Promise we him in
life that we will not him deceive, and let we counsel us of our
misdeeds. Each man forth-right take shrift of all his sins, each man
shrive other, as if it were his brother, and every good knight take on
him much shrift, and God we shall promise to amend our sins. And at
the midnight prepare us to fight, these heathen hounds account us all
here bound. Octa, Hengest's son, weeneth that we are all taken, they
he in these fields covered in their tents, they are very weary of
carrying their weapons, now anon they shall slumber, and afterwards
sleep; of us they have no care, that we will march against them. At
the midnight we shall forth-right go exceeding still, down from this
hill, be no knight so mad, that he ask any word, nor ever any man be
so mad, that he blow horn. But we shall step to them as if we would
steal, ere they are aware, we shall destroy them, we shall approach to
them, and tell them tidings. And let every brave man strongly lay on
them, and so we shall drive the foreigners from the land, and with the
might of our Lord, win our rights." All this host did as Gorlois had
bid them, each man forth-right put him under shrift promised to do
good, and Uther Pendragon foremost went down, and all his knights,
exceeding still, and smote in the wealds, among all the tents, and
slew the heathens with great strength, slew over the fields the yellow
locks, of folk it was most wretched, they drew along their bowels,
with much destruction they fell to the ground.
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