Giles Goodland

The Brimston Worm
Fytte the 3rd


                                                                                              They wade ashore.
The tidesway hwelmd theim        landward.
Wode thei wetlich        thurgh watter
& laglie thurgh the layrie        logh
till even. Eachwhere        empaled.
Famig the flotmen        to the faroth came,
nor did thei drenk        yn the deop daerk.

                                                                                              Evening.
Drylanden, dweld yn        dazines
anon the nyght skyne        nighd
& the thester dyd        thynnifie.
Ethem theim endarkd        & enmuffled
& wynd weatherbeat        the waynway.

                                                                                              They are lost
Ferken thei furth        afote.
Yn a bloachen bewildernes        bewounderd,
thei scrithd sandeyen        thurgh sniddle
& the westie ways        dyd wasten.

                                                                                              in a wood.
Deop dycks        & deorc there weor,
of hore okes ful huge        a hundread togather,
the hasel & hagthorn        harled
with many brids unblyth        uppon boghes.

                                                                                              Of the dusk animals
Beastlyngs beflew        the blore. The mone
scharpnew schraped        the Schepherds Lamp
& in the applefallow fusk        craws floggeted.

                                                                                              and the night birds they hear
Twas twatterlight,        brids twyttled:
coventrees creachd        theyr crownets.
The thoughtswift thystlewarps        thrang,
& yerrd the yearnful        yarhwelps.

                                                                                              making unearthly noise
Cloakativelie the carkful        clotbird
awkd ahwiles,        fuskish & athwarten.
The hathful humbird        husted,
& rokes dyd ruse        riotlie.
Rattelmice hagrode        the reedswamp,
& wolvie worricows        hwufft.

                                                                                              with other creatures.
Mithen yn the marisch        gogmires,
wolfens wawed        yn wergs,
brocks berkd        & brustled,
haggyngs harraged        from theyr hidels,
& slipskyn swartlyngs        from slifters lift.

                                                                                              They are inspired with fear
Syns schapen was my schirt        (sayed Mooncow)
Ich nevir have cnowen        slike noyfulnes.
He gluskt at the grureful        grisyng,
the babellyke bawwaw        of beests
yn the rike of rhynociricall        Rothead.

                                                                                              and pray silently.
Utterlyke unwyrden        wyth ug, Mooncow
& ofcale Ofmach        dyd ofthynk
acwakelie & acompass        of aboven.

                                                                                              Deep night
Twas necromaneous night        & nonethyng
quynchd or quetcht        yn the quallmire.
Onelie a ferlich flapwyng        dyd forwend,
a spitemouse sprantled        yn startynghole,
& a spincop swogged        yts stabiliment.

                                                                                              they rest uneasily.
A clouden clammischnes        coronized theim
& wyndshook the wytherhoken        waschlocks.
Helld in a hidel        the heleths
draveld & dretchd        withouten dreem.

                                                                                              Dawn.
Thus yn darkhood the drightmen        dredden
till at ughten an underwynd        uprose
& budbyrds bewoke        yn beardtrees,
the donkand dew        draped of the leves,
& fenfyres        flut.

                                                                                              Rothead appears.
Thei heared a huscht        hove thurgh
the grimful gryndle        als Rothead grobbed.
Cloakativ it crep,        & cancryne,
hwuffyng lyke a hweyblooden        hwimlyng
lyke a wylfen, a wilder        or an aelwiht,
a gigant, a gorge,        a hellgast.

                                                                                              They see it breathe.
Behield thei yts beasten        blead.
Yts swoty snuffers        sweald
as yt snufted & smeld        & smired.
Yt gnasted gogmagogytall        golls
& toclatterd yts twaytoothen        tutel.
Thurgh treen yt twound        & twysted
as gramelie the gagril        toweard theim glod.

                                                                                              It sees them.
Allatonce agrose        the astonyng wyrm.
Sighlentlie yt slithed        & swole.
Smothlie & sluglie        closser yt siled.
Yts pizzel paggled        pulpilie als
serpentlich yt slipperd        screwways
& cwark, cwark        yt uglie quod.

                                                                                              It advances upon them.
Hard & hask        als hundfisch
wyth writhlich wrizzlen        wrats
& foul flesch yn        foreteeth
yt clove asundir clowds        of cley
& yts horie loom heng        hyndlong.

                                                                                              Mooncow flees.
Yn a swime to sen        the spitpoyson
Mooncow bived & blutherd        bawways.
Cowherdlie he cwekt        & crang
then arghlie awaped        arselyng
elsehwither, hys eddres        embladderd.

                                                                                              Of Ofmach's armour.
Uplie Ofmach unyarked        hys umbrere,
hys chaul & hys chyn wyth        chayns bond.
Bedight he was wyth breastlet        & badelar.
The glisch on hys graith        dyd gloze
& truelie to tel        he trimbeld for dred.

                                                                                              He unsheathes his sword
Hondled he hardlie        hys helve
& husked the hornen        handel.
Begirden wyth a barben        bistourie
impen wyth herd yren & harnischt        hys
cnife he cnotcht        yn cnightweed.

                                                                                              and fights Rothead.
Then firocytated the funestall        foemates.
Fidelyous Ofmach fierced        firest:
hys gomegraith        glentyng
he foind hys fist wyth        the sweord forn
but the wyver waived        & wered
& uplie areard yts atteren        anleth.

                                                                                              Rothead rounds on him.
Forweard & fleschward        yt flabbed,
& guilouslie at hym gliddid        a glimbel.
Slithe twas & slither,        scurft
& slidder, scearp yts fangs        & snoflig.
Blatlie yt bealcht from        bone-coffer
& wyth yts folms ufeward        yt feng.

                                                                                              Rothead strikes.
Outerlie yt outslipt        yts ougle
ongles & orpedlie        hym ofstung,
clapperclawd hym        coflie.
Nekst yts sawtooth sesours        yt snaught.
Wringlie yt wrathe        lich a wrayth.

                                                                                              Ofmach is wounded.
Yts seres scrabbed        a strawsbreadth
& thereright thwited        & thurghstung hym,
deepward dugged        yts dents
& bawways beflummed        the battlewright.

                                                                                              Rawhead pursues its attack.
The duggie demonarch        dervd hym thus:
hys schudderful schode        yt schraped,
gnasted yts gallwet        gobbertooth
& thunderthomp        hys thunwang
then scrazed hys scawen        swire
& gramelie gayncoped        the gome.

                                                                                              He bleeds and falls.
Bloud burld from        hys bursten skyn.
Yngiddied wyth thys illstarren        ynrace
he doun feol fenken        yn the feeld,
utterlich unfere        & unharted.

                                                                                              Ofmach is pursued.
Acwakyng abackward Ofmach        abandonlie
attrennd acompass        & agenwent
thurgh thike        thethorns till
almid the allhearts        he acwaked
hopand help        mought hulster
& from the wytherweard        wythtake hym
that baiblie besought        hys blud.

                                                                                              Mooncow returns with the ship's harpoon
Bytimes Mooncow beturnd        bywards
hauland the harpyng spar        he
fetcht had from        the farcost.
I beleft yow had blunkt        to the boat.
Abackward let us agenturn,        Ofmach acweathed.

                                                                                              and harpoons Rothead.
The wrawful wrooter        wrawld
als the lithebie lattew        littend Mooncow
headlongd hys        heavie harpyng spar
hyltdeep yn yts hyde        heartsyde,
pierst yts paunchswollen        poke,
so gored he the gryselich        gristel.
Hydouslie yt hagged        & haterd,
wyth slyfters & slughters        umbesletterd.

                                                                                              Ofmach cuts the worm.
The mammeated mawmother        was marrowlich.
Skillwiselie, sicklew Ofmach        scruted
to spack hys scorpiounlich        scramasax.
The battlewight becast        hys batterdascher
& disbuckled hys dusttemperd        dealth
then thwited yts thornen        throplet,
steted & snesed yt        sevensithes.

                                                                                              Rothead is hurt
Wyth hys wellsteelen        wifle
Ofmach snithed the snayk        yts skulleton,
& thereright thrested        yts tharm
Yt hwewed & hwicked        & hyarmed
but unboweld he yts uggen        umbles,
& everylyke yts eddres        embursted,
from sweordwunds spiwed        swatfag lichor.

                                                                                              and slain.
Dulful drowked        the dragoun,
but thwickthwack,        thwickthwack
spickt he hys spatterdascher        yn slappynes,
& goreblud glidderd        on the ground.
Thus Ofmach dyd occide        the orc
& slone thei the snaic        swireforth.

                                                                                              Out of it comes forth a child.
Yn Rothead yts barm a baban        yt bare.
From wythynside yts scad        outsprung
umbeweaven & unwemd        from yts umbles
birthbearyng        a blubcheeken bab.
Lieflich Ofmach lutcht        & alofted hym,
for he akent hys aftirborn son,        awarpen.
Thys suckler is my sonkyn,        he sayed.
Liveborn, my lilihwyte        lyttlyng.

                                                                                              They find treasure
Forthbie thei founed        a findall
of ornen ormetes        & orbicles,
a goldhoard & gersum        of gagates
orichalcs & orball        oriels,
smaragds, stactes        & asures,
pentests, perdicles         & pantarbs.
By blysm of beatioun thei        weor blymd
nethemest yn the nixyous        neckland.

                                                                                              and throw Rothead into a mire.
Spargeted wyth smod        the sweordbrothirs
yn quemelich quavemire        quadid Rothead,
dyd headlong yn the hurlpool        the hoblyn.

                                                                                              They return
Limbroke, lungcrackt        & liverschot,
bidravelen, biclaggen        & brawnfallen
homewardlie the headlyngs        henced,
bringand Ofmach hys newbegot        bastson.

                                                                                              and are tended.
Wyth leachcraft & loblollie        a leafful doctour
mixt a milchie        mythridate
tend theim trothlie        wyth triacle
till wyth wortcunning        theyr wunds
the healend halowed        to holenes.

                                                                                              They give thanks.
So cheerlie yn cherrymerrie        churchacre
thei etirnified an edmod        evesong,
iaped & ioist        yn iolliment
sacrated serenissimous        syngyng bread
crood a convenabel        cantatioun,
& weor cumferd by carols        & caterbrawls.

                                                                                              Ofmach names his son.
Hys son he weshen wipen        & wond
yn clouts & from hys cist        a cynehelm
& the gylden gimmas        that gebyrged weor.
Yn hys calftime he tattled        & tytterd,
glisiand als goldwire        growd hys hayr.
Thei nevend & noynted hym        Nekmost
for he wold forther hys feader,        as foredestend.