Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/Cynewulf and Cyneheard

[From the Parker MS. of the Chronicle (A) in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.]

755. Hēr Cynewulf benam Sigebryht his rīces ond Westseaxna wīotan for unryhtum dǣdum, būton Hāmtūnscīre; ond hē hæfde þā oþ hē ofslōg þone aldormon þe him lengest wunode. Ond hiene þā Cynewulf on Andred ādrǣfde; ond hē þæt hiene ān swān ofstang æt Pryfetes flōdan, -- ond hē wræc þone aldormon Cumbran. Ond sē Cynewulf oft miclum gefeohtum feaht uuiþ Bretwālum; ond ymb xxxi wintra þæs þe hē rīce hæfde, hē wolde ādrǣfan ānne æþeling sē wǣs Cyneheard hāten, -- ond sē Cyneheard wæs þæs Sigebryhtes brōþur. Ond þā geāscode hē þone cyning lȳtle werode on wīfcȳþþe on Merantūne, ond hine þǣr berād, ond þone būr ūtan beēode ǣr hine þā men onfunden þe mid þām kyninge wǣrun.

Ond þā ongeat sē cyning þæt, ond hē on þā duru ēode, ond þā unhēanlice hine werede, oþ hē on þone æþeling lōcude, ond þā ūt rǣsde on hine, ond hine miclum gewundode; ond hīe alle on þone cyning wǣrun feohtende, oþ þæt hīe hine ofslægenne hæfdon. Ond þā on þæs wīfes gebǣrum onfundon þæs cyninges þegnas þā unstilnesse, ond þā þider urnon swā hwelc swā þonne gearo wearþ ond radost. Ond hiera sē æþeling gehwelcum feoh ond feorh gebead, ond hiera nǣnig hit geþicgean nolde; ac hīe simle feohtende wǣran oþ hīe alle lǣgon būtan anum Bryttiscum gisle, ond sē swīþe gewundad wæs.

Þā on morgenne gehīerdun þæt þæs cyninges þegnas, þe him beæftan wǣrun, þæt sē cyning ofslægen wæs. Þā rīdon hīe þider, ond his aldormon Ōsrīc, ond Wīferþ his þegn, ond þā men þe hē beæftan him lǣfde ǣr, ond þone æþeling on þǣre byrig mētton þǣr sē cyning ofslægen læg (ond þā gatu him tō belocen hæfdon) ond þā þær tō ēodon. Ond þā gebēad hē him hiera āgenne dōm fēos ond londes, gif hīe him þæs rīces ūþon; ond him cȳþdon þæt hiera mǣgas him mid wǣron, þā þe him from noldon. Ond þā cuǣdon hīe þæt him nǣnig mǣg lēofra nǣre þonne hiera hlāford, ond hīe nǣfre his banan folgian noldon. Ond þā budon hīe hiera mǣgum þæt hīe gesunde from ēodon; ond hīe cuǣdon þæt tæt ilce hiera geferum geboden wǣre, þe ǣr mid þām cyninge wǣrun. Þā cuǣdon hīe þæt hīe hīe þæs ne onmunden 'þon mā þe ēowre gefēran þe mid þām cyninge ofslægene wǣrun.' Ond hīe þā ymb þā gatu feohtende wǣron oþ þæt hīe þǣr inne fulgon, ond þone æþeling ofslōgon, ond þā men þe him mid wǣrun alle būtan ānum, sē wæs þæs aldormonnes godsunu, ond hē his feorh generede, ond þēah hē wæs oft gewundad.