Under a pretence of'wishing- to confer the honour- of knighthood upon hij'-^wo
sons, Athelstane -allures the earl Eigeland and his family to coArf (the wife of
the latter being already far advanced in pregnancy), and- they are all thrown
into prison and-condemned to- die. . The king, in his fury, first ill-treats«^
queen, who had expostulated: with him, and then 'deprives of his ^chbi|^0^ ic
Alxic, who had come’to Beg the release öf his -wedded brother* The archbishop,.
in return, interdicts the land, and quits theSpliffe The king, however, relents,
and'sending for him back, he restores ,bim to his dignities, and delivers Ujfgto
him the imprisoned earl and his family* Archbishop Alric", resolved1 that
justice should be (Tone,--judges the persons accused“ be tided by
of hot iron. There are several passages |||th i8 poem; curiously illustrative
of manners of t>ur forefathers, but .none more sojtban_tH|ï)les(5nption,U)f
this ceremony:—
Whanne the bysscEop hacGk saydsoo,, ,
A gret ffyr was made ryght(%K|of|sp
■ — In Romans as we jede';,
I t was sett, that men myghte knawê,
Nyne plowgK lengthe'.on rawe,
As red as any gledfe. ’ -
" They fetten
A trewer eerl was th&’-nan,- -
Before the ffyr so -hryghfe' ■
From hym they token the rede scarlet,-
Bothe hosyn and schora,"'tEat weryn hynrmet,
That fel al ffór a knyghtvj.W
Nyne sythe the bysschop halewid the way,
- That his weddyd br-othir. scholde gpolthat -day,
To praye God for the ryght.” '
The innocence of Ëgeland isproyed.by his passing the red-hot plaugh^hMcs
without injury* His two'sons and his countess are;subjéctêd®o the same trig!,
and similarly escape unhurt ; but-the lady is suddenly seized- with’ -the pains
of child-birth, and is delivered of . a son.
** And whanne this chylde i-born was,
I t was brought into the plas,
And was bothe.hool and sound-:—
Bothe the kyng and bysschop ffree, 'iC
They erystynd the chyld, that men mygbt see,
And eallyd it Edemound.”
The traitor Wymound being next subjected to the same ceremony, failed in
clearing himself, and, after confessing his guilt, was led away and executed;
and the poem ends with a pious ejaculation:—
<*‘ Now, Jhésu, that is hevéne kyng,-
Leve never traytours have better endyng,
But swych dome ffor to dye.”
Qur initial letter' is taken from the same manuscript which furnished the
subject for the plate.