each evil he was ware--"Take quickly knights, and send after thy wife,
and after thy children, the young and the old, and after thy kin, and
receive them with joy; when they to thee come, thou shalt have riches
to feed them nobly, and worthily to clothe them. But I will not give
to thee any castle or burgh, for men would reproach me in my kingdom,
for ye hold the heathen law that stood in your elders' days, and we
hold Christ's law, and will ever in our days." The yet spake Hengest,
fairest of all knights: "Lord, I will perform thy will, here and over
all, and do all my deeds after thy counsel. Now will I speedily send
after my wife, and after my daughter, who is to me very dear, and
after brave men, the best of my kin. And thou give me so much land, to
stand in mine own hand, as a bull's hide will each way overspread, far
from each castle, amidst a field. Then nor the poor nor the rich may
blame thee, that thou hast given any noble burgh to a heathen man."
And the king granted him as Hengest yearned.

Hengest took leave, and forth he gan pass, and after his wife he sent
messengers, to his own land, and he himself went over this land, to
seek a broad field whereon he might well spread his fair hide. He came
to a spot, in a fair field, he had obtained a hide to his need, of a
wild bull that was wondrously strong. He had a wise man, who well knew
of craft, who took this hide, and laid it on a board, and whet his
shears, as if he would shear. Of the hide he carved a thong, very
small and very long, the thong was not very broad, but as it were a
thread of twine; when the thong was all slit, it was wondrously long,
about therewith he encompassed a great deal of land. He began to dig a
ditch very mickle, there upon a stone wall, that was strong over all,
a burgh he areared, mickle and lofty. When the burgh was all ready,
then shaped he to it a name, he named it full truly Kaer-Carrai in
British, and English knights they called it Thongchester. Now and