# Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 42

XLII.
Þā wæs gesȳne, þæt se sīð ne ðāh þām ðe unrihte inne gehȳdde 3060wræte under wealle. Weard ǣr ofslōh fēara sumne; þā sīo fǣhð gewearð gewrecen wrāðlīce. Wundur hwār þonne eorl ellen-rōf ende gefēre līf-gesceafta, þonne leng ne mæg 3065mon mid his [mā]gum medu-seld būan. Swā wæs Bīowulfe, þā hē biorges weardFol. 196a. sōhte, searo-nīðas; seolfa ne cūðe, þurh hwæt his worulde gedāl weorðan sceolde. Swā hit oð dōmes dæg dīope benemdon 3070þēodnas mǣre, þā ðæt þǣr dydon, þæt se secg wǣre synnum scildig, hergum geheaðerod, hell-bendum fæst, wommum gewitnad, sē ðone wong strude. Næs hē gold-hwæt; gearwor hæfde 3075Āgendes ēst ǣr gescēawod. Wīglāf maðelode, Wihstānes sunu: “Oft sceall eorl monig ānes willan wræc ādrēogan, swā ūs geworden is. Ne meahton wē gelǣran lēofne þēoden, 3080rīces hyrde, rǣd ǣnigne, þǣt hē ne grētte gold-weard þone, ​lēte hyne licgean, þǣr hē longe wæs, wīcum wunian oð woruld-ende; hēold on hēah gesceap. Hord ys gescēawod, 3085grimme gegongen; wæs þæt gifeðe tō swīð, þe ðone [þēod-cyning] þyder ontyhte. Ic wæs þǣr inne ond þæt eall geondseh, recedes geatwa, þā mē gerȳmed wæs nealles swǣslīce, sīð ālȳfed 3090inn under eorð-weall. Ic on ofoste gefēng micle mid mundum mægen-byrðenne hord-gestrēona, hider *ūt ætbærFol. 196b. cyninge mīnum; cwico wæs þā gēna, wīs ond gewittig. Worn eall gespræc 3095gomol on gehðo, ond ēowic grētan hēt, bæd þæt gē geworhton æfter wines dǣdum in bǣl-stede beorh þone hēan, micelne ond mǣrne, swā hē manna wæs wīgend weorð-fullost wīde geond eorðan, 3100þenden hē burh-welan brūcan mōste. Uton nū efstan ōðre [sīðe] sēon ond sēcean searo-geþræc, wundur under wealle; ic ēow wīsige, ​þæt gē genōge nēon scēawiað 3105bēagas ond brād gold. Sīe sīo bǣr gearo ǣdre geæfned, þonne wē ūt cymen, ond þonne geferian frēan ūserne, lēofne mannan, þǣr hē longe sceal on ðæs Waldendes wǣre geþolian.” 3110Hēt ðā gebēodan byre Wihstānes, hæle hilde-dīor, hæleða monegum, bold-āgendra, þæt hīe bǣl-wudu feorran feredon, folc-āgende, gōdum tōgēnes: “Nū sceal glēd fretan 3115(weaxan wonna lēg) wigena strengel, þone ðe oft gebād īsern-scūre, þonne strǣla storm strengum gebǣded scōc ofer scild-weall, sceft nytte hēold, feðer-gēarwum fūs flāne full-ēode.” 3120Hūru se snotra sunu Wihstānes ācīgde of corðre *cyni[n]ges þegnasFol. 198a. syfone [æt]somne, þā sēlestan, ēode eahta sum under inwit-hrōf; hilde-rinc sum on handa bær 3125ǣled-lēoman, sē ðe on orde gēong. Næs ðā on hlytme, hwā þǣt hord strude, syððan orwearde ǣnigne dǣl secgas gesēgon on sele wunian, ​lǣne licgan; lȳt ǣnig mearn, 3130þæt hī ofostlīc[e] ūt geferedon dȳre māðmas. Dracan ēc scufun, wyrm ofer weall-clif, lēton wēg niman, flōd fæðmian, frætwa hyrde. Þǣr wæs wunden gold on wǣn hladen, 3135ǣghwæs unrīm; æþeling boren, hār hilde[-rinc], to Hrones næsse.
* ↑ 3060. MS. ‘wræce’; Thorpe ‘wræte.’ Cf. l. 2771.
* ↑ 3065. MS. defective at corner.
* ↑ Wülcker has a question-mark after būan.
* ↑ 3073. MS. ‘strade.’ Cf. l. 3126.
* ↑ 3074. MS. ‘gold-hwæte.’ Thorpe and Wülcker ‘gold-hwaete’: Grein (after Bugge) ‘Næs (“not”) hē gold-hwæte (agreeing with ēst) gearwor etc’ Sievers ‘gold-hwætes’ (agreeing with āgendes).
* ↑ 3078. MS. ‘a dreogeð.’
* ↑ 3084. MS. ‘heoldon,’ or not impossibly ‘heold on.’ Heyne ‘Hēoldon hēah gesceap,’ wir erhielten ein schweres Schicksal. Wūlcker ‘woruld-ende, / healdan hēah-gesceap.’ These appear to me equally unsatisfactory, and I have therefore suggested an emendation, which, if it lacks analogy, yet seems to give the sense required: “We could not dissuade him; he held (on) to his high fate, or he held on (adv.) his high fate.” Grein and Toller give several instances of the intrans. use of healdan, and of on used adverbially. See also Mätzner's O. E. Dict., p. 405, col. 1; among other passages there quoted is: “hald hardiliche o ꝥ tu haues bigunuen,” St. Kath. 676.
* ↑ 3086. No gap in MS. Grein’s emendation. Grundtvig ‘þēoden.’
* ↑ 3101. No gap in MS.
* ↑ 3104. Heyne ‘nēan.” See Sievers § 150. 3.
* ↑ 3119. MS. ‘fæder gearwū.’ Kemble’s emendation.
* ↑ 3121. This folio, the last, is terribly mutilated with tears and holes.
* ↑ MS. ‘cyniges.’
* ↑ 3122. Zupitza ‘[to]-somme,’ and in a foot-note: “now to entirely gone.” That “now” is misleading, for apparently it was just as entirely gone in Thorkelin’s time. In the absence of evidence in its favour, I read ætsomne with Grein; cf. l. 2847.
* ↑ 3130. MS. defective at edge.
* ↑ 3134. MS. ‘ꝥ.’ Thorpe ‘Þǣr.’
* ↑ 3135. MS. ‘æþelinge.’
* ↑ 3136. MS. ‘hilde to.’ “I am unable to decide whether there is an erasure of one letter after hilde or an original blank.”—Z. Thorpe’s emendation.