A dream of England
Vortigern was now king, whom none dared defy,
but he’s made an enemy of a former ally:
The Picts and the Scots now vowed to avenge
the treacherous murder of their comrades and friends.
Always fearsome in battle, now enraged, they grew bolder;
soon Vortigern lost more than half of his soldiers.
“The Romans won’t help us”, the peoples’ distress
cried out to their king, “We must ask someone else!”
So Vortigern looked out across the North Sea
to the land of the Saxons, “Send to Germany,
for of them, I do hear, that they’re brave and they’re strong”
and the nobles and princes said, “Let it be done!”
And just to make sure that his foes would take flight
he gave money and land to the Saxons who’d fight.
So their strongest and bravest sailed across the water
captained by two brothers: Hengist and Horsa.
Like horses* to battle they routed the foe
and, defeated, back to their own land they did go.
Everything seemed just as Vortigern planned
but the Saxons, rather than return to their land,
when they saw Britain with its great land and wealth,
decided to stay and conquer it themselves.
First they told Vortigern dead Constan’s two kin
were sailing to England to avenge them on him.
Vortigern, fearing the dead king’s two brothers,
said to Hengist and Horsa, “Send home for others
from Germany, more soldiers, valiant like you”,
thinking, “With such an army I just can’t lose”;
but Hengist was cunning and without a flinch
said, “Give me a castle and make me a prince”.
Vortigern replied, “This just cannot be done,
only Britons and Christians can princes become”.
So Hengist asked Vortigern, “Would it be wrong
to give land I can surround by one leather thong?”
Vortigern agreed thinking, “Land that’s so small
will be no threat to my kingdom at all”.
Hengist killed the largest bullock on his land
and cut off the skin round and round in one strand,
this strand circled land big enough to build a fort:**
Vortigern had been cheated but he could do naught
for he’d come to fear these Saxons, fierce in battle,
so they built their fortress and called it. “Thong Castle” ***
Eighteen ships arrived with more Saxon supporters
and a lady, Rowena, who was Hengist’s daughter.
When Vortigern saw this girl from Hengist’s land
he fell deeply in love and he asked for her hand.
Hengist first pretended not to approve
(this was yet more scheming – the king never knew)
but, as a great favor, he would, though, consent
if the king would but give him the whole of Kent.
When this news got out the country was appalled:
the king’s sons, the people, (prince of Kent most of all);
they would not have their king married to a Saxon!
For the first time Hengist’s plans started to go wrong.
To Germany he sent for more men to come
but the people revolted, took Vortigern’s son,
Vortimer, to reign in the place of his dad,
then the biggest battle Saxons ever had
(Hengist’s brother, Horsa, was killed in the fight),
saw them driven out! Free of this ‘pagan blight’
Vortimer restored order: Though he couldn’t have known
that Hengist’s treachery was not yet fully grown.
TO BE CONTINUED….
NEXT ON “A DREAM OF ENGLAND”:
Hengist’s treachery continues and the return of Ambrosius and Pendragon.
NOTES:
* Both the names, ‘Hengist’ and ‘Horsa’, in Saxon mean ‘Horse’.
** If you think this is impossible take a large piece of paper and, beginning at the edge, cut the paper round and round in circles until you come to the middle. You will then find that you have a string of paper quite long enough to surround a brick castle.
*** “Thong Castle” is situated outside Lincoln in Caistor.
