swimming-match in the North Sea with Breca. Beowulf is angered and boastfully tells the truth about that adventure. This puts Unferth to silence.]

IX

Then rejoiced the giver of treasure, the gray-haired king, famous in battle; the prince of the Bright-Danes trusted in him for help; the shepherd of the people heard from Beowulf his firm resolve. The laughter of the thanes arose; loud rang the din, joyous were their words.

Wealhtheow,1 Hrothgar's queen, went forth, mindful of courtesies; in her gold array she greeted the men within the hall. The noble lady first gave the cup unto him who guarded the land of the East-Danes; she bade him, beloved of his people, be blithe at the beerdrinking. The victorious king partook in gladness of the feast and the hall-cup. Then the lady of the Helmings moved about unto old and young in every part of the hall, offering the costly cup, until the moment came that the diademed queen, noble of mind, bore the cup to Beowulf. She greeted the lord of the Geats, and thanked God, discreet in her words, that the desire of her heart was brought to pass, that she might put her trust in some hero for relief from all her affliction. That warrior, fierce in strife, received the cup from Wealhtheow; and then, eager for the fight, Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke and said: "I made this resolve when I put to sea and embarked with my band of men; that I would either wholly fulfil the desire of your people, or fall in the struggle, fast in the grip of the fiend. I shall bravely accomplish noble deeds or abide mine end in this mead-hall." These words, these boastings of the Geat, were well-pleasing to the lady; the noble queen, in her array of gold, went to sit by her lord.

Then again as of old the great word was spoken in that hall; joyous was the company

there was the sound of a mighty people until at last the son of Healfdene was minded to go to his evening rest; for he knew that the monster intended war upon the high hall as soon as men could no more see the light of the sun and shadowy creatures came gliding forth, wan 'neath the clouds, night darkening over

1 Wĭalk'thio

all. The whole company arose. Hrothgar greeted Beowulf - hero greeted hero - and wished him well, wished him the mastery in the wine-hall, and spoke this word: "Never, since I could lift hand and shield, have I entrusted unto any man this royal hall of the Danes, save now unto thee. Have thou and hold this best of houses; bethink thee of thy mighty deeds, show forth thy valiant strength, be watchful against the foe. Thy desires shall not be unsatisfied, if thou escape with thy life from the great adventure."

X

Then Hrothgar, lord of the Scyldings, went out of the hall with his company of men; the warrior-chief was minded to go unto Wealhtheow, his queen and consort. The glorious king, as men have learned, had set a guardian in the hall to wait for Grendel; Beowulf did special service for the lord of the Danes, keeping watch against the coming of the monster. Verily, the chief of the Geats trusted surely in his mighty strength and in the favor of the Lord. Then he put off from him his iron byrnie and the helmet from his head; his jeweled sword, choicest of weapons, he gave unto his thane, bidding him take charge of his war-armor. Then, ere he mounted upon his bed, Beowulf of the Geats spoke a boastful word: "I deem myself nowise lesser than Grendel in my deeds of warfare; therefore, not with the sword will I quell him and take his life, though I am fully able. He knows not the use of good weapons - how to strike at me, or hew my shield, fierce though he be in evil deeds; but we two this night will use no sword, if he dare come to the fight without a weapon. Therefore let all-knowing God, the holy Lord, adjudge the victory to whichsoever it be, as seemeth meet to Him."

Then the brave warrior laid him down; the pillow received the face of the hero, and round about him many a bold seaman sank down upon his bed. None of them thought ever again to reach the home he loved, his kinsfolk, or the town where he was bred; for they had heard that a bloody death had already carried off far too many of the Danish men in that wine-hall. But the Lord wove victory for them, granting unto the Weder people comfort and help, that they should all overcome their enemy by one man's might and by his single strength. Thus is the truth

Then from the moorland, 'neath the misty hillsides, came Grendel striding; God's anger was on him. The deadly foe intended to ensnare some man in that high hall. On he strode beneath the clouds, until he could see full well the wine-hall, the gilded house of men, all bright with gold. This was not the first time that he had visited Hrothgar's home, but never in all the days of his life, before or since, did he encounter from a hall-thane harder fortune. So the creature, of all joys bereft, came marching on unto the hall. The door, though fast in fire-hardened bands, sprang open straightway, soon as he touched it with his hands. Thus, plotting evil, he burst open the entrance to the hall, for he was swollen with rage. Quickly thereafter the fiend was treading upon the bright-paved floor, moving on in wrathful mood. Out of his eyes started an ugly light, most like to flame. He saw in the hall many warriors, a kindred band together, a group of clansmen all asleep. Then he laughed in his heart. The cursed monster thought to take the life from each body, ere the day broke; for there was come to him the hope of a plenteous feast. But it was not fated that he should devour any more of the race of men after that night.

The mighty kinsman of Hygelac was watching to see how the deadly foe would go about his swift attacks. The monster thought not of tarrying, but sudden, for his first move, he seized upon a sleeping thane, rent him in pieces unawares, bit into the body, drank the blood from the veins, and swallowed him in huge pieces. In a moment he had devoured the whole corpse, even the hands and feet. He stepped on nearer and seized with his hands the great-hearted warrior on his bed. The fiend clutched at him with his claw, but Beowulf quickly grasped it with deadly pur

pose and threw his weight against the arm. Straightway that master of crimes discovered that never in this world, in all the corners of the earth, had he met in any man a mightier handgrip. He was terrified at heart; but he could get away never the faster for that. He was eager to be gone; he wished to flee away into the darkness, to rejoin the horde of devils. His experience there was not such as he had met in the former days. Then the good one, the kinsman of Hygelac, bethought him of his speech at even; he stood upright and grappled him fast. His fingers cracked; the giant was making off, the hero followed him close. The monster was minded to fling loose, if he could, and flee away thence to the fen-hollows; he knew that the strength of his arm was in the grasp of an angry foe. That was a sad journey that the destroyer made to Heorot.

Loud rang the lordly hall. All the Danes dwelling in that city, nobles and heroes every one, were struck with terror. Furious were both the maddened wrestlers. The house reechoed. It was a great wonder that the winehall withstood these battling foemen, that the fair building fell not to the ground; but all within and without it was so firmly strengthened by iron bands, cunningly forged. There, as I have heard men tell, many a mead-bench, gold-adorned, started from its base, where the fierce ones were struggling. The wise councilors of the Scyldings had not thought that any among men would ever be able to wreck by force this goodly house, bedecked with bones, or to destroy it by craft, unless perchance the fire's embrace should swallow it in smoke.

A noise arose, oft renewed; a ghastly terror fell on all the North-Danes who from the wall heard the shrieking, heard God's enemy yelling out his terror-song, his joyless chant - hell's captive howling over his wound. He held him fast who in his strength was the mightiest of men in the day of this life.

XII

The defence of heroes would by no means let the murderer escape alive - he counted his life of no value to any of the people. There many a warrior of Beowulf's drew his old sword; they thought to protect the life of their lord, the great prince, if so they might. They knew not, those brave warriors, when they plunged into the fight, thinking to hack the monster on every side and take his life,

that not the choicest blade on earth nor battleaxe could graze that foul destroyer; for he had bound by a spell weapons of war and every edged sword. Yet he was doomed to die a wretched death in the day of this life; the outcast spirit must needs journey far away into the power of fiends. There he found, that foe to God, who many a time ere now in mirthful mood had wrought mischief against the children of men, that his wound-proof body availed him not, for the valiant kinsman of Hygelac had got him by the hand. Hateful to each was the life of the other. The evil beast endured sore pain of body. Upon his shoulder a gaping wound appeared; the sinews sprang asunder, the joints burst apart. The glory of the fight was given unto Beowulf. Grendel, sick unto death, was doomed to flee thence and seek his joyless abode 'neath the fencliffs. Full well he knew that the end of his life was come, the appointed number of his days.

By that deadly fight the desire of all the Danes was satisfied. He who came from far, wise and valiant in spirit, had cleansed Hrothgar's hall and freed it from danger. He rejoiced in the night's work, in his heroic deeds. The lord of the Geats had made good his boast to the East-Danes, had saved them out of all their affliction, the harrowing torment, no little sorrow, which they had suffered and were doomed to bear in sad necessity. A manifest token of the fight was seen, when, 'neath the spacious roof, the warrior placed the hand and arm and shoulder- the whole limb and claw of Grendel.

XIII

In the morning, as I have heard, many warriors were about the gift-hall; chieftains came from far and near, over the widestretching roads, to gaze upon the wonder, the tracks of the enemy. Grievous seemed his death to none of those who beheld the traces of the inglorious foe; how he, weary at heart, vanquished in the strife, death-doomed and put to flight, took his last steps to the pool of the water-monsters. There the brine was foaming with blood, the awful surge of the waves welled up, all mingled with blood and hot gore; the death-doomed one had dived. Afterwards, joyless in his fen-lair, he laid down his life, his heathen soul; there Hell seized him.

Thence returned the veterans and many a youth from their glad journey, proudly riding from the mere upon their horses, heroes upon white steeds. There was proclaimed the greatness of Beowulf. Full oft 'twas said that south nor north, between the seas, o'er all the broad earth beneath the arch of heaven, none among shield-bearing warriors was of higher worth, none more worthy of a kingdom. They did not in the least say aught against their own kind lord, gracious Hrothgar, for he was a good king!

At times the warriors let their yellow steeds run, contend in racing, where the ways seemed good to them and known for their excellence.

At times one of the king's thanes, laden with boasts, mindful of song, a man who knew old tales without number one word found another, properly bound with it this man skilfully narrated the adventure of Beowulf, and cunningly composed other well-wrought lays with interwoven words.

[Grendel's mother, a monster even more terrible than himself, came the next night to avenge her son. She seized a warrior named Eschere (pr. Ash ́her e) and carried him and the arm of Grendel off to her home in the fens.]

XX

Hrothgar spoke, the defence of the Scyldings: "Ask not after bliss sorrow is renewed in the hall to the Danish people. Eschere is dead, Yrmenlaf's elder brother,

my councilor and my adviser, who stood by me, shoulder to shoulder, when we warded our heads in battle, while hosts rushed together and helmets crashed. Like Eschere should every noble be an excellent hero. He was slain in Heorot by a murderous exiled demon. "I know not whither the awful monster, exulting over her prey, has turned her retreating steps, rejoicing in her fill. She has avenged the strife in which thou slewest Grendel yesternight, grappling fiercely with him, for that he too long had wasted and

destroyed my people. He fell in battle, forfeiting his life, and now another is come, a mighty and a deadly foe. She would avenge her son, and has retaliated in a way that will be a heavy woe to many a thane who grieves in spirit for his treasure-giver. Stilled lies the hand that did satisfy all your desires.

"I have heard my people, dwellers in the land, hall-rulers, say that they had often seen two such mighty stalkers of the marches, spirits of otherwhere, haunting the moors. One of them, to the best of their judgment, was like unto a woman; the other miscreated being, in the image of man wandered in exile (save that he was larger than any man), whom in the olden time the people named Grendel. The father they know not; nor whether before them there had been other monsters in their uncanny lineage. They dwell in a hidden land amid wolf-haunted slopes and savage fen-paths, nigh the wind-swept cliffs where the mountainstream falls, shrouded in the mists of the headlands, its flood flowing underground. It is not far thence in measurement of miles that the mere lieth. Over it hang groves hoar as with frost; a forest firm-rooted bends over the waters. There every night is a dread wonder seen fire on the flood! There lives none of the children of men so wise that he knoweth the depths thereof. Although hard pressed by hounds, the heath-ranging stag, with mighty horns, should chance upon that forest, driven from afar, yet sooner will he yield up life and breath upon the bank than plunge in and hide his head. That is not a pleasant place. Thence the surge riseth, wan to the clouds, when the winds stir up foul weather, till the air thickens and the heavens weep.

"Now once again help rests with thee alone. Thou knowest not yet the spot, the savage place where thou mayst find the sinful creature. Seek it out, if thou dare. I will reward thee with riches as I did aforetime, with ancient treasures and twisted gold, if thou get thence alive."

XXI

Then spoke Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow: "Sorrow not, thou wise man. It is better for a man to avenge his friend than mourn exceedingly. Each of us must abide the end of the earthly life; wherefore let him who may, win glory ere he die; that shall be best for a warrior when life is past. Arise, O

guardian of the kingdom, let us straightway go and look upon the tracks of Grendel's dam. I promise thee this: she shall not escape to the covert, nor to the bosom of the earth, nor to the bottom of the sea, go where she will. This day do thou bear in patience every woe of thine, as I expect of thee." Then the old man sprang up and thanked God the mighty Lord, for what that man had said.

Then they bridled Hrothgar's horse, a steed with wavy mane. The wise prince rode out in splendid array; a troop of warriors with their shields attended him. Footprints were clearly to be seen along the forest-path, her track across the lands, as she went back over the murky moor, and bore away lifeless the best of the thanes who with Hrothgar ruled the hall.

Over steep and rocky slopes and narrow ways went the offspring of princes; over straight lonely passes, unknown paths; over sheer cliffs, where were many haunts of the sea-monsters. He, with a few prudent men, went on before to view the spot, until he suddenly came upon mountain-trees o'erhanging the gray rock- a cheerless wood. Beneath it lay a water, bloody and troubled All the Danes, all the friends of the Scyldings, each hero and many a thane, were sad at heart and had to suffer sore distress, when there upon the sea-cliff they found the head of Æschere. The waters were seething with blood and hot gore the people looked upon it.

At times the horn sang out an eager battlelay. All the troop sat down. They saw upon the water many of the serpent kind, strange sea-dragons swimming the deep. Likewise lying along the headland-slopes they saw monsters, serpents and wild beasts, such as oft at morning-tide make a journey, fraught with sorrow, over the sail-road. These sped away, bitter and swollen with wrath, when they heard the sound, the song of the battlehorn. But one of them the lord of the Geats with bow and arrow deprived of life, as it buffeted the waves, so that the hard shaft pierced the vitals; it was then the slower in its swimming on the sea, for death seized it. Straightway it was hard pressed with the sword-hooked boar-spears, fiercely attacked, and drawn up on the cliff, a wondrous wavetosser. The men examined the strange and grisly beast.

Then Beowulf girded him with noble armor; not at all did he fear for his life. His byrnie, hand-woven, broad, and of many colors, was