now perfectly helpless before these
Picts and Scots, tattoed Barbarians from the north, who overrun the
whole country and do exactly what they please. So long as they kept to
the north, the people in the south, who are the most numerous, and also
the most civilized of the Britons, took no heed of them; but now the
rascals have come as far as London, and the lazy folk in these parts
have had to wake up. Vortigern, the king, is useless for anything but
drink or women, so he sent across to the Baltic to get over some of the
North Germans, in the hope that they would come and help him. It is bad
enough to have a bear in your house, but it does not seem to me to mend
matters if you call in a pack of ferocious wolves as well. However,
nothing better could be devised, so an invitation was sent and very
promptly accepted. And it is here that your humble friend appears upon
the scene. In the course of my amber trading I had learned the Saxon
speech, and so I was sent down in all haste to the Kentish shore that I
might be there when our new allies came. I arrived there on the very day
when their first vessel appeared, and it is of my adventures that I
wish to tell you. It is perfectly clear to me that the landing of these
warlike Germans in England will prove to be an event of historical
importance, and so your inquisitive mind will not feel wearied if I
treat the matter in some detail.

It was, then, upon the day of Mercury, immediately following the Feast
of Our Blessed Lord's Ascension, that I found myself upon the south bank
of the river Thames, at the point where it opens into a wide estuary.
There is an island there named Thanet, which was the spot chosen for the
landfall of our visitors. Sure enough, I had no sooner ridden up than
there was a great red ship, the first as it seems of three, coming in
under full sail. The white horse, which is the ensign of these rovers,
was hanging from her topmast, and she appeared to be crowded with
men. The sun was shining brightly, and the great scarlet ship, with
snow-white sails and a line of gleaming shields slung over her side,
made as fair a picture on that blue expanse as one would wish to see.

I pushed off at once in a boat, because it had been arranged that none
of the Saxons should land until the king had come down to speak with
their leaders. Presently I was under the ship, which had a gilded dragon
in the bows, and a tier of oars along either side. As I looked up, there
was