EN144.17 Motherless
Ott 2025
U. Koneread
2. About Friso
a. Motherless
144.17 Now I will write about Friso:
Friso, who already had power through his own people, was also elected principal reeve by the residents of the district Staveren. He ridiculed our way of defending the land and fighting at sea. Therefore, he founded a school where young men learn to fight in the manner of the Greeks. But I believe his aim was to win the allegiance of the young folk.[1] I also sent my brother there — ten years ago now — because, thought I, since we no longer have a mother to protect the one from the other, I must be twice as vigilant to prevent Friso from becoming our master.
[145] Gosa did not name to us any successor. This I will not judge. But there are yet suspicious elders who think she made a deal about it with Friso. When Gosa died, the people of all regions wanted to elect a new mother. But Friso, who was busy establishing a realm for himself, had no desire for counsel or messengers from Texland.
When the messengers of the landsmen came to him, he spoke and declared: “Gosa was farseeing and wiser than all the aldermen combined, and still she found no light or clarity in this matter. Therefore, she had not the confidence to choose a successor. And choosing one that was doubtful would have been bad in her view. She thus wrote in her last will that you would do better having no mother than one on whom you cannot rely.”[2]
Notes
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EN143.01 Canals ᐊ previous/next ᐅ EN145.25 Danes
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Other English translations
Chapters U1 and U2: Sandbach 1876