Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundoꞃlande ++++8++++ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Alce’s Adventures in Wonderland up very carefully, remarking “I really must be getting home: the night- air doesn’t suit my throat!” And a Canary called out in a trembling voice, to its children, “Come away, my dears! It’s high time you were all in bed!” On various pretexts they all moved of, and Alice was soon left alone. “I wish I hadn’t mentioned Dinah!” she said to herself in a melancholy tone. “Nobody seems to like her, down here, and I’m sure she’s the best cat in the world! Oh, my dear Dinah! I wonder if I shall ever see you any more!” And here poor Alice began to cry again, for she felt very lonely and low-spirited. In a little while, however, she again heard a little pattering of footsteps in the distance, and she looked up eagerly, half hoping that the Mouse had changed his mind, and was coming back to fnish his story.

43 Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundorlande behȳdelīce wǣfan, cweðende “Ic sceal sōðlīce hām faran; sēo nihtlicu lyft mīne hracan ne gedafenaþ!” Sum Goldfnc tō hire bearnum clipode bifendre stefne, “Cumaþ nū onweg, lēofe, tīma is þæt gē ealle on reste wǣren!” Hīe ealle līcetton þæt hīe elles hwǣr bēon scoldon, þæt Æðelgȳþ sōna āne forlǣten wæs. “Hū ic wȳsce þæt ic ymb Dēorswīðe ne sprǣce,” hēo selfre cwæþ geōmorre stefne. “Þæt mē þyncþ þæt hēo nānum hēr benēoðan ne Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundoꞃlande līcaþ, and þēah eom ic gewiss þæt nis betera catt ǣghwǣr ofer eorðan! ++++8++++ Wā lā, lēofe Dēorswīþ! Ic wundrie hwæðer ic ǣfre eft on þē lōcian scyle!” And sēo earme Æðelgȳþ eft wēpan ongan, for þām þe hēo āne Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland wæs and swīðe unrōtlicu. Þēah næs hit lang tō þon þæt hēo sōftne fōta swēg gehīerde on fyrlene, and hēo geornlīce ūp lōcode, hwōn wēnende þæt sēo Mūs hire mōd āwend hæfde and eft cumende wæs hire spell tō þurhtēonne. Hlōðwīg Caꞃꞃoll ++++8++++ Lewis Carroll

on Englsc āwend fram ++++8++++ translated into Old English by

Peter S. Baker

Briery Creek Press 2017 42 Alce’s Adventures in Wonderland

“You are not attending!” said the Mouse to Alice, severely. “What are you thinking of?” “I beg your pardon,” said Alice very humbly: “you had got to the ffth bend, I think?” “I had not!” cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily. Translation Copyright © 2015 by Peter S. Baker “A knot!” said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and All Rights Reserved looking anxiously about her. “Oh, do let me help to undo it!” “I shall do nothing of the sort,” said the Mouse, getting up and walking away. “You insult me by talking such nonsense!” “I didn’t mean it!” pleaded poor Alice. “But you’re so easily ofended, you know!” The Mouse only growled in reply. “Please come back, and fnish your story!” Alice called after it. And the others all joined in chorus “Yes, please do!” But the Mouse only shook its head impatiently, and walked a little quicker.

“What a pity it wouldn’t stay!” sighed the Lory, as soon as it was quite out of sight. And an old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her daughter “Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose your temper!” “Hold your tongue, Ma!” said the young Crab, a little snappishly. “You’re enough to try the patience of an oyster!” “I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do!” said Alice aloud, addressing nobody in particular. “She’d soon fetch it back!”

“And who is Dinah, if I might venture to ask the question?” said the Lory. Alice replied eagerly, for she was always ready to talk about her pet: “Dinah’s our cat. And she’s such a capital one for catching mice, you ca’n’t think! And oh, I wish you could see her after the birds! Why, she’ll eat a little bird as soon as look at it!”

This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party. Some of the birds hurried of at once: one old Magpie began wrapping itself

41 Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundorlande

“Þū ne hlystest!” cwæþ sēo Mūs tō Æðelḡyðe, swīðe ierre. “Hwæt beþencst þū?” “Ic bidde þæt þū mē gemiltsie,” cwæþ Æðelḡyþ swīðe ēaðmōd: “Þū wǣre tō þām fīftan byge becumen, swā ic wēne?” “Ic wiht ne wæs!” sēo Mūs clipode, heard and swīðe gebolgenu. “Wiht!” cwæþ Æðelgȳþ (sēo ā wolde gelāstful bēon), ymbe hire Contents hohful lōciende. “Ēalā, lǣt mē þīn helpan þæt tō weganne!” “Swilc nylle ic nealles dōn!” cwæþ sēo Mūs, sēo āstōd and gewītan 1. Ādūn on þæs Haran Crypel / Down the Rabbit-Hole 6 ongan. “Þū mē bismerast þonne þū swilcne unrǣd spricst!” 2. Se Tēarpōl / The Pool of Tears 18 “Ic þē ungewisses bismerode!” hēo hīe gelādode. “Ac þū eart, þū wāst, swīðe ēaðbylig.” 3. Gemōtfit and Lang Talu / A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale 30 Sēo Mūs for ān gearr tō andsware. 4. Se Hara Lȳtel Bod In Sent / The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill 44 “Āwend þē eft ongēan, gif þē lyst, and þīne tale þurhtēo,” Æðelgȳþ 5. Trēowwyrmes Manung / Advice from a Caterpillar 58 æfter hire clipode. And þā ōðre ealle samod cwǣdon, “Gēse, dō swā, 6. Swīn and Pipor / Pig and Pepper 74 gif þē lyst!” Ac sēo Mūs ungeþyldelīce hire hēafod brægd and ēode 7. Se Wōda Gebēorscipe / A Mad Tea-Party 90 hwōn hrædlicor. “Hū ungesǣlig þæt is þæt hēo nolde mid ūs wunian,” se Hræfn 8. Þǣre Cwēne Bīetlgamenfeld / The Queen’s Croquet-Ground 106 siccette sōna swā hēo eallunga orīege wæs. And þā sum eald Crabwīf 9. Þæs Lygebyrdlinges Spell / The Mock Turtle’s Story 122 nam intingan þæt hēo tō hire dehter cwæþ, “Ēalā, lēof, sīe þis þē tō 10. Sēo Lopusthlēapung / The Lobster-Quadrille 138 lāre, þæt þū ungemetlīce ne gehāthierte!” 11. Hwā Þēofode þā Swētmettas? / Who Stole The Tarts? 154 “Heald þīne tungan, mōdor,” cwæþ þæt geonge Crabwīf hwōn 12. Æðelgȳðe Gewitnes / Alice’s Evidence 166 ierrenga. “Þū meaht ostran geþyldes costian!” “Ic wȳsce þæt ūre Dēorswīþ hēr wæs, ic sōþlīce dō!” cwæþ Æðelgȳþ þæt hīe ealle gehīeran meahton þēah þe hēo hira nānum ne gespræc. “Hēo hīe sōna ongēan fetode!” “And hwā is Dēorswīþ, gif ic frignan mæg?” cwæþ se Hræfn.

Æðelgȳþ geornlīce andwyrde, for þām þe hēo ealneg gearo wæs ymb hire catt tō sprecanne: “Dēorswīþ is ūre catt. And ne meaht þū geþencan hū æðellīce hēo þā mȳs gefēhþ. Ēalā, hū ic wȳsce þæt þū gesēon meahte hū hēo þā fuglas ēht! Hwæt, hēo swīðor wile lȳtelne bridd etan þonne on hine lōcian!” Micle styrunge geworhte þēos sprǣc on þǣre gegaderunge. Þāra fugla sume sōna on weg efeston: sumu eald Agu ongan hīe selfe swīðe

40 Alce’s Adventures in Wonderland “Fury said to a mouse, That he met in the house, ‘Let us both go to law: I will prose- cute you.— Come, I’ll take no de- nial: We must have the trial; For really this morn- ing I’ve nothing to do.’ Said the mouse to the cur, ‘Such a trial, dear sir, With no jury or judge, would be wast- ing our breath.’ ‘I’ll be judge, I’ll be jury,’ said cun- ning old Fury: ‘I’ll try the whole cause, and con- demn you to death.’”

39 Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundorlande Cwæþ Anda to muse þe he mette on huse, “uton begen to to þam cyninge; ic þe be- clypian wille. Ne Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundoꞃlande mæg and- ++++8++++ sacu beon, ac gewin Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland sculon teon, for þam þe to mor- gen ic el- les don nille.” Cwæþ mus to þā deore, “ðurh mi- nū feore orð es spilling wære buton ænigū deman.” Cwæþ se geapa, “gif ic meahte, ic self eahte, ⁊ to deaðe,” cwæþ Anda, “þe wil- le for- deman.”

38 Alce’s Adventures in Wonderland

Hwæt, wē ealgyldenre ǣmethwīle all cheered. ofer midne dæg myrige brūcaþ, Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so þā lȳtle earmas geond læce rōwaþ grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of lȳtlum lagucræfte, lǣtende blīðe anything to say, she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could. þæt hīe wǣghengest wīsian mōten The next thing was to eat the comfts: this caused some noise and ofer smyltne sēaþ. Slīþhearde þrēo confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste on swā wynsumum wedere wilniaþ georne theirs, and the small ones choked and had to be patted on the back. þæt ic wāc on orðunge wordum secge However, it was over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and ēstfullic spell ǣðmes wērig, begged the Mouse to tell them something more. and ic wiernan ne mæg wyngesīðum samod ætgædere segene giernendum. “You promised to tell me your history, you know,” said Alice, “and Cynelicu Forme full cēnlīce why it is you hate—C and D,” she added in a whisper, half afraid that hǣse gecweðeþ: “Hrædlīce ongin!” it would be ofended again. Unrēðran wīsan Ōðer hyhteþ “Mine is a long and a sad tale!” said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. “þæt þǣr inne sīe unrǣd genōh,” “It is a long tail, certainly,” said Alice, looking down with wonder at and stundum Þridde þæt stǣr tōbricþ, the Mouse’s tail; “but why do you call it sad?” And she kept on puzzling nealles oftor micle þonne ǣne on minutum. about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was Swīgiende þā þām swefncilde something like this:— geond wundorlic land wild and syllic fūse fylgaþ, on frēondscipe wiþ dēorum and fuglum drēamum sprecende, and wēnende nēah þæt hit gewiss sīe. Þā þǣre segene well sēar geweorðeþ dihtum gedrȳged, and se gedrehta secg þā word wāclīce wendan þenceþ, segþ þæt hē edcwide æfter mōte tale þurhtēon, þās tēonlēasan ǣdre secgaþ “Æfter is nū!” Swā wæs geweaxen Wundorlandes wrǣtlice spell, wordum geīeced lȳtlum styccum; is nū lissum betȳned,

2 37 Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundorlande hæfde, þā fægnodon hīe ealle. All in the golden afternoon Eall þis Æðelgȳðe swīðe dyslic þūhte, ac hīe ealle wǣron swā Full leisurely we glide; eornoste on tō sēonne þæt hēo ne dorste hliehhan; and for þām þe hēo For both our oars, with little skill, nysse nǣnig þing tō secganne, ne meahte hēo nemne cnēow bīegan By little arms are plied, and þone þȳmel onfōn and swā eornostlīce gebǣran swā hēo meahte. While little hands make vain pretence Æfter þām scoldon hīe þā swētmettas etan. Þis wæs sumes breahtmes Our wanderings to guide. and sumre gedrēfednesse intinga, for þām þe þā miclan fuglas mǣndon þæt hīe hira swētmetta swæc ne meahton gefrēdan, and hīe þā briddas Ah, cruel Three! In such an hour, forþylmedon, þæt man him scolde on hrycge þaccian. Þēahhwæðere Beneath such dreamy weather, wæs þæt æfter fæce geendod, and hīe eft on trendle sǣton and To beg a tale of breath too weak gierndon æt þǣre Mūse þæt hēo him hwōn māre reahte. To stir the tiniest feather! “Þū behēte þæt þū mē þīne gerecednesse sægde, swā þū wāst” cwæþ Yet what can one poor voice avail Æðelgȳþ, “and hwȳ þū—C and H lāðettest,” hēo hwispriende cwæþ Against three tongues together? tō, hwōn forht þȳ lǣs þe sēo Mūs eft iersode. “Mīn is lang talu and unrōtlicu!” cwæþ sēo Mūs, wendende hīe wiþ Imperious Prima fashes forth Æðelgȳðe weardes and sicettende. Her edict “to begin it”: Æðelgȳþ, on þǣre Mūse tægel wundrum lōciende, þæt on riht ne In gentler tones Secunda hopes gehīerde, and hēo cwæþ, “Þæt lang tægel is tō gewisse, ac hwȳ segstū þæt “There will be nonsense in it!” hē unrōtlic sīe?” And hēo þurhwunode þæs wundrian þā hwīle þe sēo While Tertia interrupts the tale Mūs spræc, þæt hire þūhte þæt sēo talu wǣre hwæthwugu þissum gelīc: Not more than once a minute.

Anon, to sudden silence won, In fancy they pursue The dream-child moving through a land Of wonders wild and new, In friendly chat with bird or beast— And half believe it true.

And ever, as the story drained The wells of fancy dry, And faintly strove that weary one To put the subject by, “The rest next time—” “It is next time!” The happy voices cry.

36 3 Alce’s Adventures in Wonderland and wē gefēonde nū fotscip stīeraþ you how the Dodo managed it.) gelotenum dōgore tō lande eft. Æðelgȳþ cild, þīnre onfengnesse First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle (“the exact shape tilu getīða and þās tale onfōh doesn’t matter,” it said), and then all the party were placed along the geonglican segene. Þæt giedd gelege course, here and there. There was no “One, two, three, and away!” but lēoþsanga cyst līðum handum they began running when they liked, and left of when they liked, so þǣr swefna manig sǣlum bewunden that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when þīnes Cildhādes gecnytt standeþ they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, mōdbendum fæst gemyndes wrǣdum, the Dodo suddenly called out “The race is over!” and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking “But who has won?” blōstmum gelīc blēom scīnendum þe of wīdwegum wǣgfērende on wiþþan wisniende wlitige bringaþ. This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it stood for a long time with one fnger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said “Everybody has won, and all must have prizes.” “But who is to give the prizes?” quite a chorus of voices asked. “Why, she, of course,” said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one fnger; and the whole party at once crowded round her, calling out, in a confused way, “Prizes! Prizes!” Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfts (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece, all round. “But she must have a prize herself, you know,” said the Mouse.

“Of course,” the Dodo replied very gravely. “What else have you got in your pocket?” it went on, turning to Alice. “Only a thimble,” said Alice sadly. “Hand it over here,” said the Dodo. Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying “We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble”; and, when it had fnished this short speech, they

4 35 Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundorlande

ānes winterdæges þæs þinges cunnian, ic wille þē cȳðan hū se Fenix Thus grew the tale of Wonderland: þæt gefremede.) Thus slowly, one by one, Æt ǣrestan hē gemearcode weg on þām man irnan meahte, se hæfde Its quaint events were hammered out— trendles hīw (“þæs gesceap ne getācnaþ nāht,” hē cwæþ), and þā ealle And now the tale is done, þāra þe on þām gemānan wǣron getrymede wurdon styccemǣlum And home we steer, a merry crew, andlang þæs weges. Næs nān “Ān, twā, þrēo, and gāþ!” ac hīe ealle Beneath the setting sun. ongunnon irnan swā hwonne swā him līcode, and ætstōdon þā þā him līcode, þæt hit nealles ēaðe næs tō dēmanne hwonne þæt gefit Alice! A childish story take, geendod wǣre. And þēah, þā þā hīe ymb healfe tīd urnen hæfdon, and And, with a gentle hand, wǣron eft eallunga drȳge, þā fǣrlīce clipode se Fenix and cwæþ, “Þæt Lay it where Childhood’s dreams are twined gefit is geendod!” and hīe ealle ymbe hine þrungon, fnǣrettende and In Memory’s mystic band, frignende, “Ac hwā hæfþ þone sige?” Like pilgrim’s wither’d wreath of fowers Þās āxunge ne meahte se Fenix andwyrdan būtan gōdum dǣle Pluck’d in a far-of land. geþōhtes, and hē lange hwīle stōd and his cinn strācode (þū oft gesiehst þā godspelleras þæt gedōn on ealdum mētingum) þā hwīle þe þā ōðre swīge onbidon. On ende se Fenix cwæþ “Ealle sige habbaþ, and ealle sigelēana behōfaþ.” “Ac hwā giefþ þā sigelēan?” ealla þā stefna samod gefrugnon. “Sōþlīce, hēo sceal swā dōn, tō gewisse,” cwæþ se Fenix, him Æðelgȳðe tācniende ānum fngre. And þā sōna eall se gemāna ymb hīe geþrang, and hīe clipodon gemengdum stefnum, “Sigelēan! Sigelēan!” Ne meahte Æðelgȳþ þā geþencan hū ymb þæt scolde, and hēo orwēne hire hand on pohhan dyde, and drōh ūt sumne box mid swētmettum (þæt gesǣlig wæs þæt hē næs mid sealtum wætere gedrenced), and him eallum þā gedǣlde. Þǣr wæs hira ǣlcum ān swētmete. “Ac hēo ēac hire selfre sigelēanes behōfaþ, swā þū wāst,” cwæþ sēo Mūs. “Tō gewisse,” cwæþ se Fenix swīðe hefglīce. “Hwæt elles hæfst þū on þīnum pohhan?” hē þā gefrægn, wendende hine wiþ Æðelgȳðe weardes. “Nāht būtan þȳmel,” cwæþ Æðelgȳþ unrōtlīce. “Gief hine mē,” cwæþ se Fenix. Þā þrungon hīe ealle eft ōðre sīðe ymb hīe þā hwīle þe se Fenix symbellīce þone þȳmel āgeaf, cweðende “Wē þæs frymdige sindon þæt þū þȳmla cyste onfō,” and þā þā hē þisne scortan cwide geendod

34 5 Alce’s Adventures in Wonderland

“Not I!” said the Lory, hastily. “I thought you did,” said the Mouse. “I proceed. ‘Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for him; Se Forma Capitol and even Stigand, the patriotic archbishop of Canterbury, found it Ādūn on þæs Haran Crypel advisable—’”

“Found what?” said the Duck. ðelgȳðe þæt ongan swīðe ǣþryt þyncan þæt hēo sittan scolde on “Found it,” the Mouse replied rather crossly: “of course you know ōfre be hire sweostor, næbbende hwæt tō dōnne. Ǣne oþþe tuwa what ‘it’ means.” Æhēo lōcode on þā bōc þe hire sweostor rǣdde, ac sēo bōc næfde on hire “I know what ‘it’ means well enough, when I fnd a thing,” said the nāna mētinga and nāna sprǣca, and “hū dēah ǣnigu bōc,” Æðelgȳþ Duck: “it’s generally a frog, or a worm. The question is, what did the þōhte, “būtan mētingum and sprǣcum?” archbishop fnd?” For þām wæs hēo smēagende (swā wel swā hēo betst meahte, for þām The Mouse did not notice this question, but hurriedly went on, þe hēo hīe gefrēdde slāpole and dwǣse for þæs dæges hǣtan) hwæðer “‘—found it advisable to go with Edgar Atheling to meet William and se willa þæt hēo wriðan geworhte on dæges ēagum wǣre þæs earfoðes ofer him the crown. William’s conduct at frst was moderate. But the weorþ þæt hēo ārise and þā dæges ēagan gegaderode, þā fǣrlīce sum insolence of his Normans—’ How are you getting on now, my dear?” it Hwīt Hara mid rēadum ēagum hire forþbi arn. continued, turning to Alice as it spoke. Næs on þām nān þing swīðe wrǣtlic, ne Æðelgȳðe ne þūhte þæt “As wet as ever,” said Alice in a melancholy tone: “it doesn’t seem to swīðe seldcūþ þæt hēo þone Haran gehīerde him selfum cweðan, “Wā dry me at all.” lā, wā lā, ic tō late bēo!” (Þā hēo þæt siþþan gemunde, þā cōm hire on “In that case,” said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, “I move that mōde þæt hēo scolde þā þisses wundrian, ac on þissum tīman hire þæt the meeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic eall swīðe gewunelic þūhte). Ac þā se Hara nam tō sōðum sum dægmǣl remedies—” of pohhan on his loðan, and on þæt lōcode, and forþ ōnette, þā āhlēop Æðelgȳþ, for þām þe hire on mōd bearn þæt hēo nǣfre ǣr haran geseah “Speak English!” said the Eaglet. “I don’t know the meaning of half hæbbendne oþþe pohhan on loðan oþþe dægmǣl þætte hē þām of those long words, and, what’s more, I don’t believe you do either!” genume, and þā, swīðe mid fyrwitnesse onbryrd, hēo æfter þām arn And the Eaglet bent down its head to hide a smile: some of the other ofer þone feld oþ þæt hēo hine geseah on micelne crypel under þām birds tittered audibly. hege hrædlīce niðer āstīgan. “What I was going to say,” said the Dodo in an ofended tone, “was, Næs ān bearhtmhwīl tō þon þæt Æðelgȳþ ādūn ēode æfter him, and that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.” hēo nealles beþōhte hū worulde hēo ǣfre meahte eft ūt cuman. “What is a Caucus-race?” said Alice; not that she much wanted to Se crypel þanon unfeor forþrihte læg, eorþscræfe gelīc, oþ þæt hē know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that somebody ought to fǣrlīce ādūn āstāh, swā fǣrlīce þæt Æðelgȳþ nānne rūm næfde þæt speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything. hēo geþencan meahte hū hēo ætstōde ǣr hēo ongeat þæt hēo ādūn “Why,” said the Dodo, “the best way to explain it is to do it.” (And, feallende wæs on þæt þe þūhte hire swīðe dēop well. as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter-day, I will tell

6 33 Æðelgȳðe Ellendǣda on Wundorlande

“Nese,” se Hræfn hrædlīce cwæþ, “ne spræc ic.” “Þæt mē þūhte þæt þū dyde,” cwæþ sēo Mūs. “Ic befēole on mīnum spelle. ‘Siþþan Scipia geāscode þæt þā foreweardas wǣron feor þām fæstenne gesette and ēac þæt þǣr nāne ōðre nēar nǣron, hē þā dīegollīce Chapter I gelǣdde his fyrd betweox þām weardum. Hē þā Scipia gemang þām hīe Down the Rabbit-Hole mǣst ealle ofslōg. Þā þæt þā ōðre onfundon þe on þām—’ “Hwæt onfundon hīe?” cwæþ se Ened. “Hīe onfundon þæt,” cwæþ sēo Mūs hwōn ierre. “Þū wāst tō gewisse lice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on hwæt ‘þæt’ mǣnþ.” the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had “Ic wāt genōh gearwe hwæt ‘þæt’ mǣnþ þonne ic hwæt onfnde,” Apeeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or cwæþ se Ened: “Þæt biþ oftost frosc oþþe wyrm. Ac þæt ic āscie, hwæt conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, onfundon þā Pēne?” “without pictures or conversations?” Sēo Mūs þǣre āscunge ne gīemde ac hrædlīce forþ spræc: ‘— So she was considering, in her own mind (as well as she could, for onfundon þe on þām ōðrum fæstenne wǣron, hīe wǣron foccmǣlum the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure þiderweard þām ōðrum tō fultume, and hīe Scipia wæs ealle þā niht of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and slēande—’ Hū gefærst þū nū, lēofe?” hēo cwæþ, hīe wendende wiþ picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran Æðelgȳðe weardes mid þām þe hēo spræc. close by her. “Ic eom swā wǣt swā ic ǣr wæs,” cwæþ Æðelgȳþ sārigre stefne: “þæt There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it mē þyncþ þæt hit mē ne drūgaþ tō āwihte.” so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself “Oh dear! “And for þām,” cwæþ se Fenix, āstandende and stæþþigum wordum Oh dear! I shall be too late!” (when she thought it over afterwards, it sprecende, “foresette ic þæt wē þās gegaderunge beclȳsen uel belūcen occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the and þæt wē swīðor unāseolcendlicran lǣcedōmas uel bōta semninga time it all seemed quite natural); but, when the Rabbit actually took a uel instæpe gefremmen—” watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, “Sprec þū on Englisc!” cwæþ se Earnincel. “Ic ne understande healfne Alice started to her feet, for it fashed across her mind that she had dǣl þāra langra worda, and būtan þām wēne ic þæt þū ēac ne dēst!” never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to And se Earnincel āhilde þæt hēafod þæt hē smearcunge gehȳdde: þāra take out of it, and, burning with curiosity, she ran across the feld after ōðerra fugla sume dearnunga and þēah gehīerendlīce hlōgon. it, and was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the “Ic wolde secgan,” cwæþ se Fenix, se wæs on swēge geunrōtsod, hedge. “þæt þæt betste þing ūs tō drȳgnesse is Gemōtfit.” In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering “Hwæt biþ Gemōtfit?” cwæþ Æðelgȳþ, nā for þām þe hēo wolde þæt how in the world she was to get out again. witan; ac se Fenix āblunnen hæfde swilce hē wēnde þæt man sprecan The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and scolde, and þæt wæs geþūht swilce nān þæt gedōn nolde. then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment “Hwæt,” cwæþ se Fenix, “man mæg þæt betst gesweotolian þurh to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down þæt þe man þæt dēþ.” (And for þām þe þæt mæg gelimpan þæt þū wilt what seemed to be a very deep well.

32 7 Se Þridda Capitol Chapter III Gemōtfit and Lang Talu A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale

ōþlīce se gemāna wæs seldcūþ gesewen þe on þām ōfre gegaderode— hey were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on þāra fugla feðra tōsprǣdde wǣron and þāra dēora hǣr nēah hira the bank—the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with Slīchaman clang and wǣta of him eallum drypte and hīe ealle wǣron Ttheir fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and gedrehte and earmlice. uncomfortable. Æt ǣrestan þæt hūru wæs tō gecēosanne hū hīe scolden eft drȳge The frst question of course was, how to get dry again: they had weorðan. Hīe hwīle þeahtodon be þissum, and æfter fæce þæt Æðel- a consultation about this, and after a few minutes it seemed quite gȳðe swīðe gewunelic þūhte þæt hēo tō him frēondlīce sprǣce, swilce natural to Alice to fnd herself talking familiarly with them, as if she hēo hīe eall hire līf cūðe. Witodlīce hēo swīðe lang sæce hæfde wiþ had known them all her life. Indeed, she had quite a long argument þām Hræfne, se þe æt nīehstan gegremod wearþ and nolde secgan with the Lory, who at last turned sulky, and would only say “I’m older būtan “Ic eom ieldra þonne þū, and for þām can ic bet.” And Æðelgȳþ than you, and must know better.” And this Alice would not allow, nolde þissum geþafan nemne hēo wisse hū eald hē wǣre, and for þām without knowing how old it was, and, as the Lory positively refused to þe se Hræfn ānrǣdlīce forwiernde þæt hē his ieldo cȳðde, næs þǣr nā tell its age, there was no more to be said. māre tō secganne. Æt nīehstan sēo Mūs, sēo gesewenlīce hæfde onsting of him eallum, At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of some authority ofer eall clipode and cwæþ, “Sittaþ ealle and mīnra worda hlystaþ! Ic among them, called out “Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! I’ll soon ēow sōna genōh drȳge gedō!” Hīe ealle on ān þā Mūs ymbsǣton on make you dry enough!” They all sat down at once, in a large ring, with miclum trendle. Æðelgȳþ þā hohful þā Mūs bescēawode, for þām þe the Mouse in the middle. Alice kept her eyes anxiously fxed on it, for hēo wēnde þæt hēo gebrǣce sturfe gif hēo hrædlīce drȳge ne wurde. she felt sure she would catch a bad cold if she did not get dry very soon. “Ēalā!” cwæþ sēo Mūs ealdlicre wīsan. “Sind gē ealle gearwe? Þis is “Ahem!” said the Mouse with an important air. “Are you all ready? þæt drȳgoste ealra þāra þinga þe mē cūðe sind. Swīgiaþ gē ealle, gif ēow This is the driest thing I know. Silence all round, if you please! ‘William lyst! ‘Þǣræfter fōron Pēne ongēan Scipian mid eallum hira fultume the Conqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope, was soon and wīcstōwa nāmon on twām stōwum, nēah þǣre byrig þe man Utica submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of late hǣt. On ōðerre wǣron Pēne, on ōðerre Numeðe. Ac siþþan Scipia much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin and Morcar, geāscode þæt þā foreweardas wǣron feor þām fæstenne gesette—’ ” the earls of Mercia and Northumbria—’” Se Hræfn bifode and cwæþ, “Wā!” “Ugh!” said the Lory, with a shiver. “Forgief mē!” cwæþ sēo Mūs rēðum andwlitan ac swīðe þēawfæstlīce. “I beg your pardon!” said the Mouse, frowning, but very politely. “Sprǣce þū?” “Did you speak?”

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