This selection, the entry for the year 755 (an error for 757) in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, offers a detailed account of the deaths of two feuding members of the West-Saxon royal family. The wealth of detail here is remarkable for such an early Chronicle entry (the final paragraph, on the Mercian succession, is much more typical of the eighth-century entries). Presumably the chronicler thought this exemplary tale of loyalty in extreme circumstances compelling enough to justify a radical departure from his usual style.
For a complete text of the earliest manuscript of the Chronicle, see Bately 1986.
Anno .dcc.lv. [1] Hēr Cynewulf benam Siġebryht his rīċes ond Westseaxna wiotan for unryhtum dǣdum, būton Hamtūnscīre, ond hē hæfde þā oþ hē ofslōg þone aldormon þe him lenġest wunode. [2] Ond hiene þā Cynewulf on Andred ādrǣfde, ond hē þǣr wunade oþ þæt hiene ān swān ofstang æt Pryfetesflōdan; ond hē wræc þone aldormon Cumbran. [3] Ond se Cynewulf oft miċlum ġefeohtum feaht uuiþ Bretwālum, ond ymb .xxxi. wintra þæs þe hē rīċe hæfde hē wolde ādrǣfan ānne æþeling se was Cyneheard hāten, ond se Cyneheard wæs þæs Siġebryhtes brōþur. [4] Ond þā ġeascode hē þone cyning lȳtle werode on wīfcȳþþe on Merantūne, ond hine þǣr berād ond þone būr ūtan beēode ǣr hine þā men onfunden þe mid þām kyninge wǣrun. [5] Ond þā onġeat se cyning þæt, ond hē on þā duru ēode ond þā unhēanlīċe hine werede oþ hē on þone æþeling lōcude, ond þā ūt rǣsde on hine ond hine miċlum ġewundode. [6] Ond hīe alle on þone cyning wǣrun feohtende oþ þæt hīe hine ofslæġenne hæfdon. [7] Ond þā on þæs wīfes ġebǣrum onfundon þæs cyninges þeġnas þā unstilnesse, ond þā þider urnon swā hwelċ swā þonne ġearo wearþ ond radost. [8] Ond hiera se æþeling ġehwelċum feoh ond feorh ġebēad, ond hiera nǣniġ hit ġeþicgean nolde, ac hīe simle feohtende wǣran oþ hīe alle lǣgon būtan ānum Bryttiscum ġīsle, ond se swīþe ġewundad wæs.
[9] Ðā on morgenne ġehīerdun þæt þæs cyninges þeġnas þe him beæftan wǣrun þæt se cyning ofslæġen wæs. [10] Þā ridon hīe þider ond his aldormon Ōsriċ ond Wīferþ his þeġn ond þā men þe hē beæftan him lǣfde ǣr, ond þone æþeling on þǣre byriġ mētton þǣr se cyning ofslæġen læġ (ond þā gatu him tō belocen hæfdon), ond þā þǣrtō ēodon. [11] Ond þā ġebēad hē him hiera āgenne dōm fēos ond londes ġif hīe him þæs rīċes ūþon, ond him cȳþdon þæt hiera mǣgas him mid wǣron þā þe him from noldon. [12] Ond þā cuǣdon hīe þæt him nǣniġ mǣġ lēofra nǣre þonne hiera hlāford, ond hīe nǣfre his banan folgian noldon. [13] Ond þā budon hīe hiera mǣgum þæt hīe ġesunde from ēodon, ond hīe cuǣdon þæt tæt ilce hiera ġefērum ġeboden wǣre þe ǣr mid þām cyninge wǣrun. [14] Þā cuǣdon hīe þæt hīe hīe þæs ne onmunden "þon mā þe ēowre ġefēran þe mid þām cyninge ofslæġene wǣrun." [15] Ond hīe þā ymb þā gatu feohtende wǣron oþ þæt hīe þǣrinne fulgon ond þone æþeling ofslōgon ond þā men þe him mid wǣrun, alle būtan ānum, se wæs þæs aldormonnes godsunu, ond hē his feorh ġenerede, ond þēah hē wæs oft ġewundad. [16] Ond se Cynewulf rīcsode .xxxi. wintra, ond his līċ līþ æt Wintanċeastre ond þæs æþelinges æt Ascanmynster, ond hiera ryhtfæderencyn gǣþ tō Ċerdiċe.
[17] Ond þȳ ilcan ġēare mon ofslōg Æþelbald Mierċna cyning on Seccandūne, ond his līċ līþ on Hrēopadūne; ond Beornrǣd fēng tō rīċe ond lȳtle hwīle hēold ond unġefēalīċe. [18] Ond þȳ ilcan ġēare Offa fēng tō rīċe ond hēold .xxxviiii. wintra, ond his sunu Egferþ hēold .xli. daga ond .c. daga. [19] Se Offa wæs Þincgferþing, Þincgferþ Ēanwulfing, Ēanwulf Ōsmōding, Ōsmōd Ēawing, Ēawa Pybing, Pybba Crēoding, Crēoda Cynewalding, Cynewald Cnebing, Cnebba Iceling, Icel Ēomǣring, Ēomǣr Angelþowing, Angelþēow Offing, Offa Wǣrmunding, Wǣrmund Wyhtlǣġing, Wihtlǣġ Wōdening.