The Martyrdom of Ælfheah

Mille .xi. [1] Hēr on þissum ġēare sende se cyning and his witan tō ðām here and ġyrndon friðes, and him gafol and metsunge behēton wið þām ðe hī hiora herġunge ġeswicon. [2] Hī hæfdon þā ofergān (.i.) Ēastengle and (.ii.) Ēastsexe and (.iii.) Middelsexe and (.iiii.) Oxenafordscīre and (.v.) Grantabricscīre and (.vi.) Heortfordscīre and (.vii.) Buccingahāmscīre and (.viii.) Bedefordscīre and (.ix.) healfe Huntadūnscīre and miċel (.x.) on Hamtūnscīre, and be sūþan Temese ealle Kentingas and Sūðsexe and Hæstingas and Sūðrīġe and Bearrocscīre and Hamtūnscīre and miċel on Wiltūnscīre. [3] Ealle þās unġesǣlða ūs ġelumpon þuruh unrǣdas, þæt man nolde him a tīman gafol bēodon oþþe wið ġefeohtan. [4] Ac þonne hī mǣst tō yfele ġedōn hæfdon, þonne nam mon frið and grið wið hī, and naþelǣs, for eallum þissum griðe and gafole, hī fērdon ǣġhweder flocmǣlum and heregodon ūre earme folc and hī rȳpton and slōgon. [5] And þā on ðissum ġēare betweox Natiuitas Sancte Marie and Sancte Michaeles mæssan hī ymbsǣton Cantwareburuh, and hī intō cōmon þuruh syruwrenċas, for ðan Ælmǣr hī beċyrde, þe se arcebisceop Ælfēah ǣr ġenerede æt his līfe. [6] And hī þǣr ðā ġenāman þone arcebisceop Ælfēah and Ælfweard cynges ġerēfan and Lēofrūne abbatissan and Godwine bisceop; and Ælfmǣr abbud hī lēton āweġ. [7] And hī ðǣr ġenāmon inne ealle þā ġehādodan men and weras and wīf, þæt wæs unāsecgendliċ ǣnigum men hū miċel þæs folces wæs, and on þǣre byriġ syþþan wǣron swā lange swā hī woldon. [8] And ðā hī hæfdon þā buruh ealle āsmēade, wendon him þā tō scypan and lǣddon þone arcebisceop mid him. [9] Wæs ðā rǣpling, se ðe ǣr wæs hēafod Angelkynnes and Cristendōmes. [10] Þǣr man mihte ðā ġesēon yrmðe þǣr man oft ǣr ġeseah blisse on þǣre earman byriġ þanon cōm ǣrest Cristendōm and blis for Gode and for worulde. [11] And hī hæfdon þone arcebisceop mid him swā lange oð þæne tīman þe hī hine ġemartiredon.

Mille .xii. [12] Hēr on þissum ġēare cōm Ēadriċ ealdorman and ealle þā yldestan witan, ġehādode and lǣwede, Angelcynnes tō Lundenbyriġ tōforan þām Ēastron. [13] Þā wæs Ēasterdæġ on þām datarum Idus Aprilis. [14] And hī ðǣr þā swā lange wǣron oþ þæt gafol eal ġelǣst wæs ofer ðā Ēastron, þæt wæs ehta and fēowertiġ þūsend punda. [15] Ðā on þæne Sæternesdæġ wearð þā se here swȳðe āstyred anġēan þone bisceop, for þām ðe hē nolde him nān feoh behātan, ac hē forbēad þæt man nān þing wið him syllan ne mōste. [16] Wǣron hī ēac swȳþe druncene, for ðām þǣr wæs brōht wīn sūðan. [17] Ġenāmon þā ðone bisceop, lǣddon hine tō hiora hūstinge on ðone Sunnanǣfen octabas Pasce, þā wæs .xiii. kalendas Mai, and hine þǣr ðā bysmorlīċe ācwylmdon, oftorfedon mid bānum and mid hrȳþera hēafdum. [18] And slōh hine ðā ān hiora mid ānre æxe ȳre on þæt hēafod, þæt mid þām dynte hē nyþer āsāh, and his hāliġe blōd on þā eorðan fēol, and his hāligan sāwle tō Godes rīċe āsende. [19] And mon þone līċhaman on merġen ferode tō Lundene, and þā bisceopas Ēadnōþ and Ælfūn and sēo buruhwaru hine underfēngon mid ealre ārwurðnysse and hine bebyriġdon on Sancte Paules mynstre, and þǣr nū God sutelað þæs hālgan martires mihta. [20] Ðā þæt gafol ġelǣst wæs and friðāþas āsworene wǣron, þā tōfērde se here wīde swā hē ǣr ġegaderod wæs. [21] Ðā bugon tō þām cynge of ðām here fīf and fēowertiġ scypa, and him behēton þæt hī woldon þysne eard healdan, and hē hī fēdan sceolde and scrȳdan.