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BEOWULF.

1585rēþe cempa, tō ðæs þe hē on ræste geseah

gūð-wērigne Grendel licgan,
aldor-lēasne, swā him ǣr gescōd
hild æt Heorote. Hrā wīde sprong,
syþðan hē æfter dēaðe drepe þrōwade,
1590heoro-sweng heardne; ond hine þā hēafde becearf.
Sōna þæt gesāwon snottre *ceorlas,⁠Fol. 165a.
þā ðe mid Hrōðgāre on holm wliton,
þæt wæs ȳð-geblond eal gemenged,
brim blōde fāh. Blonden-feaxe
1595gomele ymb gōdne on geador sprǣcon,
þæt hig þæs æðelinges eft ne wēndon,
þæt hē sige-hrēðig sēcean cōme
mǣrne þēoden, þā ðæs monige gewearð,
þæt hine sēo brim-wylf ābroten^[1] hæfde.
1600Ðā cōm nōn dæges; næs ofgēafon
hwate Scyldingas; gewāt him hām þonon
gold-wine gumena. Gistas sētan^[2]
mōdes sēoce, ond on mere staredon;
wiston^[3] ond ne wēndon, þæt hīe heora wine-drihten
1605selfne gesāwon. Ðā þæt sweord ongan
æfter heaþo-swāte hilde-gicelum,
wīg-bil wanian; þæt wæs wundra sum,

þæt hit eal gemealt īse gelīcost,

↑ 1599. MS. ‘abreoten.’
↑ 1602. MS. ‘secan.’
↑ 1604. Kemble ‘wīscton’; Sweet ‘wȳscton’; Cosijn (followed by Heyne and Socin) ‘wīston’ = wīscton, wished. This last hypothesis lacks authority. Probably it is merely a case of the blending of two constructions; wiston, “knew,” would require ne gesāwon; ne wēndon, “did not expect,” requires gesāwon only; the latter construction prevails. It is possible, however, that ne has dropped out after the -ne of selfne; in that case the meaning would be: “they knew, and did not merely expect, that they should not see their lord himself again.”

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[1] 1599. MS. ‘abreoten.’

[2] 1602. MS. ‘secan.’

[3] 1604. Kemble ‘wīscton’; Sweet ‘wȳscton’; Cosijn (followed by Heyne and Socin) ‘wīston’ = wīscton, wished. This last hypothesis lacks authority. Probably it is merely a case of the blending of two constructions; wiston, “knew,” would require ne gesāwon; ne wēndon, “did not expect,” requires gesāwon only; the latter construction prevails. It is possible, however, that ne has dropped out after the -ne of selfne; in that case the meaning would be: “they knew, and did not merely expect, that they should not see their lord himself again.”