Bourne Archive: FNQ: Hereward XXXII
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FNQ
This thread begins with the title page
De Gestis Herwardi Saxonis.
XXXII.
Quomodo quemdam præclarissimum militem solitarie pugnantes devicit.
Ubi bene iter ageret apud Brunneswald
1, quendam Saxonicum 2 militem obvium habuit, virum magnæ
fortitudinis et statura eminentem, nomine Letoltus. Hic
ergo ex militia et fortitudine
satis in multis regionibus notus erat et valde laudatus. Quem statim Herwardus ut erat liberalissimus,
prius salutando quis ipse fuerit
interrogavit et dignitatem
et cognationem. Cujus verbis
et interrogationibus in bono
non suscipiens superbe respondit,
fatuum eum et rusticum vocans. Unde in ira commoti armis in fine aggressi sunt. Et non solum ipse sed et milites eorum simul coierunt,
ex parte memorati militis quinque et ex parte Herwardi tres, silicet Geri,
Wenochus, et Matelgar. Quibus dimicantibus Geri miles suum repente prostravit consortem alium aggrediens. Alii equidem duo milites ejusdem adversantes simul postea cito superaverunt.
Inter hæc autem ille memoratus præclarissimus eques contra Herwardum superpræliare licet suis superatis non cessavit. Attamen a nullo suorum Herwardus
adjuvari sibi permisit, indignum dicens tunc, sicut
et semper, aliquem suorum
cum alio vel cum ipso duos præliare contra unum, sed solitarie pugnare aut succumbere. Et illis duobus diu
post dimicantibus inter dubiam
fortunam duelli illorum duorum, ut non sui sperabant, Herwardi gladium ex capula disrupit, unde hæsitans qua attonitus stabat alius semper, interim super galeam cadens. Cui statim quidam miles ipsius Geri, quia adversus socium sermonem hunc intulit, cur
ea quæ latus
juxta habuit in tam gravi necessitate oblitus fuerit, additque se velle locum sibi
cedere contra illum, unde valde confortatus
ensem alium quem oblitus fuerat a vagina excipiens, socium acrius aggressus
est et in primo ictu dum in
caput conferri æstimaretur, tibiam3 illius in medio percussit, tamen super genua sese ille
miles interdum diu protexit et nullo modo dum in eo vita
fuerit se velle reddere nec victum videri asseruit. Quod videns Herwardus admirando virtutem illius et fortitudinem laudavit, ac illum
ulterius debellare desiit ab eo discedens
et in viam suam secedens. Addiditque de illo ad suos Numquam
talem virum inveni, nec fortitudine parem ullum unquam
pertuli, nec in tanto periculo contra aliquem pugnavi, nec tam gravi labore neminem vici.
The Exploits of
Hereward the Saxon.
XXXII
How Hereward overcame a certain
very eminent knight in single combat.
When Hereward was
quietly walking at Brunneswold 1 he met a certain Saxon 2
soldier, a man of great courage and very tall, by name Letoltus.
He from military skill and courage was well known in many regions and much
praised. Hereward, most courteous as he always was, first saluted him and asked
him his name, dignity and family. Not taking his words and questions in good
part, Leoltus answered haughtily, calling him a
simpleton and a boor. So in the end in anger they came to blows. And not only
these two, but their soldiers also at the same time engaged, on the part of the
warrior aforesaid five, and on the part of Hereward three, namely Geri, Wenochus and Matelgar. And as
they fought Geri soon laid low his opponent, and attacked another of his mates.
The other two soldiers also soon afterwards overcame their adversaries. But
meanwhile the eminent knight before mentioned did not cease fighting with
Hereward, though his men were overcome. But Hereward did not allow any help to
be given him by any of his men, saying then as always, when any man was
fighting with one of his men or with himself, that it was an unworthy thing for
two to fight against one, and that a man ought to fight with one man only, or
else surrender.
‘And while those two
fought for a long time, with each of the two experiencing the changeable
fortunes of battle, contrary to what his (Hereward’s) men were expecting,
chance broke off Hereward’s sword at the hilt, whereupon the other (Letoltus) stood stock still for awhile, stunned by what had
happened, then fell down onto his helmet.’
And as those two
were long fighting, the result of the combat being still in doubt, contrary to
all expectation, Hereward’s sword broke off at the hilt, and after turning
round where the other was standing in astonishment, at last fell down over his
helmet.* Immediately one of Hereward’s
soldiers, Geri, because he addressed the above saying to one of his fellows,
asked him why he had forgotten what he had close by his side at such an
emergency, and added that he wished he would yield to him the post against the
foe ; at which, much comforted, Hereward drew from its sheath another sword
which he had forgotten, and attacked the fellow more sharply, and at the very
first blow, while he was supposed to be attacked on the head, he pierced the
middle of his thigh bone 3; and yet the
warrior for some time defended himself on his knees, and declared that as long
as life was in him he would never be willing to surrender or seem conquered.
Seeing which Hereward in admiration praised his valour and courage, and ceased
attacking him, leaving him and going on his road. And he further said about him
to his men, “I have never found such a man, nor did I ever meet with his equal
in courage, nor have I ever been in such peril when fighting against any man,
nor have I ever had so much trouble in conquering a man”.
Commentary.
* [Sweeting’s note] This may
be the meaning. The original is perfectly hopeless. [The section preceding the asterisk could
reasonably be translated thus: ‘And while those two fought for a long time,
with each of the two experiencing the changeable fortunes of battle, contrary
to what his (Hereward’s) men were expecting, chance broke off Hereward’s sword
at the hilt, whereupon the other (Letoltus) stood
stock still for a while, stunned by what had happened, then fell down onto his
helmet.’ (The amended phrase and addition are underlined.) It is possible to
gather the following picture of events. The blow which broke Hereward’s sword
was aimed at Letoltus’s head. It knocked his helmet
off, stunning him in the process. He froze long enough for his helmet to hit
the ground then he collapsed onto it. (FWP) (At this point, we find the
asterisk.) Meanwhile, Hereward was himself in a quandary as to what he should
do now he was disarmed, until his companion Geri reminded him that he carried a
spare sword strapped to his side. Thus encouraged, he drew that sword and again
attacked the now recovered Letoltus, feinting at his
head but striking him on the lower leg and bringing him to his knees. From this
position he tried to fight on, and Hereward was so impressed by his courage
that he ceased to attack him and left the scene of the fight. (FWP) ]
1. Bromswold,
the forest between the rivers Ouse and Nene in Northamptonshire. See Chapter XIX.
2. Although
Sweeting’s title for his publication of the text
calls Hereward a Saxon, the text itself does not do so and this opponent is the only person given that
description. The modern mind tends to associate the word ‘Anglian’ with the
narrow concept of ‘East Anglia’
but it is the adjective describing the cultural group, the Angles who settled in all of eastern
Britain from Edinburgh to Ipswich and spread inland to Gloucestershire and Cheshire. The text associates
Hereward with the people of the Angles (he was Anglorum gentis - of the
nation or tribe of the Angles). Though this is often translated as ‘English
people’, it was only as a result of the Scandinavian raids and settlements that
the Angles and the Saxons began to grow towards being one people. It looks as
though by the 1070s, that process was still incomplete and that despite his
descent on his mother’s side, from Danish parentage, and his father’s
advancement by close association with the Danish king, Canute, Hereward was
associated in the mind of the writer, with the Anglian culture of eastern and
central England rather than that of the Saxons of the south, which remained
somewhat distinct. This view is supported by consideration of the huge rivalry
between his father,
from the Anglian midlands and
Godwin’s
family, from the Saxon south.
It was the external king, Canute whose even-handed policy with regard to the
Angles and Saxons led to the advancement of both the Anglian Leofric, who
married into the Danish culture and the Saxon Godwin who similarly married into
the Danish culture. Harold and Tostig Godwinson and Hereward Leofricson each
had a mother of Danish extraction.
3. Sweeting’s translation indicates that though on this
occasion, the weapon is a sword rather than a lance,
again, the successful attack was made at the thigh of the opponent. It seems
that the Hauberk he will
have been wearing left the man vulnerable, presumably because of the vents
necessary for leg movement and should the wearer need to mount a horse.
However, inspection of the Latin text shows that it was the lower leg which was
first hit – he struck him against the middle of his shin bone (tibiam illius in medio percussit). Nevertheless,
though on his knees, for a long time, that soldier made sporadic efforts to defend
himself (tamen super genua sese ille miles interdum diu
protexit). There is
no mention of a blow on
the thigh. This is one of the few examples of
absolute error in Sweeting’s translation. He has
mistaken the tibia for the femur, the modern ‘thigh bone’ or Latin
‘thigh’. Perhaps Sweeting, the vicar, was thinking of Samson’s altercation with
the Philistines. (Authorized Version
of the Bible, Judges 15:8)
Getting the matter of the tibia
right is another small step towards obtaining an accurate view of the coherence
of the story. By now we can probably say that it is not someone’s fantasy but a
report by men acquainted with real events in the real world. So many of the apparent
inconsistencies arise from a lack of understanding of a way of life very
different from ours, or are demonstrably artefacts of later transcription and
translation, that it is reasonable to think that the few remaining unexplained,
may be similar misunderstandings or misrepresentations of the original report.
The writer’s
purpose in including
this chapter was clearly to emphasize the noble and magnanimous character of
his hero.