The tidings came to Uther the king.  Uther was exceeding woe, and wonderfully grieved, and sent in to Loeneis, to his dear friends, and greeted Loth, his son-in-law, and bade him be in health, and ordered him to take in his own hand all his royal land; knights and freemen, and freely hold them, and lead them in a host, as the laws are in the land.  And he ordered his dear knights to be obedient to Loth, with loving looks, as if he were sovereign.  For Loth was very good knight, and had held many fight, and he was liberal to every man, he delivered to him the government of all this land.  Octa held much war, and Loth often fought with him, and oft he gained possessions, and oft he them lost.  The Britons had mickle mood, and immoderate pride, and were void of dread, on account of the king’s age; and looked very contemptuously on Loth the earl, and did very evilly all his commands, and were all two counsels—­their care was the more!  This was soon said to the sick king, that his high men Loth all despised.

Now will I tell thee, in this history, how Uther the king disposed himself.  He said that he would go to his host, and see with his eyes who would there do well.  He caused there to be made a good horse-litter, and caused an army to be assembled over all his kingdom; that each man by (on pain of) his life should come to him quickly, by their lives and by their limbs, to avenge the king’s shame.—­“And if there is any man, who will not come hastily, I will speedily destroy him, either slay either hang.”  All full soon to the court (or to the army) they came, durst there none remain, nor the fat nor the lean.  The king forth-right took all his knights, and marched him anon to the town of Verulam; about Verolam’s town came him Uther Pendragon; Octa was within with all his men.  Then was Verulam a most royal town, Saint Alban was there slain, and deprived of life-day; the burgh was subsequently destroyed, and much folk there was slain.  Uther lay without, and Octa within.  Uther’s army advanced to the wall, the powerful thanes fiercely assaulted it, they might not of the wall one stone detach, nor with any strength the wall injure.

Well blithe was then Hengest’s son Octa, when he saw the Britons recede from the walls, and go sorrowful again to their tents.  Then said Octa to his comrade Ebissa:  “Here is come to Verulam Uther, the lame man, and will with us here fight in his litter; he weened with his crutch to thrust us down!  But to-morrow when it is day, the people shall arise, and open our castle-gate, and this realm we shall all win; shall we never lie here for one lame man!  Out we shall ride upon our good steeds, and advance to Uther, and fell his folk; for all they are fated (shall die) that hither are ridden; and take the lame man, and lay in our bonds, and hold the wretch until that he dies; and so men shall leach his limbs that are sore, and heal his bones with bitter steel!” Thus spake him Octa with his comrade Ebissa; but all