on him much shrift, and God we shall promise to amend our sins.  And at the midnight prepare us to fight, these heathen hounds account us all here bound.  Octa, Hengest’s son, weeneth that we are all taken, they he in these fields covered in their tents, they are very weary of carrying their weapons, now anon they shall slumber, and afterwards sleep; of us they have no care, that we will march against them.  At the midnight we shall forth-right go exceeding still, down from this hill, be no knight so mad, that he ask any word, nor ever any man be so mad, that he blow horn.  But we shall step to them as if we would steal, ere they are aware, we shall destroy them, we shall approach to them, and tell them tidings.  And let every brave man strongly lay on them, and so we shall drive the foreigners from the land, and with the might of our Lord, win our rights.”  All this host did as Gorlois had bid them, each man forth-right put him under shrift promised to do good, and Uther Pendragon foremost went down, and all his knights, exceeding still, and smote in the wealds, among all the tents, and slew the heathens with great strength, slew over the fields the yellow locks, of folk it was most wretched, they drew along their bowels, with much destruction they fell to the ground.

And there was forth-right captured Octa, Hengest’s son, and his wed-brother Ebissa, and his comrade Ossa.  The king caused them to be bound with iron bands, and delivered them to sixty knights, who were good in fight, fast to hold over the weald.  And he himself drove him forth, and made much din, and Gorlois the fair, forth on the other side, and all their knights ever forth-right slew downright all that they came nigh.  Some they crept to the wood on their bare knees, and they were on the morrow most miserable of all folk.  Octa was bound, and led to London, and Ebissa, and Ossa—­was never to them such woe.

This fight was all done, and the king forth marched into Northumberland with great bliss, and afterwards to Scotland, and set it all in his own hand.  He established peace, he established quiet, that each man might journey with from land to land, though he bare gold in his hand, of peace he did such things, that no king might ever ere, from that time that the Britons here arrived.  And then, after a time, he proceeded to London, he was there at Easter, with his good folk, blithe was the London’s town, for Uther Pendragon.  He sent his messengers over all his kingdom, he bade the earls, he bade the churls, he bade the bishops, and the book learned men, that they should come to London, to Uther the king, into London’s town, to Uther Pendragon.  Rich men soon to London came; they brought wife, they brought child, as Uther the king commanded.  With much goodness the king heard mass, and Gorlois, the Earl of Cornwall, and many knights with him; much bliss was in the town, with King Uther Pendragon.  When the mass was sung, to the hall they crowded, trumpets they blew, boards they spread, all the folk ate and drank, and bliss was among them.