Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

Altenglische legenden.

"Haue thyn axyng, haue heer thy tribut, [here. trybute.] Guerdoun couenable geyn fals tyrannye!" [covennable ageyn.] 1040 Sweyn affraied loude gan to crye, [lowde.] Yald up his gost, I not what weye he took. But with the noyse al the castel wook. — No-man merueile off this vnkouth myracle, That Sweyn was slayn in his chaumbre a|nyht! [chambre.] 1045 Geyn goddis power ther is noon obstacle, [poweer.] In heuene, in erthe egal is his myht, As weel in derknesse as in the cleer lyht; [wel. dirknesse.] His victorye with spere, swerd or sheeld [sweerd.] In chaumbre shewed as weel as in the feeld. [shewyd.] 1050 To prudent peeple and folkis that be sad Twen ffeeld and chaumbre is no difference; [chaum|bir.] Lyggyng a-bedde his myht is to be drad, For cowardise hath noon experience Wher he list use his myhty violence, 1055 In bed, in chaumbir, in castel, or in tour, [chaumbre.] The swerd al oon off his dredful rygour. [sweerd.] Som ffolk, nat wis, to cowardise arette That Sweyn was slayn in his bed a-nyht. The castel cloos, the strong wal nat lette [Casteel.] 1060 But that his entre kam al off goddis myht; As thoruh a glas perce the bemys bryht [peerce.] Whan Phebus shyneth, Sweyn in the same wise Slayn be myracle, and by no cowardise.— [by.] And to procede as it komyth to mynde, 1065 This Egelwyn herde in his passage A gret rumour off horsmen behynde, Which spak to hym in ful pleyn language: "Art thow nat he that brouhtest the mas|sage From kyng Edmund, thenbassiat not tretable, [Edmond. nat.] 1070 Dreedful, sodeyn, hasty and vengable?" As kyng Edmund saued fro tribut [savid trybute.] This lond be myracle, sette the Rewm in pes, [long(!) by. sett. Reem. pees.] Ryht so the Danys off counfort destitut [destitute.] Durste afftir neuer put them-sylff in pres [durst. nevir. prees.] 1075 To axe no truage nor gold to ther encres. [trewage. encrees.] Wher god diffendeth, lat us neuer dreede, [diffendith. nevir.] Ageyn whos power no malys shal pro|ceede. [poweer. malice. procede.] Off Sweynys deth thus writeth Marian: [Sweyn is.] How oon Wolmarus, born off gentil blood, 1080 Dowmb, deff, podagre, and an Essex man; [dowm and deeff.] The same hour so with hym it stood: Lay a-deyeng and his tyme abood; [deying.] Which neuer spak erst, sodenly abrayde, [nevir. sodeynly.] To his ffreendis euene thus he sayde: 1085 "The sharp spere off kyng Edmund, certeyn, [speere. Edmond.] (T)o sette this lond fro tribut in surnesse, Ypershid hath the cruel herte off Sweyn. [I-percyd.] Wherby this lond is brouht in gret glad|nesse." [is fehlt.] These woordis sayd, the man in his sik|nesse [Thes wordys.] 1090 Yald up the gost—neuer afftir nor afforn, [nevir.] And spak no mor, sithe tyme that he was born. [moore. sith.] Thus Egelwynus be tooknys ful certeyn, [toknys.] As he homward gan his Journe holde, [hoolde.] Hauyng relacioun off the deth off Sweyn: 1095 Withynne hym-sylff his herte gan to bolde [began to boolde.] And euery part this myracle forth he tolde, [toolde.] Thanked god off his gracious refut Which hath this lond delyuered fro tribut. Fro the cronycle yiff I shal nat varye, 1100 Kyng Sweyn was slayn, as maad is men|cioun, [made.] The day secounde off frosty Februarye [the secunde day.] A thowsand yeer fro the Incarnacioun
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Title
Altenglische legenden.
Author
Horstmann, Carl, ed. b. 1851.
Canvas
Page 432
Publication
Heilbronn,: Gebr. Henninger,
1881.
Subject terms
Saints -- Legends
English poetry
Legends

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afw1383.0001.001
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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/afw1383.0001.001/604:4.21

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"Altenglische legenden." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/afw1383.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 24, 2025.
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