| Keywords |
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| ID |
5076 |
| Text |
Translatio sancti Elphegi (1080 - 1080) Osbern of Canterbury |
| Quotation |
Ut enim pauca de pluribus prolixa breviter attingam, propono ducem Haconem proprio se mucrone transverberantem, vatem matheseos disciplinis intentum gutturi suo stylum infigentem, presbyterum collariam martyris crucem pertinaciter abscondentem, ejusdem martyris manibus occisum, aliumque ejusdem ordinis virum, sandalia illius temere portantem, a daemone invasum; et quousque de pedibus suis traherentur, coram omni Londonae civitatis populo durissime vexatum. Ex quibus rebus tam vehemens cunctos Danorum principes formido invasit, ut vix eos terra teneret, sed marinis se tempestatibus dantes existimabant in pelago martyris iram effugere posse, quos ab ejus ira tellus tueri non posset. Sed mox ut in altum spumantibus remis eductum fuisset, centum sexaginta naves adversis ventorum flatibus actae in profundo maris submersae sunt; quadraginta vero, itemque viginti quinque ad exteras regiones atque ignotas appulsae, et quasi quae insidiarum gratia venissent, ab eisdem miserabiliter interemptae. Remansit tamen in Anglia male audax princeps malorum Turkillus, pauco tempore praedo futurus, sed in aeternum damnati spiritus praeda mansurus. Nam parvo tempore evoluto venit princeps Danorum Cnut cum multo navigio in terram Anglorum, dissidensque ab illo propter quasdam res male ac perfide actas, quidquid residuum infandi populi esse poterat, sicut tabulae stylo deleri solent, delevit; ipsumque ducem sex tantum navibus munitum in Danamarcam fugavit. Qui cum ad terram evasisset, suspectus Danorum principibus, ne intestina bella moliretur, statim per cuncta illius regionis loca agitatus, ad ultimum ab ignobili vulgo occisus, ferisque et avibus est miserabiliter projectus. Sic ergo de terra et mari sublati sunt, qui virum sanctum et cum honore nominandum Elphegum archiepiscopum occiderunt. |
| Translation |
And so to touch briefly on some of the many longer stories, I would emphasise the one of Jarl Hacon striking himself through with his own sword, the teacher sticking a pen through his own neck as he was intent on his studies, a priest absconding with the cross necklace of the martyr by clutching it to himself, and another man of the same order, rashly taking his sandals, was possessed by a demon; and and wherever his feet carried him, in front of the entire people of the city of London he was most wretchedly plagued. And because of these things a vehement fear gripped the hearts of the princes of the Danes, so that they barely bothered to cling to the land, but threw themselves on the mercies of maritime storms, thinking they could escape the wrath of the martyr by sea, a wrath which the earth could not protect them from. But as soon as they were carried onto the high seas, 160 ships, driven by hostile gusts of wind, were sunk to the bottom of the ocean; a further 65 were driven to unknown regions, where because the inhabitants thought they had come for the sake of evil, they were wretchedly put to death. The worst of them, however, Thurkil, stayed in England, the prince of evils, who for a short time would enjoy his spoils, but destined to remain in eternity the spoils of a damned spirit. For before much time had passed, Cnut, Prince of the Danes, came with a great fleet to England, and took issue with him [Thurkil] because of the things he had done wickedly and in perfidiously, and whatever was left of that unspeakable people he destroyed, and drove the jarl [Thurkil] into flight to Denmark with six ships. And when he had made it to land, the Danish princes were suspicious of him, fearing he might be preparing a civil war, and drove him around all the places of the region, until finally he was killed by a common mob and his body thrown out for the birds and wild beasts to feed on. So they were taken from the face of the earth and the sea, who killed the holy archbishop Alfheah of honourable memory. (Trans. Laura Gazzoli) |
| Quotation source |
3 (coll. 0387C-0388B) |
| Temporal Coverage |
1012 - 1022 |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
The time frame extends from the death of Ælfheah in 1012 to Cnut's expedition to the Baltic in 1022 following Thorkell's banishment from England in 1021, which may be the occasion for Thorkell's death as he is not heard of afterwards. |
