Wel fifty pund, I wot, or more. This line is supplied by Ma and F&H. It does not appear in Sm. Ma conjectures this line and indicates that other such liberties have been taken in his edition, many of which Sk follows.

In a male with or blac. F&H read with as hwit and translate the term as white; the reversal of letters appears in other words, but is not consistent throughout the MS. F&H read the prolific h’s as “mannerisms in spelling,” but it is more likely that the h’s signify aspiration and point to pronunciation for this dialect. F&H reckon the dialect to be North Midlands with strong Norse influence. Referring to the pouch as “with or black” could mean “white or off-white (pale),” which is a common meaning in ME for “blāc.” See MED blak n. 6. See also note to line 311.

Was non so bold louerd to Rome. L: non so bold lond to rome. Sm emends lond to louerd for the sake of sense. Sk emends to: Was non so bold [þe] lond to rome, which makes sense too.

upon his bringhe. L: upon his bringhe. Sm emends to upon his londe bringhe ostensibly to connect the king’s political expertise more definitively to his realm as well as to regularize the meter. Sk reads: That durste upon his [menie] bringe.

And lete him knawe of hise hand dede. L: And lete him of hise hand dede. Sm notes that this is the “sole example” of the use of hand-dede in post-Conquest English. A relatively ancient word, it implied “violence” and sometimes “criminal violence,” or could mean “the actual perpetrator of a crime” and in Middle Dutch “one who perpetrates a criminal or violent act.” In Havelok the “imputation is of violence” (p. 86). Both Sm and Sk add a verb to this line after him, but disagree on what it should be. Sk, followed by F&H and Sa, adds knawe, as do we; Sm adds shewe.

held. L: hel. The emendation is universal.

wel wiste. L: we wiste. The emendation maintains the gravity of Athelwold’s perception. The ending consonant is frequently omitted for wel in the MS.

Hw shal now my douhter fare. L: W shal nou mi douhter fare. F&H add the consonant presumably to clarify the question.

Therafter stronglike quaked. F&H note the frequency with which the poet or scribe omits pronouns. They supply them in their edition as does Sk and Ho; Sm frequently does not. Sa regularizes as much as possible.

ther he lay. L: þe he lay. Sm and F&H supply the missing consonant. The omission of consonants in various words is a frequent occurrence throughout the MS and unrelated to the common practice of abbreviation.

That He wolde turnen him. L: Þat he turned him. The subjunctive verb — wolde — is supplied by all editors.

thank kan I you. L: þank kan you. This is an example of the omission of pronouns by the poet and/or scribe.

that she be wman of helde. L: þat she wman of helde.

And that she mowe hir yemen. L: And þa she mowe yemen. Sk’s emendation. F&H emend to: And tha[t] she mowe [hit] yemen, followed by Sa. Sm conjectures that the author wrote something like: and þat she mowe hir-selwe welde.

Bi Crist and bi Seint Jon. L: Bi Crist and bi seint Jon. Sm: Bi Jesu Crist and bi seint Johan. We have followed F&H here by returning to the MS reading.

A wol fair cloth. L: A wol fair cloþ. F&H: A wel fair cloth. Sm: A wol fair cloth. Sa: a well fair cloth; Sk: a wel fair cloth; Ho: a wel fair cloth. Though a majority of editors read the adjective to describe the beauty of the cloth, it could also modify wool as the cloth’s base fabric. Also, there is a distinct rendering of th for the þ in L.

Gon and speken. L: Gon and speken. F&H: Don and speken. Ho: Gon and speken; Sk: Don and speken; Sm and Ho agree with the MS reading as do we.

beste man. L: beste man; Sk: hexte man; F&H: hexte; Sm: heste.

ofte swngen. L: ofte swngen. Ho: ofte swngen; Sk: ofte swungen; Sm: ofte swungen.

that god thoucte. L: þat god thoucte. F&H: þat god him thoucte.

Of alle thewes was she wis. L: Of alle þewes wshe wis.

hw wel she ferde. L: hw we she ferde.

hw chaste. L: w chaste.

Of Goldeboru. L: Of Goldeb.

sho mote. L: sho mo.

Deth him tok than he best wolde. L: Deth him tok than he bes wolde.

Sm prefers to maintain the end rhyme in this couplet: Chanounes gode and monkes baþe / Him for to wisse and to raþe. To do that he has emended boþe to baþe and rede to raþe. There are other such emendations. See lines 693–94 and 1680–81. Sk: bethe / rede; Ho: bothe / rothe. We follow F&H in retaining the MS reading bothe / rede.

shalt wel yeme. L: shalt we yeme.

Havelok, that was the eir. L: Havelok that was the eir. F&H follow Ho’s emendation here: Havelok, that was the brother, presumably to preserve the end rhyme.

made mone. L: maude mone; Sm: maude mone; F&H: made mone; Sk: made mone; Ho: made mone.

Seyden he, “we wolden more. L: Seyden he wolden more. Sm: Seyden he he wolden more. F&H: Seyden hi, we wolden more; Ho: Seyden thei withuten more; Sk: Seyden he wolden have more.

Havelok it saw and therbi stod. L: Havelok it saw and þe bi stod.

But the knave. L: But þe kave.

Ayen thee, louerd, sheld ne spere. L: Ayen þe, louerd, shel ne spere.

Hwan the devel herde that. L: Hwan þe devel hede þat.

witdrow. L: þitdrow. F&H: witdrow. Sm: þit-drow. Ho: þith-drow. Sk: wit-drow. Ma: þit-drow.

He may me waiten. L: He may waiten.

drench. L: drench. Sm: drenth. F&H: drenched. Ho: drenched. Sk: drenched. We have returned to the MS reading.

thou sest. L: þou se.

Al wile I taken. L: Al wile taken.

The line following this numbered line — He thriste in his muth wel faste — is supplied by C and not counted in the line numbering. Sa, Sm, and F&H add the line without counting it. Sk and Ho omit the line altogether.

he yede. Sm emends to heþede. “In the sentence as it stands, a past participle is required; and the final -e of hethede (if this word is one) is presumably an error. But a rhyme on the unstressed ending of the past participle would be unparalleled in Hav” (p. 105).

forth lede. L: forth. F&H: forth lede. Sk: forth lede. Ho: forth lede. Sm: forth lede.

Ant bar him. L: Ant bar him. Sk: And bar him. Ho: And bar him. F&H: Ant bar him.

Al so thou wit mi lif save. L: Also þou wit my lif have. Sm: Also þou wilt mi lif have save. Ho: Also þou wilth mi lif save.

Hwan Dame Leve herde that. L: Hwan dame herde þat. The inclusion of Grim’s wife’s name adds another foot to the meter and renders her identity clear.

wost that hoves me. L: wost þat hoves me. F&H and Sm: wost þat bi hoves me. Ho: wost that it bi hoveth me. Sk: wost that so bihoves me.

That was of Denemark a stiward. L: Þat was Denemk a stiward. The preposition in is inserted by F&H. Sk, Ho, and Sm prefer of.

Yif me gold and other fe. L: Yif me gold other fe.

Shaltu have non other mede. L: Shal have non other mede. F&H: Shaltu have. Sk: Shaltu have. Ho: Shaltu have.

hethen. L: ethen. F&H’s emendation.

that wicke man. L: þa wicke man. F&H and Sm emend to provide distinction for the demonstrative adjective.

shal me to rede . . . he wile bethe. The end rhyme in this couplet has been emended by Sm as follows: And þoucte, wat shal me to raþe / Wite him on live he wile us baþe. F&H follow L, supplying [us] before beþe. We have returned to the MS despite the loss of rhyme.

Hors and swin, geet with berd. L: Hors and swin with berd. F&H and Sm add “goats,” presumably because neither swine nor horses have beards.

Ne were it nevere. L: Ne were neuere.

Als ye shulen now forthward lere. L: Als ye shulen now forthwar here. Skeat’s emendation.

Forbar he neyther tun. L: Forbar he neyþe tun.

Ful wel. L: Ful we.

wol wel sold. L: wol wel sold. F&H: al wel sold. Sm: wol wel sold. Grim seems to be selling wool without mention of his keeping sheep, the reason perhaps that F&H emend wol to al. Sheep are mentioned in line 782, however.

In the se weren he ofte setes. L: In the se weren he offte setes. F&H: Þat in the se he ofte setes. Sm: In the se-weres he ofte setes. Kevin Gosling in “Sewere in Havelok 784,” Notes and Queries 34 (1987), 151, suggests that this is a compound based on an ON borrowing in the poet’s Lincolnshire dialect. ON ver means “station for taking eggs, fishing, catching seals, etc.” Sewere would then mean “inshore fishing ground.” The MS, however, clearly depicts an abbreviation mark above the final -e in sewerē (se weren) rendering verbal force to the suffix. Sm fills in the abbreviation with s. We have emended.

woth. Sk emends to wot.

ilk del. L: il del. F&H’s emendation.

sheres. L: shres.

Havede he neyther. L: Havede neþer.

other wede. L: oþe wede.

he cam ther. L: he cam þe.

Poure that on fote yede. This line, supplied by Sk, repeats line 101 and fills in the rhyme scheme.

Ther the erles mete he tok. This line is supplied by Ma and Sk. Both F&H and Sm agree.

on the brigge. L: on þe bigge.

filde ther. L: filde þe.

Al him one. L: A him one.

Ne fro brigge. L: Ne fro bigge.

ne wolde with. L: ne wode with. The emendation makes an important distinction between an intransitive subjunctive verb and a noun connoting madness.

mikel. L: mike.

That was ful. L: Þat ful. Adding an intransitive verb is followed universally.

als he was long. L: al he was long.

his douther yeve. L: his douthe yeve.

erthe stoc. L: erthe shop. While the MS reads shop (created), the word neither rhymes nor fits the meaning. Both F&H and Sa substitute stoc, which F&H gloss as “shut fast”; Satan resides in hell, the center of the earth in medieval belief.

With dintes swithe hard and strong. This line is supplied by Sk.

hire, fals and slike. L: hire and slike. F&H: hire fals and slike. Sm: fel and slike.

ay the rith sti. L: ay þe rith; F&H and Sm add sti.

That she were. L: Þat shere. Sk’s emendation, followed by Sm, F&H, and Sa.

Earlier editors suggest that at least two lines are missing here. Presumably, the first would have a final word rhyming with joye of line 1315, while the next would rhyme with trone in what is now numbered as 1316.

Nim in wit lithe to Denemark. L: Nim in witl þe to Denemak. F&H: Nimen we to Denemark baþe. Sa: Nimen wit to Denemark bathe, where wit means “we too.” Sm: Nim in wit liþe to Denemark baþe. Sm’s note on this line is useful: “As an emendation l[i]the has the advantage of preserving the l in MS witl as well as the MS the. . . . If lithe is interpreted as ‘journey’ in line 1337, it is necessary to take wit as the dual ‘we two’ and to emend nim to nime. . . . The line would translate to ‘Let’s both make the journey to Denmark”’ (p. 127).

thin hond. L: þin hon.

Thou maght til he aren quike. Sm emends til to tel because there is “no known word corresponding in form to til that would fit this context” (p. 128). See John Wilson, “Havelok the Dane, line 1349: ‘til,”’ Notes and Queries 36 (1989), 150–51.

He hath mi lond. L: He mi lond. Sm: He haldes mi lond. Our emendation agrees with that of F&H.

And late me wel. L: And late wel.

he kalde. L: he kade.

lime he hus. L: lime hus.

Havede he ben slayn. L: Havede ben.

At this point in the MS, a whole leaf has been cut away. Ma surmises that approximately 180 lines are missing. The gist of the section, says Sa, “probably was that the three sons agree to follow Havelok; and all the men, together with Goldeboru, sail for Denmark. Ashore, Havelok, William, and Roberd, disguised as peddlers, meet the Danish earl Ubbe and ask permission to sell their wares. Line 1625 opens in the middle of Havelok’s plea” (p. 95). F&H’s synopsis varies somewhat: “The three sons agree, and exchange some of their property for a peddlar’s wares and a fine ring. They sail to Denmark and moor the boat; Hugh Raven remains in it. The others disembark and on the shore meet Ubbe, a Danish earl, who is out riding with his retinue near a town and castle. Havelok asks permission to sell his wares” (p. 127).

ilk del. L: il del.

ful wel rede thee. L: ful wel rede þ.

Sm ends the couplet for the sake of the meter and the end rhyme: Loke that ye comen baþe / For ich it wile and ich it raþe. Compare lines 694–95 and lines 360–61.

he yede. L: he yde.

for to shewe. Sm: for to shawe. F&H: forto shewe.

Thanne were set and bord leyd. F&H and Sm add a pronoun: Thanne he were set and bord leyd. The table is the subject, however.

the kilthing deyled. L: the kilþing deled. Sm: the kilþing deyled. F&H: the ilk þing deled. We concur with Sm’s emendation. Sm rejects Sk’s “violent emendation,” of kilthing to ilk thing. For Sm it represents “a re-writing that offers no means of accounting for the alleged corruption” (p. 132). Instead, Sm chooses to retain the integrity of the line.

Ilk man. L: Il man. Sm: Il man. F&H: Ilk man. Since the distinction is important, we have followed F&H’s emendation.

bes mikel wo. L: bes mike wo.

Havelok wel yemen. L: Havelok wel ymen.

With mikel love. L: with mike love.

And with him comen. L: And with comen. The thorn has been replaced by th in L.

Havelok let the barre fleye. L: Have le barre fleye.

louerd wreke be. L: louerd wreke.

Als here wombes. L: Als hee wombes.

or shame seyde. L: or same seyde. F&H: or shame seyde. Sm: or same seyde.

leye o tooth. L: leye othe. Si’s emendation, followed by F&H and Sa.

mouthe ageyn so. L: mouthe agey so.

Wel is set the mete he etes. L: We is set þe mete he etes. This proverb appears earlier in a variant form in line 908.

that we so. L: þat we so.

Moucte wayte thee to slo. L: Movcte wayte þe slo.

lith was thare. L: lith wa þare. Sm: lith was þore.

shuldre swithe brith. L: shuldre swe brith. Sk’s emendation, followed by F&H and Sa.

knithes, burgeys, sweynes. L: Knighes bugeys sweynes.

that sori fend. L: þat sor fend.

Us for to yemen. L: for to yemen. F&H: Men for to yemen. Sm: Us for to yemen. Since Ubbe is speaking, his designation of group and self-inclusion make sense.

evere wolde his. L: evere wode his.

That dide he hem o boke swere. L: Þat dide hem o boke swere.

so mikel yeft of clothes. L: so mike yeft of cloþes.

ilker twenti knihtes. L: ilker twent knihtes.

Half hundred. L: hal hundred.

cavenard. Sk refers to the term as an error for caynard, a term for a scoundrel (see Chaucer’s Wife of Bath CT III[D] 235). Sa emends to caynard.

that he ther thrette. L: þat þer þrette.

he havede ful. L: he have ful.

And swithe wikke clothes, / For al hise manie grete othes. F&H and Sm emend these lines as follows: Wan he was brouth so shamelike / Biforn the king, (the fule swike!). We have returned to the MS reading.

Thoru his fet. L: Þoru is fet.

ilk. L: il. Sk’s emendation, followed by F&H and Sa. So too in line 2514.

But that he sholde. L: Þat he sholde. F&H and Sm concur on the emendation.

That ne flow him. L: That ne flow everil del.

ilk. L: il.

F&H conjecture the absence of approximately twenty lines: “The copyist omitted a passage, probably about twenty lines long, in which the journey to England is described. The French poems contribute little information; they mention, however, that the expedition disembarks at Grimsby and sends Godrich a demand that he restore England to its rightful owners” (p. 160). Sm and Sa are silent on this alleged omission.

yboren, so. L: ye ber so. Sk’s emendation.

For shal I. L: For shal.

nevere thethen. L: nevere þeþe.

Godrich him. L: G-him.

To the fet right there adune. Supplied by Ma’s edition and followed by Sk. It echoes line 1905.

ok. L: hok.

Kristes. L: Kistes.

And led him til. L: And him til. Sm: And led huntil. F&H: And led him til. Sa follows L.

was in god time. L: was god time.

ich ne havede. L: ich ne have.

ilk del. L: il del.

This line has spawned two theories: (1) that the exemplar of L was a minstrel’s copy and (2) that the original poet was probably himself a minstrel. See John C. Hirsh “Havelok 2933: A Problem in Medieval Literary History,” Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 78 (1977), 339–47.

Have ich seyd. L: Have ich sey.