Publication
Published with “Old Men at Pevensey” in Puck of Pook’s Hill (1906) and in later editions of that collection. Collected also in Songs from Books (1912) and in the later verse collections.
The poem
The poem traces the link between the successive stories of the Normans in England from “Weland’s Sword” through to “The Treasure and the Law”.
The sword is made for Hugh, a young Saxon, by Weland, one of the old gods, turned blacksmith in Christian times. Hugh had wished Weland well, releasing him from his servitude. After the Battle of Hastings, Hugh and his friend Richard, a young Norman, have neighbouring manors.
In the next story the two young men sail down the coast of Africa in a longship. They bring back a great treasure of gold after a hard fight, in which Hugh is badly wounded. They hide the treasure in a tide well under Pevensey Castle.
A hundred years later it has been found by a Jewish financier who plans to fund King John against the barons. However, another Jew, Kadmiel, who distrusts the king, discovers the treasure and throws it into the sea. John is forced to accept the Great Charter to protect laws and liberties in England.
Notes on the Text
[Verse 1] This refers to “Young Men at the Manor”.
[Verses 2 and 3] This refers to “The Knights of the Joyous Venture”.
[Verses 4 to 9] These refer to “The Treasure and the Law”, the last story in this book.
[Verses 3 and 9 line 3] The Thing: The rule of Parliament and Law. The Parliament of Iceland has been known as the Althing for over 1000 years.
[P.H/J.R..]
©Philip Hoberton and John Racliffe 2020 All rights reserved