BEOWULF.

beowulf.

beowulf,theonlyanglo-saxonepicpreservedentire,wascomposedinsouthwestswedenprobablybeforetheeighthcentury,andtakentoengland,whereitwasworkedoverandchristianizedbythenorthumbrianpoets.

itisvariouslyattributedtothefifth,seventh,andeighthcenturies;buttheseventhismostprobablycorrect,sincethehigelacofthepoemhasbeenidentifiedwithchocilaicusofthe"gestaregumfrancorum,"adanishkingwhoinvadedgaulinthedaysoftheuderic,sonofclovis,anddiednearthecloseofthesixthcentury.

theonlymanuscriptofthepoeminexistenceisthoughttobeofthetenthcentury.itispreservedinthebritishmuseum.since1837muchinteresthasbeenmanifestedinthepoem,andmanyeditionsofithavebeengiventothepublic.

beowulfcontainsthreethousandonehundredandeighty-fourlines.itiswritteninalliterativeverse.thelinesarewritteninpairs,andeachperfectlinecontainsthreealliteratingwords,—twointhefirstpart,andoneinthesecond.

theunknownwriterofbeowulfcannotbepraisedforhisskillincomposition;theverseisrude,aswasthelanguageinwhichitwaswritten.butitisofthegreatestinteresttousbecauseofthepicturesitgivesoftheeverydaylivesofthepeoplewhoseheroicdeedsitrelates,—thedrinkinginthemead-halls,therelationofthekingtohiswarriors,thedescriptionofthearmor,theships,andthehalls.theheroesaretrueanglo-saxontypes,—bold,fearless,readytogototheassistanceofanyoneintrouble,nomatterhowgreattherisktothemselves;andasreadytodrinkmeadandboastoftheirvaloraftertheperilisover.inspiteoftheattempttochristianizethepoem,itispurelypagan;themostcarelessreadercandiscoverthepriestlyinterpolations.andithasthegreatervaluetousbecauseitrefusedtobemouldedbypriestlyhands,butremainedtherudebutheroicmonumentofoursaxonancestors.