Bourne Archive: FNQ: Hereward VIII

http://boar.org.uk/ariwxo3FNQsupVIII.htm Latest edit 12 Aug 2009.

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De Gestis Herwardi Saxonis.

VIII.

De prima ipsius militia ad Flandriam, unde tandem et novis quotidie ex virtutibus agnitus est, quum multum, quis tantus vir fuerit vel unde, exquisitum esset.

Iterum quippe Flandrensis comes cum quodam alio vicino comite de Ginnes warram habuit. Quum autem quotidie sui in expeditione ante castella et prædia monomachiam facere pergerent, Herwardus ut sibi saltem una die cum illis ingredi liceret multum deprecatus est. Quod tandem obtinuit, et sicut in armis strenuissime et comitatu belli edoctus, verum ita eadem die prudentur [prudenter] egit, militem quendam ab alio longe a comitatu obrutum forte jacentem, quem ipse solus protegendo, quatuor occisis invasoribus, liberavit et reduxit, cunctis admirantibus atque ambos in custodia æstimantibus captos. Ex qua re statim nominatissimus in palatio principis factus est, et præclarus inter robustissimos, intrans ex tunc cum illis et exiens, quotidie novas magnanimitates peragens in militia. Tamen semper multum quis tantus vir aut qualis vel unde fuerit princeps terræ dubitans, ab extraneis et mercatoribus valde illius notitiam scisciatur si forte nomen ipsius aut fama in ulla longinqua regione perciperetur, ita ut non longe prorsus defuerit inquisitioni ejus desiderata valde notitia. Quidam enim ante triennium in Hibernia talem virum atque virtute et facie consimilem se vidisse et multa de eo et prædicanda audisse dicebat, et hujus ex nomine vocatus, unde continuo compertis et illo advocato cum solo filio secretæ suæ in dolis notitiam multum prædictus comes inquirit, et nomen ac patriam atque dignitatem et genus jurans et confirmans sicut carissimum filium quicunque sit habiturus. Tandem de eo quæ audiverat vera fuisse professus est, et nomen et patriam et quomodo a patre expulsus in Cornubiam prius venerit, et post in Hiberniam, et causam illius loci adventus.

The Exploits of Hereward the Saxon.

VIII.

Of his first fighting in Flanders, from which, and from his daily deeds of valour, he was at length discovered, when much enquiry was made as to who such a man could be, or whence he could come.

Then because the Count of Flanders was at war with a certain neighbouring Count of Ginnes, when his men daily proceeded to single combats in front of the castles and farms in the campaign, Hereward anxiously implored him ¹ that he might at least be allowed to go out with them for one day. And this permission he at length obtained. And as he was well trained in arms and management of war, so he acted with prudence on that same day, for there was a soldier lying overthrown by another far from the company, whom he by himself defended, liberated, and brought back, killing four men who attacked him ; to the admiration of all, for they supposed both had been taken prisoners. From this he was immediately made of very great account in the palace of the prince, and reckoned one of their strongest men, from that time going in and out with them, daily accomplishing fresh deeds of valour in fight. But the prince of the land being ever much in doubt as to who or what or of what country such a man could be, enquired of foreigners and merchants ² any news of him, if by chance his name or fame were known in any distant land ; so that it was not long before the much desired information was given to his enquiry. For someone said that three years before he had seen such a man in Ireland ³, and like him in valour and appearance ; and that he had heard many things told about him, and that he was called by his name ; on which discovery, Hereward being summoned, the aforesaid count with his only son questioned him as to object in this deceit, and asked his name and country and dignity and family, assuring him with an oath that he would regard him as a very dear son. At length he admitted that what he had heard of him was true, and he told his name and country, and how being driven forth by his father he had come first to Cornwall, and afterwards to Ireland, and he explained the reason of his arrival at that place.

Commentary.

1. ↑ Here, Hereward seems to be associated with the Count of Flanders’ side in this war.

2. ↑ Here, merchants are explicitly mentioned so that we can be confident that the trade which was a feature of the later medieval period was already in being in the eleventh century. This mention tends to weakly corroborate the view we took of Gilbert of Ghent as a merchant.

3. ↑ This three-year span since the witness had seen Hereward in Ireland draws attention to the relatively slow-moving nature of the events, when their presentation to us gives an impression of constant action and rapid movement. Hereward arrived in Ireland fairly soon after his father’s death in September 1057. The time of the events of the present chapter is therefore not earlier than late in 1060. His arrival in Flanders may therefore have been later than the Spring of 1058, as estimated in the commentary of Chapter VII.