But while they feasted envy stirred in the heart of Unferth, son
of Ecglaf. He was the King’s orator, and he took it ill that
Beowulf should have come to the land of the Danes on this great
enterprise, for he was one who could not endure that any man under
heaven should do greater deeds than himself. Therefore he stood up
in the hall and spake: ‘Art thou that Beowulf who contended with
Breca in swimming on the open sea? ‘Twas, indeed, a foolhardy
thing so to put your lives in jeopardy, yet no man could turn you
from your adventure. Seven days and nights ye toiled, one against
the other, but he in the end prevailed, for he had the greater
strength. And on the eighth morning the waves cast him ashore on
the land of the Heathoram, whence he journeyed back to the city of
the Bronding, of which he was lord. So did Breca, son of Beanstan,
make good his boast against thee.’
_Criticism of the Paraphrase._
The extract is so much fuller than the other parts of the paraphrase
that it hardly gives a fair notion of the nature of the work. The author
has appreciated the dramatic quality of the swimming episode and
preserved it nearly entire. Other parts of the story are much less
fortunate.
A little knowledge of Old English would have done the author no harm,
and would have saved him from some errors. His most evident mistakes are
in the forms of the proper names. Such forms as these occur in his book:
Veleda, Hugon, Weopstan (sic), Hrethin, Hrethet.
The diction is unfortunate. The coast-warden becomes a ‘squire’ (p. 7);
Heorot is a ‘banqueting hall’ (p. 4, showing the influence of Kemble’s
translation); Beowulf and Breca were ‘pages at the King’s court’ (p. 13,
showing the influence of Earle’s translation).
Petty inaccuracies occur throughout, such as, ‘I counsel that thou
refuse not’ (p. 9); ‘A faithful squire must needs know the troubles of
his lord’ (p. 7). In point of accuracy this version is quite inferior to
the work of Miss Thomson[3]; and in point of style and atmosphere to
that of Mr. Jones[4], Miss Ragozin[5], or Miss Thomson. The book,
however, is readable, and the author’s name will doubtless serve to give
it a certain success.
[Footnote 1: See supra, p. 33.] [[Kemble]]
[Footnote 2: See supra, p. 91.] [[Earle]]
[Footnote 3: See infra, p. 143.] [[Thomson]]
[Footnote 4: See supra, p. 123.] [[Sandras]]
[Footnote 5: See supra, p. 138.] [[Ragozin]]