father was not lystnan a thrall was he to those who wolde tac from him what macd him man this is not of what i was specan not of my father of him i does not spec but it seems to me thu moste cnaw it was the crist and the b.a.s.t.a.r.d what toc from me what i was what i is for men of all places was afeart of both. all is afeart in this world is not fear what cepes the gebur from cwellan the thegn who cepes him down is not fear what cepes us from slittan the throtas of the preosts when they tells us we is born to die that we synns by fuccan or drincan is not fear what macs us hyd lic hunds liccan our beallucs when we is telt angland was not in synn angland was in fear now the b.a.s.t.a.r.d he grows fatt on it sum daegs it was after this time sum daegs after the haeric star. folcs in the ham was runnan around cloccan lic cycens for all the time this star was in the heofon and for ecceard at last there was sum thing to do in cepan these men stille for there was lytel worc done while this star was with us. my geburs they was moanan lic the ox in the lihtnen storm they muttered and loced to the heofon all the daeg lic this star wolde fall on them lic the crist wolde c.u.m up abuf the alor treows to stric me down and tac them from their worc to his fathers hus well the crist nefer c.u.m for them as the crist nefer c.u.ms for no man. the haeric star it beorned for one wice but the cyng was still the cyng by the end and angland was still angland and my gebur asger was still dumb lic my swine and the sunne it c.u.m up as it c.u.m up for my grandfather but still i cnawan this was not the end of this thing for had there not been sum time betweon the c.u.man of the fugol and the c.u.man of this star and had not that time seemed lic ten years past or ten years to c.u.m. yes and all was well but all was soon not to be well and i colde see this colde feel this colde feel this lic i colde feel the regn c.u.man. i colde feel things what other men was too dumb to see this is how i still lifs while others from that ham is rottan in the ground this is why i was cyng of the grene holt lic my sistor wolde sae my brothor thu is not lic other men i is not specan neither of my sistor to thu these is not things to be specan to thu but loc after one wice this star was gan. i c.u.m out of my hus early in the daeg the gra.s.ses is wet with dew lic hwit silc ofer my land the sunne risan to the heofon the fugols callan the treows wacan all is fresh and grene and open no man is to be seen or hierde only the greatness of the fenn and all its lif so i c.u.m out one wice or mor after this star was in the heofon and i locs for this star as i had efry daeg since it c.u.m and this star is gan and all is as it was in the heofon and on the land. and i has my swine to loc to and there is madder to be sawan but i is wantan to cnaw if there is any men in the ham has not hyd in their hus or run to the holt for fear of this star so leafan the hus to my wifman and my cildren i walcs the path to the ham in the ham i was hopan to see all those cycan men runnan i wolde haf smerced at this i wolde haf thought ah buccmaster of holland safe thu is on thy land and strong while these lytel men is runnan from stars but this was not what i seen. there was a stillness in the ham on this mergen the mergen after the haeric star had gan from angland a stillness lic the fenn in winter lic a curse was gan from the land our ham was lytel it was not sum great tun there was six hus on the straet and sum four mor hus set baec from it around fenn and feld but no mor than this a lytel place only and what was good it had no circe. a preost there was who c.u.m oft to lie to us for there is no part of angland now can hyd from these things but there was no hus of the crist. efry sunnandaeg men of this ham must go ofer three miles of fenn to the circe at bacstune there to be sung to of hel and of all the things that they moste do efry daeg to cepe them selfs from it. many lic ecceard and others on the wapentac seen that i was not at the circe on many daegs and this did not mac them blithe and sum there was talcced of ordeal for me and saed this was not right and that sum thing moste be done for the crist was mocced. and i belyf sum thing might haf been done i belief sum thing was c.u.man for me that the men of the crist was c.u.man for me wolde do sum thing to cepe me down in the eages of the folc to cepe the eald G.o.ds down but then the beornan c.u.m and all was broc so in the ham on this daeg in the bright mergen there was sum stillness and i seen why as i c.u.m to the gathran place where the straet from the west c.u.m in. the folc of the ham had stopped worc though in this ham there was little worc done on any daeg this was why my geburs was so weac. there is sum thing in this fenn macs sum men weac. esols they is here cycan men it is best to cepe awaeg from them. but on this mergen they is gathered round sum other folc all is there efen ecceard as i c.u.m up he locs up lic he does not want me there buccmaster he saes buccmaster of holland it is early to see thu what of it ecceard i saes he saes naht gretans that is all my freond the star is gan ecceard the star is gan buccmaster and sum thing has c.u.m saltmen they has c.u.m with tidans the star did not beorn for saltmen this fugol did not call for saltmen well loc buccmaster they is here saltmen has c.u.m on this mergen to the ham from the pans at offerthun on the saltpath from the east. they pans salt from the wid sea and they tacs it all across holland they cuts it efry man cnawan this they is not to be trusted but still it is bought to cepe the mete of the swine through the winter there is two saltmen i cnawan i has seen them before but now there is sum other man i has not seen before and it is this one what is specan and all is gathred round him. he is a thynne fello eald in his loc a long cenep but no beard he is lic sum ghast. nebb long and hwit haer thynne he is not yonge and i sees cwic that he is no saltman neither though he has c.u.m with them. this is a gleoman a teller of tales bringer of tidans from other places if this gleoman does bring tidans he first has dumb folc to spec to so i moste stand and lysten to his rot and his raedels or they will be restless for they is dumb folc in this ham and to laugh is all they wants they wolde be blithe to haf naht but laughter and fuccan and ealu all their lytel lifs ah i is a freond to all wifmen saes this gleoman he is holdan this lytel throng with his words my stem is hard he saes in a bed it is standan proud all these esols they laughs hard at this i is haeric under neath coughan and spittan and now sum girl she tacs me in her hand she holds me hard she runs her hwit hand along my hard stem they is almost ceocan now and she peels me and she tacs my heafod in her mouth the gleoman is blithe with himself here. it moste be the same in all hams all ofer angland when he specs this raedel. sum of these geburs they is almost rollan on the ground it is hard not to cicc them and lo i will mac that girls eages water a pintel cries sum dumb gebur thu is a pintel thu is dumb saes his freond this is what thu is meant to thinc it is a raedel a hund saes sum other is it a hund a fuccan hund thu is a hund i is saes the gleoman puttan an end to this with a roll of his eald heafod a leac a leac a leac saes all these fools as if they had always cnawan. well i will not listan to mor of this scit i is a socman with three oxgangs gleoman i saes does thu bring tidans this gleoman then he locs at me and his eages is strong this one he is not a dumb man tidans i saes what of this haeric star what of angland of angland he saes now what is angland do not be dumb i saes i is a socman of these parts i is not sum gebur to be mocced with raedels tell us what tidans of angland now that we has seen such things in this land of angland he saes i can tell thu naht. i colde tell thu of hams in wess.e.x in the land of the golden wyrm and of the hwit clifs in the south where they locs ofer the sea in fear and i colde tell thu of the holtmen of the andredesweald who belyfs they is safe beneath the great ac treows. i colde tell thu of the great blaec duns what macs a line betweon mierce and the wealsc and i colde tell thu also of where the tees runs a deop deorc ea what foams ofer the fells of the north where the hams of the folc is cold beneath. i colde tell thu of west wealas where the folc specs a tunge spoc by no anglisc and where blaec folcs in scips from hot lands tacs their men efry daeg to be thralls far from this ground in their land of dust. but i colde not tell thu of angland for this word is too lytel for all the folc of this land to lif within these gleomen they thincs they is great men lysten gleoman i saes i is ascan thu of angland and its wyrd. tell us what others macs of this haeric star in other lands tell us if sum thing is c.u.man what of the cyng saes ecceard and sum geburs they locs at him then lic this is not a thing to sae tell us without thy raedels i saes it is not wise to mocc raedels saes this gleoman locan at ecceard and i raedels is what thu is macd from. but if thu wolde haf sum tidans then tidans i sceal bring to thu for i see why thu is ascan what of the cyng saes ecceard again well saes this gleoman smercan sum well i has not spoc with the cyng this daeg but harald of wess.e.x is still cyng as efer he was but his eages locs to all strands in north and south and his men locs for scips for lic eald aethelraed this cyng has those wolde haf his corona and this haeric star is their light tell us saes sum gebur what can i sae that men does not cnaw by now saes this gleoman. two men they thincs to be cyng of angland they thincs to tac harald cyng to hel and wear his corona. one is the duc of the frenc geeyome he is called a man of sum deorcness a b.a.s.t.a.r.d he is a strong man in his land but his land is lytel and his folc is thralls and weac from his strength. he may c.u.m it is saed he may c.u.m with sum scips from the south but he is too lytel to haf this cyngdom he is a duc only who wants mor than he may haf. he wolde do well to thinc on what harald cyng done to the wealsc and what of the other saes ecceard ecceard saes this gleoman ecceard of holland thu is gerefa of this moste great ham now what can i tell thu that thu cnawan not. this other man he is the cyng to be afeart he is the man what harald cyng waits for. he builds his fyrd and he waits on his scips c.u.man from the cold blaec sea to the gold strands of angland he is the landwaster the landwaster calls jalf the gebur who is this landwaster. this is all scit this is sum game efry man in angland cnawan of who the gleoman specs but when a gleoman c.u.ms there is things men will do for they thincs it is what is done and all of us moste stand and lysten ah the landwaster saes the gleoman and now he is all lic it is sum raedel again or sum tale of the eald times not lic the tidans what i was ascan him for. loc now he is bendan his cneows and raisan his arms and locan from lyft to right around all the men of the ham lic he is around a fyr in sum dim holt talcan of wyrms and the gold of the geets.

harald landwaster he saes cyng of the denes he who dwells in high blaec fjords lord he is of those cold lands. he is ten foot high born sum saes of a wyrm and with the strength of one and with an ax what cuts through three men with one swing and c.u.man he is c.u.man from the north with a thousand long scips to tac the corona of our harald cyng and to rule us hard lic a cold beast from the ys lands now i has things to do this mergen there is madder to be sawan and how is i to saw madder when my geburs is p.i.s.san them selfs in the ham due to sum gleoman specan of wyrms and ys and ten foot men i is not needan this gleoman i saes when thu has ended with thy cildes tales colde thu tell us if there is any thing thu cnaws that is not a raedel or a game for dumb men. in these parts we has seen things we has seen many fugols of the deoful they has filled the heofon and has been specan to me for i is a socman and we has seen the haeric star c.u.man low ofer us. now sum thing is c.u.man all here cnawan this and i is locan for sum wise man who can tell me of what is to c.u.m now is thu that man now the gleoman locs at me again and now he does not smerc. well he saes well great socman of these parts here is the tidans from angland. this haeric star has been seen in efry part and all has been afeart of it. if it is tidans of war or of death what thu is ascan me for there is naht i can gif thu but this. harald cyng is raisan his flota in the south and soon he will raise the fyrd too and in this ham thu may be called. for tostig the brothor of the cyng who was sent out of angland for his synns he is c.u.m baec with scips he harries the south strands and who cnawan if he is with the frenc duc or the landwaster or with others who cnawan but here is the the tidans for thu socman. sum thing is c.u.man yes it is c.u.man from the sea. saw thy flax plough thy ground fucc thy wifman drinc well for sum thing is c.u.man to thu from ofer the waters and this year will be lic no other in the lifs of all men in this land it was odd in sum ways this gleoman he s.p.a.c lic my grandfather in raedels of the eald times in tales of what is to c.u.m and of how things sceolde be. my grandfather micel he had to sae about how things sceolde be for to him naht was right in angland. at times it seemed no man was right for him but me. i was his ceosan son for his lifan son my father was no son to him still i will not spec of my father this is an oath his name is gan from my tunge he is naht to me i will not loc at his graef as i pa.s.s for what he done. but at the low grene graef of my grandfather i will sitt in stillness though he did not want no graef at all i will tell thu of this time my grandfather toc me trappan the ael i was a cilde a lytel cilde but my grandfather he wolde sae that the ways of the fenns moste be taught yonge or will nefer be cnawan there was so many aels in the fenn what c.u.m near the ham the fenn betweon bacstune and our ham this was what has macd us who we is as folc this place for none c.u.ms here that does not cnaw it and none cnawan it lic us. writhan it was with aels long and blaec sum times thu colde almost walc on them across the water so many was they after bredan time in the sumor early. this was the time when the yonge aels was out and there was so many they wolde seem to c.u.m from the water to thu to be eatan and this was when my grandfather toc me in his boat. a lytel boat it was macd from ac timber with two of us in it was hefig in the water and low and right for mofan through the deorc undeop waters of the fenn. with him my grandfather toc a rusc light for it was still early in the daeg and also he toc his glaif macd of ac. this glaif it had a long handle and on its end four spere points and with this the ael is tacan from the fenn only at that time yonge was i and i did not cnaw this grandfather i saes what thing is this it is a glaif he saes thu will see is it for cwellan beras i saes or wulfs will a wulf c.u.m in to our boat grandfather no wulf will c.u.m into our boat and there is no beras in angland not since our folc c.u.m is it for aelfs there is no aelfs here neither aelfs lifs in the holt not in the water this is for the ael and he locs at me smercan and also he saes for any ingenga who c.u.ms here what ingenga will c.u.m here grandfather none will c.u.m if always thu has a glaif or a sweord or a scramasax he saes always thu moste be guardan we moste hold this land it is how we c.u.m here who c.u.m here anglisc folc c.u.m here across the sea many years ago. wilde was this land wilde with ingengas with wealsc folc with aelfs and the wulf. c.u.m we did in our scips our great carfan scips with the wyrms heafod and we macd good this land what had been weac and uncept and was thus ours by right was thu in these scips grandfather these great scips this was many years before i was born was there years before thu was born yesterdaeg i was yonge lic thu marc them they will fly lic the crane all of thy years but this is our ground now yes it is our ground for we has macd it ours but there is those who wolde tac it from us he saes i will teacc thu what i has c.u.m to teacc thu loc while talcan grandfather has been rowan through undeop deorc waters. it is early in the mergen mist is risan from the waters and on the top of the waters is mos grene lic the grenest daeg and deop below deop in the blaec water can be seen great leafs what is suncan almost from sight. all is flat all this land is flat naht stands abuf the reods. low we is and we gan slow through the green and naht is to be seen but the water and any man pa.s.san by wolde not cnaw he was any thing but alone here. on efry side the lesch and the saw secg what has leafs what cutts any man felan them. naht but lytel fugols callan naht but water runnan slow we c.u.ms to a pool to a place carfan it seems into the secg and this is where grandfather stops paddlan and ecges the boat up to the lesch and the rusc and tacs his glaif then and lifts it abuf him. cwic he is cwiccer than i can see and he has thrust it then in to the water and pulls it out again cwiccer than the hund tacs the hara and on the ends of his glaif is six writhan aels blaec and scinan in the sunne what is risan now ofer the yeolo secg fast he saes tac them fast and thu will haf as many as can feed all of us in our hus and all in the ham slow he saes and thu will hungor till thu is wasted i locs at these aels still on my grandfathers glaif he holds it now up to the heofon that i may see in the sunne what is c.u.m how he has gifan me sum thing i has not had. the aels is writhan but slower now slower they is dyan and i is yonge and dumb and this seems a sad thing grandfather i saes can thu not cwell them cwiccer they is dyan slow they is aels he saes only aels but still i saes it seems hard i will tac thu he saes sum daeg i will tac thu to a holt where a blaec ea runs. many craws there is in this holt and efry efen thu may hiere them screaman lic hel itself is c.u.m for them. by this holt there is a hafoc a great fugol with a carfan bec what can tear and efry night it c.u.ms to the holt and it c.u.ms for these craws. thu may sitt thu may sitt by the path and watch this great feoht sum times the craws they drifs off the hafoc but sum times the hafoc it tacs down sum craw and this then is the greatest thing to see. to see this hafoc and this craw to see them rise and fall to the ground to see this hafoc tear at this craw this is to see the lif of all of us and it is to asc thy self if thu is hafoc or thu is craw. or if thu is ael for sum men writhes without efen feohtan thu moste see the hafoc tac down the craw he saes and thu will see that all of the world is blud and thy worc is not to lose thine before thy time. be the hafoc not the craw nor the ael for this is how we c.u.m to this land and it is what we is well i has been specan micel of my grandfather but this was not my tale it is not of what i meant to be specan. it will c.u.m though i thincs efry daeg of what things wolde be now if it had nefer c.u.m for i wolde still be with my glaif by the secg in the sunne. aels is the best thing to be eatan i was in the holt for so long berries i was eatan nuts leafs sum times fugols the hara it is naht to me i is naht. the ael thu tacs its heafod off and its guttas out thu cocs it in butere and petersilie it is the best thing in angland my wifman she wolde coc this so well it is hard to thinc here sum times it is hard to spec but i will spec of these times they moste be thought of still though we is gan now. lysten i has telt thu of the spring of that year now i will tell thu of the sumor for it was in the sumor that efry thing begun to c.u.m wrong for our folc for efer the clouds is blaec torrs and around these torrs the lihtnan of thunor is writhan lic an otr tacan from the fenn. i hieres specan among the torrs and betweon and under the sound of the folc of angland the fear they specs there is wundor in this fear wundor in the wepan of the folc the blaec stoccs of cloud lic stoccs of the ac in the storm they writhes faster thunors light sends sparcs betweon them so that the heofon is light so that the wepan seems louder now from betweon the torrs lit up hwit c.u.ms a capd man and as he c.u.ms to me he casts off his cape and his nebb is lic sum eorca sum deoful. from his mouth there c.u.ms fronds lic the sceots of blosms they wafs as he specs there is no haer upon his heafod but the hide is thicce and craccd c.u.man away in places and his eages is blaec lic night on the water he specs he saes thu cnawan me thu cnawan me he saes name me i was thincan of things in these times sean things at night and sum times in the daeg and not cnawan what i was sean til later. did he c.u.m at this time or was it after i thinc he c.u.m to me after the beornan i thinc. it is hard i wolde asc my wifman i wolde asc odelyn but odelyn is gan odelyn was my wifman i has talcced of her she was a good wifman to me gifan me luf and cildren and duty lic a wif sceolde. all men l.u.s.ted for my odelyn thynne she was of wifly scape i will sae only that all things a wif moste do she wolde do and if she did not she wolde cnaw cwic about it. we was wed after my fathers hus bec.u.m my hus when i bec.u.m man. her father he was a socman also though of two oxgangs only he was from bacstune where we was wed in the grene felds by the ea. then i toc odelyn to my hus what had been my fathers and my grandfathers and in that hus in the mergen the sunne c.u.m up ofer the fenn it was sumor o the sounds of the land was a wundor in the sumor. when we woc that mergen i gif her the mergen gift what was bidan by our folc i gif her three aecers of land and a part of my holt and i gif her a gebur name of annis for her needs in the hus and she was smercan wid i lics to see her this way. thu is a good husbond she saed to me we will haf many cildren buccmaster of holland my husbond. and i was thincan then that to haf a wifman lic this was good for many other men wants her and yet she is mine with odelyn i had three cildren fyrst oswiu my cilde fyrst son to his father and his folc oswiu who did not lif a year. the fenn fefor toc him lic it tacs many but he was not weac only yonge yonge cilde my cilde in the duns will we meet after this lif is gan. then dunstan c.u.m then eadberht true sons of the fenn they growan to be men growan to cnaw this world but not to lif through what the b.a.s.t.a.r.d brought. these was my cynn i will haf blud for their blud i is not done i will haf my wergild in frenc blud but lysten i was talcan of that sumor when efry thing gan wrong let me spec of it to thu now let me tell thu of weodmonth. in weodmonth there is worc to be done all ofer and for my two geburs then there was no time to be slac on my land there is no slac. heges there was to be macan my barn to mac new timber to heaw in the holt other things also but abuf all things weods to be tacan from the ground. not for naht was this cnawan as weodmonth to the eald folc of angland. i had my gebur asger tacan weods from my ground all daeg in this time from the flax feld from the bean rows from the lines of waet all daeg wolde he be walcan my land with his hoe and this for asger was a good thing for he was dumb lic a hund and liccd small things he wolde sing as he teorned the turf this daeg i will tell thu of asger was in my waet felds with his hoe singan and gamel he was with me in the grene holt we was cuttan timber for the year to c.u.m. we wolde cut this and taec it to my barn for one year so that it wolde burn triewe. of course we did not cnaw then that in one year there wolde be no barn here for this timber no hus neither to warm with it no fyr but the fyrs of ingengas all on angland all on what we was. no and we did not cnaw neither that in one year the holt not the hus wolde be our dwellan lic we was swine only fuccan swine in our own land but this daeg we was in the holt a lytel holt this was only for in the fenns the ground is ealonds in the water and the treows there has not micel ground to grow deorc and wide. the wilde holt is where our folc c.u.m from the wilde grounds is what our folc is and in the grene holt walcs grim when the daeg is short and there rides weland and ing of the waegn and erce is all around the eald G.o.ds of our folc is deop in the ground and the treows. but it is also triewe to sae that sum lytel holt lic this is good for our swine and is good to cut timber in without fearan the aelf what walcs in the great holts and will sinc his shot in thu for thy c.u.man. for the aelf needs micel ground to lif so the lytel holt is safe from him and is safe also from nightgengas what stalccs the deorcness when the sunne is gan and from all scuccas what has a mynd to cwell any anglisc who is dumb in not fearan the wilde lic he sceolde so we was in the holt and asger in the waet feld and odelyn and her gebur annis was in the hus doan sum wif things lic weafan or macan loafs or brewan ealu a good brewer was odelyn our ealu was better than that of most in the ham and all cnawan this. also on that daeg my two sons was worcan on my barn. these boys well though i was still callan them boys due to my bean their father they was men now. eadberht had seen feowertiene sumors and dunstan eahtiene or seofontiene they was men and fit for worcan on my ground and so i had them worcan. dunstan sceolde be gifan to sum wif by this time i had saed this to odelyn many times but dunstan was wilde and wolde not settle he wolde spec of lands other than angland wolde spec of goan to the land of the frenc goan to scaldemariland and of feohtan in fyrds for gold. he wolde spec of feohtan wyrms and denes and sum times i wolde beat him for this rott and tell him he was a socman of holland an anglisc man the man for who i tilled my ground and cept the sweord of my grandfather but though i wolde beat him efen with staefs he wolde not spec lic a man eadberht though he was not wilde eadberht he was lytel where dunstan was a long man and where dunstan wolde feoht with me until i beat him eadberht wolde sae naht only sitt loccan. dunstan i belyf he thought eadberht weac but still he wolde stand with him agan any man and when eadberht s.p.a.c he wolde lysten so we was in the holt and asger in the feld the wifs in the hus the yonge men at the barn and all of us then we hierde the sound what c.u.m up the path from the ham the path what went then by us and into the fenn ofer to bacstune and then to the wilde lands. this was the sound of many men and so we c.u.m cwic from our worc to the hus for we cnawan this sound may be sum ingenga c.u.m to cwell us or sum scucca from the fenn or sum out laws from the holt c.u.m for they had hierde of the wundor of my wif or the wundor of my land but it was not this the sound was many men from the ham and sum from other parts and they was c.u.man to my land and they was waepened these men but not waepened lic a triewe feohtan man. sum they had scramasaxes rusted from their fathers sum had eald speres nefer used others they bore sithes or efen hoes and those without hoes or who colde not gif them up from their land had only staefs and on to this staef was tied with line a stan. and with these men was an other who i had nefer seen and this man he was not sum esol gebur he was a feohtan man and upon his heafod he was wearan a seolfor helm that was bright lic the daegs light and at his side a triewe sweord my sons and my geburs we was standan by my hus my wifman and annis was standan in the door loccan and i was thincan to get my grandfathers sweord but sum of these men i cnawan. jalf the gebur was there and others from the ham and then also i seen ecceard for he was with this feohtan man who was saen naht but who was langer than all in his stillness buccmaster saes ecceard this man is sent from the cyng to holland. harald cyng is callan out the fyrd from the folc of this scir as thu cnawan is his right by anglisc law. harald cyng he calls all anglisc men fit and of feohtan age to c.u.m to him for angland is threatened from ofer the sea and its men must feoht for angland this is no good ecceard i saes it is weodmonth buccmaster saes ecceard all moste send men it is the word of the cyng all moste send their strength in this time thu will see many hus in this ham is now with no men at all we has timber to heaw i saes a barn to mac good i is a socman of these parts i has three oxgangs who will worc my ground the fuccan swine then this feohtan man he steps toward me in his helm of light sum dumb swine he may be under this helm but wearan it he locs of sum greatness he locs at dunstan and eadberht and he saes thu will c.u.m go bring what thu has. he locs at my geburs and to gamel he saes thy cyng is in need of thu bring what thu has. he locs then at me and at asger and he saes naht then he teorns baec and he macs his lytel band to teorn baec with him along the path in to the fenn ecceard locs at me lic he is with me but he is not with me he is doan what he is bid by other men again for this is his worc in his lytel lif it may be there will be no feohtan buccmaster he saes they will be baec for the haerfest for this is the duty upon the cyng i saes fucc the cyng but so ecceard only colde hiere and he locs at me then in sum ire and saes naht and teorns and walcs with the fyrd down the path and naht mor he specs. ecceard has always been a hund he will tac sc.r.a.ps from any man who has them and no care will he gif to who is fedan his fatt mouth well then all is madness on my land. gamel has gan from me he is walcan the path baec to his hus to tac what lytel things he has and go after the fyrd. in my hus my sons dunstan and eadberht is macan around with their things also and odelyn is frettan lic a moth who can not reach the bright mona through wattle. ah my boys she is saen my sons thu is yonge to be feohtan ah my husbond she saes to me do not let these boys c.u.m to harm of what is thu specan i saes does thu thinc i can cepe these boys they is men why does thu not asc the cyng to cepe them it is no tasc of mine. i was in a great ire i was thincan that no man in angland is left alone no mor that my grandfather was right that all was c.u.man apart around us that sons and geburs can be toc away by sum h.o.r.e in a helm without efen gold bean gifen. if ingengas is c.u.man we sceolde feoht them on our ground in our way not in sum other land for the will of harald of wess.e.x then dunstan is stood by me he has a sacc with his things in and in his eages there is blud. eadberht he is mofan slow lic there is sum curse upon him lic sum deorc wyrd gathers him in but dunstan he is lic a fyr risan to the heofon father he saes i sceolde tac the sweord of course i cnawan of what he is specan for he is locan at my grandfathers sweord all on the beam of my hus lic in his own time i is a feohtan man now he saes i is feohtan for angland i sceolde haf a sweord thu is goan to a fyrd with sum herd of geburs i saes thu is not aelfred. this sweord is not sum cildes thing thu has not nefer swung it efen it is as long as thu it is a sweord for cwellan ingengas saes dunstan this is what thy grandfather telt thu do not fuccan spec to me of him i saes to dunstan and i macs my words hierde then in my hus loud. thu did not cnaw him all thu has seen is his graef this is not a sweord for the fyrd where will thu be cilde in sum fuccan feld in wess.e.x loccan at the sea all daeg. this sweord is for when this hus moste be feoht for it is not to be tacan from my land dunstan then he locs at me and in his eages there is ire agan me i has seen this many times but also it seems there is sum other thing what is not ire but is sum thing smaller. odelyn is locan at me lic i is doan sum misdaed but it is her misdaed locan at me this way before my cildren to dunstan and eadberht then i specs lic a father sceolde. go i saes and do what is ascd and do naht mor and c.u.m baec. tac what thu needs from the barn there is sithes there and axes. c.u.m baec cwic for there is worc to be doan and thy mothor will pine as mothors do. dunstan then he locs at me both these things still in his eages and i wundors what this feoht will mac him and i saes go then or they will c.u.m baec for thu and both my sons after grippan their mothor lic cildren again both my sons is tacan from my hus and one of them only saes faren wel i stood loccan at them go and sean also my dumb gebur asger goan baec to the waet feld locan for weods and singan as if naht had c.u.m and when all had gan from my sight i teorned baec in to my hus. here was odelyn only standan and at her side her gebur annis who was not lic my wif in no way. odelyn was thynne but annis scort and fatt and while odelyns haer was gold annis had blaec haer with all graeg in a widewe was she her husbond had been sum gebur and when the fenn fefor toc him she had naht and c.u.m to worc for me for what i colde gif her thu sceolde haf gifen him the sweord saes my wifman she cnawan this was a misdaed as soon as it was specan sceolde i saes it is only my thought she saes it is naht my husbond again i saes sceolde. now she macs with annis to go baec to her loom lic she had saed naht lic there was naht in the air but she cnawan there was thu fuccan tells me what i sceolde sae to my son i saes what i sceolde do in my hus she saes my husbond it was only my dumb thought thy dumb thought and thy dumb locan i saes thy locan at me before my sons lic thu is tacan waepens agan me i wolde nefer tac waepens agan thu she saes but this is not enough if she belyfs words will right her lies she does not cnaw who is mastor of this hus. i saes to her that she is settan me up for a liar and a dumb esol in front of my cildren and what does she thinc she is doan and she saes naht only locs down at her feet lic a hund lic always and stands still to mac her self lytel. she has no pryde and pryde is neded in a wifman i saes and i strics her about the nebb that will teacc thu to haf sum pryde in thyself i saes. sum times this is enough with her and no mor is needed but this time she saes naht does not efen loc at me it is lic i had done naht. well this is not right and it is triewe i was in a great ire now lic any man wolde be my sons was gan my gebur gan also and i was thincan of how this man in the helm loccd at me loc at me when i is specan to thu wifman i saes i is the man in this hus i has lost two sons and a gebur to sum c.u.n.t in a helm this ground will fall asunder and thu is with those who wolde mocc me. i will not be mocced by no fuccan wifman who sceolde stand with me and i strics her again and she falls then and she strics her heafod on the stans what is weightan down the warp threads of her loom and she is on the flor hwinan lic a cat in a water pael all blud and spit and annis runnan round her lic an ael on a glaif and she is weac weac it is a sad sight to see what wolde thu do without me i saes who wolde teacc thu these things who wolde teacc thu to be a wifman. but as she has no pryde she does not answer i is the eald one dweller in the beorgs i walcs the high lands i macs the hwit hors and the hwit man i is forger of wyrd and waepen cweller of cyngs i walcs through deop water to c.u.m to thu name me at this time with my sons and my best gebur gan it seemed to me that all was lost but in triewth naht had begun efen and if i was triewe to my self efen then i wolde haf saed so. sum thing was c.u.man still the fenn was tellan me this and the fugols and the treows and though sum lytel thing had c.u.m it was only the first sparc of the great fyr well this fyr has c.u.m now it has c.u.m and it has beorned high and strong and for many years and it has eten all angland in it and now angland is but a tale from a time what is gan. if thu can thinc on what it is lose efry thing thu is thinc on this and if thu belyfs thu wolde do sum thing other than what i done if thu thincs thu wolde be milde or glad to those who wolde heaw away thy lif from thu then thu is sum dumb esol who lifs may be in sum great hus with all warm fyrs and rugs and sum cymly wif and has nefer suffered naht but as there is a time after angland so there was a time before and i thincs of this sum daegs when i is moste weary and i thincs of when my grandfather toc me to see where the eald G.o.ds lifd before the crist c.u.m. this place was sum way from our hus it toc us one half of a daeg to reach this place i was still a yonge cilde and until we had c.u.m to it i did not cnaw what we was doan for my grandfather he wolde not sae he was a man who wolde not sae. he had toc me from my fathers hus early in the daeg it was in the month of litha when all is bright when blosms is open and buterefleoges is floteran on them. we was in his boat again and on to the water of the fenn and in litha with all bright and hued wyrmfleoges and all the heofon writhan with lif and with the risan sunne on the nebb of the water the fenn what can be so blaec and deop and cold on this mergen was a thing of great wundor micel rowan did my grandfather do through the secg and the lesch below the reed and down streams deorc and windan and nefer did i thinc we wolde find our way baec efer to our hus so far was we in to the fenn. the secg had been c.u.man in ofer us for a long time and it was locan lic we was in a deop place in the ground but after many hours we c.u.m to a place where it fell baec and there opened before us a great mere hecged around with yeolo secg and singan with the call of coot and hraga my grandfather then he rowed us slow to the middel of this mere and he stopped rowan and he toc the ars wet and dryppan into the boat and we roccd then with the wind and the water. and my grandfather he saes to me loc into the water cilde loc down and i loccd then into the deorc water and at first i colde see naht but the blaec and the ael and the writhan caddis and the grene ropes of mos on the water still but my grandfather was specan lic he meant to hiere a good answer from me so i cept locan and then lic sum masc had c.u.m off my nebb sudden i seen the treows under the boat under the water and not so deop was the stocc of a great blaec treow torn to its root lic a tooth in the mouth of an eald wif. a great treow it was wid and blaec as the fyrs aesc blaec as the deorcness beyond the hall on a night when the mona sleeps and as i was locan i seen another and another and i colde see that under this mere was a great holt a great eald holt of treows bigger than any i had seen efer in holland and ealdor i was sure ealdor efen than my grandfather. and through the waters these treows they seemed to stir though in triewth they was still as the graef and blaeccer then i specs to my grandfather lic he is sum wicce what is this grandfather i saes what is this holt under the water what world is this. i was thincan many things that afeart me then i was thincan this was the land where aelfs c.u.ms from or that ents or dweorgs was here or efen that it was the hall under the mere in what grendel was lifan and that his mothor was c.u.man for me under my lytel boat. until my grandfather s.p.a.c i efen thought he was him self an aelf or an eorca in a mans masc c.u.m to tac me to his world of blaec and yfel and me no place to run my grandfather then he left the ars still in the boat and we was driftan slow on a wind that was so lytel we colde not feel it and naht near but the yeolo secg and naht hierde but fugols and wyrmfleoges and driftan then ofer the great blaec treows he telt me of the holt of the lost G.o.ds of angland he telt me that in the time before the crist angland was ham to a hus of G.o.ds what was born of this ground and what lifd in it among the folc. and these G.o.ds he saed was not lic the crist they was not ingenga G.o.ds bound about in lies and words not G.o.ds of fear unseen in the heofon what priccd man sore and bound him with laws and afeart him with fyr but these was G.o.ds of the treows and the water lic we is folc of them the ealdor of these he saes was woden also called grim who walcced the duns and the high hylls woden cyng of the G.o.ds of angland from who all triewe anglisc cyngs is c.u.m in blud. and before the crist saes my grandfather and i hierde from others after that this is triewe though then i wolde not belyf him before the crist he telt me it was woden what was hung fyrst on a treow and woden holed with a spere until waters c.u.m from him and woden who fell lic he was cwelled then c.u.m up again and in risan was gifen the wisdom of the world in the runes. and woden then was called upon by anglisc folc in holt and feld and now the preosts they tells us he is the deoful himself though they has tacan his lif for the tale of their own G.o.d the hwit crist who nefer c.u.ms woden has a wifman my grandfather saes also and her name is frig and for all wifmen