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And on learning this, Hring and Adils, who had gathered much people, turned to swell king Olaf s
army. Thus their numbers became exceeding great.
All this when Athelstan learned, he summoned to conference his captains and his counsellors; he
inquired of them what were best to do; he told the whole council point by point what he had
ascertained about the doings of the Scots king and his numbers. All present were agreed on this, that
Alfgeir was most to blame, and thought it were but his due to lose his earldom. But the plan resolved
on was this, that king Athelstan should go back to the south of England, and then for himself hold a
levy of troops, coming northwards through the whole land; for they saw that the only way for the
needful numbers to be levied in time was for the king himself to gather the force.
As for the army already assembled, the king set over it as commanders Thorolf and Egil. They were
also to lead that force which the freebooters had brought to the king. But Alfgeir still held command
over his own troops. Further, the king appointed such captains of companies as he thought fit.
When Egil returned from the council to his fellows, they asked him what tidings he could tell them of
the Scots king. He sang:
 Olaf one earl by furious
Onslaught in flight hath driven,
The other slain: a sovereign
Stubborn in fight is he.
Upon the field fared Gudrek
False path to his undoing.
He holds, this foe of England,
Northumbria s humbled soil.
After this they sent messengers to king Olaf, giving out this as their errand, that king Athelstan would
fain enhazel him a field and offer battle on Vin-heath by Vin-wood; meanwhile he would have them
forbear to harry his land; but of the twain he should rule England who should conquer in the battle. He
appointed a week hence for the conflict, and whichever first came on the ground should wait a week
for the other. Now this was then the custom, that so soon as a king had enhazelled a field, it was a
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shameful act to harry before the battle was ended. Accordingly king Olaf halted and harried not, but
waited till the appointed day, when he moved his army to Vin-heath.
North of the heath stood a town. There in the town king Olaf quartered him, and there he had the
greatest part of his force, because there was a wide district around which seemed to him convenient for
the bringing in of such provisions as the army needed. But he sent men of his own up to the heath
where the battlefield was appointed; these were to take camping-ground, and make all ready before the
army came. But when the men came to the place where the field was enhazelled, there were all the
hazel-poles set up to mark the ground where the battle should be.
The place ought to be chosen level, and whereon a large host might be set in array. And such was this;
for in the place where the battle was to be the heath was level, with a river flowing on one side, on the
other a large wood. But where the distance between the wood and the river was least (though this was
a good long stretch), there king Athelstan s men had pitched, and their tents quite filled the space
between wood and river. They had so pitched that in every third tent there were no men at all, and in
one of every three but few. Yet when king Olaf s men came to them, they had then numbers swarming
before all the tents, and the others could not get to go inside. Athelstan s men said that their tents were
all full, so full that their people had not nearly enough room. But the front line of tents stood so high
that it could not be seen over them whether they stood many or few in depth. Olaf s men imagined a
vast host must be there. King Olaf s men pitched north of the hazel-poles, toward which side the
ground sloped a little.
From day to day Athelstan s men said that the king would come, or was come, to the town that lay
south of the heath. Meanwhile forces flocked to them both day and night.
But when the appointed time had expired, then Athelstan s men sent envoys to king Olaf with these
words:  King Athelstan is ready for battle, and had a mighty host. But he sends to king Olaf these
words, that he would fain they should not cause so much bloodshed as now looks likely; he begs Olaf
rather to go home to Scotland, and Athelstan will give him as a friendly gift one shilling of silver from
every plough through all his realm, and he wishes that they should become friends.
When the messengers came to Olaf he was just beginning to make ready his army, and purposing to
attack. But on the messengers declaring their errand, he forebore to advance for that day. Then he and
his captains sate in council. Wherein opinions were much divided. Some strongly desired that these
terms should be taken; they said that this journey had already won them great honour, if they should
go home after receiving so much money from Athelstan. But some were against it, saying that
Athelstan would offer much more the second time, were this refused. And this latter counsel prevailed.
Then the messengers begged king Olaf to give them time to go back to king Athelstan, and try if he
would pay yet more money to ensure peace. They asked a truce of one day for their journey home, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]