Friso, who was already powerful by his troops, was chosen chief
Grevetman of the districts round Staveren. He laughed at our mode
of defending our land and our sea-fights; therefore he established a
school where the boys might learn to fight in the Greek manner, but
I believe that he did it to attach the young people to himself. I
sent my brother there ten years ago, because I thought, now that
we have not got any mother, it behoves me to be doubly watchful,
in order that he may not become our master.
Gosa has given us no successors. I will not give any opinion about
that; but there are still old suspicious people who think that
she and Friso had an understanding about it. When Gosa died, the
people from all parts wished to choose another mother; but Friso,
who was busy establishing a kingdom for himself, did not desire to
have any advice or messenger from Texland. When the messengers of
the Landsaten came to him, he said that Gosa had been far-seeing and
wiser than all the counts together, and yet she had been unable to
see any light or way out of this affair; therefore she had not had
the courage to choose a successor, and to choose a doubtful one she
thought would be very bad; therefore she wrote in her last will,
It is better to have no mother than to have one on whom you cannot
rely. Friso had seen a great deal. He had been brought up in the wars,
and he had just learned and gathered as much of the tricks and cunning
ways of the Gauls and the princes as he required, to lead the other
counts wherever he wished. See here how he went to work about that.
Friso had taken here another wife, a daughter of Wilfrêthe, who in
his lifetime had been chief count of Staveren. By her he had two sons
and two daughters. By his wish Kornelia, his youngest daughter, was
married to my brother. Kornelia is not good Frisian; her name ought
to be written Korn-helia. Weemoed, his eldest daughter, he married
to Kauch. Kauch, who went to school to him, is the son of Wichhirte,
the king of the Geertmen. But Kauch is likewise not good Frisian,
and ought to be Kaap (Koop). So they have learned more bad language
than good manners.
Now I must return to my story.
After the great flood of which my father wrote an account, there came
many Jutlanders and Letlanders out of the Baltic, or bad sea. They
were driven down the Kattegat in their boats by the ice as far as the
coast of Denmark, and there they remained. There was not a creature
to be seen; so they took possession of the land, and named it after
themselves, Jutland. Afterwards many of the Denmarkers returned from
the higher lands, but they settled more to the south; and when the
mariners returned who had not been lost, they all went together to
Zeeland. By this arrangement the Jutlanders retained the land to
which Wr-alda had conducted them. The Zeeland skippers, who were
not satisfied to live upon fish, and who hated the Gauls, took to
robbing the Phoenician ships. In the south-west point of Scandinavia
there lies Lindasburgt, called Lindasnôse, built by one Apol, as is
written in the book. All the people who live on the coasts, and in
the neighbouring districts, had remained true Frisians; but by their
desire for vengeance upon the Gauls, and the followers of Kaltona,
they joined the Zeelanders. But that connection did not hold together,
because the Zeelanders had adopted many evil manners and customs
of the wicked Magyars, in opposition to Frya's people. Afterwards,
everybody went stealing on his own account; but when it suited them
they held all together. At last the Zeelanders began to be in want
of good ships. Their shipbuilders had died, and their forests as
well as their land had been washed out to sea. Now there arrived
unexpectedly three ships, which anchored off the ringdyk of our
citadel. By the disruption of our land they had lost themselves,
and had missed Flymond. The merchant who was with them wished to
buy new ships from us, and for that purpose had brought all kinds of
valuables, which they had stolen from the Celtic country and Phoenician
ships. As we had no ships, I gave them active horses and four armed
couriers to Friso; because at Stavere, along the Alberga, the best
ships of war were built of hard oak which never rots. While these
sea rovers remained with us, some of the Jutmen had gone to Texland,
and thence to Friso. The Zeelanders had stolen many of their strongest
boys to row their ships, and many of their finest daughters to have
children by. The great Jutlanders could not prevent it, as they were
not properly armed. When they had related all their misfortunes,
and a good deal of conversation had taken place, Friso asked them
at last if they had no good harbours in their country. Oh, yes, they
answered; a beautiful one, created by Wr-alda. It is like a bottle,
the neck narrow, but in the belly a thousand large boats may lie; but
we have no citadel and no defences to keep out the pirate ships. Then
you should make them, said Friso. That is very good advice, said
the Jutlanders; but we have no workmen and no building materials;
we are all fishermen and trawlers. The others are drowned or fled to
the higher lands. While they were talking in this way, my messengers
arrived at the court with the Zeeland gentlemen. Here you must
observe how Friso understood deceiving everybody, to the satisfaction
of both parties, and to the accomplishment of his own ends. To the
Zeelanders he promised that they should have yearly fifty ships of a
fixed size for a fixed price, fitted with iron chains and crossbows,
and full rigging as is necessary and useful for men-of-war, but that
they should leave in peace the Jutlanders and all the people of Frya's
race. But he wished to do more; he wanted to engage all our sea rovers
to go with him upon his fighting expedition. When the Zeelanders
had gone, he loaded forty old ships with weapons for wall defences,
wood, bricks, carpenters, masons, and smiths, in order to build
citadels. Witto, or Witte, his son, he sent to superintend. I have
never been well informed of what happened; but this much is clear to
me, that on each side of the harbour a strong citadel has been built,
and garrisoned by people brought by Friso out of Saksenmarken. Witto
courted Siuchthirte and married her. Wilhem, her father, was chief
Alderman of the Jutmen--that is, chief Grevetman or Count. Wilhem
died shortly afterwards, and Witto was chosen in his place.