Bourne Archive: FNQ: Hereward X

http:// boar.org.uk/ariwxo3FNQsupX.htm Latest edit 12 Aug 2009

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De Gestis Herwardi Saxonis.

Quomodo ab quadam puella adamatur, ob ejus gratiam ad certamina perrexit, ubi præ omnibus cum suis victor extitit.

Apud sanctum Admarum¹ namque tunc temporis quædam puella nobilis et pulchra degebat, scientiæ liberalitatis multum dedita, in mechanicaque arte etiam peritissima, nomine Turfrida. Hæc autem valde adamavit Herwardum, comperta de eo multa magnalia, unde perplurimas ut fertur in amore illius exercuit artes, cum quibus ejusdem juvenis animum in se convertit. Exardescebat autem in quidam alter ex comprovincialibus, insignis miles et cujusdam præpotentissimi nepos de sancto Walerico, et ipse potens in amore ejus, a quo illi inde corporis detrimentum minabatur aut mortem. Quumque Herwardus ad certamina solemnitatum quæ apud Pontes jam et Pictaviam fiunt, una cum tyronibus domini sui pergeret, atque ut tirocinia facerent illos conduceret, adversarium ejus in comitatu cum suis inscius offendit, ac ipsum in mediis militum cuneis progressum, signum ex virginali vitta gerens, ad gratiam amicæ, ut militiam patraverat. Contra quem statim viso illo adivit Herwardus et ex primo impulsu obrutum dedit, arrepto signo illius et equo.

Quod quidem prædictæ puellæ transmisit, et alia ex ipsius parte signa, adhuc tribus ab eo nec vi superatis et a suis commilitonibus quam plurimis, consorte illo unicuique semper et præsidio. Unde præcipue cum suis victoriæ gratia præ omnibus redimitus fatetur sodalibus in amore præfatæ virginis sese nimium æstuare, sed quomodo ad eam veniet nescius, multorum inimicorum insidias præcavens. Tum illuc admodum cum paucis tetendit sodalibus, nemini ejus absentiam patescere præcipiens.

Nec adversario illius quidem pro congressionis exitum nec adventus causam latuerunt, unde insidias in multis locis ex latronibus et malefactoribus in ipsius occursum constituit, ex quibus quodam die illi decem et septem ab xl latronibus surrepti sunt ; et occisis deinque xx et v ex ipsis invasoribus iter arreptum tetendit. Ubi tandem plurimis et in via affixus infestis ibi pervenit, atque Herwardi internuncium et nepotem ipsius videlicet Siwardum album se dixit, mandata amicitiæ a domino suo et munera illi deferens, cui statim valde congratulans deosculata est. Et diligenter intuitus per oculorum acies [aciem] et ex venusta facie et flavente cæsarie corporisque efficacia, eum tandem agnovit. Verum statim hæc verba prorupit ; Ecce omnium hominum mihi præstantissimum in brachiis amplector et militem præclarissimum oculis intueor, nunc licet sero exoptati viri præsentia potior. Votis et aliquantum desideriis adimpleor. Ipse vero rem ut erat denegans, non eam recte sentire de hoc dicebat. Et illa de eo signis satis exquisitis in corpore designantia vulnera tenuissimorum cicatricum, Herwardum esse sibi dilectissimum contra affirmabat, ex quibus superatur, et verum agnoscere visus est. Dum vero hæc soliloquio faterentur, apprehnsum illum deducit in interiorem domum, ostendens illi omnes paternas divitias in auro et argento, vel cujuscunque materiæ, et maternas multas res, atque insuper loricam nimiæ levitatis et subtilissimi operis ac multo valde omni ferro et chalybe lucentiorem et puriorem, atque galeam simillimi decoris et fortitudinis, de ipsis adjungens : Multi quidem divites et potentes ex his compertis, ubinam sunt multum inquirentes et ut proderentur munera promittentes, dolo eas, metu, vi, aut pretio sibi usurpare, vel qualicunque arte cupientes, huc usque ex atavi rebus servavi, atavo semper et avo ac patri ex omnibus rebus carissimæ, ut sponsum ex his mihi dotarem. Nunc autem omnium hominum tibi competentem virtutem animi et fortitudinem approbo, et hoc commodum mihi valde ac præcipuum est exinde ut diceris amicæ competenti ex dono si congratulatus fueris. Volo etiam in meo tale quid tunc perpeti corpore semel, quicquid eas ferrei vel e metallo excederet. De quibus namque non minime congaudiens gratias egit Herwardus. Idcirco enim utrique sibi invicem fidei arrhas commiserunt ; et post ad commilitones ipsum præstolantes denique pedem refert. Nocte vero eadem hostem in hospitio unum ex satellitibus præfati militis inscius offendit, qui in silentio noctis dormientem cum secure petivit Herwardum, scilicet forte a lecto insomnis revolutus, fortiter in stratu percussit, verum omnes expergefacti eum comprehendentes dextra privaverant manu, compertis unde vel a quo venerat. Ex tunc enim in consuetudinem acceptus, Herwardus juxta lectum pausari proprium aut in stratu cujusdam suorum alienis in locis, insidias inimicorum præcavens. Illa nocte autem ad suum dominum cum suis sociis pervenit ; quibus valde congratulans, audierat enim insignia ex eis et quæ ad certamina fecerat, pro quibus muneribus illos statim et honoribus ditavit. Tamen nil Herwardus susciperet, donec prædictam puellam cum terris et postularet et acciperet.

The Exploits of Hereward the Saxon.

How Hereward is beloved by a certain girl, for whose sake he went forth to combat, and there with his men proved victorious.

At that time there lived in Saint Admarus ¹ a young lady noble and beautiful, much devoted to liberal knowledge, and skilled in mechanical arts, whose name was Turfrida. She fell in love with Hereward, having heard of his achievements ; and so she displayed many of her accomplishments, as they say, for love of him ; and thereby secured his affection for herself. But another man of the neighbourhood was in love with her, a famous soldier, and grandson of a very powerful man of Saint Walericus² ; and he was so desperately in love that he threatened some mischief, or even death, to Hereward. And when Hereward was going to the contests which were held at the Bridges and Pictavia ³, together with the recruits of his lord, and was taking them to make their first attempt at such competitions, he unawares came upon his adversary in a company with his men, and advancing in the middle of the troops, carrying a token from a girl’s chaplet, for his sweetheart’s sake, as though he had accomplished his warfare. On seeing him Hereward immediately advanced upon him, and at the first onset overthrew him, and took away his token and his horse.

And this he sent to the young lady aforesaid, and other tokens on his own part, there being still three not overcome by him, and several by his fellow soldiers, while he was always accompanying and protecting each one.* And so being especially honoured with his men by reason of his victory, above all, he confesses to his comrades that he is greatly in love with the aforesaid young lady, but ignorant of how he could approach her, dreading the snares of his many foes. Then he made his way to her with very few of his companions, directing that his absence should be made known to none.

But neither was his departure to this meeting nor the cause of his coming concealed from his rival*; and so he arranged ambushes in many places, with robbers and malefactors, to meet him : and of these one day 17 out of 40 robbers were withdrawn, and he killed 25 of those who attacked him, and continued his journey that had been interrupted. At last, though pressed by very many rascals on the road, he arrived there, and said that he was a messenger of Hereward’s, and indeed his nephew, namely Siward the White, bringing a message and presents from his master to her, who in great delight immediately kissed him. But looking earnestly at the expression of his eyes, and from his comely face, and golden hair, and the vigour of his body, she at last recognised him. And immediately she burst forth in these words : "Lo ! I embrace in my arms the most excellent of all men, and see with my eyes the most renowned soldier, and now, though late, I am in the presence of the man most desired.” But he repudiated the suggestion, and said that she was mistaken. But she, after strictly enquiring from him as to some personal tokens, scars that betoken some slight wounds, maintained on the contrary that he was her most beloved Hereward ; whereby he was overcome, and admitted the truth. But while this was discussed in private, she leads him away to the inside of the house, shewing him all her father’s riches in gold and silver, or of other material, and many things of her mother’s, and besides a corslet ⁴ of excessive lightness and very fine work, and much brighter and purer than any steel or iron, and a helmet of like beauty and strength ; adding, about them, “There have been many rich and powerful men that have made much enquiry about these, where they are, and offering gifts for their production, desiring to get them for themselves or by trickery, or threats, or force, or money, or by any artifice they could : but I have kept them hitherto of my forefather’s possession, ever the dearest possessions of my forefather, and grandfather, and father, that I might present them to my betrothed. And now of all men I favour you for the suitable valour of your courage and for your bravery, and it is very agreeable and right for me that you should tell a suitable lover if you are glad of the gift. For I am willing in my own person to undergo anything, should anything surpass them in steel or metal.” Hereward thanked her for them, greatly delighted. And so they gave each other pledges of fidelity ; and afterwards at last he returns to his fellow-soldiers who are waiting for him. But the same night in the guest house he unawares encountered a foe in one of the attendants of the aforesaid soldier, who in the silence of night went to attack Hereward with an axe, while he was sleeping ; but as it happened he turned round from his bed wide awake, and struck him valiantly on the bed-clothes, and all his companions, being aroused, seized him and cut off his right hand, when they found out whence and from whom he had come. And from that time it was taken for a custom, for Hereward to rest near his own bed, or else to lie in the bed of one of his men in a different place, fearing the snares of his enemies. But on that night he arrived at his lord’s, with his companions; and he greatly congratulated them, for he had heard from them of his achievements, and what he had done at the fights, for which he forthwith enriched them with rewards and honours. But yet Hereward would accept nothing, till he should demand and receive the aforesaid young lady with her lands.

Commentary.

* [Sweeting’s footnote] Some error in original scribe or in transcript.

1. ↑ Saint Audomare which is St. Omer.

2. ↑ This will be Saint Valéry, perhaps Saint-Valéry-en-Caux but more likely, Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme which lay in Ponthieu, a place much more closely under Franco-Norman influence than Flanders was. Duke William’s fleet for the invasion of England coasted eastward at the start of the campaign, so it was from the estuary of the Somme, off Saint-Valéry that it finally departed for Sussex.

3. ↑ These were presumably places in St. Omer. The town was at the head of an estuary which by this time had developed a line of dunes across most of its seaward end. It was on these dunes in the previous century that Scandinavian settlers had begun to develop the new port of Dunkirk (dune church), to seaward of the old port of Bergues. There will have been no shortage of waterways requiring bridges. ‘The Bridges’ will have crossed the River Aa. Picta via would be the ‘painted way’ though Pictaviam, in which only the second element is given the accusative ending, looks like a proper noun, governed by apud: apud pontes jam et Pictaviam – ‘near the bridges and the Pictavia as well’.

4. ↑ Upper body plate armour: a back-plate and breast-plate.