L VIII. GAIMAR. ITTLE is known of this writer; but there is good reason to assign his work to the middle of the twelfth century. It is a rhyming chronicle, in French, founded upon the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, with various additions from floating legends, beginning with the English Conquest, and ending with the death of Rufus. Four thirteenth-century MSS. exist, and the earlier portion is printed by Petrie in 'Monumenta Britannica.' The extracts here given are these: LINE 1. 2526. Of the Kings Ethelwulf, Ethelbald, and Ethelbert. 2. 2569. Of the coming in of the Danes. 3. 2725. Of King Ella. 4. 2840. Of the Danes at Nottingham. 7. 2955. Of the field of Reading. LINE 8. 3015. How Ethelred died. 9. 3023. How Alfred reigned. 10. 3065. Of the Danes at Cambridge. 11. 3130. Of Alfred in Athelney. 12. 3261. Of the Danes in France. 13. 3398. How the Danes came back. 14. 3439. How Alfred died; and of his greatness. GAIMAR. L. 2526. Ten years and nine reigned the King [Ethelwulf], and at Winchester was he buried. Son was he to King Egbert, who made all the realm obey him. His two sons, whom he gat by his first wife, had his kingdom. Edelbald had all Wessex, Edelbyrht held Kent, Sussex, Essex, and Surrey. Kings of might they were, all their life long. King Edelbald reigned five years; then died he; life failed him. King Edelbyrht was his brother; he took Wessex as was right. Six years did he reign; then he died; and to Sherburn they bare him after his brother. Very dear to the English died he; for these two lost Kings had ofttimes worsted the Danes. . . . [Here comes in the harrying of Hampshire and East Kent (Asser, § 22).] L. 2569. In the time of this King [Ethelred] came the great fleet; the like saw never no man who saw not this. In East Anglia came they to land, and there abode over winter [866]. In March, for mockery, made they truce with that folk. Then they mounted them on the best horses their vassals had, and in ships too went some. So far as to Humber set they sail. Marched there on foot more than twenty thousand: great wonder is it to tell thereof. Turned then these Danes, and passed the water at Grimsby, those on foot and all, together. Great plenty had they of people. With the ships went they all to York; great war waged they there both by land and water. [Here Gaimar tells how the Danes had been brought in by Bruern, a Northumbrian Baron, whose wife the King had dishonoured; and adds a spirited legend of the rival King Ella (Asser, § 30). When the Danes surprised York, he tells us :] L. 2725. Ella the King was sitting in the wood: four bisons had the King taken in hunting. Sitting was he at his dinner; he heard a [blind] man sound a bell. In his hand he held it, a little bell; clear it sounded as a chime [eschelete]. Food he asked; the King bade serve him therewith. Said the King to a knight, 'We have done well to-day four bisons and six deer [cheverels]: all we hunted have we taken.' From afar the blind man heard him; then spake he a true word : ‘And if in this wood you have taken so much, you have lost all this land. Better have the Danes done: York have they taken; Osbert is slain by his foes.' Answered the King: 'How knowest thou this?' 'My sense showeth me.... At York shall be a great battle. If thou believest me not, get thee on. Howbeit none otherwise can it be. A King must needs there lose his head. . ' he was beside himself. L. 2822. King Ella rode on madly On all sides were the Danes. Slain then was Ella the King. . . . The place is now called Ella-Cross. . . . Never a Dane took rest till all the land north of Humber was brought under them. . . . ... L. 2840. Then went they into Mercia; in this realm the Danes took Nottingham. King Burghred [Bureth] gathered a host; to Ethelred [Edelreth] he sent, who reigned over Wessex. A brother he had, Alfred [Elured]; right well knew he how to give good counsel, and to draw up a battle; well-skilled was he in war; clerk was he, and good astronomer. These two called their host, and came and beset Nottingham. But the Danes within full easily kept them off. All were glad when they took a truce. . . . [The Danes now return to York and march thence to Thetford, the Mercian and Northumbrian levies accompanying them. This information is given us by Gaimar alone.] ... L. 2870. A King they found in this land; Edmund was his name. A good Christian he was, and the friend of God; a holy man. This King fought; and all the folk he had; but win he might not, for the many the Danes had. Bravely they fought, but the field was the foe's. King Edmund was driven to a castle. . . . The Heathen came hard after. Edmund went out to meet them. The first they met took him. Then asked they, 'Where is Edmund? Tell us.' 'That will I freely and at once. Before the fight Edmund was here, and I. When I fled the field, so did he. If he will 'scape you I know not.' Now is the King's end in the hand of God, and of Jesus whom He served. . . . When they knew St. Edmund, the miscreants, full cruelly bade they him deny God's Faith, and Christ the Maiden-born. Said the King, 'Not so. Firm will I hold to Him.' What then did the foe? To a tree made they bind him. . . .. They shot the King with hand-bows. So full was his body of the darts of these villains, as is of prickles the skin of the hedgehog, when he bears off apples from the garden.1 Then sent they a wicked man, Coran Colbe was his name, to cut off the saint's head. Thus was Edmund the Martyr slain. ... L. 2933. When they had done this shame turned they from thence, and went straight to Reading. Slowly they went; towns they wasted and cities; and Christians they slew, and churches they spoiled. . Two counts on horseback went to Englefield. There found they Edelwolf, a great baron of that land. He had gathered his friends ...a many Danes they killed, and one of the counts, Sidrac; wicked was he and warlike. ... L. 2955. Four days after Ethelred and his brother Alfred came to Reading, with a very great host. The Danes soon sallied out. In the open field was the fray; all day long it lasted. There Edelwolf was killed. And Edelred and Alfred were driven to Wiscletet [Wistley Green, near Twyford]. There is a ford towards Windsor by the riverside in a moor; Twyford was ever the name of that ford. Hither came the Host in chase, and wotted not of that ford. So the English escaped; but many were killed and wounded. . . . The hedgehog was supposed to rob orchards by biting off the fruit and carrying it away impaled upon his spines. [Next come the battles of Ashdown, Basing, and Merton.] L. 3015. Then came in a mighty tyrant; Summerlede the Great1 was his name. . . He would have fought King Ethelred, but he died; he is in his coffin. At Wimborne the King is laid; but five years did he reign. . . . ... L. 3023. Then reigned King Alfred; Ethelwolfing was he called [i.e., the son of Ethelwolf]. Gathered the Danes, and sought him in Wessex. At Wilton was he found, with the few he got together; he fought, but 'twas in vain; from the field they chased him, and into the greenwood.... And this year the Danes took a truce from King Alfred, then forsook they Reading. In London they wintered. . . [Here follows their conquest of Mercia.] L. 3065. Then went they divers ways. In London stayed Ingwar ; and Halfdene the other King went to war with the Picts. Oft put he them to the worse; and eke Stretclued, King of Galloway.2 The Kings Godrum, Oschetel, and Anwynd took counsel they should to Grantabrige [Cambridge] and beset the city. So did they quickly from Repton led they their great host. Almost a year endured the siege : like fools, they left it in the end; much they lost and little they gained. Then away they rode by stealth, straight to Wareham.. ... [Here follow the events at Wareham, Exeter, and Swanwich, where one hundred and forty ships went to the devil'; and the overrunning of Wessex by the Danes.] Minsters they They drave folk King Alfred, their L. 3130. With all their will set they them to do evil. brake down, and houses, and chapels, and monasteries. from the land; and many did they bind in prison. Lord, he knew not what to do, nor yet what to say. in the woods and wilds, to 'scape their bloody hands. ... He kept him oft slew he some L. 3141. Nevertheless he gathered all he might of them. A brother of Iware [Ingwar] and Halfdene, did he kill, in the forest of Pen; an evil-doer was he, and his name was Ubbe [Hubba]. When the Danes found him, they made over him a great mound; and they called it Ubbe-lawe. The mound is in Devon. There were many slain; eight hundred and forty there fell; perjured, bloodthirsty felons they were. The war-flag of Ubbe was taken; the name thereof was The Raven. [We now come to the rising of the English and their victory at Ethandune: 'I cannot say aright which side had the more slain; but this know I well, that good King Alfred and his barons there won renown and victory'-the baptism of Guthrum, and the departure of the Danes to France, ' more than a hundred Kings with their hosts.'] 11.e., a summer-lead. See pp. 10, 12. 2 This is another curious confusion. Galloway was part of the British kingdom of Strathclyde. 'Till the seventeenth century there was a mound near Kinwith Castle, on the sandhills by Barnstaple Bay, called the Hubba Stone. L. 3261. At Yarmouth put they to sea; unto Chézig came they... All the land they wasted.. sore wailed the peasants... the crucifixes brake they down . . . many barons did they slay. . . . So brake the Heathen into a land toward Bretagne; St. Lo was its name. . . . The folk of Bretagne they fought like wild men [felons]. Thanks be to God, the God of glory, over the Danes had they the victory. There did those Heathen perish together; all their pride and all their fame in one day. Into France came they back no more. [Here we find the interchange of gifts between Alfred and Pope Marinus (Asser, § 71); the death of Charles and his kinship to Judith' never knew lady more of the Faith '-Alfred's rebuilding of London, and the death of Guthrum.] L. 3398. Then came it to pass that the Heathen Host appeared again, which went into France; all that realm had they wasted. . . . Now had they store of spoil, of gold, of silver, and of horses of great price. At Cherbourg put they to sea; and to Limne-mouth came they. All the coasts by the sea did those foemen harry; ill hap, indeed, was their return. Ships had they two hundred and fifty; much evil did their stay. From the other side came back Estein [Hasting]; into Thames drew he, and a large fleet. In Kent he did after his own will. . . . When these two hosts were together, they went about destroying Christendom. . . . L. 3439. Then came it to pass, as it pleased God, Alfred, who fought so well, died. Then from the Nativity, from the day wherein God was born, had passed nine hundred years and one, to the day King Alfred died. For twenty and eight years right well did he reign; few such be now living. For wise was he, and a warrior good; well knew he how to curb his foes. Never was better clerk than he, for from childhood upwards had he learning. A book made he write in English, of deeds, and of laws, and of battles in the land, and of Kings who made war. Books a many made he to write, which learned men go oft to read. May God have mercy on his soul, and St. Mary our Lady. Then reigned his son Edward, the valiant, the wise, the courteous. |