what promise we made to this prince of ours
2635in the banquet-hall, to our breaker-of-rings,
for gear of combat to give him requital,
for hard-sword and helmet, if hap should bring
stress of this sort! Himself who chose us
from all his army to aid him now,
2640urged us to glory, and gave these treasures,
because he counted us keen with the spear
and hardy ’neath helm, though this hero-work
our leader hoped unhelped and alone
to finish for us,—folk-defender
2645who hath got him glory greater than all men
for daring deeds! Now the day is come
that our noble master has need of the might
of warriors stout. Let us stride along
the hero to help while the heat is about him
2650glowing and grim! For God is my witness
I am far more fain the fire should seize
along with my lord these limbs of mine![1]
- ↑ Sc. “than to bide safely here,”—a common figure of incomplete comparison.
- ↑ Unusually deliberate understatement, indicating the excess of shame and disgrace.
A valuable survival of this taunting of men who broke the oath of loyalty is the cry of the sworn-brother in Bewick and Graham:—
In every town that I ride through,
They’ll say—“There rides a brotherless man!”
That is, there is one who has done to death his sworn-brother.
With these speeches of the Maldon warriors and of Wiglaf one may compare the awkward but effective prose which reports the answer of Cynewulf’s thanes to the conquering band of Cyneheard. They resist all bribes and entreaties to quit their dead master and king, and fall beside him. The account is perhaps based on an old lay.—See Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 755.
