The Elene of Cynewulf/Chapter 5
5. The Assembly.
Then the Lord of men straight summoned the wisest to council, those who had pondered the craft of wisdom in writings of old and held nobly to155 the rede of scholars. And the prince of the people, victory-inspired king, asked through the vast assembly if there were any man there could tell and declare unto him truly who the god was, giver of good160 gifts, ‘whose sign this was which appeared unto me so bright, the most gleaming of tokens, saved my people, and gave unto me glory and war-speed against my foes through the holy tree.’165
But no one of them could give him any answer in return, nor knew they full well what to say about the victor-tree. Then spake the wisest before the multitudes, and said that it was a sign from the King170 of heaven, and of that there could be no doubt.