Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
thee do it; but I will make thee a freeman, noble and rich, and my
friend, if thou wilt do this secretly and discreetly."
Thus reassured and bribed, Grim suddenly took the boy, flung him to
the ground, and bound him hand and foot with cord which he took from
his pockets. So anxious was he to secure the boy that he drew the
cords very tight, and Havelok suffered terrible pain; he could not cry
out, for a handful of rags was thrust into his mouth and over his
nostrils, so that he could hardly breathe. Then Grim flung the poor
boy into a horrible black sack, and carried him thus from the castle,
as if he were bringing home broken food for his family. When Grim
reached his poor cottage, where his wife Leve was waiting for him, he
slung the sack from his shoulder and gave it to her, saying, "Take
good care of this boy as of thy life. I am to drown him at midnight,
and if I do so my lord has promised to make me a free man and give me
great wealth."
When Dame Leve heard this she sprang up and flung the lad down in a
corner, and nearly broke his head with the crash against the earthen
floor. There Havelok lay, bruised and aching, while the couple went to
sleep, leaving the room all dark but for the red glow from the fire.
At midnight Grim awoke to do his lord's behest, and Dame Leve, going
to the living-room to kindle a light, was terrified by a mysterious
gleam as bright as day which shone around the boy on the floor and
streamed from his mouth. Leve hastily called Grim to see this wonder,
and together they released Havelok from the gag and bonds and
examined his body, when they found on the right shoulder the token of
true royalty, a cross of red gold.
"God knows," quoth Grim, "that this is the heir of our land. He will
come to rule in good time, will bear sway over England and Denmark,
and will punish the cruel Godard." Then, weeping sore, the loyal
fisherman fell down at Havelok's feet, crying, "Lord, have mercy on me
and my wife! We are thy thralls, and never will we do aught against
thee. We will nourish thee until thou canst rule, and will hide thee
from Godard; and thou wilt perchance give me my freedom in return for
thy life."
At this unexpected address Havelok sat up surprised, and rubbed his
bruised head and said: "I am nearly dead, what with hunger, and thy
cruel bonds, and the gag. Now bring me food in plenty!" "Yea, lord,"
said Dame Leve, and bustled about, bringing the best they had in the
hut; and Havelok ate as if he had fasted for three days; and then he
was put to bed, and slept in peace while Grim watched over him.
However, Grim went the next morning to Jarl Godard and said: "Lord, I
have done your behest, and drowned the boy with an anchor about his
neck. He is safe, and now, I pray you, give me my reward, the gold and
other treasures, and make me a freeman as you have promised." But
Godard only looked fiercely at him and said: "What, wouldst thou be an
earl? Go home, thou foul churl, and be ever a thrall! It is enough
reward that I do not hang thee now for insolence, and for thy wicked
deeds. Go speedily, else thou mayst stand and palter with me too
long." And Grim shrank quietly away, lest Godard should slay him for
the murder of Havelok.
Now Grim saw in what a terrible plight he stood, at the mercy of this
cruel and treacherous man, and he took counsel with himself and
consulted his wife, and the two decided to flee from Denmark to save
their lives. Gradually Grim sold all his stock, his cattle, his nets,
everything that he owned, and turned it into good pieces of gold; then
he bought and secretly fitted out and provisioned a ship, and at last,
when all was ready, carried on board Havelok (who had lain hidden all
this time), his own three sons and two daughters; then when he and his
wife had gone on board he set sail, and, driven by a favourable wind,
reached the shores of England.
Goldborough and Earl Godrich
Meanwhile in England a somewhat similar fate had befallen a fair
princess named Goldborough. When her father, King Athelwold, lay dying
all his people mourned, for he was the flower of all fair England for
knighthood, justice, and mercy; and he himself grieved sorely for the
sake of his little daughter, soon to be left an orphan. "What will she
do?" moaned he. "She can neither speak nor walk! If she were only able
to ride, to rule England, and to guard herself from shame, I should
have no grief, even if I died and left her alone, while I lived in the
joy of paradise!"
Then Athelwold summoned a council to be held at Winchester, and asked
the advice of the nobles as to the care of the infant Goldborough.
They with one accord recommended Earl Godrich of Cornwall to be made
regent for the little princess; and the earl, on being appointed,
swore with all solemn rites that he would marry her at twelve years
old to the highest, the best, fairest, and strongest man alive, and in
the meantime would train her in all royal virtues and customs. So
King Athelwold died, and was buried with great lamentations, and
Godrich ruled the land as regent. He was a strict but just governor,
and England had great peace, without and within, under his severe
rule, for all lived in awe of him, though no man loved him.
Goldborough grew and throve in all ways, and became famous through the
land for her gracious beauty and gentle and virtuous demeanour. This
roused the jealousy of Earl Godrich, who had played the part of king
so long that he almost believed himself King of England, and he began
to consider how he could secure the kingdom for himself and his son.
Thereupon he had Goldborough taken from Winchester, where she kept
royal state, to Dover, where she was imprisoned in the castle, and
strictly secluded from all her friends; there she remained, with poor
clothes and scanty food, awaiting a champion to uphold her right.
Havelok Becomes Cook's Boy
When Grim sailed from Denmark to England he landed in the Humber, at
the place now called Grimsby, and there established himself as a
fisherman. So successful was he that for twelve years he supported his
family well, and carried his catches of fish far afield, even to
Lincoln, where rare fish always brought a good price. In all this time
Grim never once called on Havelok for help in the task of feeding the
family; he reverenced his king, and the whole household served Havelok
with the utmost deference, and often went with scanty rations to
satisfy the boy's great appetite. At length Havelok began to think how
selfishly he was living, and how much food he consumed, and was filled
with shame when he realized how his foster-father toiled unweariedly
while he did nothing to help. In his remorseful meditations it became
clear to him that, though a king's son, he ought to do some useful
work. "Of what use," thought he, "is my great strength and stature if
I do not employ it for some good purpose? There is no shame in honest
toil. I will work for my food, and try to make some return to Father
Grim, who has done so much for me. I will gladly bear his baskets of
fish to market, and I will begin to-morrow."
On the next day, in spite of Grim's protests Havelok carried a load of
fish equal to four men's burden to Grimsby market, and sold it
successfully, returning home with the money he received; and this he
did day by day, till a famine arose and fish and food both became
scarce. Then Grim, more concerned for Havelok than for his own
children, called the youth to him and bade him try his fortunes in
Lincoln, for his own sake and for theirs; he would be better fed, and
the little food Grim could get would go further among the others if
Havelok were not there. The one obstacle in the way was Havelok's lack
of clothes, and Grim overcame that by sacrificing his boat's sail to
make Havelok a coarse tunic. That done, they bade each other farewell,
and Havelok started for Lincoln, barefooted and bareheaded, for his
only garment was the sailcloth tunic. In Lincoln Havelok found no
friends and no food for two days, and he was desperate and faint with
hunger, when he heard a call: "Porters, porters! hither to me!" Roused
to new vigour by the chance of work, Havelok rushed with the rest, and
bore down and hurled aside the other porters so vigorously that he was
chosen to carry provisions for Bertram, the earl's cook; and in return
he received the first meal he had eaten for nearly three days.
On the next day Havelok again overthrew the porters, and, knocking
down at least sixteen, secured the work. This time he had to carry
fish, and his basket was so laden that he bore nearly a cartload,
with which he ran to the castle. There the cook, amazed at his
strength, first gave him a hearty meal, and then offered him good
service under himself, with food and lodging for his wages. This offer
Havelok accepted, and was installed as cook's boy, and employed in all
the lowest offices--carrying wood, water, turf, hewing logs, lifting,
fetching, carrying--and in all he showed himself a wonderfully strong
worker, with unfailing good temper and gentleness, so that the little
children all loved the big, gentle, fair-haired youth who worked so
quietly and played with them so merrily. When Havelok's old tunic
became worn out, his master, the cook, took pity on him and gave him a
new suit, and then it could be seen how handsome and tall and strong a
youth this cook's boy really was, and his fame spread far and wide
round Lincoln Town.
Havelok and Goldborough
At the great fair of Lincoln, sports of all kinds were indulged in,
and in these Havelok took his part, for the cook, proud of his mighty
scullion, urged him to compete in all the games and races. As Earl
Godrich had summoned his Parliament to meet that year at Lincoln,
there was a great concourse of spectators, and even the powerful Earl
Regent himself sometimes watched the sports and cheered the champions.
The first contest was "putting the stone," and the stone chosen was so
weighty that none but the most stalwart could lift it above the
knee--none could raise it to his breast. This sport was new to
Havelok, who had never seen it before, but when the cook bade him try
his strength he lifted the stone easily and threw it more than twelve
feet. This mighty deed caused his fame to be spread, not only among
the poor servants with whom Havelok was classed, but also among the
barons, their masters, and Havelok's Stone became a landmark in
Lincoln. Thus Godrich heard of a youth who stood head and shoulders
taller than other men and was stronger, more handsome--and yet a mere
common scullion. The news brought him a flash of inspiration: "Here is
the highest, strongest, best man in all England, and him shall
Goldborough wed. I shall keep my vow to the letter, and England must
fall to me, for Goldborough's royal blood will be lost by her marriage
with a thrall, the people will refuse her obedience, and England will
cast her out."
Godrich therefore brought Goldborough to Lincoln, received her with
bell-ringing and seemly rejoicing, and bade her prepare for her
wedding. This the princess refused to do until she knew who was her
destined husband, for she said she would wed no man who was not of
royal birth. Her firmness drove Earl Godrich to fierce wrath, and he
burst out: "Wilt thou be queen and mistress over me? Thy pride shall
be brought down: thou shalt have no royal spouse: a vagabond and
scullion shalt thou wed, and that no later than to-morrow! Curses on
him who speaks thee fair!" In vain the princess wept and bemoaned
herself: the wedding was fixed for the morrow morn.
The next day at dawn Earl Godrich sent for Havelok, the mighty cook's
boy, and asked him: "Wilt thou take a wife?"