34^ Beozviilf and. IVidsith 



the Egyptians. With the Medes I was, with the Persians, and with 

 the Myrgings.' 



It being" understood that I am referring to the poem with its 

 present compass, I submit that the contention between the critics 

 as to its date might be sufficiently resolved by assigning IVidsith 

 to the latter part of Aldfrith's reign, and that that monarch's 

 known interest in Biblical and Oriental geography^ would account 

 for the inclusion of the lines I have translated. Furthermore, the 

 occurrence in both Widsith and Beowulf of such names as Off a, 

 HroSgar, Hro6(w)ulf, HeaSobeardna, Heorot( 35-49),^ Bre(o)ca 

 (25), Bronding-(25),^ would seem to warrant the assumption of a 

 similar date and provenance, if not of common authorship, for the 

 two poems. Moreover, the remarkable hemistich (79), 'With 

 the Scots I was and with the Picts,' renders it fairly certain that 

 the author was an Englishman,* and one especially interested in 

 those peoples, as a Northumbrian in Aldfrith's reign would have 

 been, because of Ecgf rith's dire defeat at their hands in 685,^ and 

 the encouragement which that gave them to pursue their advan- 

 tage. The mention of Wada (22) recalls the giant, Wade, whose 

 traditional home is localized near Mulgrave Castle.*' Finally, 

 there is no good reason why the name of Alexander the Great 

 should not have been known to Aldfrith, nor that he should have 

 been incapable of the characterization in 15-17 : 'Alexander [was] 

 most mighty of all the race of men, and flourished most of those 

 of whom I have heard tell throughout the world.' 



^ See above, pp. 302-5. 



^ Cf . Chambers, Widsith, pp. 79 ff. 



^ Cf . Chambers, op. cit., pp. iio-iii. Add Fin Folcwalding (27), with 

 which cf. Beozv. 1089, 1096, etc.; and see Chambers, op. cit., p. 67. Then 

 Ongen(d)8eow (31), Beotv. 2486, etc.; cf. Chambers, op. cit., p. 200. 



* Cf . Chambers' note on the line. 



= Cf . pp. 322-3. 



" See above, p. 2>Z2>, note i ; Chambers, op. cit., pp. 97-8. 



