EN207.14 Punishment

Ott 2023

19e. How Punishment Came

[207/19] See here how punishment came:

Once, they together conquered a whole fleet from out of the Middle Sea. The ships were loaded with purple cloth and other valuables that all came from Phoenicia. The weak members of the crew were put ashore south of the Seine, but the strong were held to serve as slaves. The best looking were made to serve ashore, while the unsightliest and swarthiest were kept on board to row on the benches. At the Flee, the loot was meted out — but, so too, unbeknownst to them, was their punishment. Of those who were placed on the foreign ships, six died of pain in the belly. The food and drink were believed to be poisoned, so all of it was [208] dumped overboard. But the belly pain continued to strike and flared up wherever slaves or goods arrived. The Saxmen brought it over their marks; with the Jutters it sailed to Skeanland and along the shores of the Baltic Sea; with Askar’s steersmen it was spread to Britannia.

We, and the ones from Greanega, did not accept goods, nor people into our territory, so we remained free from the belly pain. I do not know how many died of belly pain, but Prontlik, who was told later by the other maidens, informed me that Askar lost a thousandfold more free people from his states than the number of foul slaves he had brought in.

Sandbach 1876

[p.249 cont.] This is the way in which the punishment came. They had all together taken a whole fleet that came out of the Mediterranean Sea. This fleet was laden with purple cloths and other valuables that came from Phœnicia. The weak people of the fleet were put ashore south of the Seine, but the strong people were kept to serve as slaves. The handsomest were retained ashore, and the ugly and black were kept on board ship as rowers. In the Fly the plunder was divided, but, without their knowing it, they divided the punishment too. Of those who were placed in the foreign ships six died of colic. It was thought that the food and [p.251] drink were poisoned, so it was all thrown overboard, but the colic remained all the same. Wherever the slaves or the goods came, there it came too. The Saxsenmen took it over to their marches. The Jutlanders brought it to Schoonland and along the coasts of the Baltic Sea, and with Askar's mariners it was taken to Britain. We and the people of Grênegâ did not allow either the people or the goods to come over our boundaries, and therefore we remained free from it. How many people were carried off by this disease I cannot tell; but Prontlik, who heard it afterwards from the maidens, told me that Askar had helped out of his states a thousand times more free-men than he had brought dirty slaves in.