BUT King Olaf, and the Northmen’s fleet with him, rowed quite up under the bridge, laid their cables around the piles which supported it, and then rowed off with all the ships as hard as they could down the stream. The piles were thus shaken in the bottom, and were loosened under the bridge.
Now as the armed troops stood thick of men upon the bridge, and there were likewise many heaps of stones and other weapons upon it, and the piles under it being loosened and broken, the bridge gave way; and a great part of the men upon it fell into the river, and all the others fled, some into the castle, some into Southwark.* Thereafter Southwark was stormed and taken.
Now when the people in the castle saw that the river Thames was mastered, and that they could not hinder the passage of ships up into the country, they became afraid, surrendered the tower, and took Ethelred to be their king.*
Tr. Samuel Laing (abridged)
Sturluson quoted a Scandinavian poet at this point, and translator Samuel Laing took a few liberties to recall a much later nursery rhyme:London Bridge is broken down,—
Gold is won, and bright renown.
Shields resounding,
War-horns sounding,
Hildur shouting in the din!
Arrows singing,
Mail-coats ringing—
Odin makes our Olaf win!‘Our Olaf’ however spent the winter of 1014-15 in Normandy with the Duke, Richard II, grandfather of William the Conqueror, and was baptised there at Rouen by the Archbishop, Richard’s brother Robert the Dane. The first Duke of Normandy and Count of Rouen had been a Viking raider named Rollo (r. 911-927).
Olaf helped Ethelred regain London, Canterbury and Lindsey, and for a time his ships patrolled England’s southern coast. But by the time Ethelred died on April 23rd, 1016, Olaf had sailed away first to Normandy and then to Norway to claim his kingdom, leaving England at the mercy of Cnut once again. Ethelred’s son Edward the Confessor eventually became King of England in 1042; Olaf’s half-brother Harald very nearly did, but was defeated by Harold II at Stamford Bridge near York in 1066.
Précis
Although Ethelred’s fleet could not pass the bridge occupied by the Danes, Olaf, who had added wooden coverings to his ships, was able to sail beneath it and dislodge the piles on which it stood. The bridge fell, taking the Danish army with it; and thanks to Olaf’s ingenuity Ethelred was able to liberate London. (55 / 60 words)
Although Ethelred’s fleet could not pass the bridge occupied by the Danes, Olaf, who had added wooden coverings to his ships, was able to sail beneath it and dislodge the piles on which it stood. The bridge fell, taking the Danish army with it; and thanks to Olaf’s ingenuity Ethelred was able to liberate London.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, just, or, ought, since, unless, until, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Fell. Storm. Themselves.
2 If. Thick. Which.
3 His. Now. They.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Lie. 2 Ship. 3 Cover. 4 Tower. 5 Man. 6 Stand. 7 Shake. 8 Band. 9 Arm.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding in-.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
